Todoist vs Routine

Todoist has been around forever, so it's stable and does exactly what you expect a to-do list to do which is why it's our top pick.

When we tested it, the most noticeable thing was how quick it was to get things from brain to app. You type something like "submit report Friday at 5pm," hit enter, and move on. No friction, no overthinking, which is honestly what most people need. Or even better, their Ramble feature allows you to just list off everything on your mind and it uses AI to intelligently separately them into different tasks. I have Todoist on my phone and can't help but use Ramble when my brain is overloaded.

It's best for individuals managing their personal life who want a bit more structure than Apple Notes or pen and paper. Just about anyone could download Todoist and get the hang of it within 5 minutes, even your mom or grandma! But with that said, once you start expecting more, like planning your day visually or managing collaborative projects, you start to feel its limits pretty quick.

• Easy to learn
• Reliable and stable
• Lots of integrations
• Strong organization with projects, labels, and priorities
• Extremely fast task capture with natural language input via Ramble

• Basic. If you want something more proactive and handles off, it may feel too simple
• Time blocking and calendar features feel secondary

You can set due dates, reminders, and recurring tasks easily, which makes it great for routines. I’ve used it for things like weekly check-ins or simple habits, and it’s dependable.

A big part of staying organized is having a structure that doesn't overwhelm you. Being able to organize tasks into projects, add labels, set priorities, and switch between list, board, or calendar views (on paid plans) is simple enough to keep you on track without adding to your cognitive load.

Time blocking is a feature many people who are looking for a task manager love to see, and over the years, Todoist has received some pushback from its customers to build a calendar view that allows for task time blocking.

Right now, you're only able to carve out time/tasks with time blocking through the paid plans, but even if you do that, the feature is still subpar. So if you want to enjoy increased productivity, we'd recommend looking elsewhere, and we'd point you toward newer daily planner apps that do task management and time management really well.

Honestly, I love this feature. You can add tasks quickly by just speaking out things like "buy Oatly, honey, do laundry, call mom, get dress for June wedding". It separates out each task for you.

This feature helps me most before bed when my brain is still overloaded. I turn on ramble and brain dump, and then it creates tasks for me. This is the only thing that makes my brain relax (I also do this in ChatGPT at times when I'm more so circling thoughts rather than tasks).

• Beginner: Free. Best for individuals looking to manage and organize their personal lives.
• Pro: $7 monthly ($60 yearly). Best for project-oriented individuals trying to find their work-life balance within task management.
• Business: $10 monthly ($96 yearly). Best for small teams who need a dedicated workspace to assign projects and unify team billing.

The last time we checked out Routine, we went in thinking it was was a lightweight daily planner. Fifteen minutes later, we were scared we'd just deleted their entire task database...😂 Search Routine Review Gone Wrong on YouTube and you'll see what we mean.

Routine is a daily planner with lots of features like task scheduling, label creation, and, of course, a calendar, but with so much happening, a lot of the features don't work fully like you'd want them to. The glaring problem is that their execution makes it hard to understand what it actually wants to be 🫠

Routine is says its for busy professionals and modern teams, but we feel like a student or busy parent is a more appropriate audience based on the limited way many of the features work. Maybe someone who wants a free tool to drag tasks onto a calendar, loosely organize their day, or experiment with time blocking, but gosh, as a business, it will not do what it needs for you. It has a free tier (which is rare in this category), but we can definitely see why, so if you decide to try it, lower your expectations.

• Has a free tier (rare in this category)
• Drag-and-drop task scheduling onto calendar
• Tasks can contain detailed notes

• Not a ton of integrations
• Not intuitive (basic actions require trial and error)
• Labels system adds complexity without clear payoff
• Feels unstable (easy access to database-level settings)
• Too basic for a primary business calendar
• Identity crisis: calendar vs. daily planner vs. knowledge management tool

Routine allows you to create tasks and drag them directly onto your calendar. You can adjust time blocks and rearrange your day visually. The time-blocked task planning works, but it feels basic.

They even tried integrating natural language, but even that has its hang-ups. For example, when creating a task, typing "3 days" schedules it for December 3rd instead of three days from now. To get the result you're looking for, you have to type "in 3 days." A small detail that shows good intention, but poor execution.

Routine introduces a labels system that acts almost like a relational database. You can assign labels to tasks and events and view counts across categories.

In theory, this would allow for deeper organization, but in practice, it feels like an added mental load. You can see numbers, but you won't extract any valuable insight.

Again, we have some clarity issues. Routine has tasks that function as full notes, so you have the option to expand well beyond a simple checklist item. This leans into their "all-in-one" ambition, and looks like they were attempting to blend planning with knowledge management.

However, the separation between tasks and notes is confusing, and it's not always clear where things live or how they relate.

• Free: Best for individuals & students looking to become more productive.
• Professional: $10/mo. Best for professionals who want AI notes and time tracking capabilities.
• Business: $15/mo per user. Best for teams who want workspaces and access control.
• Enterprise: Contact for more details. Best for large teams in need of extra security.