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Actto vs Todoist

Todoist will hold everything you put in it, and that is the problem this page is about. It has no idea how much you can actually do today, so the list grows and the day does not.

Actto

Todoist

What happens when you fall behind.

Todoist has Karma: points for finishing things, levels to climb, streaks to keep. It also takes points off you for tasks that are four days late.

So the app that is holding your growing list is also scoring you on it. In Actto nothing is ever taken away. You keep every point you earned, and a task that slipped its date sits in one list with a quiet line saying so.

The other half is the list itself. Todoist will happily show you forty things today. Actto lets you plan three priorities a day, and you cannot add a fourth.

Falling behind

Todoist

Karma comes off after four days

Actto

You keep your points

Side by side

Actto compared with Todoist
FeatureActtoTodoist
Falling behindActtoYou keep your pointsTodoistKarma comes off after four days
RewardsActtoReal things you chose and pricedTodoistKarma levels, and a theme at the top
Daily capActtoThree priorities, enforcedTodoistNone
Energy matchingActtoCore featureTodoistNone
Capacity mathActtoYes, freeTodoistNone
Speed and reliabilityActtoGoodTodoistBest in class
Teams and sharingActtoNone. Single player.TodoistYes, and it is good
PriceActtoFree, $6/mo for PlusTodoistFree, $7/mo for Pro

Stay with Todoist if

  • You share projects with other people
  • You live in your inbox and calendar and want it wired into both
  • Your problem is capturing things, not deciding between them
  • Karma motivates you, and for some people it genuinely does

Switch to Actto if

  • Your today list has become an accusation
  • You've rescheduled the same task eight times
  • You want the app to say which three, not show you forty
  • You'd rather earn a real reward than a level

Questions

It is not built for ADHD. Capturing a thought takes a second and nothing gets lost, which genuinely matters. But it will let today grow to forty items and it has no idea how much energy you have, so the list keeps growing and choosing between the items is still entirely yours.
Mildly, and it is worth knowing about. Karma points come off for tasks that are four or more days overdue. It is a small thing unless you are the sort of person who has quit an app over a broken streak, in which case it is the exact thing to avoid.
Karma is a score you climb, and the reward at the top is a theme. Actto's points are a currency you spend on rewards you wrote down yourself, at prices you set. One measures you, the other pays you.
They are close. Todoist Pro is $7 a month or $60 a year. Actto Plus is $6 a month or $48 a year, and both have a free plan. Price is not the reason to switch.
There is no importer. A Todoist account that has been running for years is mostly archaeology by the time you leave. Bring the ten things that still matter.

Moving over

Todoist will keep doing what it is good at, and plenty of people run it for work and Actto for their own day.

You do not have to choose one to try the other.

Three priorities a day, not forty.

Nothing to import, no card needed, and nothing that takes points off you for being late.