Patterns vs Loop Habit Tracker: iOS privacy or Android open source?
This is the rare comparison where the honest answer is mostly decided by which phone is in your pocket. Loop Habit Tracker is a completely free, open-source (GPLv3) habit tracker for Android, distributed on Google Play and F-Droid, with daily reminders, charts, and statistics. Patterns is an iOS and iPadOS tracker with private iCloud-only sync. They share a philosophy — respect the user, skip the manipulation — but not a platform.
Loop Habit Tracker is Android-only, free forever, and open source — if you're on Android and want a no-nonsense tracker with charts and statistics, install it and you're done. Patterns is iOS/iPadOS-only and subscription-based, and spends its effort on things Loop doesn't attempt: a generative woven tapestry instead of charts, streaks that only reset after two consecutive missed days, implementation-intention habit setup, and sync through your own iCloud with no account. Different platforms, different trade-offs — this page exists because people genuinely ask which to use across households and phone switches.
Choose Loop Habit Tracker when
- You're on Android — Loop is Android-only, on Google Play and F-Droid.
- You want completely free, no ads, no subscription — Loop is free and open source under GPLv3.
- Open source matters to you — the full source code is public, so you can audit exactly what the app does.
- You want straightforward daily reminders, charts, and statistics without any game layer.
- You want a tracker you can keep using in ten years regardless of any company's business model.
Choose Patterns when
- You're on iPhone or iPad — Loop has no iOS version.
- You want your record to feel like something — a woven, generative tapestry rather than line charts.
- You want forgiving streaks: one missed day is a muted stitch, and the streak only resets after two consecutive misses.
- You want habits set up as if-then implementation intentions, not just names with reminder times.
- You value no-account privacy: habit data syncs through your own iCloud, with no server storing it.
Feature and pricing comparison
| Dimension | Loop Habit Tracker | Patterns |
|---|---|---|
| Price (as of July 2026) | Completely free, no in-app purchases | Free download; 2 weeks free, then $49.99/year or $9.99/month |
| Platforms | Android (Google Play, F-Droid) | iOS and iPadOS (at launch) |
| Availability | Live now | Pre-launch — waitlist open |
| License | Open source, GPLv3; source at source.loophabits.org | Proprietary |
| Progress view | Charts and statistics | Generative woven tapestry |
| Missed day | Reflected in charts and statistics; see loophabits.org for its scoring model | Resilience streak resets only after two consecutive missed days |
| Reminders | Daily reminders | Implementation-intention cues tied to existing routines |
| Data & accounts | On-device Android app | No account; syncs across your devices via your own iCloud |
Loop facts come from loophabits.org, checked July 2026. Verify current details on loophabits.org before deciding.
Patterns vs Loop Habit Tracker FAQ
Is Loop Habit Tracker available on iPhone?
No. Loop Habit Tracker is an Android app, distributed through Google Play and F-Droid, and its site lists no iOS version. If you are on Android, Loop is one of the best free options you can install. If you are on iPhone or iPad, you need a different tracker entirely — that's the gap Patterns is built for.
Is Loop Habit Tracker really completely free?
Yes. Loop describes itself as completely free and open source under the GPLv3 license, with its source code publicly available. There is no subscription and no in-app purchases. Patterns, by contrast, is a paid subscription ($49.99/year or $9.99/month after a 2-week free trial) — if free-forever matters most and you use Android, Loop wins on price outright.
How do Patterns and Loop handle a missed day?
Loop presents daily reminders, charts, and statistics that show your consistency over time. Patterns handles misses structurally: its resilience streak survives a single missed day and only resets after two consecutive missed days, and the missed day appears as a muted stitch in your woven pattern rather than a broken chain. Check loophabits.org for the details of Loop's current scoring model.
On iPhone and want the same respect for your attention?
Patterns brings a calm, private, no-manipulation habit tracker to iOS — with a woven tapestry as your record and streaks that survive a bad day.
Join the Patterns waitlist →