Choosing the right todo app can make or break your productivity. Two popular options—Todoist and Todone—take fundamentally different approaches to task management. If you're trying to decide between them, this comparison will help you understand which one fits your needs.
The core philosophy difference
Todoist is a powerful, feature-rich task manager designed for people who want granular control over projects, labels, filters, and priorities. It's built around the idea that more features = more productivity.
Todone takes the opposite approach. It's a minimalist todo app built around celebrating what you've accomplished, not overwhelming you with what's left. It uses positive reinforcement and streaks with grace days instead of guilt-driven motivation.
Feature comparison
Task organisation
Todoist: Projects, sub-projects, sections, labels, filters, priorities (1-4), natural language input, recurring tasks, reminders, comments, file attachments, and more.
Todone: A simple flat list with optional tags and priority levels. Daily focus mode to select 3-5 priorities. Recurring tasks for habits. That's it—by design.
The "wins first" approach
This is where Todone differs most dramatically. When you open Todone, you see your completed tasks at the top. Your wins are celebrated, not hidden. Most todo apps (including Todoist) hide or archive completed tasks, making you constantly stare at what's undone.
For people with ADHD or todo list anxiety, this difference is transformative.
Streaks and motivation
Todoist: Uses a Karma points system that tracks productivity over time. For some users, seeing points decrease when productivity dips can feel discouraging rather than motivating.
Todone: Streaks with a built-in grace day. Miss one day? Your progress is protected. No guilt, no shame—just pick up where you left off.
Who should use Todoist?
- Teams needing collaboration features
- Project managers tracking complex workflows
- People who thrive with detailed organisation systems
- Users who want extensive integrations (100+ apps)
- Those comfortable maintaining elaborate productivity setups
Who should use Todone?
- People who've tried "powerful" todo apps and felt overwhelmed
- Anyone experiencing todo list anxiety
- Users with ADHD who need positive reinforcement
- Minimalists who want simple, not complex
- Anyone who wants to feel good about their productivity, not guilty
Pricing comparison
Todoist: Free tier with limits, Pro at £4/month, Business at £6/month.
Todone: Free to start with generous limits. Pro upgrade available for power users who want unlimited tasks and sync.
The verdict
These aren't really competitors—they serve different needs. Todoist is a professional project management tool disguised as a todo app. Todone is a minimalist task manager designed for mental wellbeing.
If you've tried Todoist (or Asana, or Things, or Notion) and found yourself abandoning it after a few weeks, that's not a personal failure. Those tools require significant cognitive overhead to maintain.
A guilt-free productivity system might be exactly what you need instead.
Try Todone free
The best way to know which app works for you is to try it. Todone is free to start—no credit card required. Add a task, complete it, and see how it feels to have your wins celebrated instead of hidden.