Beeminder
Beeminder is a Portland-based, bootstrapped consumer SaaS platform (founded 2011) that uses real-money commitment contracts to help individual users stick to quantifiable personal goals, integrating with 40+ apps for automated progress tracking.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2011
- HeadquartersPortland, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingSoftware
What Beeminder does
Beeminder is a Portland-based, bootstrapped consumer software company founded in 2011 (originally as Kibotzer) by Daniel Reeves and Bethany Soule. It operates a goal-tracking commitment-device platform where users set quantifiable goals, connect one or more of 40+ third-party data sources (including Fitbit, Duolingo, Toggl, RescueTime, Strava, Garmin, Apple Health, Todoist, Slack, Zapier, and IFTTT) for automatic progress reporting, and agree to a financial pledge schedule that charges real money (an exponential ladder from $0 to $2,430) when progress falls below a visual 'Bright Red Line' on the goal graph. The platform includes a 7-day 'akrasia horizon' that prevents users from weakening commitments at the last minute, a safety buffer system for building resilience against disruptions, and a public API that has enabled an extensive ecosystem of community-built integrations since 2012.
The technology is built on Ruby on Rails with a proprietary 'Beebrain' graph algorithm that uses FIR and IIR low-pass signal-processing filters to smooth time-series datapoint data and produce trend visualizations. Mobile apps on iOS and Android extend the web platform, and the company distributes through a pure self-serve, product-led growth motion with no sales team—users discover the product primarily through its 500+ post blog, an active Discourse community forum, and earned media coverage including a Wall Street Journal front-page feature in 2011, TechCrunch, Forbes, and Lifehacker.
Beeminder generates revenue through a hybrid model: a four-tier subscription structure (historically Bee Lite, Plan Bee, Beemium, Beekeeper) plus transactional pledge payments collected when users derail on their goals. In February 2019, the company implemented a 'commitwall' requiring upfront credit card on file before goal creation, shifting cash collection earlier in the user lifecycle. The business has operated profitably for 14+ years on a single $25,000 seed investment from Portland Seed Fund in March 2012, serving a horizontal base of individual self-improvement users in the quantified-self, productivity, health/fitness, freelancer, and rationality/effective-altruism communities.
Beeminder firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Beeminder
- Legal name
- Beeminder
- Website
- https://beeminder.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2011
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Beeminder is a Portland-based, bootstrapped consumer SaaS platform (founded 2011) that uses real-money commitment contracts to help individual users stick to quantifiable personal goals, integrating with 40+ apps for automated progress tracking.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Beeminder is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Portland
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Beeminder business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Premium Subscription Plans: Four-tier subscription model (Bee Lite, Plan Bee, Beemium, Beekeeper) providing tiered access to features. Revenue generated when users derail on their goals - the core commitment contract model where money is charged when users fail to meet their self-imposed targets.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Monthly | Free tier with basic goal tracking |
| Subscription | Monthly | Premium subscription tiers (Bee Lite, Plan Bee, Beemium, Beekeeper) |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Commitment contract payment for goal derailments |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
Beeminder product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Beeminder is a goal-tracking commitment device that charges users real money when they fail to meet self-imposed, quantifiable goals. Users set goals (weight, pushups, time on apps, language points, etc.), track progress via a Bright Red Line graph, and connect 40+ third-party apps and devices for automatic data reporting. The platform combines quantified self-tracking with behavioral economics principles, leveraging loss aversion and escalating financial stakes ($0, $5, $10, $30, $90, $270, $810, $2430) to drive behavior change.
Product overview
Beeminder is a goal-tracking commitment device platform with financial stakes. The core Beeminder platform enables users to set quantifiable goals, track progress on graphs with a Bright Red Line, and face automatic payment charges for derailment. The platform includes mobile apps for iOS and Android, a public API for developer integrations, Premium subscription tiers (Bee Lite, Plan Bee, Beemium, Beekeeper), and a community ecosystem including a blog and Discourse forum. Beeminder integrates with 45+ third-party tools including productivity apps (Todoist, Trello, Toggl), fitness trackers (Fitbit, Garmin, Apple Health), learning platforms (Duolingo, CodeCombat), and automation services (Zapier, IFTTT, Make).
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Beeminder Core Platform Web-based goal-tracking platform with financial stakes. Users set quantifiable goals, track progress on graphs with a Bright Red Line, and face automatic payment charges if they cross the line. Features exponential pledge schedule, safety buffer tracking, and akrasia horizon for goal modifications. Designed for individual consumers who want to overcome procrastination and self-control problems.
- Beeminder Mobile Apps Native smartphone applications for iOS and Android that provide mobile access to Beeminder goals, graphs, datapoint entry, and push notification reminders. Available on Google Play and Apple App Store for on-the-go goal tracking.
- Beeminder API
Quantifiable outcome
- Users have maintained goals for 5000+ days (example: sugar tracking graph active since 2010)
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Beeminder
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Beeminder technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration48 records
AI capability2 records
Feature7 records
Beeminder partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
14 partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- ManifoldcoreIntegration with play-money prediction market platform. Automatically tracks betting activity to help users maintain prediction market engagement habits.
- FocusmatecoreOfficial integration (Beeminder's first integration partner) for virtual coworking sessions. Automatically tracks completed Focusmate sessions as Beeminder datapoints.
- RescueTimecoreLong-standing integration (since 2012) for automatic productivity tracking. Monitors computer usage and reports productive/unproductive time to Beeminder.
- FitbitcoreOfficial integration allowing users to automatically track steps, weight, sleep, and other fitness metrics from Fitbit devices directly into Beeminder goals.
- DuolingocoreIntegration for tracking foreign language learning progress on Duolingo, automatically reporting points or time spent to Beeminder goals.
- Toggl TrackcoreOfficial integration (announced 2018) for tracking time spent on projects. Toggl data automatically feeds into Beeminder for work hour goals.
- TodoistcoreIntegration with popular task management app. Automatically tracks completed tasks and sends +1 datapoints to Beeminder goals.
- Gmail (GmailZero)coreAutomatic inbox tracking integration that monitors read message count and helps users achieve inbox zero without declaring email bankruptcy.
- StravacoreIntegration for tracking cycling, running, and other athletic activities recorded on Strava directly into Beeminder fitness goals.
- GarmincoreOfficial integration (announced 2015) for Garmin wearable devices, connecting activity tracking data to Beeminder goals.
- Apple HealthcoreIntegration with Apple Health app for iOS users to track health metrics including steps, workouts, and other activity data.
- ZapiercoreZapier integration allowing connection to 1000+ apps through automated workflows. Enables custom data reporting from any Zapier-connected service.
- IFTTTcoreIFTTT integration for connecting to hundreds of apps and services for automated data reporting to Beeminder goals.
- Make (formerly Integromat)coreIntegration with Make platform for visual workflow automation, connecting additional services to Beeminder.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Beeminder competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- TaskRatchet: TaskRatchet is a direct peer and even an integration partner of Beeminder - an Android todo app that charges money if tasks aren't completed on time. Shares the commitment device DNA with Beeminder but focuses narrowly on todo list completion rather than the broader quantified self tracking Beeminder covers.
- Habitify: Habitify is a habit tracking app available across iOS, Android, macOS, and web with streak tracking, reminders, and insights. Direct peer in the habit tracking space but without the commitment device or auto-data integration breadth that differentiates Beeminder.
- Coach.me: Coach.me (formerly Lift) is a habit tracking app with optional human coaching services and a community of users pursuing similar goals. Direct peer in the habit tracking space that combines tracking with human accountability - serving as a non-financial alternative to Beeminder's commitment device model.
- StickK: StickK is the closest direct peer to Beeminder, offering commitment contracts where users stake money on achieving goals with a referee to verify. Founded by Yale behavioral economists, it shares Beeminder's core real-money commitment device model but is more general-purpose (weight loss, fitness, business) with less emphasis on auto-data integrations.
- Way of Life: Way of Life is a habit tracker that uses a simple red/green color coding system to visualize habit chains and break bad habits. Direct peer competing for Beeminder's habit-tracking user base but with a journaling-style interface rather than quantitative graphs or financial commitments.
- Productive (Habit Tracker): Productive is a habit and daily routine tracker for iOS and Android with customizable schedules, challenges, and statistics. Direct peer in the habit tracking category, especially for users focused on building morning/evening routines, but without the commitment device mechanism that anchors Beeminder.
- Strides: Strides is a goal and habit tracking app across iOS, web, and Apple Watch with smart tracking, streaks, and reminders. Directly competes with Beeminder for goal-tracking users but relies on streaks and accountability reminders rather than financial commitment contracts as the primary motivation mechanism.
- Habitica: Habitica is a free, open-source habit and productivity app that gamifies tasks with RPG-style character progression. It is a direct competitor for habit-tracking users and also an integration partner of Beeminder, sharing the same quantified-self user base but using gamification rather than financial stakes as the motivation mechanism.
Broad incumbents
- Oura: Oura is a smart ring and app that tracks sleep, activity, readiness, and other health metrics with built-in goal-setting features. As an integration partner of Beeminder and a broader wellness platform with growing goal-tracking capabilities, it represents a broad incumbent that overlaps with Beeminder's health/fitness use cases at much greater scale.
- Apple Health: Apple Health is a broad incumbent health and wellness platform on iOS with native activity tracking, workout logging, and integration with thousands of health apps. It is both an integration partner of Beeminder and a potential competitor, as Apple could trivially add commitment or goal-tracking features at massive distribution scale.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Beeminder social profiles
Digital presenceBeeminder financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Beeminder leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Beeminder funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Beeminder M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Beeminder
What does Beeminder do?
Beeminder is a goal-tracking commitment device that charges users real money when they fail to meet self-imposed, quantifiable goals. Users set goals (weight, pushups, time on apps, language points, etc.), track progress via a Bright Red Line graph, and connect 40+ third-party apps and devices for automatic data reporting. The platform combines quantified self-tracking with behavioral economics principles, leveraging loss aversion and escalating financial stakes ($0, $5, $10, $30, $90, $270, $810, $2430) to drive behavior change.
Is Beeminder a public or private company?
Beeminder is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Beeminder founded?
Beeminder was founded in 2011. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Beeminder based?
Beeminder is headquartered in Portland, United States, in the North America region.
How does Beeminder make money?
One revenue line is on record: premium Subscription Plans.
Who are Beeminder's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are TaskRatchet, Habitify, Coach.me, StickK, Way of Life, Productive (Habit Tracker), Strides and Habitica. Broad incumbents are Oura and Apple Health.
Does Beeminder have an API?
Yes. Beeminder offers a public API that developers can use to build custom integrations. The API has been referenced since 2012 and enables programmatic access to goals, datapoints, and integration capabilities. Developers can use it to create autodata integrations similar to the built-in integrations with tools like RescueTime, Toggl, and Fitbit. The API documentation is available at beeminder.com/api. Developer documentation is at www.beeminder.com/api.