In short: Cues keeps water, food, sleep, movement, medication and more in view as bars that drain over time, and refills them from Apple Health when you sleep, exercise or log water and food. You top one up without opening the app: tap a Home Screen widget, tap “Did it” on the Live Activity when a cue runs critical, ask Siri, or use Control Center or your Apple Watch. It’s completely free, with no in-app purchases, no streaks to break, no account and no tracking. And it stays calm: quiet hours by default, a hard cap on reminders, and medication reminders at fixed times that still get through.
Cues is on the App Store as Cues: Water & Sleep Tracker (formerly Cues: Self-Care Tracker), for iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch.
Prices are US App Store prices checked on 17 October 2026. They change, and other storefronts differ. Facts about other apps come from their own websites, help centres, privacy policies and App Store listings.
At a glance
| Cues | Finch | Waterllama | Tiimo | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Free, no in-app purchases | Free core; Finch Plus US$9.99/month or US$69.99/year | Free water tracking; Premium subscription or one-time purchase | Free basic planner; Pro subscription |
| What it tracks | Water, food, sleep, movement, meds, bathroom, social, plus presets and your own cues | Self-care goals you set, mood, journaling | Water and other drinks | Your day’s schedule and to-dos |
| Streaks | None, by design | Yes, with repairs and a pause mode | Yes | Yes, with trophies |
| Apple Health | Refills from sleep, exercise, water, food and daylight; writes water and food | Not mentioned | Syncs water | Not mentioned |
| Medication reminders | Fixed times, even during quiet hours | Not a dedicated feature | Not a dedicated feature | Not a dedicated feature |
| Apple Watch | Yes, with a complication | No | Yes | Yes |
| Log without opening the app | Home Screen widget that fills in place, Live Activity “Did it” button, Siri, Shortcuts, Control Center, Apple Watch | Widget | Widgets, Control Center, Siri, Shortcuts, Apple Watch | Widgets, Live Activities, Apple Watch |
| Reminder limits | Quiet hours by default and a hard cap on queued reminders; medication reminders take priority | Not described | Not described | Not described |
| Account | None | Optional, for cloud backup | None | Needed to sync across devices |
| App Store “Data Used to Track You” | None | None | None | Identifiers |
| Platforms | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch | iPhone, iPad, Android | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Mac | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Mac, Android, web |
Cues vs. Finch
Finch is one of the most popular self-care apps on the App Store and often recommended for ADHD. You care for a small bird by completing your own goals, with mood tracking, journaling, breathing exercises and friends who cheer you on. Its core features are free. If a pet and rewards motivate you, Finch is hard to beat.
Where Cues differs:
- No streaks. Finch has streaks, with ways to repair and pause them. Cues has none: a bar that runs empty just shows it’s time, with nothing lost.
- It fills itself. With your permission, Cues tops bars up from Apple Health when you sleep, exercise, log water or food, or spend time in daylight. Finch doesn’t mention Apple Health.
- Apple Watch. Cues has a Watch app with a complication for the most urgent cue. Finch has no Watch app.
- Log without opening the app. Tap a Home Screen widget to fill a bar in place, or tap “Did it” on the Live Activity that appears on your Lock Screen and Dynamic Island when a cue runs critical.
- Entirely free. Cues has no in-app purchases. Finch Plus is US$69.99 a year, though Finch’s core features are free.
Cues vs. Waterllama
Waterllama is a polished, award-winning water tracker. It works out a goal from your weight, activity and the weather, tracks over 150 drinks, and keeps you going with characters, challenges and streaks. Like Cues, it needs no account and syncs water with Apple Health. If water is your only goal, Waterllama goes deeper.
Where Cues differs:
- More than water. Cues keeps seven daily needs in view: water, food, sleep, movement, meds, bathroom and social, with eight more presets and cues of your own.
- Medication. Cues reminds you to take medication at fixed times, even during quiet hours.
- Free throughout. Waterllama’s characters, challenges and full drink list are Premium. Cues has nothing to buy.
- No streaks. Waterllama counts streaks; Cues doesn’t.
- Calm by design. Quiet hours are on by default and there’s a hard cap on how many reminders can ever be queued.
Cues vs. Tiimo
Tiimo was Apple’s iPhone App of the Year for 2025 and is built for neurodivergent people. It’s a visual planner with an AI co-planner, a focus timer, calendar and Reminders sync, and family profiles, and it runs on Android and the web as well as Apple devices. If you need to plan your day, Tiimo does what Cues doesn’t.
Where Cues differs:
- No planning needed. Cues doesn’t ask you to schedule anything. Bars drain on their own and you top one up when you act. It’s built for the things that fall through the cracks on a busy day.
- No account. Tiimo needs one to sync, and its App Store label lists identifiers as used to track you. Cues has no account and no tracking.
- Apple Health. Cues refills from sleep, exercise, water, food and daylight automatically.
- Free. Tiimo’s full planner is Pro; Cues is free.
- Ready-made self-care cues. Eight free presets, such as Sensory Break, Screen Break, Fresh Air and Mood Check, plus cues you design yourself with your own name, emoji, colour and drain time.
What Cues doesn’t do
To be fair about it:
- No Android or web. Cues is for iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch.
- No sync between devices. Each device keeps its own bars; there’s no account or cloud.
- No pet, rewards or community. If gamification keeps you going, Finch or Waterllama will suit you better.
- Not a planner or a water calculator. Cues reminds you of needs; it doesn’t plan your day or work out how much to drink.
- Not a medical device. Don’t rely on Cues as your only reminder for a dose that matters.
Common questions
What is a good Finch alternative without streaks?
Cues is a free self-care tracker with no streaks: water, food, sleep, movement, meds and more are bars that drain over time, and you top one up when you act. It has no pet or rewards, so it suits people who find streaks stressful.
Is there a free water reminder app with no in-app purchases?
Cues is free with no in-app purchases or ads. Its water bar drains in about four hours, refills from water you log in Apple Health, and sits beside food, sleep, movement and medication.
Which self-care app is best for ADHD?
It depends on what helps you. Finch motivates with a pet and rewards, Tiimo helps you plan the day visually, and Cues keeps your basic needs in view with bars that drain over time and no streaks to break. All three are popular with people with ADHD.
Do these apps need an account?
Cues and Waterllama need none. Finch works without one, with an optional account for cloud backup. Tiimo needs an account to sync across devices.