I’ve been looking for a task manager for quite some time. At work I use Basecamp, a project management tool that uses milestones and to-do lists to keep things organized. It’s a great program, but it’s overkill and way too expensive for what I’m looking to achieve. Instead, I use Google Calendar for my events (milestones) and have been looking for something else to handle my to-dos (milestone subsets). Basically I need an iOS to-do app that I can access from anywhere, at anytime, and on any device.
The Web and the App Store are saturated with hundreds of to-do software, webware, and iDevice apps. I simply do not have the time or money to purchase every app and play around with them. So, I did not the next best thing. I read online reviews written by people who had the time and money, and whittled the field down to seven, then to three, and eventually down to one. Here’s what I came up with…
Awesome Note ($3.99 v. 4.5.1, iPhone). Bridworks has made an impressive feature-rich note app that can also manage to-do lists.
Likes
- Add maps and photos to notes and to-dos
- Organize notes in folders, and folders in categories
- Customizable interface (themes, fonts, icons, views)
- Handwritten quick notes
- Syncs with Google Docs (and Evernote)
Dislikes. I tried the app. I like the app. But it’s too darn busy. There are too many steps involved with nearly every option. And, dare I say, there are too many features. Seriously, I’m a feature kind of guy, but this app has so many I have a hard time telling where I’m at and I’m always trying to figure out what goes where. What usually happens is I either get annoyed with the interface and switch to a diff app, or I go back to the app’s main page and handwrite a quick note.
Then there’s the Google Doc/Evernote sync. The problem with the sync feature is I have to manually do the syncing. If I make a change on Awesome Note I have to be sure to manually sync before logging out of the app and into Google Docs. Likewise, if I make changes in Google Docs, I have to fire up the app and manually sync it before the changes are reflected. Not ideal. If I make a change, things should just sync. (Ahem, 1Password syncs just fine with Dropbox without me telling it to do so every time).
No native iPad version. Plenty of people have asked and I’m sure (hope) that Bridworks is on it, but it doesn’t exist and it should.
Verdict. While I still use Awesome Note as a replacement for the native Notes app, I’m not using it as a task manager because it doesn’t come close to my workflow needs. (★★)
Toodledo ($2.99 v 2.1.15, Universal). Toodledo has had a free/pay online task manager for a while. The online interface is straightforward and integrates nicely into Google calendar, browser plugins, desktop widgets, and iDevices.
Likes
- Easy-to-use interface
- Simple
- Create standalone notes, or add notes to tasks, and save them to a notebook
- Sorting and list drill down (by due dates, priorities, recent, folders)
- Online syncing (and b/c it’s a universal app, syncing b/t iDevices)
Dislikes. I use checklists like they’re going out of style. In order for my checklists to sync between the web and my iDevices I had to purchase one of Toodledo’s subscription options (free, $14.95/yr, or $29.95/year). Paying for storage is one thing, but checklists are a basic to-do feature that should be included in the free subscription. No me gusta. Para nada.
Notifications are local, not pushed. That means in order to know what tasks I have for the day I must open the app and let it sync in order to get that little red badge to appear. It’s not a killer, but it is ridiculously annoying.
Cannot add photos to notes; Needs a more robust categorization/tagging system; Sharing is limited to the Toodledo web interface (e-mail just sends the task, but doesn’t allow the user to add it to their Toodledo app); No calendar.
Verdict. I got the app when it was on sale for $0 thanks to FreeAppADay.com, which is how I justified purchasing the Toodledo mid-range subscription. If simple is your thing, Toodledo is perfect for you. (★★★½)
Todo ($4.99 v3.43, iPhone / $4.99 v3.64, iPad). Appigo is essentially a sleeker, cleaner, and more robust version of Toodledo.
Likes
- Intuitive interface
- Customizable views
- Local/Push notifications
- Multitasking
- Multiple task types: normal, project, checklist, call a contact, SMS, e-mail, location, and website (tap the task and the associated app opens based on the type of task)
- Integrates well with select third-party apps including: Notebook, Goodreader, TextExpander, SpellChecker, FastTrac, Handy CookBook, Water Buddy, and Gas Cubby
- Todo for iPad goes great with Corkulous
- Syncs with iCal/Outlook via Appigo sync (a free tool), with Toodledo (and thus with iDevices), iCloud, Dropbox, or with Appigo’s ToDo Online ($20/yr)
- Mac desktop app (iTunes link)
- Search tasks <– very handy
- Share tasks via e-mail with other Todo users and import them from the e-mail into Todo <– even handier
- The developers are easily accessible via Twitter: @appigo
Dislikes. Notebooks sync with Toodledo, but require the purchase of Appigo’s $4.99 iPhone-only notebook app. Even then, if you add a checklist or project to a notebook it leaves the Todo app, opens the Notebook app, and then you get a mess of text instead of a bulleted list. If you want to clean it up, you have to go in and edit the notebook. This makes the Todo app’s “Add to notebook” feature pretty much unusable. Seriously Appigo, why not build the notebook feature into Todo?
Cannot add photos. ARGH!
No embedding projects or checklists within a project.
No calendar.
Three apps to rule them all? Yeah, this is ridiculous. I should get a big shiny button that says “You’re a moron and should have just used Toodledo.” Instead, I bought Todo, Todo for iPad, and Notebook. Granted, the first two were on sale, but still.
Verdict. I’ve been using Todo for the iPad and for the iPhone for a while now. I love ‘em. I’m stoked that they updated their app to allow badges and notifications to be local instead of having to start my morning off with a Todo tap. I love Todo for Mac. I wish I could add photos to tasks. I wish notebooks were integrated. And, I wish I didn’t have to pay for all four apps and a Toodledo/Todo Online subscription in order to take full advantage of Todo. (★★★★)
Honorable Mentions
Google Tasks web app (free). It doesn’t get any more basic than Google Tasks. What do you mean? You can add tasks which will sync with Google Calendar (sort of) and that’s it. If I’m offline, I’m screwed. I imagine when Google opens up the API for tasks the feature will become more useful as developers will create apps that will sync to the cloud. Until then… (★)
Evernote (free). My friends swear by this universal app, but I can’t seem to like it long enough to continually use it. It’s an exceptional note app. Yes, you can sync with Mac, PC, and the Web, and you can sync files among the different versions of Evernote. But, it’s not ideal for task management or for me. (★★)
Nubi Do ($9.99). I picked up this app when it was free thanks to FreeAppADay.com. I played with it for a little bit. It has the capability to sync with Google Spreadsheets, has a calendar, allows for skinning and customization, and is capable of attaching text notes. It’s clean. It’s user-friendly. It just doesn’t tickle my fancy. (★★).
Hardly Worth Mentioning
Things for iPhone ($9.99) and Things for iPad ($19.99) are spectacular apps, but they cost way too much money. Not to mention you can only sync them over WiFi with the Things for Mac ($49.95) counterpart. Huge fail! I’d only consider buying the apps when Cultured Code releases Things cloud sync. Until then, I ain’t throwing down $80 for pretty. (★★)
Bottom Line
- Todo ($4.99 iPhone/$4.99 iPad) (★★★★)
- Toodledo ($3.99 universal) (★★★½)
- Awesome Note ($3.99 iPhone)(★★)
- Nubi Do ($9.99) (★★)
- Evernote (free) (★★)
- Things ($9.99 iPhone/$19.99 iPad) (★★)
- Google Tasks web app (free) (★)
If you’re looking for a great iOS to-do app go with either Appigo’s Todo app or the Toodledo app. The others are nice in their own way, but not well-rounded enough to be totally useful.
If you have questions about my list of best todo apps or would like to chime in on the post be sure to post your comments below or send me an e-mail at TiTy@y2kemo.com.
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