The category, explained
Apps that charge you for skipping
They exist, and there are more of them every season. Forfeit, StepBet, Steppa, Cadoo, Mongo and Strutty all put your own money behind a promise, so a skipped day costs you something real. What they charge for, and when, is where they part company.
Why anyone signs up for this
Economists call it a commitment device. Today, while you still mean it, you set a price on tomorrow’s excuse. The version of you who wants to stay on the sofa then has to argue with the version who paid.
The reason it bites has a name too: loss aversion. Losing money hurts more than winning the same amount pleases, so people work harder to hold on to what they have than to win something new. A reward you might get is easy to shrug off. Money already sitting in your account is not.
What each app charges for
| App | What you commit to | What it charges for |
|---|---|---|
| Forfeit | Any habit you can prove. | Your stake when you miss, plus a subscription on top. |
| StepBet | Step targets across a game. | Your bet into the pot, a cut of the pot for the house, and a yearly membership for regulars. |
| Steppa | A step challenge with an entry fee. | Your entry fee, which stays in the pool if you miss a day. |
| Cadoo | Step and workout games. | Your stake into the game; misses fund the finishers. |
| Mongo | A daily step goal. | Your stake, sent to charity on a missed day. |
| Strutty | A daily step goal. | Your daily stake, and only on a day you skipped. |
Forfeit
You name a habit and put money behind it. Steps come straight from Apple Health; most other habits need proof, a photo, a GPS trail, a timelapse. It charges a subscription on top of your stakes, it now bundles an AI coach that can call you, and it does not go in for second chances.
StepBet
You join a game with a pot, bet money to get in, and hit step targets over several weeks. Finish and you split the pot with the other finishers, minus the company’s cut. Fall short and your bet stays behind for them. Regular players buy a yearly membership. Steppa and Cadoo are younger apps running the same pot idea, and Mongo swaps the pot for a stake that goes to charity when you miss.
Strutty
You set a daily step goal and a daily stake. Apple Health counts the steps. Walk, and nothing is charged, ever. Skip, and after two warnings and a morning of grace, the stake for that one day is charged.
Why we only charge for the skip
Charging for the app as well as the miss muddies the deal. You end up paying in your best week, which teaches you nothing except that the app costs money. Then the app has an income whether or not you ever leave the house.
So Strutty is the walking app that only charges you when you don’t walk. No subscription, no membership, no pot, no cut. Keep walking and it stays free for as long as you use it.
What to check before you hand over a card
- Who decides whether you did it, and whether you can argue with the verdict.
- How much warning you get before any money moves.
- Whether you can pause, and what happens to a day already under way.
- Who holds your card details.
- Whether the app charges you on the days you succeed.
Strutty’s answers, in order: Apple Health decides and you can appeal in one sentence; you get a heads-up in the evening, a final warning at night and until 10:00 the next morning for late steps to sync; pausing stops future days but does not erase a day already recorded as missed; Stripe holds the card and we never see the full number; and a day you finish costs nothing.
Is a stake right for you?
If reminders and streaks have been working, keep them. Money is a blunt tool and there is no sense paying for one you don’t need. If you have ignored the same reminder for a year, though, the reminder is not the answer. Put something on the line and see what a wet Tuesday looks like then.
Questions worth asking first
Is this gambling?
In Strutty there is nothing to win. You cannot come out ahead, no other player can take your money, and no pot is split at the end. The only money that ever moves is your own stake, after a day you said you would walk and didn’t.
Which one costs least?
If you keep the promise, Strutty: a day you finish costs nothing and there is no subscription. If you break it often, all of them add up, which is rather the point of them.
Can I get my money back if something went wrong?
In Strutty, yes. You have 48 hours to appeal in one sentence, an approved appeal is refunded, and a day Apple Health could not verify is never charged at all.
Do I need a watch or a fitness band?
Not for Strutty. An iPhone counts steps in your pocket, and Strutty reads the daily total from Apple Health.
Put your money where your feet are.
No subscription. You pay only for a day you skip.
Download on theApp Store