A gamified task app gives you something back the moment you finish a task: points, a level, a streak, a win. If a plain checklist has never held your attention for more than a week, that feedback is the part you were missing. SideQuest is built for ADHD brains and anyone else who needs a little dopamine to get started.
How SideQuest works
Every task is a quest. Finishing one earns XP: 10 for a quick quest, 25 for a standard one, 50 for a significant one, and 100 for a major one. XP adds up to levels, finishing quests on consecutive days builds momentum, and achievements unlock themes, badges, and other rewards.
Underneath the game layer it is still a real task app, with due dates, reminders, repeat tasks, categories, and notes.
The Task Matrix vs. a flat to-do list
A flat list treats “renew passport” and “reply to a text” as the same kind of thing, so the easy items get done and the hard ones sink. The Task Matrix sorts quests by urgency and difficulty into four squares:
Quick Win is urgent but easy, so knock it out. Hero Moment is important and hard, where your biggest quests live. Plan It is important but not urgent. If Time is nice to do, and stays visible without taking over.
You always know what to start with, and harder quests are worth more XP.
Boss Battles for big goals
Break a launch, a move, or a deadline into a Boss Battle. Every finished task chips away at the boss’s HP until you defeat it. A goal that used to sit on your list for months becomes a fight you can see yourself winning. Boss Battles are part of SideQuest Premium.
SideQuest vs. Habitica
Habitica is the best-known gamified productivity app. It turns habits, dailies, and to-dos into a role-playing game with an avatar, gear, pets, and party quests you play with other people, and it runs on the web, iOS, and Android.
SideQuest is a solo, iOS-only app built around tasks rather than habits. It adds the Task Matrix for deciding what to do next and Boss Battles for breaking down one big goal. There is no account to create and your tasks stay on your device.
Pick Habitica if you want to play alongside friends or need Android or the web. Pick SideQuest if you want a private task app on your iPhone that helps you choose the next quest and finish a big project.
SideQuest vs. streak-only apps
Streak apps do one thing well: they count how many days in a row you did a repeating habit. That works for “drink water” or “read 10 pages”. It does not help with a one-off task like renewing a passport, or a project with twenty steps.
SideQuest has streaks too, but they sit alongside one-off quests, priorities, XP, and Boss Battles, so everything you need to do lives in one place.
Who SideQuest is not for
SideQuest is for one person’s tasks. It is not a team project tool, and it is not available on Android or the web. If you want a plain list with no game layer at all, a standard to-do app will suit you better.
What it costs
SideQuest is free to start. SideQuest Premium is optional at $4.99/month or $39.99/year, billed by Apple, and you can cancel anytime in your Apple ID settings. See what is free and what Premium adds.