In the last few years, a slew of to-do list apps have been released that encourage millions of users to track their personal and work lives. The goal is the same for everyone: improve productivity and get more things done. The key to crossing everything off your to-dos list is having a streamlined system in place—one that allows you to use your smartphone or computer seamlessly. We reviewed dozens of productivity apps and narrowed down the list based on features, usability, and design. We reached out to a group of productivity experts who helped us decipher the most important aspects of an effective to-do list app.
Like many people, you might feel that it’s really hard to keep track of all the tasks on your ′to do′ list. An app that is easy to use and can coordinate everything on your list certainly would be helpful. However, I’ve tried some apps that just didn’t work for me. So, I decided to do some research and testing of my own.
Things (macOS, iPhone, iPad)
To-do list apps tend to fall into two categories: the complex and the minimalist. Things is somehow both.
Open Things for Mac and it looks simple: you’ve got an Inbox for your tasks and the option to add more lists. Dig a little, though, and there are all kinds of advanced tools here. There are nesting ways to organize your tasks: areas can contain tasks or projects; projects can contain tasks or headers that can also contain tasks; even tasks can contain sub-tasks if you want. It sounds confusing but it isn’t, which really speaks to how well Things is designed. There’s no right way to use this system. Use as many or as few of the organizational options given to you, however you like, to make sense of your chaotic list of tasks, choose which things you want to do today, and then do those things.
Other applications offer features like this, sure, but Things manages to do so without feeling cluttered. And as a native application with no Windows or web equivalent, Things feels very much at home on the macOS desktop. Combine this blend of functionality and beauty with features like a system-wide tool for quickly adding tasks, integration with your calendar so you can see your appointments while planning your day, intuitive keyboard shortcuts, reminders with native notifications, and syncing to an iPhone and iPad app. It’s a powerful way to organize your tasks—and then accomplish them.
Things price: The macOS version costs $49.99 but offers a 15-day free trial. The iPad version costs $19.99, and the iPhone version costs $9.99.
OmniFocus (macOS, iPhone, iPad)
If you’re particular about how your tasks are arranged, and I mean really particular, OmniFocus is right for you. This application is a power user’s dream, allowing you to organize your task in seemingly never-ending variations. There are three different kinds of projects you can set up, for example. There are six main views by default, ranging from the Inbox for unsorted tasks, Forecast for seeing scheduled tasks in context with any of your macOS Calendar appointments, and Review for going over completed tasks at the end of the day or week. You can also create your own views if this isn’t enough for you.
This isn’t an application that’s quick to learn, and things can feel cluttered at times. Once you figure everything out, however, you’ll have an elaborate, GTD-style task list that works exactly the way you want. Combine this with a system-wide keyboard shortcut for quick task entry and you’ve got no excuse when it comes to keeping things organized. OmniFocus for Mac syncs with iPhone and iPad, and there’s even a web version, so you can access your tasks while using Windows devices (sadly this is occasionally necessary).
OmniFocus price: OmniFocus for Mac starts at $39.99 after a 14-day trial. The Pro version, which allows you to customize the sidebar with your own views among other features, costs $79.00. The iPhone and iPad version starts at $39.99, and also offers a 14-day free trial.
GoodTask (macOS, iPhone, iPad, Watch)
Reminders is great but not exactly feature-rich. GoodTask is unique in that it uses Reminders as a backend: add anything to GoodTask, and it will show up in Reminders and vice versa. So what’s the point? GoodTask offers features that Apple doesn’t in Reminders.
First there’s Calendar integration, meaning you can see your calendar appointments and your tasks in one place. You can also create smart lists, allowing you to filter your tasks using things like tags, due dates, and locations. You’ll have to spend some time setting this up before it’s any better than Reminders, but if you’ve got a specific overview of tasks in mind, you can probably design it here. GoodTask also offers an assortment of widgets for Big Sur’s new notification center, and so far as we know, is the first app to do so.
Integration with Reminders means all your tasks sync to the iPhone and iPad without the need for any other software, though there are versions of GoodTask available for those devices if you want the same power on them. And there’s a universal keyboard shortcut for adding events—that alone might make this app worth using over Reminders. Overall, this is a nice upgrade over Apple’s default app, so check it out.
GoodTask for Mac price: $19.99 with a 14-day free trial. GoodTask is also available on Setapp, which is a $10 a month subscription service with access to dozens of Mac applications. There’s also an iPhone and iPad version available for free, with an in-app purchase of $9.99 to unlock all features.
TaskPaper (macOS)
Wondering why to-do lists have to be so complicated? TaskPaper isn’t. This text-based option means you can just start typing to create your to-do list. Projects end with colons; tasks begin with a hyphen; tags start with the @ symbol. It sounds simple, but it’s surprisingly powerful once you get used to it, especially with the filtering and search options.
There isn’t an iPhone version, but the third-party application Taskmator ($4.99) is compatible and syncs using Dropbox. Alternatively, you can set up TaskPaper to sync over items from Reminders.
Taskpaper price: $24.99 with a free trial. Taskpaper is also available on Setapp, which is a $10 a month subscription service with access to dozens of Mac applications.
Microsoft To Do (Android, Windows, macOS, iPhone and iPad, Web)
Is it weird for a Microsoft app to show up on a list of Mac apps? Sure. But for a long time, no list like this would exclude Wunderlist, and Microsoft To Do is that app’s spiritual successor. It’s also completely free and the prettiest to-do list app for Mac.
Users can add as many custom lists as they want, and even sort those lists into groups. Every list has a custom background, which is a nice touch—it looks good, sure, but you also always know which list you’re looking at. There’s also support for due dates and the ability to share lists with other To Do users. Mac users are less likely to care about this, but To Do is extremely integrated with the Microsoft ecosystem—tasks can sync with Outlook, for example.
There are downsides. One big one: there’s no universal keyboard shortcut for adding tasks. But it’s by far the nicest to-do list for Mac you can find for free.
Microsoft To Do price: Free.
nTask
Aesthetically appealing project management tool for MAC with a focus on bringing all the top features of different tools under one task management platform.
nTask is a flexible and handyman project management tool that works on MAC & PC. From making checklists to managing projects, collaboration with project teams, scheduling meetings, file sharing, and offering state of the art Gantt Charts.
nTask lets you do all of that and much more through one single project management tool. The program makes it easy to keep work of teams on track and it makes it easy for different stakeholders to share documents. It provides the option of integrating with Slack, which we feel is a lovely option.
Pros
This PM tool administers and helps manage tasks from the service in the integrated cloud, provides all the necessary functions to achieve efficient collaborative work with the rest of the team such as; assigning tasks, monitoring progress, scheduling meetings, recurring tasks, and meetings option and defining risks.
Overall, nTask is easy to set up, easy to understand and a peach of a Task Management App for setting up checklists and to do’s across teams and projects.
Cons
The only thing which needs improvement in nTask is the capability of attaching images and documents. It’d be amazing to be able to see the visuals right in the project window but isn’t available at the moment. Other than that, it works great for individuals, SMEs, and large corporations.
nTask comes with an easy learning curve mainly because of its user-friendly look and experience.
nTask paid plans to start at $1/user for the first three users and offer a 14-Day Free Trial for both its Premium and Business plans.
Conclusion
For many of us, lists are necessary when it comes to getting things done. We end up with so many tasks during the day, it’s hard to remember every single thing that needs to be done unless it’s laid out in an organized list or project in front of us. This is especially true for those of us who are in front of our Macs all day long, so here are the best to-do apps for Mac to help you stay on task.