Daily Captain vs Goals Wizard
Checked 22 Sep 2026. Prices and features change; tell us if something is out of date: hello@dailycaptain.app.
Goals Wizard is the most complete goal planner in the store: clarity and identity modules, major goals broken into milestones and action plans, a morning routine, an all-day plan and an end-of-day reflection, on iPhone, iPad, Mac, Watch and the web. Free to start with caps; Premium is sold as in-app purchases from $9.99 to $99.99.
Daily Captain is the same idea with almost everything removed. A year written plainly, a few goals highlighted, and each day seven lines that can point at one of them, closed at night with an honest count and one person who sees the week. 8 free days, then $9.99 a month.
If you want a full system and will keep it fed, Goals Wizard. If you have bought a full system before and stopped feeding it, Daily Captain is built to be done in a minute so you do not stop.
| Feature | Goals Wizard | Daily Captain |
|---|---|---|
| Built for | Planning a life: goals to milestones to daily actions, with routines and reviews. | Deciding what today is for, and being honest about it at night. |
| Price | Free with caps. Premium in-app purchases on the US App Store: $9.99, $59.99, $69.99 or $99.99; 7-day trial. | 8 days free, then $9.99 a month. One price, everything included. |
| Free plan | Yes, with limits on goals and routines; Advanced and Premium lift them. | No free plan. 8 free days, then one flat price. |
| A day looks like | A morning routine to align actions with goals, an all-day action plan with reminders, an end-of-day routine to reflect and plan tomorrow. | One sheet a day: up to seven goals in the morning, one check at midday, an honest count and tomorrow’s first goal at night. |
| Setup before it is useful | Clarity module, goals, milestones and action plans first. | None. Write today’s first goal on the first screen; the year can come later. |
| Platforms | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch and web. The Android app was last updated in October 2025. | iPhone (App Store), Android (Google Play) and any browser. Same account everywhere. |
| Accountability | Share goals and plans with a support team (Premium). | One buddy sees your week and answers. A public page shows the goals you switch on. No feed, no ranks, no points. |
| Streaks or points | Goal progress percentages. | None. No streaks, no red days, untick allowed. A missed day leaves nothing to repair. |
| Integrations | None named. | None. No calendar sync, no task import. |
| Support | Contact page and FAQ on goalswizard.com. | A person answers at hello@dailycaptain.app, and feedback sits inside the product. |
The same day, with and without the tree
Goals Wizard and Daily Captain agree on the shape of a day: look at it in the morning, act, reflect at night and plan tomorrow. Goals Wizard adds the whole tree above it, from identity to milestone to task, and reminds you of the plan through the day.
Daily Captain keeps the year and the day and drops the middle. You write the best possible year, highlight a few goals, and each morning write seven lines that can point at one of them. There are no milestones to maintain and no percentages that drift. The link between today and the year is one tap.
A minute, so it survives a busy month
A full system is wonderful in week one and heavy in week six. Daily Captain is built for week six: no setup, seven lines, one check, one honest count. The founder has filled it in every day, which is the test that matters.
Being seen
Goals Wizard lets Premium users share plans with a support team. Daily Captain gives everyone one buddy who sees the week and answers, and a public page for the goals you choose to show. Accountability is in the base product because it is the reason people keep going.
What people who leave Goals Wizard say, and what we did about it
We read the 50 most recent critical App Store reviews of Goals Wizard (the app gets few, so the sample reaches back to 2019) and its Google Play reviews on 22 Sep 2026. Three themes came up most.
- Price and caps: three goals and three routines on the free plan, and a Premium that feels expensive for what you cannot try first.
- What we did: One flat visible price, no goal cap, no tiers. Shared plainly: there is no free plan at all.
- Bugs in a product that is not moving much: progress that miscounts, days that load wrong, an Android app last updated in 2025.
- What we did: A person answers, and there are far fewer moving parts: one day, a few goals, one buddy. We have no multi-year record to point at, and say so.
- It feels like a project to set up before it does anything.
- What we did: No setup. A minute a day, and nothing to program before it is useful.
Sources: Goals Wizard on the App Store, Goals Wizard on Google Play
Pricing
Goals Wizard
Goals Wizard is free to download with caps on goals and routines. On the US App Store on 22 Sep 2026 the Premium in-app purchases were listed at $9.99, $59.99, $69.99 and $99.99, plus content packs; the site offers a 7-day trial. Goals Wizard’s own site does not print the plan terms, so which of those is monthly and which yearly is not something we could read; check before you buy.
Daily Captain
Every account starts with 8 free days. After that it is $9.99 a month, one flat price with nothing behind a second wall: the buddy, the yearly goals, the reminders and the apps are all in it. Plus tax where it applies, shown before you pay. Cancel any time and your writing stays readable.
There is no free plan. If you want the method for free, the paper version, the Daily Goal Sheet PDF, is at heegstra.io/goal-sheet.
Sources: Goals Wizard on the App Store (in-app purchases), Goals Wizard, Daily Captain pricing, on the home page
When to choose Goals Wizard
- You want the full tree: identity, major goals, milestones, action plans.
- You want a free tier to start in.
- You use a Mac and an Apple Watch and want it there.
- You like progress percentages and a bucket list.
When to choose Daily Captain
- You have bought a full goal system before and stopped keeping it up.
- You want the year and the day, and nothing to maintain in between.
- You are on Android and want an app that is kept current.
- You want a buddy who sees your week, in the base price.
Trying it
Nothing to import and nothing to set up. Sign in, write what today is for, and tonight write tomorrow’s first goal. If it is not for you after 8 days, nothing has happened to your card and you have lost about a minute a day.
Questions
Does Daily Captain have milestones or a goal tree?
No. It has yearly goals and daily goals, and each daily goal can point at a yearly one. That is the whole structure.
Can I plan my whole day in Daily Captain?
No. There is no schedule. You write up to seven goals and decide the order yourself.
Why goals instead of to-dos?
Because being busy is not the same as getting closer. A to-do list holds everything you could do; a goal sheet holds the few things that move you toward what you want, and asks at night whether they happened.
How long does Daily Captain take each day?
About a minute in the morning, a moment at midday and a couple of minutes at night. There is no setup and no onboarding: you sign in and write today’s first goal.
Why does someone else see my week?
Because being seen works, the way people work harder in a library than alone at home. One person who knows what you set out to do is enough. They see exactly what you wrote, and only when you send it.
Is there a free version of Daily Captain?
No. There are 8 free days, then one flat price of $9.99 a month. The free paper version of the same method, the Daily Goal Sheet PDF, is at heegstra.io/goal-sheet.
Ready to try Daily Captain instead of Goals Wizard
Start your first sheet8 days free, then $9.99 a month.