stickK Alternatives in 2026: 5 Commitment Apps Compared

The closest stickK alternatives are Beeminder and Forfeit, which also charge you when you miss a goal. Beeminder reads your data from trackers, and Forfeit checks your proof for you. If you would rather have a prize than only a penalty, StepBet, DietBet and HealthyWage pay a prize when you hit the goal.

Key Takeaways

Beeminder and Forfeit work like stickK: you pay when you miss a goal and win nothing when you hit it.
Forfeit checks proof for you with photos, GPS or Apple Health, while stickK relies on a referee and your own reports.
Beeminder syncs steps from Apple Health, Fitbit, Garmin and Oura, and its pledge rises after every miss.
StepBet, DietBet and HealthyWage add a prize: hit the goal and you can win money on top of your stake.
stickK stays the simplest free option, and it is the only one that can send your lost stake to a friend or a charity.

stickK lets you write a commitment contract for any goal, pick a referee, and choose who gets your stake if you fail: a friend, a charity or an "anti-charity" you dislike. It is free and flexible, but progress is self-reported and the iPhone app had 2.6 stars from 26 ratings in October 2026. Here is how five other apps compare.

stickK alternatives at a glance

App	How you win or lose	What it costs	Where lost money goes	Platforms	Best for
Beeminder	Stay above your goal line or pay a pledge that rises	Free for three goals; pledges start at $5	Beeminder	Web, iPhone, Android	Long-running goals synced from a tracker
Forfeit	Prove the habit by the deadline or pay your penalty	Free app with paid tiers	Kept by Forfeit for now	iPhone, Android, Mac, web	Proof checked for you
StepBet	Hit weekly step targets for about six weeks; winners split the pot	Most games $40; StepBet keeps 15% in standard games	To the winners, after the fee	iPhone, Android	A step goal with a prize
DietBet	Lose a set share of your weight; winners split the pot	Bets from $10; DietBet keeps 10% to 25% of the pot	To the winners, after the fee	iPhone, Android, web	A short weight goal with a prize
HealthyWage	Lose at least 10% of your weight for a fixed prize	Monthly bet you choose	HealthyWage	iPhone, Android, web	A long weight goal with a fixed prize

What stickK does well

stickK works for any goal, from quitting smoking to writing a thesis. You can commit with no money, or with a stake that goes to a friend, one of more than 20 US charities on its list, or a cause you oppose. Your referee's word is final, which keeps you honest if you pick the right person. Wikipedia cites the company's figure that 78% of people succeed with a stake and a referee, against 35% without.

The limits: you report your own progress, there is no prize for success, and reviewers on JustUseApp complain about unexpected charges, login trouble and slow support. Any fee on forfeited stakes and its minimum age are not listed on their site as of October 2026.

Beeminder

Beeminder draws a line toward your goal and charges you when your data falls below it. It syncs steps from Apple Health, Fitbit, Garmin and Oura, or you can type numbers in.

What it does well: it handles any goal you can count, it runs for as long as you like, and you get about a week of buffer by default. The pledge climbs from $5 to $10, $30, $90 and beyond after each miss, so slipping gets more expensive.

Its limits: all charges go to Beeminder, which its FAQ calls the business model. Lowering a pledge takes seven days. Beyond three free goals, plans cost $8, $16 or $81 a month.

Forfeit

Forfeit charges your card when you miss a habit. You choose how to prove it: a photo checked by AI, a timelapse checked by a person, a GPS check-in, an Apple Health threshold such as a step count, a Screen Time limit, a friend or your own word.

What it does well: many proof methods, appeals reviewed within 12 hours, a hard mode with no appeals, and 4.8 stars from 364 App Store ratings.

Its limits: no prize, and its site says forfeited money is kept by Forfeit for now. Paid tiers on the App Store run from $3.99 a week to $99.99 a year.

StepBet

StepBet turns a step goal into a group game. Most games cost $40 for six weeks, your targets come from your own step history, and players who hit them split the pot.

What it does well: a warm-up first week, a full refund until day 7, support for Apple Health, Fitbit, Garmin and Health Connect, and 4.8 stars from about 23,000 App Store ratings.

Its limits: StepBet keeps 15% of the pot in standard games, pays to PayPal only, and The Budget Diet estimates a profit of about $5 to $10 per game.

DietBet

DietBet runs weight-loss games. A Kickstarter asks you to lose 4% of your body weight in four weeks, and winners split the pot. Bets start at $10.

What it does well: human referees check every weigh-in, Kickstarter bets can be refunded within seven days of the start, and the games are short.

Its limits: DietBet keeps 10% to 25% of the pot, cash-outs under $50 carry a $5 fee, and it only covers weight.

HealthyWage

HealthyWage pays a fixed prize, shown by its calculator before you start, if you lose at least 10% of your body weight by a date you choose.

What it does well: you see the prize up front, its site lists offers up to $10,000, and you pay in monthly installments.

Its limits: its site says the average bettor pays about $60 a month for nine months, and its rules allow no refunds outside documented medical cases. Miss the goal by any amount and there is no prize.

Who each one suits

Beeminder: you track numbers and want rising stakes for a long goal.
Forfeit: you want a daily habit with proof checked for you.
StepBet: you want a step goal and a chance at a prize.
DietBet: you want a short weight goal in a group.
HealthyWage: you want a long weight goal with a fixed prize.

This is Steppa's blog, so one note on our own app. If you want a stake on walking with a prize for finishing, Steppa runs step challenges on iPhone: you pay a stake, hit one daily goal every day, and the finishers split the whole pool. Steps come from Apple Health and typed-in steps never count. For most players a service fee of $0.50 plus 4% of the stake is shown before you pay. Paid play is for adults where available under its Terms.

To compare the two closest options head to head, read stickK vs Beeminder, or browse every comparison in the comparison hub.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best alternative to stickK?

For a goal you can measure with a tracker, Beeminder is the closest match: it reads your data, charges you when you fall below your line, and raises the pledge after each miss. If you want proof checked for you, Forfeit uses photos, GPS and Apple Health. If you want a prize as well as a penalty, StepBet and DietBet put players in a shared pot.

Is stickK free?

Yes, stickK is free for individuals, according to Wikipedia's entry on the company, and you can make a commitment with no money at all. If you add a stake, guides such as PaidFromSurveys cite a minimum of $5 per reporting period, and the money goes to the friend, charity or anti-charity you picked if you fail. Any fee on forfeited stakes is not listed on their site as of October 2026.

Does stickK really work?

Wikipedia cites stickK's own figure that about 78% of people succeed when they set a stake and a referee, against about 35% without. That is the company's claim rather than an independent study. The idea behind it, a cost you set in advance for failing, comes from behavioural economics, and stickK was founded in 2007 by Yale economists Dean Karlan and Ian Ayres.

Which commitment app checks your proof for you?

Forfeit is the strongest here. You can prove a habit with a photo checked by AI, a timelapse checked by a person, a GPS check-in, an Apple Health threshold or a Screen Time limit, and appeals are reviewed within 12 hours. Beeminder reads data from trackers such as Fitbit, Garmin and Apple Health. stickK relies on your own report and a referee you choose.