Finch vs StartKick
Finch app review: what’s free, what Plus costs, who it suits
Finch turns self-care into looking after a small pet: you set goals, check in on your mood, and your pet goes on adventures. Most of it is free and its users love it, so the real questions are what Finch Plus adds, what it costs, and when a different kind of app fits better. Here is both, line by line, with the sources. Checked on 26 October 2026.
StartKick is for people who keep putting off something they want or need to do. A free 2-minute check shows what tends to get in your way, then you get one small first step for a real task.
Take the free 2-minute checkShort answers
- Is Finch worth it?
- For many people the free version is enough. Finch says its core self-care features "are (and will always be) free", and the app rates 4.9 on the US App Store from 768,067 ratings and 4.9 on Google Play from 634,804.S7, S1, S3
- How much is Finch Plus?
- $69.99 a year or $9.99 a month in the US. The US App Store also lists other Plus prices, from $5.99 to $59.99; the UK store lists Plus from £4.99 to £69.99.S4, S1, S2
- Is there a free trial?
- Two kinds. A 3-day free Plus trial ends on its own. A 7-day free trial becomes a paid subscription unless you cancel. One trial per account.S6
- How do I cancel Finch Plus?
- In your phone’s subscription settings, not in the app: Apple ID > Subscriptions on iPhone, Google Play > Subscriptions on Android.S5
- What do people complain about?
- In recent reviews: monthly events that give free users less than paying ones, the game side growing at the expense of self-care, no dark mode, bugs and lost data.S3, S2, S10
- Who is Finch for?
- People who want a gentle, game-like nudge for small daily self-care, mostly for free.
The bill
What’s free
FinchThe core self-care features: your pet, goals, reflections, friends and seasonal events. Plus adds customization, extra rewards and more content.S7
StartKickThe 2-minute check and one small first step for a real task. The plan, the coach and the tools are paid. The coach is software, not a person.
A month
Finch$9.99 a month (US).S4
StartKick$7.99, £7.99 or €7.99 a month, or one yearly price. Both start with 3 free days.
A year
Finch$69.99 a year (US). The US App Store lists ten Plus and Guardian prices from $5.99 to $69.99, the UK store ten Plus prices from £4.99 to £69.99. The store pages do not say which plan each price belongs to.S4, S1, S2
StartKick$29, £29 or €29 for the first year, then $59, £59 or €59 a year. The price includes tax and is the number Stripe charges.S12
Keep the monthly plan for a year
Finch$119.88 (12 × $9.99).S4
StartKick$29 in the first year, $59 after.
Free trial
FinchA 3-day free Plus trial that ends on its own, and a 7-day free trial that turns into a subscription unless you cancel. One trial per account.S6
StartKick3 days free, card needed. Then the first year at $29, £29 or €29, or $7.99, £7.99 or €7.99 a month.S12
Warning before renewal
FinchThe Terms promise contact "if anything changes so you have an opportunity to end your subscription". A reminder before a normal renewal is not mentioned.S9
StartKickAn email when the trial starts. On the yearly plan, a reminder before it renews.S13
Extras
FinchThe Guardian Program, a separate subscription ($7.99 on the US store) that funds free Plus for others. Google Play lists in-app prices from $1.99 to $399.99 per item.S1, S3
StartKickThe coach is included. One optional pack of 500 extra coach messages for $5, £5 or €5, one payment, nothing renews.
The small print
How to cancel
FinchIn your phone’s settings: Apple ID > Subscriptions on iPhone, Google Play > Subscriptions on Android. Plus stays until the end of the period you paid for.S5
StartKickOne tap under Your plan in the app, or at link.com. No email, no call.S13
Refunds
FinchThe Terms: no refund for the period you already paid. The help center: write to support@befinch.com about an accidental subscription, or if a trial charged you early.S9, S8, S6
StartKickForgot to cancel? Ask within 24 hours of your first payment and we refund it in full. It is written in the Terms.S12
Who you are dealing with
FinchFinch Care Public Benefit Corporation, California, USA. The Terms include an agreement to binding arbitration.S9, S3
StartKickAndrej Sinkovič s.p., Ljubljana, Slovenia. Slovenian law, and your consumer rights where you live stay in place. One email address, answered by the person who built it.S12
Your data
FinchWithout an account, progress stays on your phone. An optional account links a phone number, stored as a hash. The App Store label lists only identifiers as linked to you and no data used to track you.S9, S1
StartKickYour answers, tasks and result never go to Meta or Google. Meta learns that someone viewed a page, left an email or paid, nothing more. In the EU, the EEA and the UK nothing is measured until you allow it.S14
What people report
Finch rates 4.9 on the US App Store from 768,067 ratings (under 0.5% of them one star), 4.9 on the UK App Store from 78,540, and 4.9 on Google Play from 634,804, with more than 10 million downloads. Trustpilot has only 13 reviews on an unclaimed page, too few to read much into.S1, S2, S3, S10
Praise that comes up again and again: the free version is genuinely useful, there are no ads, small goals like getting out of bed count, and bad days are not punished. Complaints in recent lower-star reviews: monthly events give free users less than paying ones, themes now follow film releases, the game side is growing at the expense of self-care, no dark mode, bugs and lost data.S3, S2, S10
Two quotes, their words:
What you get
Starting point
FinchYou hatch and name a pet, pick goals, and check in each morning and evening.
StartKickA 2-minute check that shows what tends to stop you: one of six ways people get stuck. No diagnosis.
Daily use
FinchGoals give your pet energy for its adventures; mood tracker, journaling prompts, quizzes and insights.
StartKickA 28-day plan: one small step a day, sized to the minutes you have (5 to 45), with a timer you can extend.
Coach
FinchNot part of Finch’s feature list.
StartKickA coach that knows your plan and what’s stopping you. Included.
Learning
FinchShort quizzes, motivational quotes and insights from your own logs.
StartKick40 short lessons, 4 to 5 minutes each, each with something to try today. Included.
Habits
FinchGoal and habit tracker; Plus adds custom goal emojis.
StartKickHabit Builder: up to three habits at once, 60 days each, built on your own obstacles.
Calm
FinchGuided breathing, soundscapes and movement; Plus unlocks every option and length.
StartKickSlow breathing, a 5-4-3-2-1 reset and a quiet minute, one tap from Today.
With others
FinchFriends, good vibes and gifts.
StartKickCo-op: a friend or a matched partner, shared tasks and habits.
Games
FinchThe app itself is a game: adventures, outfits, rainbow stones, micropets, seasonal events.
StartKickShort games in the app.
Elsewhere
FinchiPhone, iPad and Apple Vision, and Android. finchcare.com lists no web or desktop version.
StartKickWorks in any browser and installs to your home screen. A free Chrome extension gives you the first step for the page you have open.
Where Finch is ahead
FinchFree for most of what it does. 4.9 stars from about 1.4 million ratings across both stores, an Editors’ Choice badge on the US App Store, a monthly plan if you don’t want a year, free Plus raffles for people who can’t afford it, and a guest mode that keeps your data on your phone.
StartKickStartKick is new (2026), built and answered by one person, and free only for the first check and first step. No pet, no mood journal. We would rather you know.
Finch’s features from its store pages, help center and website S1, S7, S11. StartKick’s from the app as of 26 October 2026.
Where Finch is ahead
- Free for most of what it does, and Finch says the core will stay free.S7
- 4.9 stars on both stores from about 1.4 million ratings; Editors’ Choice on the US App Store.S1, S3
- A pet and a small game world that make tiny tasks feel lighter, plus friends and gifts.
- A monthly plan ($9.99) if a year is too much commitment.S4
- Monthly Guardian raffles for free Plus, and help for people who can’t afford it.S6
- A guest mode: no account, data stays on your phone.S9
- Native apps for iPhone, iPad and Android.
When StartKick fits better
- You keep putting off one real task, a form, an email, a project, and want the first step sized to the minutes you have.
- You want a plan and a coach who knows it, included in the price, not a pet to look after.
- You’d rather your motivation didn’t depend on stones, outfits and monthly events.
- You work on a laptop: StartKick runs in any browser, and the Chrome extension gives you a first step for the page you have open.
- You want one yearly price with tax included, canceling in one tap, and a full refund if you forget to cancel and ask within 24 hours of the first payment.
And when it doesn’t: if you want something free, enjoy a pet that grows with you, or mostly want a mood journal and gentle reminders, Finch is the better pick.
Take the free 2-minute checkHow to cancel Finch Plus
- iPhone or iPad: Settings > [your name] > Subscriptions > Finch > Cancel Subscription.S5
- Android: Google Play Store > Menu > Subscriptions > Finch > Cancel.S5
- You cancel with Apple or Google, not inside Finch.S5, S9
- You keep Plus until the end of the period you paid for.S5
- On the 7-day free trial, cancel before it ends or it turns into a paid plan. The 3-day trial ends on its own.S6
- Charged by mistake, or charged before your trial ended? Write to support@befinch.com.S8, S6
- A Guardian subscription is separate: change or cancel it in the same store settings.S15