GTD App Review – Toodledo
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Toodledo is an extremely feature rich web app but unfortunately this is also its falldown. The UI is complicated and not pleasant to use. However it is very reasonably priced.
This large number of features does have a silver lining. Toodledo allows third-party developers to create apps using its API. Apps can be created which aren’t constrained by lack of meta-data about a task or features. The apps can then provide a simplified pleasant UI. This has already happened with Due Today and TODO for Mac. Both have a great user experience. With over third-party 50 apps, there’s already plenty of choice.
How it Scored
This is how it scored against the criteria for a great GTD app.
| Criteria | Result |
|---|---|
| Quick add | Yes. But there’s no inbox |
| Projects/Sub-tasks | Yes. Folders and sub-tasks. Sub-tasks in Pro. |
| Contexts/tags | Yes, both. |
| Order tasks | No |
| Notes | Yes |
| Highlight/star | Yes |
| Search | Yes |
| Deadline | Yes |
| Reminder | Yes |
| Recurring tasks | Yes |
| Sync with Google Calendar | Yes |
| User Experience | 0/5 |
Downsides
The poor user experience. It’s trying to be something to everybody, which is making it difficult to use. There’s very little that is good about the UI. It’s busy, lacks contrast, cramped, small, confusing, inconsistent, baffling. I’ll stop there, you can probably guess I don’t like it.
There’s no task count to show how many tasks are in a folder/list. UPDATE mhm08 (from GTD forum) pointed out that this a setting you need to turn on.
Lack of drag and drop, means organising tasks is done by editing each one individually.
Puzzling
The UI.
Useful Extras
- Loads of integration with other services. Eg Twitter, email, rss, Firefox and more.
- Share your list with other people, for reading or adding/editing.
- Tasks can be assigned to goals, so you can track whether you are meeting your high level life goals.
- Stats for tracking progress. Linked to goals too.
- A range of ways to import your tasks.
- Attach files to tasks.
- Specify defaults for tasks.
- Configurable ‘hotlist’, for tasks that have some kind of urgency.
- UPDATE A multitude of ways for exporting and backing up your tasks. (as recommended by Jay in the comments)
How it Looks
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- Main Screen
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- Expanded Tasks
-
- Manage Folders
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- Notebook
Platforms
Web, iPhone/iPad and over 50 third-party apps.
Support
There is a forum for discussions, questions, and tips where the developer is active.
Price
Free, $14.95/year pro and $29.95/year pro plus. Comparison of features between the prices plans.
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Hi Tom,
I’m loving this series of reviews. Full disclosure: I love toodledo and think the UI is getting better but still has a way to go.
In your scoring table you say that toodledo has quick add but no ‘inbox’. This is true but there are (at least) a couple of ways to get around this.
1. Set up a folder as an inbox. I use ‘.1nbox’ so that it always sorts to the top of the folder list. Then in the preferences section set the default folder for all new tasks to ‘.1nbox’. Then if you add a task but don’t have time to set all the details it defaults to an inbox folder where you can process it at your weekly review.
2. Alternatively you can set up an appropriate saved search. I have a save search that shows any taks where either the Folder or Context is null. This way I can hit saved search and see any task that does not have a full compliment of GTD parameters set.
Thanks for the tips, useful to know. Although I couldn’t stand the UI, it does stand a chance as Due Today and TODO for Mac are quite good. The 2 apps implement the inbox slightly differently too, so a workaround like the ones you suggested might be in order.
Believe it or not the current UI is a _massive_ improvement on what it was a few months ago! Did you know that you can mess about with what columns are shown and their width? It gives you some scope to improve the UI or make it work for your own GTS set-up. For example I’ve done away with the Priority column as it is ‘non-GTD compliant’.
Have you also tried toodledo’s own iOS apps? I find the iPhone one to be exactly what I need, TODO (both iPhone and Mac) just don’t work the way I want them to. Context views are, to my mind, buried when they should be front and centre.
One area where toodledo get it wrong for me is the way they use Location on the iPhone. I would want to assign a location to a Context but toodledo have implemented it such that you have to assign a location at N/A level.
Finally – the Notes section of toodledo is useful, though not unique, but the devs have committed to supporting Markdown syntax rather than the currently limited html syntax support.
I knew about the columns being configurable. The need for them to be a column in order to edit them I think adds to busy-ness of the page. Some apps show a few core details and then all is editable when selected/zoomed in.
I’m an Android man so haven’t tried the iPhone. I did see the screenshots of the app and it looked a big improvement over the Web one, so they’ve got it in them to design a good looking UI. Maybe one day…
The key to using toodledo is the third party apps. I use taskangel on PC and ultimate todo on android. I mostly work through my phone and send email tasks via outlook and gmail. Hassle free with just enough complexity.
I also use TaskAngel. I like it but it’s not amazing. I would love being able to clean it a little (there are fields I don’t use but they still appear in task properties).
@Joel That is a really good point – I also use toodledo pretty much as just a conduit or backend for the iPhone/iPad app and TaskSurfer on Mac http://frostydogs.com/tasksurfer/ and email tasks to myself during work from Outlook.
I then use the web interface very rarely.
That’s kind of what I’m thinking. Due Today would be my Android interface and TODO for my Mac interface.
Just moved to Toodledo and appreciate the flexibility of the UI. Perhaps that’s because I am coming from Thinkingrock.
For Android, take a look at DGT GTD. Very nice UI, has inbox, syncs with both free and paid versions of Toodledo.
I did look at DGT GTD but as it was in alpha it wasn’t worth looking at it just yet, that and Due Today is pretty good too.
Finally rounded of the reviews and chose my trusted GTD system. http://tomphilip.me/index.php/best-gtd-app/ Phew, wasn’t easy.
Ultimate To Do is like the Toodledo of the Android handset programs: It doesn’t look easy on the eye but is very powerful and customisable. IMO of course!
Toodledo is/was my choice because it effectively guides you into the GTD process. GTD is hard to “get” at the beginning and Toodledo is a great starting place for someone learning David Allen’s GTD system. With Toodledo you can get up and running with GTD without even reading the book, but should do so at the same time at your own pace.
Other services like RTM or Evernote force you to build the structure yourself which to me was something I didn’t know how to do.
My GTD system is structured well, not my brain.