TiPb AT WORK To Do/Task List Showdown: Things vs Appigo Todo
[This is a TiPb AT WORK App vs. App Review! Last week, it was the Instant Messenger Showdown, with BeeJiveIM squeaking out the victory. But which blog commenter won a copy of the winning IM App? mr. Hi-Definition Congratulations!
This week, the TiPb iPhone Forums voted on their favorite Task/To Do Apps, we took the top two, and now they're going head-to-head. But wait -- there's more! One of the forum voters has already won a copy of the winning App... Congrats coreymol! Want another chance to win? COMMENT BELOW! and make sure you leave a valid email address in the comment form -- it won't be made public, but it will be used to contact you if you win! Check out the full contest details, then grab your iPhone and get ready to get things done -- the TiPb AT WORK Task/Do To Showdown is on!]
I use my iPhone all the time. At work or play, it completes me. I have a few gripes (no sense beating the cut/copy/paste dead horse) – there are some glaring omissions that make it difficult for people to take the iPhone seriously for business or just everyday productivity.
Some kind of sync-able task or to-do list is such a basic feature, and fortunately, the advent of 3rd party apps have made it possible for developers to provide a plethora of apps to remedy this deficiency. The two apps that you folks in the forum picked for this TiPb AT WORK smackdown is Things and Appigo’s Todo. Users have given them both a 4-star rating in the App Store and, quite honestly, it’s a VERY close call to me.
Which of these two get-er-done apps are the best? How do they stack up? Read on!
First Impressions
Things, available in the App Store for $9.99, is a task app that promotes it’s simplicity to use and offers a time-based and priority-based approach. The interface is clean and easy to use, with customization for creating specific task lists. A desktop sync app is also available as a separate download from the main site. The simplicity of the interface and layout of tasks by order of priority and project is very appealing at first glance.
Appigo’s Todo is also sold for $9.99 in the App Store and has a simple interface that allows for the creation of task lists and setting priority of importance and due dates for tasks. Rather than provide a desktop syncing app separately, Todo will sync online with either ToodleDo or Remember The Milk, both of which are popular web apps for the iPhone.
The Same, But Different
Both Things and Todo offer similar functionality in giving you the ability to manage tasks/to-do’s on your iPhone. They both have ways to sync your tasks in a location other than your iPhone. They both allow creation of multiple task lists. Both have an “In-Box” to hold hastily created tasks that you can add detail in the future, like categorization, priority, scheduling, and notes. Both have a nice, easy, and clean interface. There are differences though, and the differences just might give one an edge over the other, but this “edge” may also just boil down to personal taste.
Things
Things is the task app that gives you a timeline/priority approach to managing your tasks. First, you have your Today items – obviously, the items that need to be done today and not tomorrow! These are tasks that you have entered to be completed for the day or are scheduled tasks that have become due. The Next list contains single to-do items and also action steps from active projects. These are the tasks you will do as soon as you can get to them. If the Today items give you a up-close look at your tasks, the Next list is taking a step back and seeing things from the 100 foot view.
Scheduled items are things you will do in the future. These are tasks you will begin at a later date, and as the date arrives, they will show up in your Today view. This may be like looking at your tasks from the 1,000 foot level.
The Someday box is where you place the things you want to do someday, no specific date required. Store your dreams here, if you want. It is like the 10,000 foot view of your tasks – no pressure, just a place to capture your ideas for more shaping and molding.
Things makes it easy to move tasks from one box to another. Then, as you complete tasks, they will appear in your Logbook so you can review the completed items later.
A nice touch is the “+” icon located at the bottom left of each screen. This app wants to make sure that adding tasks at any time is easy and straight-forward. Just hit that “+” icon no matter what you are doing and you can enter a quick task that will sit in your Inbox until you can give it more specificity later. Cool!
Right now, you can download a functioning desktop app that allows you to wirelessly sync your tasks between your iPhone and Things. In the future, this desktop app will be on the pricey side: $39.99 for those that register before the official release, and $49.99 for the johnny-come-latelys. However, if you are a big-time to-do/task person, this is a good investment. You will have a stand-alone app on your desktop that is married to the app on your iPhone so you can both backup your tasks as well as enter them easily from your desktop.
Appigo’s Todo
Todo takes a different approach to syncing. Rather than a desktop app and the additional expense that goes with it, their app syncs online with both Toodledo and Remember The Milk, two popular web apps. The upside to this is that these apps are free and are available to you anywhere you have an internet connection. The bad news is you need an internet connection or you aren’t syncing, period.
Multiple task lists and projects are also available on Todo. You can create repeating tasks, prioritize tasks, and also create tasks quickly that are placed in your Inbox for adding detail later. You can view all important tasks by setting the filter to “All Lists” so you can knock out those urgent tasks no matter what category they are in or project the are a part of.
Another very useful feature offered in Todo is the linking of tasks to contacts and websites. If you need to call someone or send them an email, you can do some right from a task. You can also share tasks by sending them via email. This adds a very useful dimension to your task list when you can link straight to a contact for a call, email, or visiting a related web site.
And The Winner Is….
Both Appigo’s Todo and Things are excellent choices to manage your tasks. They bear several similarities and are available for the same price. The winner is really …. you! In my opinion, you can’t go wrong with either app and so it’s really up to your personal tastes. The desktop syncing app for Things is a little pricey, but for some of you it may be worth it to have local syncing that isn’t dependent on having an internet connection. For others, spending another $39.99 or $49.99 is NOT a good deal when you can have online syncing for free with Appigo’s Todo.
If you need multiple task lists, projects, an Inbox for lighting-fast task entry, and task prioritization, then it’s hard to choose. The differences reside in the syncing methods and some personal touches in customization (using custom strike-throughs in Todo or the prioritizing method in Things, for instance).
Since I get to choose, my personal favorite is Things because it gives me the option of syncing with a desktop app, which I find more convenient than using a web app. Things also seems a little simpler and straight-forward to me, something I really value in a task manager. I like that I can be very specific with urgent items or just dump ideas for later thought in the “someday” bin. But like I said before, regardless of which app YOU choose, they are both winners.
Things Rating:
Appigo’s Todo Rating:
October 15th, 2008 at 4:28 pm
I appreciate it Brian. Glad to hear I won. I just stated the truth because I own all 3 apps.
October 15th, 2008 at 4:51 pm
This is getting stupid. For what the phone costs, I should not have to spend $99.00 a year to get my email, or $50.00 – $60.00 for a program that the phone should have in the first place. Apple STILL don’t get why no business will dump their Berrys for this joke?? And I do have an iPhone……it’s sitting on my dresser at home right now. My CURVE is on my desk…..
October 15th, 2008 at 5:00 pm
Yeah, come on! You’d never see a 3rd party To-Do list for a Blackberry.
Ahem.
http://software.crackberry.com/product.asp?id=8470&n=ToDo-List-for-Blackberry
October 15th, 2008 at 5:21 pm
At about the time of the iPhone release I started reading Getting Things Done by David Allen. It is a book that helps the reader to organize their life by deploying a workflow system to manage all of the stuff in a person’s life. I found it to be very effective and extensible enough where I can make it work my way and not water down the effectiveness of the program.
Things is derived from that philosophy although you do not have to be a practitioner of GTD to use the application. It is simple, user friendly and intuitive – just like the desktop edition that is currently a free beta but will be officially launched at MacWorld on January 6, 2009.
To Do’s are a matter of taste and I find Things to be user friendly and helpful. Plus the fact that you can sync the iPhone version with the desktop via WiFi makes it even more attractive.
Cultured Code as a developer are great. They are a small shop and are passionate about their product. They involve their user community and are in constant contact with users via blog, twitter and message boards. Plus, they are constantly upgrading the product. The desktop version had two updates in the last week and another iPhone release is on it’s way through Apple’s bureaucracy right now.
I’m looking forward to seeing where they take this app, but at the same time I am enjoying using it (both versions actually) and staying on top of my stuff. If there were ever products that were Apple-like in their approach and execution but not native apps I think Things is it. Thanks you Cultured Code!
October 15th, 2008 at 5:45 pm
Ok and…….
October 15th, 2008 at 6:17 pm
I’ve also chose Things, and I’m very happy with my decision : Things is very elegant, really easy to use but quite powerful in my work. I’m just missing some kind of tagging, which will be delivered in one or two version. The desktop app is absolutely not required : in my case, I’m almost never using it. And I may not buy it when the time to pay will come (unless I will just want to support the developers…). As a non user of the other one, It is difficult fo me to judge it…
October 15th, 2008 at 6:17 pm
This comparison was nicely done! I’ve read a little about GTD and it seems like there are a lot of great concepts, but I personally think people get carried away with it. It seems like they spend more time perfecting their organizational system than they do actually doing things. I went with Appigo’s To Do to get access anywhere. I found it interesting that one of the downsides in the review to Appigo’s product was that you need an internet connection… I actually find that as the big plus! That’s all I need, an internet connection. No desktop, no wireless network, an internet connection which I have all the time with my iPhone.
October 15th, 2008 at 6:19 pm
As stated in the earlier review I use Things desktop and really enjoy it. I bought Things for my iPhone because it will sync with my desktop version, To me this is important yeah a free web version is nice but I travel a lot for work so I spend time in Airports and even some hotels that do not have internet access (not to mention the time I spend on planes!) so for me to be able to pull up my task manager on my lap top or my phone at any time is very important and helps me to continue to be productive at all times. The sync between the desktop and the phone is also real easy once set up I open things on my phone and they sync (desktop is always open and opens at log in) I do like how the other handles some what but my vote is for things.
October 15th, 2008 at 6:22 pm
I will get one or tthise for sure.
October 15th, 2008 at 8:25 pm
I was looking for a much simpler to do list…one that, well, is just a to do list. That’s why I use Dobot Todos.
Chris
October 15th, 2008 at 8:40 pm
I’ve just been using the built-in notepad to make lists and then emailing then to myself every once in a while.
October 15th, 2008 at 8:57 pm
I’ve been using To Do for a few weeks now and I just thought I should add, if you use Toodledo, there is a free Toodledo sync app for Outlook on the desktop. So if you ask me, To Do is the better option for syncing since the sync app has no price tag on it, and it works perfectly by the way. You have basic options such as how often it should sync and it has no problem integrating with Outlook.
October 15th, 2008 at 9:26 pm
I have used both and keep going back to Things. I love having a desktop app. I like the idea of web based apps but they don’t seem as quick for me to use when I am working on my desktop. I use Things for Mark Forster’s Do It Tomorrow philosophy and it works beautifully.
October 15th, 2008 at 10:37 pm
i’m excited to try both and i wouldn’t mind winning either! thanks TiPb!
October 16th, 2008 at 12:34 am
Things definitely seems more simple and effective and visually appealing.
I doubt that I would bother with a desktop app…that’s why I have the phone to get away from the computer.
October 16th, 2008 at 8:16 am
I use Evernote for EVERYTHING. It’s my capture, to-do list, and GTD/Covey productivity suite rolled into one. I’m so, so tired of spreading my “get things done” process across 3 pieces of software.
My solution… a small back notebook for capturing day to day stuff (I don’t care what app you use, entering data via the iPhone keyboard is slow and cumbersome, and Evernote for everything else.
October 16th, 2008 at 9:19 am
It’s quite interesting to see the current winning application. That being said, I know many people like Appigo To Do because it can sync with Toodledo. That makes me seriously wonder how the new Toodledo native iPhone app does compared to Appigo To Do…
October 16th, 2008 at 12:32 pm
Personally I’ve tried both but prefer the new app from toodledo.com which syncs when online and keeps offline storage as well. This allows me to always have the latest version of my todo list at hand. It beats appigo to do hands down in my humble opinion.
October 16th, 2008 at 3:52 pm
neat. Thanks for the info.
October 16th, 2008 at 4:26 pm
I am glad to see this review. About 2 months ago I was torn specifically between these two apps. I went with Things and I’m glad I did. Their customer support has been great, and it looks like they’re in the process of adding integrated contact/link support. (Don’t quote me on that!) I’m also probably going to skip the desktop software because I’d prefer just to mess with the iPhone.
Great review!
October 16th, 2008 at 4:35 pm
I wish the iphone has a forward text messages ability like the treo.
October 16th, 2008 at 9:17 pm
Things looks really neat!
November 4th, 2008 at 9:22 pm
Should make mention that the Things desktop app is only for OS X so iPhone owners who use Windows have no sync options there.
But if you use a Mac, Things is as good as it gets IMHO. I’ve used it for a good while and posted a summary earlier this year:
http://theweeklyreview.ca/2008/04/18/gtd-overview-part4-task-management-using-things/
November 10th, 2008 at 3:13 pm
after using many gtd including things, smarttime and reqall (I missed Appigo and I wouldn’t pay 15,99 euro for omnifocus but I watched their excellent screencast) I found almost everything I was looking for in Toodledo app (actually some things missing are some fine tuning and things that they are going to implement sooner or later). It’s really great I think.
January 27th, 2009 at 1:15 am
I too love a Desktop app for the speed so Things has been great but the recent $AUD80 price tag had me recoiling. I’m looking at other options…
I love a Mac as much as the next guy but, what frustrates me, since recently moving from Windows, is having one app for calendaring, one for mail, one for tasks… Dare I say it, Apple don’t seem to be strong in the productivity dept. but I’m sure if they (or Cultured Code or…) had a go at an Outlook-esque app. it would rock!
February 7th, 2009 at 1:31 am
I love Thing’s desktop app. The idea of emptying your mind, and put it in writing is fantastic.
May 8th, 2009 at 12:18 pm
I got to admit that Things is better. Well, if you think of the idea “no-Wifi”, Things really makes it worthwhile for many other users around the world, not just in the U.S. or any place with internet anywhere.
The price for Things’ desktop version? Worth every cents if think about a long run and the convenient. You’ll see why.
June 12th, 2009 at 7:43 pm
Thank you for the review. I have things but there is one aspect of Appigo’s Todo is the ability to create lists with where one can check off items both for projects and for shopping lists. With Things, one has the note are but it is small print without the ability to easily and quickly check of separate items. I have Things but am considering Todo for nothing more than the checklist.
Thanks for the review.
Best,
Robert
August 11th, 2009 at 11:34 pm
Thanks! That’s a nice comparison of to-do apps. Though I can say for sure that now I’m using Task2Gather with push notifications. And I’m fully satisfied with it. Try it here: http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=289641500&mt=8