The short answer
Daily Pact
Our pick★ 5.0 on the App StoreFor a study group that wants to stay consistent all term.
Daily Pact turns "two hours before 6pm" or "revision every weekday" into a challenge your classmates can see. One tap to check in, a leaderboard, and PactPause for exam week. iPhone and Android. Free for 14 days, then $9.99 a year.
If that doesn't fit you
Quick comparison
| App | Friends | Focus timer | Free tier | No friends needed | Price | Platforms |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Daily PactOur pickFriend groups, daily check-in | $0.99/mo after trial | iOS · Android | ||||
| FocusmateBody doubling, 1-on-1 | Free / $8–12/mo | Web | ||||
| FloraFocus timer with friends | Free | iOS · Android | ||||
| ForestFocus timer | Free / $5.99/mo | iOS · Android · Watch | ||||
| CohortyMatched cohorts | Free | Web · iOS | ||||
| HabiticaRPG, solo or parties | Free / $4.99/mo | Web · iOS · Android |
Prices are US storefront, checked 10 September 2026.
How we chose
We build Daily Pact, so read our pick with that in mind. Every app here was judged on the same questions: who notices when you skip, how fast the check-in is, what happens after a missed day, and what it really costs. We say plainly where another app does something we don't. The full policy is on our About page.
1. Daily Pact
Our pickA study challenge with your classmates
Daily Pact is for the habit around studying rather than the session itself: "two hours before 6pm", "read 30 pages", "no phone in the library", "revision every weekday". You and your classmates join a private group, check in with one tap when it's done, and the leaderboard shows who's keeping up. Weekly targets ("4 study days this week") fit a timetable better than daily streaks, and PactPause covers exam week or a trip home. It's free for 14 days and 99 cents a month after — the price of a coffee a semester.
New accounts get 14 days free · No credit card
Pros
- Rated 5.0 on the App Store
- Works for reading, revision, assignments — any yes/no habit
- Weekly targets suit a timetable
- Leaderboard with your actual classmates
- PactPause for exam week
- Cheap: $9.99 a year
Cons
- No timer or focus mode — it's a check-in
- No free tier after 14 days
- No web version
2. Focusmate
Study next to a stranger on video
Focusmate books you a 25, 50 or 75-minute video session with a stranger. You say what you'll do, work with the camera on, and report at the end. For getting a specific essay written it's remarkably effective — the other person's presence does the work. Three sessions a week are free with no card; unlimited is $8 a month billed yearly or $12 monthly. Browser only, which is fine for a laptop.
Pros
- Three free sessions a week
- Genuinely effective for deep work
- No friends required
Cons
- Strangers, on camera
- Not a habit tracker
- Unlimited is $8–12/mo
3. Flora
Plant a tree with friends; leave the app and it dies
Flora is a focus timer: start a session, a tree grows, and if you leave the app the tree dies. The friends part is real — you can plant together, so everyone's tree depends on everyone staying off their phone. It's free, with optional purchases that fund real tree planting. It's about the session, not the habit: it can't tell you whether you studied yesterday.
Pros
- Free
- Plant together with friends
- Real trees for the paid option
Cons
- Session-only, no habit history to speak of
- Punishes phone use, not skipping
- Kills the tree if you take a call
4. Forest
The original focus tree, with 'plant together'
Forest is Flora's better-known cousin, with a 4.8 from 49,000 ratings. Same idea: a tree grows while you focus. "Plant together" lets friends share a session, though reviewers note inviting friends is fiddly. Free with in-app purchases; the subscription is $5.99 a month or about $33–36 a year.
Pros
- Well established
- Apple Watch
- Plant together with friends
Cons
- Subscription $5.99/mo for the extras
- Friend invites are clunky
- Session-based, not habit-based
5. Cohorty
A study cohort of strangers, no chat
Cohorty matches you with 5 to 15 people on the same 7 to 30-day challenge — "study 2 hours daily" — and shows everyone's check-ins as marks, with no obligation to talk. Free at the time of checking. Good if your friends won't commit, and quiet enough not to be another distraction.
Pros
- Free
- No friends needed
- No chat to get lost in
Cons
- Strangers
- No Android yet
- Ends with the challenge
6. Habitica
Homework as quests
Habitica turns assignments into to-dos and study habits into dailies that earn XP for your avatar. Parties with classmates add shared consequences. Free on every platform; the $4.99 subscription is cosmetic. Popular with students who like the game; a chore for those who don't.
Pros
- Free
- To-dos and habits in one place
- Parties with classmates
Cons
- Complex
- Easy to spend more time on the avatar than the essay
- No timer
Two different problems: sitting down, and staying down
Study apps solve one of two problems, and it helps to know which one you have.
- Sitting down. You don't start. The fix is a check-in that someone else sees: a study group in Daily Pact, a cohort in Cohorty, a party in Habitica. The question these answer is "did you study today?"
- Staying down. You start, then the phone wins. The fix is a session tool: Focusmate's stranger on camera, Flora or Forest's tree. The question these answer is "are you focused right now?"
Many students run one of each: a check-in app for the daily habit, a timer for the session. Neither replaces the other.
12 study challenges to run with classmates
Each is a yes/no you can check in on. Weekly targets are marked; they survive a timetable better than daily streaks.
- Two hours of study before 6pm
- Read 30 pages a day
- Revision every weekday (weekly: 5)
- Phone in another room for the first hour
- One past paper a week (weekly)
- Flashcards for 15 minutes daily
- Library by 9am, 4 days a week (weekly)
- No social media until the day's work is done
- Write 300 words a day on the dissertation
- Sleep by midnight during term
- Review lecture notes the same day
- One study session with the group each week (weekly)
For the setup — how big the group should be, what a missed day means — see how to start a 30-day challenge with friends.
What it costs on a student budget
Focusmate, Flora, Forest, Cohorty and Habitica are all free at the level most students need. Daily Pact is $9.99 a year after the trial, or $39.99 once. The paid coaching services in our main roundup start at $25 a month and are not aimed at students.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best accountability app for students?
For keeping a daily study habit with classmates, Daily Pact: a private group, one-tap check-ins and a leaderboard, $9.99 a year after a free 14-day trial. For getting through a single long session, Focusmate's free tier. For staying off your phone, Flora or Forest.
Is there a free study accountability app?
Yes. Focusmate gives you three free sessions a week. Flora, Forest, Cohorty and Habitica are free at their core. Daily Pact is free for 14 days, then $0.99 a month.
What is a study buddy app?
An app that pairs or groups you with other people while you study, either live (Focusmate's video sessions, Flora's shared trees) or through daily check-ins (Daily Pact, Cohorty). Both kinds work; they solve different problems.
Can I use these for a reading challenge?
Yes. "Read 30 pages" or "read 20 minutes" is a daily check-in in Daily Pact or Cohorty. Flora and Forest work if the problem is the phone, not the book.
Do these work for a whole class or study group?
Daily Pact groups hold up to 50 people and join by code, so a seminar group or a whole cohort fits. Habitica parties and Cohorty cohorts are smaller. Focusmate is one-on-one.
Related guides
Start a study challenge with your classmates — free for 14 days
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5.0 from 12 App Store ratingsAvailable on iPhone & Android · 14 days free for new accounts