Productivity · Personal Development · United States
American author of the book Atomic Habits and The Atomic Habits Workbook, writer of the 3-2-1 newsletter and speaker on habit formation, based in Ohio.
James Clear is an American writer and speaker who publishes on habits, decision-making and self-improvement. He is best known as the author of Atomic Habits, published by Avery (Penguin Random House) on October 16, 2018. Wikipedia lists his birth date as January 22, 1986, in Hamilton, Ohio; his hometown is also given as Hamilton in a November 2018 profile in The Denisonian, the Denison University student newspaper. He graduated from Denison University in 2008 with an individually designed major in biomechanics and pitched on its baseball team; his own site says he was named to the 2008 ESPN Academic All-America team and inducted into the Academic All-America Hall of Fame in 2024.
He launched jamesclear.com in November 2012. He is also listed as the founding author of Authors Equity, a book publisher launched in 2024, which issues titles by other authors such as Seth Godin.
He publishes mainly through his website and the free 3-2-1 email newsletter; according to his own about page, the newsletter has over 3 million subscribers and the site receives over 10 million visitors a year, figures with no independent source. He links to Instagram and X accounts under @jamesclear. No official YouTube channel is linked from his website.
What he sells today: - Atomic Habits (book, list price $27.00 for the hardcover on the Penguin Random House page). - The Atomic Habits Workbook, a companion workbook with guided prompts and habit-tracking templates, published December 9, 2025 (list price $26.00 on the Penguin Random House page). - A video class on MasterClass, linked from his website, available through a MasterClass membership; the price is set by MasterClass and was not readable on the class page. - Atoms, the official Atomic Habits app, free to download with a paid Pro subscription whose price is not shown on its website. - The Clear Habit Journal, a notebook made with Baronfig and sold through Baronfig and Amazon. - Paid keynote speeches for companies and events; his speaking page does not publish a fee.
He previously sold an online course called The Habits Academy. On September 14, 2026, habitsacademy.com did not load (it redirected to itself), and his website no longer lists it among his products, so its availability could not be confirmed.
His own site claims Atomic Habits has sold over 30 million copies in more than 60 languages; Wikipedia cites nearly 20 million copies as of February 2024. The book has received both praise and criticism in the press: Slate (Laura Miller, December 2024) examined whether its methods work, and The Guardian (Steven Phillips-Horst, May 2022) included it among popular self-help books it criticized for relying on weak research. No action by the Federal Trade Commission under his name was found in a search of ftc.gov on September 14, 2026.
Objective facts about their offer, taken from public sources. We don't rate the quality of the programs or the results you may get.
2 without a public price
1 free
5 official channels
Facts checked on Sep 15, 2026.
Alternatives
Productivity · Personal Development · Online Education · United Kingdom
London-based neuroscientist and former Google marketing lead who founded Ness Labs, a paid learning community on mindful productivity, and wrote the book Tiny Experiments (Avery, 2025).
Productivity · Online Education · Personal Development · United States
American engineering professor and co-creator of the Coursera course Learning How to Learn, author of A Mind for Numbers and other books on learning techniques.
Productivity · Online Education · Personal Development · United States
Learning scientist with a Stanford PhD and a Cornell law degree who publishes evidence-based videos on how people learn and runs the paid Keep Learning Community ($12 a month or $120 a year).
Productivity · Personal Development · United States
Georgetown computer science professor and author of Deep Work and Slow Productivity. Hosts the Deep Questions podcast and co-teaches the paid online courses Life of Focus and Top Performer with Scott Young.
| Program | Type | Published price | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atomic Habits Book on building good habits and breaking bad ones through small, incremental changes; hardcover list price from Penguin Random House. | Book | $27 Checked Sep 15, 2026 | View |
| The Atomic Habits Workbook Official companion workbook with journaling prompts, habit-tracking and habit-stacking templates, published December 9, 2025. | Book | $26 Checked Sep 15, 2026 | View |
| James Clear Teaches Small Habits that Make a Big Impact on Your Life Video class on MasterClass, accessed through a MasterClass membership; price not shown on the class page. | Course | Not published Checked Sep 15, 2026 | View |
| Atoms Official Atomic Habits app with daily lessons and habit tracking; free download with a paid Pro subscription whose price is not published. | Other | Not published Checked Sep 15, 2026 | View |
| 30 Days to Better Habits Free email course of 11 lessons over 30 days with a PDF workbook. | Course | $0 Checked Sep 15, 2026 | View |
Prices are those published by the mentor on the date checked and may change. “Not published” means we couldn't find a public price.
Compare
The same fields, side by side. No verdict: you decide.
An American author and speaker, born in Hamilton, Ohio, known for the book Atomic Habits (2018). He studied at Denison University, where he played college baseball, and has written at jamesclear.com since 2012. Wikipedia gives his birth date as January 22, 1986.
His website links to a class on MasterClass, available with a MasterClass membership. His earlier online course, The Habits Academy, is no longer listed on his website, and its site did not load when checked on September 14, 2026. He also offers a free email course, 30 Days to Better Habits.
Penguin Random House lists the hardcover at $27.00. The companion Atomic Habits Workbook, released December 9, 2025, is listed at $26.00. The Atoms app is free to download with an optional Pro subscription whose price is not published on its website.
His book is published by Avery, an imprint of Penguin Random House, and his university record is confirmed by Denison University's student newspaper. No FTC action under his name was found on ftc.gov (searched September 14, 2026). Sales figures of over 30 million copies come from his own site; Wikipedia cites nearly 20 million as of February 2024.
Press coverage is mixed. Slate (December 2024) called Atomic Habits the self-help hit of the decade and asked whether its methods work, while The Guardian (May 2022) grouped it with self-help books it criticized for relying on weak research. The Atomic Habits app page claims over 20 million users, a figure with no independent source.
Reviews are written by Mentor Explorer users, pass through a moderation filter and do not represent the site's editorial position. Some may be in other languages.
Share your real experience. We don't publish serious accusations without evidence or third parties' personal data. See review policy.