I am constantly on the hunt for the perfect to do list management application. My perfect to do list management application is multi-platform, allows me create tasks in an hierarchical or outline form, allows me to connect tasks items with Evernote notes, connects projects with Evernote notebooks, provides a way to export my data, and stores my data in an encrypted format.

So far, I have not found the perfect to do list app, most have a few of the features I want but not all. For example, I am use Evernote and am glad they added Reminders for notes, but it doesn't have much in the way of structure. What I would like to find is a outlining/to-do app that I can layer on top of Evernote too give it structure.

So, I have decided to give Todoist a try, it is multi-platform and has structure by supporting projects and subtasks.

What I like about Todoist:

  • Online presence. Todoist is very active in social media, providing insights into how to use the app.

  • Support. After I signed up for Todoist, I received a personal email from a person at Todoist, introducing himself and telling me I can contact him with any questions. I've sent a question, we'll see how quick I get a response.

  • Android widget. The widget provides a lot of flexibility to only display specific information. For example, I am able to only display next actions tasks.

  • Projects. Most people who need a to-do list app work on multiple projects. Too many of to-do apps simply provide flat lists. I am also finding that Todoist is easier to navigate to project tasks than Any.do.

  • Zapier Support. Zapier is a web application integration service, much like the popular site, IFTTT.com, and it has support for both Todoist and Evernote. By using this service I am able to send completed tasks to Evernote notebooks and notes, and send Evernote reminders to Todoist.

  • Gmail integration via Chrome extension adds a button that enables you to turn an email into a task.

  • Google Chrome extension adds the ability to add links to web pages as tasks, so if you are doing research relating to a web site, you can add that as a task to Todoist.

What I wish Todoist had:

  • Exporting data. So far, I have not found a way to export data, which is problematic. In my opinion all cloud apps need to provide their users with a way to get their data out of the app. I particularly want to export completed tasks for archiving.

  • Connectivity to Evernote. More and more apps provide some level of integration with Evernote, although in most cases I have found that integration to be lacking. Evernote has an API and with that I imagine it would be possible to connect Todoist projects and tasks to Evernote notebooks and notes.

    • While services like Zapier and IFTTT provide a bridge between apps, they don't function as well as direct integration. For example, I am using a Zapier "zap" that adds new reminders I create in Evernote as tasks in Todoist. When I check the task off as done in Todoist, that indication of completion is not shared back to Evernote, I have to also check off the reminder in Evernote. If there as a direct relationship between the Todoist task and the Evernote reminder in such a way that their status was in sync, it would be possible to check off an Evernote-linked Todoist task one time and see the reflected in both apps.
  • An IFTTT.com channel. IFTTT is a popular web application integration service, that enables you to move data between applications, or what it calls channels when certain events occur. Zapier is similar service, but unlike IFTTT that is free, it costs money if you heavily rely on its services.

06/17/14; 04:52:00 PM

Last built: Wed, Feb 17, 2016 at 3:27 PM

By Frank McPherson, Tuesday, June 17, 2014 at 4:52 PM.