Ranked · Apps
Best bucket list and goal apps in 2026
Ten apps that turn someday plans into goals you actually work on, from shared couple lists to SMART goal trackers and life-in-weeks reminders.
Bitezine Editorial TeamRankings, reviews & guides 10 min read
AI generatedThe best bucket list app keeps your life goals in view long after the excitement of writing them down fades. Most bucket lists die in a notes file: you add learning Spanish, seeing the northern lights and running a half marathon, then never open it again. A good goal tracking app breaks those ambitions into milestones, shows your progress and, if you want, lets you share the list with a partner, without nagging you like an overdue chore.
To build this list of the best bucket list and goal apps for 2026 we looked at tools people use for long-term personal goals, not just daily habits. We checked how easy it is to add a goal, whether you can track progress and milestones, how well each app handles a shared bucket list for couples or friends, whether it works on iPhone and Android, and how much you get in the free version. Every app here is available to download today.
At a glance
#1 · Best for Couples and planners who want everything in one app
Listub Bucket List
Goals, milestones and sharing done right
Listub's Bucket List module lets you add any life goal, from a skill to a trip, with notes, a target date you can move without penalty and a progress bar. Big goals break into milestones you tick off as you go, and goals are grouped by year so they never pile up as overdue tasks. Share a room and you and your partner both edit one couples bucket list, synced across iPhone, Android and Mac, while the Galveo AI assistant lets you add goals by typing or talking in plain words.
- Progress bars and milestones for each goal
- Flexible target dates, organised by year
- Shared couples lists in one room
- Dated goals appear in the Listub Calendar
- Syncs across iPhone, iPad, Android and Mac
- Platforms
- iOS, Android, macOS
- Pricing
- Freemium, Premium unlocks sharing and multiple devices
#2 · Best for Numeric goals with deadlines
Strides
Best dedicated goal tracker for iPhone
Strides is a goal and habit tracker built around measurable targets. You can set up a SMART goal in a few steps or start from a template, then follow it with progress bars that show whether you are on pace. It offers four tracker types, including deadline targets and milestone calendars, and includes an Apple Watch app. Strides Plus adds unlimited goals and sync between devices.
- Target, average, streak and milestone trackers
- On-track pace indicator for each goal
- Charts, success rates and calendars
- Plus plan adds unlimited goals and sync
- Platforms
- iOS, iPadOS, watchOS
- Pricing
- Freemium
#3 · Best for People who like to design their own setup
Notion
Build your own goal system
Notion is a flexible workspace rather than a bucket list app, which is exactly why many people use a Notion bucket list template. You can build a goal database with status, category and target year, switch between board and gallery views, and link each goal to notes or sub-tasks. Pages can be shared with family or a partner, though setup takes longer than a dedicated app.
- Custom databases with board, table and gallery views
- Bucket list and goal templates
- Pages for notes, research and photos
- Share pages with others for collaboration
- Platforms
- iOS, Android, macOS, Windows, Web
- Pricing
- Freemium
#4 · Best for Travel-heavy bucket lists
Buckist
Visual bucket list with a travel map
Buckist puts your goals against a grid of the weeks in a life, which is a blunt but effective motivator. Places you have been and want to visit show up on a map, and finished goals become stamps in a collection. You can also share lists and categories with other people.
- Life-in-weeks grid
- Travel map of visited and planned places
- Completed goals saved as stamps
- Shared lists and an ideas feed
- Platforms
- iOS, Android
- Pricing
- Freemium
#5 · Best for Getting ideas and motivation from others
Bucket
The social bucket list
Bucket treats your list as something to share. A home feed shows what friends and other members are adding and completing, and when you finish something you can post a short story with photos, video and text. It also shows which goals you have in common with other people.
- Community feed for ideas
- Photo and video stories for finished goals
- Shared lists with friends
- Finds goals you share with others
- Platforms
- iOS
- Pricing
- Free
#6 · Best for People motivated by rewards
Habitica
Turns goals into a game
Habitica wraps habits, dailies and to-dos in a role-playing game. Finishing tasks earns experience and gear for your avatar, while skipped ones cost health. It works best for breaking a big ambition into regular actions, and parties let friends keep each other honest.
- Habits, dailies and to-dos with checklists
- Avatar rewards and penalties
- Parties and challenges with friends
- Core features free, optional subscription
- Platforms
- iOS, Android, Web
- Pricing
- Freemium
#7 · Best for Privacy-minded solo users
BucketPal
Private, on-device goal list
BucketPal keeps your bucket list on your iPhone with no account. It sorts goals by category and priority, tracks completion and shows your progress against the weeks you have left. Widgets and Live Activities keep goals on your home and lock screens. The trade-off is that lists cannot be shared.
- Categories, priorities and completion tracking
- Life progress visualisation
- Home screen widgets and Live Activities
- No account, data stays on device
- Platforms
- iOS, iPadOS
- Pricing
- Freemium
#8 · Best for A quick, no-fuss shared list
Google Keep
Simple free list you can share
Google Keep has no goal tracking, but a checklist note with photos and labels makes a perfectly usable bucket list. You can pin it, colour it, set a reminder and add a collaborator who sees changes straight away. It is a good fit if you already live in Google's apps.
- Checklist notes with images
- Labels, colours and pinning
- Time and location reminders
- Shared notes with collaborators
- Platforms
- iOS, Android, Web
- Pricing
- Free
#9 · Best for Visual planners with multi-step goals
Trello
Kanban board for big goals
Trello lets you lay goals out as cards on a board, with columns such as Someday, Planning, In progress and Done. Each card can hold a checklist, due date, photos and comments, which suits goals that need several steps. Boards can be shared with family or friends.
- Boards, lists and cards
- Checklists and due dates on cards
- Attachments and comments
- Shared boards for groups
- Platforms
- iOS, Android, macOS, Windows, Web
- Pricing
- Freemium
#10 · Best for Apple households who want nothing extra
Apple Reminders
Built-in option for Apple users
Reminders comes with every iPhone, iPad and Mac, and it handles a bucket list better than most people expect. You can add subtasks, notes, tags and optional dates, group items into sections and share the list with someone else. There is no progress tracking beyond ticking items off.
- Subtasks, notes and tags
- Sections and column view
- Shared lists with other Apple users
- Smart lists for filtering
- Platforms
- iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, Web (iCloud)
- Pricing
- Free
How to choose
Start with the kind of goals you have. Travel and experience lists suit a bucket list app with maps, photos and an ideas feed. Skill and lifestyle goals need a goal tracker with milestones and progress bars, so you can see that a big ambition is 40 percent done rather than simply not done. If you want charts and pacing for numeric targets, a dedicated goal tracking app fits better than a plain checklist.
Then think about who else is involved. A couples bucket list only works if both people can add and tick items from their own phones, so check that the app runs on iPhone and Android and supports sharing. Several popular bucket list apps are iPhone-only. Finally, look at what a free bucket list app actually includes, because some limit the number of goals or keep sync behind a subscription.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best free bucket list app?
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Listub's free plan already includes goals, target dates, milestones and progress tracking, which covers what most people need. Google Keep and Apple Reminders are completely free if a plain checklist is enough, and Bucket is free if you want a social feed. Habitica keeps its core features free as well.
Which bucket list app works on both iPhone and Android?
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Listub, Buckist, Habitica, Notion, Trello and Google Keep all run on iPhone and Android. Strides, BucketPal and Bucket are built for Apple devices, so they are a poor fit if you and your partner use different phones.
Can I share a bucket list with my partner?
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Yes. In Listub you can share a room so both of you add and tick goals on one couples bucket list; inviting someone requires Premium. Buckist supports shared lists, and Google Keep and Apple Reminders let you add collaborators to a list. BucketPal does not support sharing by design.
What is the best app for tracking long-term goals with milestones?
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Listub lets you split a goal into milestones and shows a progress bar as you tick them off, without turning the goal into an overdue task. Strides offers milestone calendars and target trackers with a pace indicator. Notion works too if you are happy to build your own database.
Is there a bucket list app without a subscription?
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Google Keep and Apple Reminders are free with no subscription, and Bucket is free to use. Listub and Habitica have free plans you can keep using indefinitely, with optional paid upgrades for extras such as sharing or cosmetic rewards.
What is a good alternative to Strides for Android?
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Strides is Apple-only, so Android users need something else. Listub offers progress bars, milestones and target dates on Android and every other platform. Habitica suits people who like game-style rewards, and Notion suits those who want to build a custom goal tracker.
Does Google Keep work offline?
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Yes. The Keep mobile app lets you view and edit notes without a connection, and your changes sync once you are back online. It does not track progress or milestones, so it works best as a simple checklist-style bucket list.
How do I make a bucket list I will actually complete?
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Write each goal so it is specific, give it a rough target year, and break it into two or three small milestones you can start this month. Keep the list in an app you already open often, such as Listub, and review it every few months. Sharing the list with a partner or friend also helps you follow through.
The best bucket list app is the one you still open six months from now. If you want a free goal tracker with milestones and progress, a shared bucket list for couples, and apps for iPhone, Android and Mac, start with Listub. If you prefer a social feed, detailed charts or a game that rewards you for showing up, the other life goals apps here cover those styles well. Pick one, add three goals tonight and give each a rough target year.
How we research: We compare each product on the same criteria, using makers’ documentation, independent reviews and owner feedback, and re-check the list when products change.
Written by
Bitezine Editorial Team
Rankings, reviews & guides
Our editors research every piece from makers’ documentation, independent tests and owner reports, and update it when products change.
