Diurnal and Todoist
Todoist is a task manager that runs on everything: Mac, Windows, Linux, the web, iPhone and Android. Diurnal is a Mac page you write on, where every paragraph becomes a task and quiet tasks tidy themselves away.
Both show your Google Calendar. Todoist draws events read-only; Diurnal books and changes them from the overlay.
Side by side
| Diurnal | Todoist | |
|---|---|---|
| Write freely, and every paragraph becomes a task | ||
| Tidies away tasks you stopped touching | ||
| Edits and deletes your Google Calendar events | ||
| Built-in Pomodoro timer | ||
| Free, with every feature included | ||
| Shares tasks with other people | ||
| Runs on Windows, iPhone and Android |
Write it, then leave it
Press ⇧⌘A and write. Every paragraph is a task, dates and tags are read as you type, and ⇧⌘L does it by voice. There is no form to fill in and no confirm step.
Todoist keeps a missed task in its Overdue section until you reschedule it. Diurnal asks about a task you stopped touching, then moves it to next week if you do not answer.
What Todoist does that we do not
It is on every device you own, and Diurnal is on one Mac. It also works with other people: shared projects, assignees and comments. If your week ever leaves that Mac, that settles it.
It also has more ways to slice a long list: filters, priorities, labels and sub-tasks. If you manage hundreds of tasks, that matters.
Which one fits your week
Pick Todoist if you use more than one operating system, capture on your phone, share work with anyone, or run your week out of projects and filters.
Pick Diurnal if your day happens on a Mac, your meetings live in Google Calendar, and you would rather write than maintain a list.
Questions
- Is Diurnal free?
- Yes, right now, with every feature included. Todoist's free plan stops at five projects and three filters; Pro is $7 a month.
- Does Diurnal have a Pomodoro timer?
- Yes: 25 minutes of work, a 5 minute break, and a longer one every fourth round, counting down in the menu bar.
- Which platforms does Diurnal run on?
- Macs, today, on macOS 15 or later. If you need the same app on a phone or on Windows, Todoist covers that ground well.
Other comparisons
Facts about Todoist were checked in . Software changes; if something here has gone out of date, it is a mistake rather than a position.