Apps guide
Daily planner apps that keep today's list short
If your to-do list keeps growing faster than your day, a planner app can help by deciding what belongs to today and what can wait. The four apps here all do that, but in different ways. FOX Tasks and Mind Vortex cap your focus at three items for the day. EverDay lays the whole week out on one board. TodoNote turns each task into a page you can write notes in. They also differ on the practical points worth settling before you commit: which devices they run on, whether you need an account, what the free version leaves out, and whether your tasks stay on your phone or sync through a server. Three are phone apps, while TodoNote runs in a browser and on Mac and Windows.
At a glance
| Project | Good for |
|---|---|
| FOX Tasks. | A short daily list on iPhone with no account |
| EverDay | Laying out the whole week on one board |
| Mind Vortex | Turning a brain dump into a manageable day |
| TodoNote | Writing notes inside your tasks on a computer |
Decide how you want to plan
Planner apps tend to follow one of two ideas. Some ask you to pick a small number of tasks for today and park everything else, which suits people who freeze in front of a long list. FOX Tasks and Mind Vortex both work this way, with a limit of three. Others give you a wider view, such as EverDay's seven-day board, where tasks move between days as plans change.
A third approach treats the task as the place where the work happens. TodoNote lets you write inside each to-do and tag the useful notes, so a finished task leaves something behind. If you mostly need reminders and a checklist, that may be more than you need. If your tasks involve thinking, writing or meetings, it can save switching to a separate notes app.
Check where your tasks are stored
Planner data is personal, so it helps to know where it goes. FOX Tasks stores your planning on your iPhone and has no built-in cloud sync. EverDay stores tasks on the phone and can mirror them through your private iCloud. Mind Vortex can be used without an account, and its policy says data stays on the device unless you enable sign-in sync or AI parsing of your text. TodoNote requires an account and syncs your workspace between the browser and desktop apps through its own service.
None of these is better in every case. Local storage means nothing leaves your phone, but it also means no access from a laptop and a backup that depends on your device. Account-based sync is more convenient across devices, so read the privacy policy to see who holds the data and what it is used for.
Know what the free version covers
All four can be used for free, but the limits differ. FOX Tasks is free with no ads, subscriptions or in-app purchases at all. EverDay's free version is a complete weekly planner, and a one-time Pro purchase adds a month view, recurring tasks, subtasks and automatic rollover. Mind Vortex is free to download, with in-app purchases. TodoNote's free plan includes every core feature but stops at 100 items in total, and Pro costs $5 a month.
If you plan to keep years of tasks, a total item cap matters more than it first appears, because completed and deleted items count toward it. A one-time purchase also behaves differently from a subscription over time, so decide which you would rather pay for before you build a habit around an app.
The projects
FOX Tasks.
Good for: A short daily list on iPhone with no account
FOX Tasks is a free iPhone planner with no ads, subscriptions or in-app purchases, for iOS 18 or later, with an Apple Watch companion. An "Enough for today" view holds up to three tasks while the rest wait in Notes & Tasks, and daily goals get their own streaks. Planning data is stored locally on the iPhone, there's no built-in cloud or team sync, and the app contains no advertising or analytics SDKs. Optional shift alarms need iOS 26.1. The trade-off is that your plan lives on one phone.
EverDay
Good for: Laying out the whole week on one board
EverDay gives the seven days of the week one continuous board on iPhone, for iOS 18 or later. Tasks can carry notes, times, reminders and tags and move between days, while undated tasks wait in an Inbox. The free app is a complete weekly planner. Pro is a one-time purchase, priced in the App Store, that adds a month view, recurring tasks, subtasks, rollover and Apple connections. Tasks stay on the iPhone and can sync through your private iCloud, with no account or advertising. It is iPhone only.
Mind Vortex
Good for: Turning a brain dump into a manageable day
Mind Vortex is a free iOS and Android app built for people with ADHD or similar planning friction. It moves from capturing loose thoughts to choosing up to three current priorities, focused work sessions, routines and an end-of-day reflection. Core features are available without an account, and signing in adds sync. Its privacy policy says data stays on the device unless you enable sync or AI parsing of your text. In-app purchases are available. The policy also states plainly that it is a productivity tool, not a medical or diagnostic service.
TodoNote
Good for: Writing notes inside your tasks on a computer
TodoNote treats each task as a page you can write in, planned in lists like Today, Tomorrow and Next Week, with tags that collect useful notes into a searchable set. It runs in a browser and as desktop apps for Apple Silicon Macs and Windows, syncing through your account. The free plan has every core feature, including MCP access for AI clients, but caps you at 100 items in total, counting completed and deleted ones. Pro costs $5 a month. Its platform list does not include a phone app.
How these projects were chosen
Every app here has a published Project Note on this site. Each was matched to the task, planning your own day or week in an app, from its own public pages. The details above come from each app's site, pricing and privacy pages, checked on November 7, 2026. Prices and features change, so confirm them before you pay. Nobody can pay for a place in this guide.
Placement on Project Radar is never paid for, and nothing here is sponsored.