What does it cost?
Nothing, on one device. Every module, every screen and the export that gets your data back out stay free for as long as you use the app, with no trial clock running down. The one thing you can buy is iCloud sync across your devices, $14.99 paid once, and that covers the Mac and the iPhone together because they are one app. No subscription, and nothing else to buy.
Why is sync the paid part?
Keeping two devices in step, and the sharing built on top of that, is the part that took the work. Everything on one device is yours for nothing. You pay for sync once and once covers it, because Apple does the syncing and Cadence sits on your own machine. Charging you rent for your own notes would be a bit rich.
Where does my data live?
On the device you typed it into, in the app’s own storage. It goes nowhere else until you switch on iCloud sync, and then it goes to your own iCloud and stops there. Export the lot to one JSON file whenever you fancy.
Do I have to use all thirty modules?
Please do not. Five or six is a normal way to use it. Settings has a switch for every module, and the sidebar lists what you keep and nothing else.
Does it sync to my iPhone?
Yes, once you have unlocked sync for $14.99, paid once and covering both. The two then hold the same data through the private part of your own iCloud account, with no server of ours in the middle. Both devices need to be signed in to the same iCloud account. Switching sync on carries up everything you have already typed, so you start where you left off.
Can I get my data out?
Settings, then Data, then Export. One JSON file with everything you have typed. Clearing your data takes a backup first, without asking you, because there is no undo.
Is there a Windows, Android or web version?
No. Cadence is written for the Mac and the iPhone only, on macOS 15 or later and iOS 18 or later. There is no web version, because there is no server for one to run on.
Does it work offline?
Entirely. Everything is written to the device you are holding, so a train with no signal is the same app. If sync is on, it catches up when there is a connection.
What is the difference between Habits and Routines?
A habit is one thing you do on a schedule, counted as a streak with a grid of days behind it. A routine is a list of steps you work down in order, like a morning or a shutdown, and its streak counts the runs you finished.
