Thendoo vs Google Tasks: a simple list or a planned day
Google Tasks is a light to-do list inside Gmail and Calendar. Thendoo plans your whole day. Compare capture, calendar, habits and focus, and how to import your lists.
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The short answer
Google Tasks is a simple to-do list built into Google Calendar, Gmail, Chat and Docs, with apps for iPhone and Android. Thendoo is a browser-based, single-user day planner with tasks, habits, routines, a focus timer and money on one Today timeline. Keep Google Tasks if a light list next to your mail is enough; try Thendoo if you need help deciding when things happen.
Side by side
Where it runs
- Google Tasks
- In Google Calendar on the web, a side panel in Gmail, Calendar, Chat, Drive and Docs, and a mobile appsource
- Thendoo
- Web app; add it to a phone's home screen. Native apps planned
Subtasks
- Google Tasks
- Yes, subtasks under a tasksource
- Thendoo
- Subtasks and checklists
Repeating tasks
- Google Tasks
- Yes, but tasks with subtasks can't repeatsource
- Thendoo
- Repeat presets such as Every weekday or Last working day of every month
Calendar
- Google Tasks
- Tasks with a date appear in Google Calendarsource
- Thendoo
- Reads your Google calendars (several accounts) and places tasks as time blocks on Today
Tasks from email
- Google Tasks
- Create a task from an email in Gmailsource
- Thendoo
- Not today. Capture by hand (Ctrl+K / ⌘K); Gmail is planned.
Habits and routines
- Google Tasks
- No habit trackersource
- Thendoo
- Built in: When/Then habits with forgiving streaks, plus step-by-step timed routines
Focus timer
- Google Tasks
- No focus timersource
- Thendoo
- Built in: One block or Pomodoro, linked to a task
Daily planning ritual
- Google Tasks
- No guided planning; tasks with dates show in Google Calendarsource
- Thendoo
- Plan my day (Top 3, then give each a time) and Close the day
Money and bills
- Google Tasks
- Not includedsource
- Thendoo
- Built in: accounts, CSV import, monthly budgets, bills on Today
Plans and prices
Google Tasks
| Plan | Price |
|---|---|
| Google Tasks | Free with a Google accountsource |
Thendoo
| Plan | Price |
|---|---|
| Early access | Free while Thendoo is in early access; paid plans come later |
Our take
Choose Google Tasks if…
- You live in Gmail and Google Calendar and want tasks one click away from your mail.
- You want a phone app and a list that stays simple.
- Your work or school account already gives you Tasks, so there is nothing new to adopt.
Choose Thendoo if…
- A list is not the problem; deciding when to do each thing is.
- You want habits, routines, a focus timer and bills next to your tasks.
- Unfinished tasks weigh on you, and you want them shown as Carried over.
Who each one is for
Google Tasks is a light list that lives inside the Google apps you already use. You add a task from Gmail, Calendar or a Doc, give it a date, and it shows up in your calendar. Nothing to install on the desktop, almost nothing to learn. For many people that is exactly right.
Thendoo is for the day around those tasks. Today shows your Google Calendar meetings, time blocks, Top 3 today, habits and bills on one timeline, with a To schedule tray beside it. It is calm by design, with ADHD support built in, so it helps with starting and with planning, not only with remembering.
Where they genuinely differ
List or plan. Google Tasks keeps a list with dates. Thendoo asks when you will do each task and gives it a slot between meetings. Plan my day helps you pick three and place them.
Missed tasks. In Thendoo, yesterday’s leftovers come back as Carried over. They never pile up as a red list.
Beyond tasks. Thendoo adds habits, timed routines, a focus timer and money. Google Tasks stays a simple list, which is part of its charm.
Devices and email. Google Tasks is ahead: it has a phone app and turns emails into tasks. Thendoo is a web app and has no Gmail connection yet.
A gentle way to try it
Leave Google Tasks as it is for a week. Each morning, open Thendoo, connect Google Calendar if you haven’t, and pick three tasks for Top 3 today. Give each one a time between your meetings. At the end of the day, Close the day moves what’s left to tomorrow. If that rhythm helps, move the rest of your lists over slowly. If it doesn’t, nothing in Google Tasks has changed.
When each is the better choice
Keep Google Tasks if a short list next to your mail is all you need. Move to Thendoo if your days need a real plan, especially if you juggle several roles. The move is small: import your lists from a Takeout file, or copy only the tasks you will touch this week.
Moving from Google Tasks to Thendoo
- 1Go to Google Takeout, select only Tasks and create the export. Google sends you a .zip.
- 2In Thendoo, open Settings → Import, choose Google Tasks and upload the .zip (or the Tasks.json inside it). It brings task lists, tasks, one level of subtasks, notes, links and due days. You preview them and choose a Space first.
- 3Re-running adds no duplicates, and you can undo the whole import for 30 days.
- 4A two-way Google Tasks connection is also planned for later, for people who want to keep using Google Tasks.
- 5Today, connect Google Calendar in Connections, then re-type the tasks you need this week with Capture. Tasks you keep in Google Tasks that have a date still show in Google Calendar itself.
Questions
Can Thendoo read my Google Tasks today?
Not live. The Google Calendar connection reads calendars and events only. You can import your lists once from a Google Takeout file, and a two-way Google Tasks connection is planned for later.
Is Thendoo harder to learn than Google Tasks?
A little, because it does more. Modules stay hidden until you turn them on, so you can start with just Today and tasks.
Can I use both?
Yes. Many people keep quick personal reminders in Google Tasks and use Thendoo to plan the working day. They do not sync with each other yet.