FAQ

Common questions

Everything people ask before signing up.

What is Marvin?

Marvin is a personal observation tool that watches what you actually do day to day, surfaces patterns in your data using real behavioral science, and starts with the question most productivity apps avoid: who do you want to be? Identity is the work, the rest is downstream.

How does Marvin work for staying consistent?

Marvin gives you 22 modules for tracking habits, routines, sleep, mood, water, journaling, and more. Each module feeds into visual trends and streak tracking so you can see your actual behavior over time, not just your intentions. The paid AI layer then reads your data, spots patterns across your inputs, and surfaces specific insights in plain language during your weekly review. Staying consistent becomes easier when you can see exactly where and when you slip.

Is Marvin free?

Yes. The core experience, 22 tracking modules, streak counters, trend charts, Apple Health import, and social features, is permanently free. You never need to pay to use Marvin as a daily self-tracking tool.

What is the difference between free and paid?

The free tier gives you the observation layer: logging, streaks, heatmaps, and static rule-based alerts like "you missed yesterday" or "7-day streak." The paid tier ($10/month or $79/year) unlocks the AI layer: multi-turn coaching chat with memory, weekly AI review, proactive nudges, AI pattern insights across your tracked variables, conversational onboarding to discover your plan, and AI skill tree generation. Cross-device sync via Supabase is also paid.

What does Marvin track?

Marvin covers habits and routines, journaling and freeform notes, mood, sleep, water intake, and custom goals across 22 modular blocks. It imports health data automatically from Apple Health. The skill tree viewer shows your progress across domains visually. You build the dashboard around what matters to you, not around what someone else decided you should care about.

Does Marvin replace Notion, Habitica, Finch, or other apps?

It depends what you use them for. Notion is a blank-canvas workspace, powerful for people who want to build their own system from scratch. Marvin is a finished system that adapts. Habitica is a deep RPG with a gaming aesthetic. Marvin keeps the progression and streak mechanics but pairs them with AI coaching and plain-language behavioral insights. Finch is a self-care companion framed around a virtual pet. Marvin is built around your actual behavioral data, not a nurturing metaphor.

Is there a free trial?

Yes. Paid features unlock on a 7-day free trial, no credit card required.

Do I need a credit card to try Marvin?

No. The 7-day paid trial starts without a credit card. You only enter payment details if you decide to subscribe after the trial.

Is there a mobile app?

Not yet. Marvin is web-first and works in any mobile browser, but there is no native iOS or Android app in the current version. A native app is on the roadmap.

How is Marvin different from a habit tracker?

Habit trackers record whether you did a thing. Marvin records whether you did a thing, then asks what that pattern means across your sleep, mood, energy, and routine data, and surfaces a written explanation using your actual numbers. The difference is between a logbook and a behavioral mirror. Habit tracking is part of Marvin, not the sum of it.

Is the AI really useful or is it just ChatGPT in a wrapper?

The AI in Marvin has access to your actual logged data and uses it during conversations and weekly reviews. It is not a generic assistant you could replace by opening ChatGPT in a new tab. The pattern insights are generated from your tracked variables, the nudges are triggered by your specific behavior, and the weekly review synthesizes your real week rather than a hypothetical one. That said, it is honest about its current limits: it detects patterns within single variables today. Cross-variable correlation is on the roadmap but not yet shipped.

What if I miss a day? Does Marvin punish me?

No. Marvin has streak freezes built in so one missed day does not reset your progress. The static alerts in the free tier note that you missed yesterday; they do not stack shame on top of the miss. The paid AI coaching layer is built to surface what actually caused the pattern, not to lecture you about it.

Who built Marvin?

Cody Blair, a solo indie builder based in Dallas, TX. Marvin is an independent product, not a venture-backed startup. It exists because Cody built the tool he wanted to use and decided to ship it.

How is my data used?

Your tracking data is stored in Supabase (cross-device sync is a paid feature). Your data is used to generate your AI insights and weekly review within Marvin. It is not sold, shared with advertisers, or used to train third-party models.

How do I cancel?

You can cancel your paid subscription at any time from your account settings. There are no cancellation fees and no friction. Your data stays accessible on the free tier after you cancel.