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todoglow vs the alternatives
todoglow is not for everyone. If you need sub-tasks, due dates, or team collaboration — use Things 3 or Todoist. But if you want something fast, minimal, and keyboard-first, read on.
| Feature | todoglow | Things 3 | Todoist | Reminders |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Keyboard-first | partial | |||
| Global shortcut | Siri | |||
| Focus mode | ||||
| MCP (AI agents) | ||||
| Terminal aesthetics | 12 themes | |||
| Active time tracking | ||||
| Dashboard stats | paid | |||
| One-time payment | $14.99 | $49.99 | subscription | free |
| Sub-tasks | ||||
| Due dates | ||||
| Cloud sync | coming soon | |||
| Mobile app | coming soon |
todoglow vs Things 3
Things 3 is a beautifully crafted app — and it does a lot. Projects, areas, tags, repeating tasks, calendar integration. It's the gold standard for full-featured todo apps on Apple platforms.
todoglow takes the opposite approach. No projects. No tags. No recurring tasks. Just a flat list of things you'll finish today. It lives in your menu bar, opens with a global shortcut, and gets out of your way.
Choose Things 3 if you manage complex projects across days and weeks.
Choose todoglow if you want to capture and crush tasks in one sitting.
todoglow vs Todoist
Todoist is a cross-platform powerhouse. It syncs everywhere, has natural language input, labels, filters, karma points, and team collaboration.
But it requires a subscription for full features and is built around team workflows. todoglow is simpler by design — one-time payment, no account needed, and everything runs locally on your Mac.
Choose Todoist if you need cross-platform sync and team features.
Choose todoglow if you want simplicity and zero friction.
todoglow vs Apple Reminders
Apple Reminders is free, syncs via iCloud, and integrates deeply with Siri and iOS. It's gotten much better over the years.
But it's not keyboard-first and can't talk to AI coding tools. todoglow was built for developers who live in the terminal — global shortcut, focus mode, MCP integration, and 18 themes with terminal aesthetics.
Fun fact: todoglow's Command Mode can send reminders to Apple Reminders via natural language. They work together.
If you think sub-tasks, tagging, categories, and due dates are friction — not features — then skip Things 3 and Todoist. todoglow was made for you.
What todoglow doesn't do
We left these out on purpose:
- Sub-tasks — a todo should be small enough to not need them
- Due dates — if it's not for today, it's not a todo, it's a plan
- Tags / labels — flat list, zero overhead
Read more about our thinking: todo ≠ task
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