A habit tracker without a subscription: choosing what fits

What does without a subscription mean?

It means you aren't agreeing to a recurring payment. It doesn't by itself tell you which features are free, whether there's a one-off charge or what you'll need to pay for later.

Before choosing a tool, you could check what you can record, what you can export and what happens if you stop paying. Those questions apply whether you want a few ticks, a book list or a record of your year.

Paper: a record you can make your own

You could use a notebook you already own, with a date, a label and a tick, number or short note. Paper might suit you if you like writing by hand and don't want another app to open.

You choose the layout and can leave a gap without changing a setting. The trade-off is that you'd keep and add up the record yourself. You'd also need your own way to preserve a copy, such as photographs of the pages you want to keep.

Using paper doesn't mean buying a special planner. You could try a page first, then decide whether you'd like more structure.

A spreadsheet: your own columns and totals

You could make columns for the date, what you're recording, the value and an optional note. A spreadsheet might suit you if you'd like to choose your own layout and formulas rather than use an app's summaries.

If you're looking for a no-cost spreadsheet option, LibreOffice includes Calc. Its publisher describes the suite as free and open source.¹ You could also check what software you already have; this guide doesn't assume every spreadsheet product or storage service is free.

The trade-off is that you build and maintain the sheet, including any formulas, charts and copies. If you'd like to use it on more than one device, you could check how your chosen tool handles access, storage and costs before entering personal details.

A notebook app: what Small Counts offers

Small Counts is a free personal notebook for themes, ticks, counts, amounts, clock times, lists and short notes. You can make your own themes, keep goals optional and switch runs off. Monthly reviews and year-so-far summaries are included.

You don't need an account for tracking. Entries are stored in your browser on your device; optional automatic backup keeps an encrypted recovery copy. You can read how privacy works before deciding what to record or back up.

The trade-offs matter too. Entries are manual: there are no automatic wearable feeds, contacts import or calendar import. Live sync between devices, shared goals and CSV import aren't available. Automatic backup is for recovery, not a shared live notebook.

You could try the demo to see whether the structure suits you before making your own record. The demo uses fictional entries, not evidence of what other people achieve.

Which parts are free, and what costs money?

Tracking in Small Counts is free with no limit on themes. Backup files, optional encrypted recovery backup and CSV export are free too. You don't need to buy a keepsake to keep or download your records.

The optional £10 collection covers one named calendar year's digital keepsakes: printable A4 monthly pages building into a PDF book, and a picture of the whole year.² Nothing renews. A later year's collection is a separate purchase, not an automatic charge.

We're creating digital artwork for you to download and print yourself or take to a printer. We aren't selling physical prints, a posted book or other physical products. Pages follow their finished months; buying doesn't create a completed future year.

You can see the collection details before deciding. Paper, a spreadsheet and the free notebook remain options if you don't want that purchase.

Check how you can take your records with you

You could ask any tool you consider: can I get a readable copy of my entries, and can I restore them if I change device? A nice-looking summary and a restorable backup serve different purposes.

Small Counts lets you save a backup file for restoring into the notebook, or export entries as a spreadsheet (CSV). The CSV isn't its restore format. It also doesn't guarantee that another app will import that CSV; check the destination tool before relying on a move.

Your browser's stored records can be lost if its data is cleared or you lose access to the device. You could choose a backup option and check that a downloaded file is saved where you expect. A file or image you share can contain personal details, so it's worth checking it before passing it on.

Try the smallest version before committing

You could begin with one thing you'd like to remember: a book title, a walk, a short note or whether you did something that day. If the format gets in your way, you're free to change it.

For starting ideas, our reading challenge guide uses books, pages or minutes. Our guide to making a year in review shows how incomplete records can still become something to keep.

You don't need a perfect run, a large target or a purchase to begin. You can also decide that a habit tracker isn't something you want to use.