Jill A. Chafin
If your family is struggling to stay on top of daily chores, try using a fun, chore tracking app! Everyone’s bound to get excited when chores become a game—even the adults.
There are mixed opinions about offering “rewards” or “incentives” along with chores. Some families believe it’s the only way to get their kids to pitch in, whereas other parents want their kids to do chores without being rewarded. It’s up to you how you approach it.
Using a chore-tracking app, though, allows you to set the rewards—whether it’s extra allowance, a pizza party, or just the joy of accumulating points (which can be a great incentive for igniting your child’s competitive side).
Here are our three favorites chore apps, which are bound to transform your regular, boring house chores into a fun, competitive game. Ready, set, go!
Best for Money Management: Homey
If you believe in rewarding your kids’ hard work with money, this is the app for you! Whether they have to do regular chores to earn their allowance, or they get extra cash for harder tasks (like washing your car), Homey helps you track it all.
You can set specific responsibilities for each family member and determine which jobs are paid (and how much). Your child can track his earnings, and then transfer the money directly to her personal savings account.
There’s also a family chat option, so you can all stay connected about what needs to be done. The app features tiers. If you don’t want to actually transfer the money from the app, and/or you have less than three people in your household who use the app, the free tier is perfect for you.
If more than three people use the app, and you do want the app to transfer money directly, the premium unlimited family plan for $4.99 per month (or $49.99 for a year) is a better fit.
Homey is entirely app-based. Both you and your children will need to use the iOS, Android, or Amazon Appstore application.
Best for Total Household Management: Our Home
With the free Our Home app, you can create a list of regular tasks, determine who needs to do it and when, and how often (daily, weekly, or monthly). Then, you assign a certain amount of points for each task, such as 20 for emptying the dishwasher, 50 for washing the car, or 10 for putting clothes in the hamper. You can also deduct points if someone misses their chore or completes it late.
Unlike Homey, where the points translate directly to money, with Our Home, you can assign whatever value or reward you want to the points. You can offer a reward to the person who gets the most points, or say, “If the entire family earns over 100 points, we’ll have a pizza party on Saturday night.” This encourages everyone to pitch in, making it a group effort.
Where OurHome really shines, though, is its focus on general household management. Using the app, you can not only assign chores to your kids, but also set up a simple shared calendar, a shared grocery list, and message family members (be it to remind them to do a task or praise them for doing it).
All family members can log into the same account, even from different devices. The service is accessible via the app (iOS/Android/Amazon Appstore) or the web if you prefer to manage your household from your computer.
Best for a True Gaming Experience: Habitica
Want to build stronger, more productive habits in all areas of your family’s life? Then check out Habitica.
This fantasy-world app treats your life like a game, offering in-game rewards and punishments that help keep you on track. For example, you can accumulate weapons, armor, earn mysterious pets, or gain some powerful magic skills after you complete your list of goals.
When it comes to “gamifying” chores, this is the most sophisticated option by far. It doesn’t just create a tracking and reward system, but also turns chores into something like an old-school RPG. Not only can you accumulate points for simple tasks, but you can turn bigger projects (like getting ready for a garage sale) into a full-on family quest.
Kids, teens, and adults of all ages will be motivated by this exciting app. Plus, it’s free and features very frequent updates with new in-app features and seasonal events. Habitica is available both as a mobile app on iOS and Android, as well as a very polished web portal, so you can manage your chore adventures with ease from anywhere.
If your goal is getting everyone to finish their chores and have fun in the process, then gamifying them is the way to go! Ditch those old-fashioned chore charts and try out one of these fun apps! You can include the whole family, and make your home life a little bit easier—and more organized.
