Best Free Quit Smoking Apps
Which quit apps are genuinely free, which are free until the useful part, and which of them is worth your time. Seven ranked, with the catch stated plainly.
Quick answer
quitSTART from the US National Cancer Institute ranks first among genuinely free apps, with no ads, no premium tier and health-authority content. MyQuitBuddy is second. Puff Counter is third and our own app, disclosed below, free to start with one-tap counting and a taper plan, with a premium tier for extras.
There are two kinds of free quit app: the publicly funded ones, which are free permanently and have nothing to sell you, and the commercial ones, which are free to install and charge for the deeper features. Both are legitimate; you just want to know which you are downloading. quitSTART leads this list because it is genuinely free with health-authority content behind it, MyQuitBuddy is second, and Puff Counter comes third as the strongest free-to-start option if you are cutting down rather than stopping dead.
Seven apps, with the catch stated in each case.
| App | Best for | Price | Platform |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. quitSTART | Genuinely free, publicly funded | Free, no premium tier | iOS, Android |
| 2. MyQuitBuddy | Free, with your own reasons attached | Free, no premium tier | iOS, Android |
| 3. Puff Counter | Free counting and a real taper plan | Free with premium | iOS, Apple Watch |
| 4. Smoke Free | The best free statistics | Free with premium | iOS, Android |
| 5. QuitNow! | Free access to a community | Free with premium | iOS, Android |
| 6. EasyQuit | Free gradual reduction on Android | Free with premium | Android |
| 7. Quitzilla | Free counters for several habits | Free with premium | iOS, Android |
1. quitSTART — free because someone already paid for it
quitSTART comes from the US National Cancer Institute, which means no ads, no premium tier and no upsell of any kind. It tracks your progress and savings, offers distraction challenges when a craving hits, and its guidance carries public-health weight rather than marketing weight. For a first install with zero commitment, it is hard to argue against.
It is written for a US audience in English, and the interface has an unmistakably public-sector feel. The tracking is day-based rather than consumption-based.
2. MyQuitBuddy — free, and personal in a way most apps are not
MyQuitBuddy, from Australian health authorities, covers the usual health and money tracking, but its distinguishing feature is that you can store your own photos, audio and notes about why you are quitting and pull them up at the moment you are wavering. Free, no premium tier, with distraction games for craving spikes.
It is built primarily for Australian users, and the design is functional rather than beautiful.
3. Puff Counter — free to start, and the free part is the useful part
Puff Counter is free to install and free to count with, and counting is the thing that actually changes behaviour. One tap from the phone, a home screen widget or an Apple Watch logs a puff, and from a few ordinary days of that you get a real baseline. The weekly taper plan is built from that baseline and re-anchors on the average you actually hit, so a bad week lowers the next step rather than stranding you behind an impossible curve.
The rest of the free experience covers the moments that matter: a craving SOS breathing timer for the few minutes an urge lasts, streaks and challenges, a leaderboard, and money saved calculated from your own prices with an optional Bitcoin or Nvidia reframing. It runs in eleven languages and needs no account to log your first day, which also means your history is not uploaded anywhere by default. There is a premium tier, as with most commercial apps here, and the App Store rating is 5.0.
Full disclosure: Puff Counter is our app — we obviously think it wins, so judge for yourself (it’s free to try).
4. Smoke Free — the most generous free statistics
Smoke Free’s free tier gives you the counters, health milestones on a defensible timeline and craving logging, which is more than most. The evidence-informed content is the reason it has stayed near the top of this category for years.
The deeper pattern analysis and extras require the paid tier, and the model assumes a clean quit date rather than a taper.
5. QuitNow! — the community costs nothing
QuitNow’s community is available on the free tier, which is unusual: the most valuable thing in the app is the part you do not pay for. The counters are simple and clear, and there is a premium tier that removes ads and adds extras.
The counters are anchored to a quit date, so they have little to say while you are still smoking daily.
6. EasyQuit — free reduction, if you are on Android
EasyQuit offers a gradual reduction mode, health and money tracking, and a small game for craving moments, all on a free tier that is usable rather than crippled. On Android it is the sensible free starting point for cutting down.
The design is dated, availability is best on Android, and some features require the paid version.
7. Quitzilla — free counters, several habits at once
Quitzilla lets you create a counter per habit with time abstinent and money saved for each, free. If nicotine sits alongside other things you are cutting, having them on one screen is clarifying.
It counts days rather than consumption, so it cannot tell you whether today went better than yesterday, and it has no quit-specific content.
How to choose
If you want free with no strings and no upsell, quitSTART or MyQuitBuddy, depending on where you live. If you want the richest free statistics after stopping, Smoke Free. If you want people, QuitNow. And if you are still smoking or vaping today and want the free tier to include real counting and a plan that adapts, Puff Counter costs nothing to start.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best completely free quit smoking app?
quitSTART from the US National Cancer Institute and MyQuitBuddy from Australian health authorities are both fully free with no premium tier and no advertising, because they are publicly funded. Most commercial quit apps are free to install and reserve deeper statistics, extra content or coaching for a paid plan.
Are free quit smoking apps as good as paid ones?
Price is a poor predictor of quality. Publicly funded free apps often have better-sourced health content than paid ones, while some paid apps are largely cosmetic. Judge by whether the app uses your real numbers, whether its plan adapts when you have a bad week, and what it gives you during a craving.
What is usually locked behind the paywall in quit smoking apps?
Typically detailed statistics, extended content libraries, additional craving exercises and sometimes coaching. Core counting, basic health milestones and money saved are almost always available free. Before paying, use the free tier for a fortnight and check that you actually open the app daily.
Do free quit smoking apps sell your data?
Publicly funded apps generally do not, and their privacy policies say so plainly. With commercial apps, read what is collected and whether an account is required. A quit app has no technical need to upload your smoking history, so local storage and optional accounts are a good sign.
