Used by 500+ goal setters · Founded on behavioral economics research
Stakd is a commitment contract app — you stake real money on your goal, prove you showed up every week, and get every dollar back when you succeed. Fail and it goes to a charity you care about. Simple. Ruthless. It works.
Based on behavioral economics research from Yale University
The data
Success rate with a financial commitment contract
Success rate with willpower alone — no financial stake
Higher goal completion when money is on the line
Based on research by Karlan & Ayres, Yale University
80% of stake goes to charity if you fail
The higher the stake, the harder your brain works to protect it. That's loss aversion — and it's the most powerful motivator known to behavioral science.
Put $200 on your Gym goalNo grey area. No excuses. Just results.
Choose from our proven goal templates — gym visits or running. Specific, measurable, and verified. Vague goals have escape hatches. We close them.
Gym and running goals available now.
Choose your amount — $25 minimum, no maximum. Your money goes into escrow the moment you commit. Not our account. Yours — locked until your goal ends.
10% platform fee charged upfront. Stake held securely.
After each gym visit or run, submit your proof — a photo, a screenshot of your fitness app, or any evidence you showed up. We review every submission within 24 hours and approve or reject it.
Human reviewed within 24 hours.
Hit every check-in and your full stake comes back. Miss one and it routes to a charity you chose at the start. The discomfort is the product.
Forfeit goes to charity. Never to us.
No algorithms. No GPS tricks. A real person reviews your proof within 24 hours and either approves or asks you to resubmit.
Your brain feels the pain of losing $100 twice as intensely as the pleasure of gaining $100. This isn't a flaw — it's a feature. Stakd turns your brain's hardwiring into your most powerful motivator. The money you stand to lose will always feel more real than the goal you stand to gain.
Kahneman & Tversky, 1979A commitment device is a decision you make today that locks in your future behavior. The trick is making it costly to back out. Stakd puts real financial cost on quitting — which means your future self, the one who wants to skip the gym on a rainy Tuesday, has a much harder time justifying it.
Ariely & Wertenbroch, 2002Vague goals fail. Specific ones don't. Saying 'I want to get fit' is not a plan. Saying 'I will go to the gym 3 times per week for 8 weeks and submit photo proof after each visit' is a plan. Stakd forces the specificity that turns intentions into actions.
Gollwitzer, 1999Users who put money on the line and have accountability achieve their goals 78% of the time — compared to just 35% with no financial commitment.
Yale University behavioral economics research, Karlan & Ayres
This is not motivational content. This is peer-reviewed research.
Karlan & Ayres, Yale University
“Every other habit app asks you to trust yourself.”
You've tried that.
“Stakd asks you to pay yourself to show up.”
That's a fundamentally different relationship with your goals — and the research proves it works.
X times per week
Proof reviewed by a humanSet your weekly target and submit proof after every visit. You can upload a selfie at the gym, a screenshot of your gym app check-in, or a photo of the equipment. Your submission will be reviewed and approved within 24 hours.
Most popular goal · Avg stake $180
Start gym goalX times per week
Proof reviewed by a humanSet your weekly target. Submit proof after every run — a screenshot from any fitness app, a photo from your route, or any evidence you actually went. Reviewed and approved within 24 hours.
Fastest growing · Avg stake $150
Start running goalMore goal types coming soon
higher goal completion vs no financial stake
success rate when money is on the line
average stake per goal
“I lost $150 to StickK because their app went down during my reporting window. Switched to Stakd — submitted a gym photo, got approved the same day, finished my 8 weeks and got every dollar back.”
“The photo check-in is genius. I screenshot my Apple Health workout after every run. Takes 30 seconds. Got approved every single time. This is what StickK should have been.”
“Knowing my $300 goes to a charity I genuinely care about if I fail made this feel completely different from every other habit app I've tried. I didn't miss a single gym session.”
Real results from real users · 80% of any forfeit goes directly to your chosen charity
Your staked amount is captured and routed to the charity you selected when you created your goal. Stakd deducts a 20% processing fee to cover platform costs — the remaining 80% goes directly to your charity. We never keep forfeited funds beyond our processing fee.
After each gym visit or run, you upload a photo or screenshot as proof — a gym selfie, a fitness app screenshot, anything showing you showed up. A real person on our team reviews every submission within 24 hours and either approves it or asks you to resubmit with clearer proof.
Your goal terms are set at creation and are binding — that's the point. However, if you have a genuine documented emergency (medical, family) contact us within your check-in window and we review case by case. This is not a grace period for forgetting.
We currently support St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Feeding America, The Nature Conservancy, ASPCA, American Red Cross, Habitat for Humanity, Boys & Girls Clubs of America, and Wounded Warrior Project. More charities will be added based on user requests.
The minimum stake is $25. There is no maximum. A 10% platform fee is charged upfront at goal creation — this covers our costs and is non-refundable regardless of outcome.
Currently: gym visits (X times per week) and running (X times per week). More goal types including sleep, nutrition, finance, and sobriety are in development.
StickK pioneered commitment contracts but the product has been largely abandoned — users report server outages, broken notifications, and a buggy app. Stakd is built from scratch in 2025 on modern infrastructure with photo proof verification, reliable email reminders, and a clean mobile experience.
Put real money behind it. Prove it weekly. Get it back when you win. This is the only app where failure actually costs you.
Free to create an account · 10% platform fee on stakes · Funds held securely in escrow