Amazing Marvin vs Super Productivity

Amazing Marvin

• People who want to shape a task manager around their own workflow
• People who struggle with procrastination or feel overwhelmed by long lists
• Planning a day with time estimates and time blocks
• Linux users who want a desktop app

Super Productivity

• Developers who plan their day from Jira, GitHub or GitLab issues
• Freelancers who need time sheets from the tasks they tracked
• People who want a free app that keeps data on their own device

Amazing Marvin

• There is no free plan; when the 14-day trial ends, tasks cannot be added or completed until you subscribe.
• Monthly billing is $12; the $8 price applies only when paying $96 for a year.
• There are no dedicated iPad apps; the vendor says tablets can use the web app.
• Time tracking needs an internet connection, and the Zapier integration can only create tasks in Marvin.

Super Productivity

• The web app is more limited than the desktop app: calendar integration and WebDAV sync are likely to fail in a browser because of CORS.
• SuperSync is labeled beta, and the project's wiki suggests Nextcloud, WebDAV or Dropbox for production use until it is stable.
• Fetching issues and sending work logs needs a network connection, and a failed issue update is not retried automatically.
• The project is maintained by volunteers and funded by donations; help comes from the community on GitHub and Reddit.

Amazing Marvin

Switchable features and workflows

More than 100 features can be turned on or off, and the vendor describes workflows for day planning, list-based work, spontaneous work and GTD.

Day planning and time blocking

Plan a day or week with time estimates, a calendar view and time blocks. A capacity estimator gives feedback on whether the plan is realistic.

Focus tools

Super Focus Mode shows a single task at a time, Spotlight runs focus sessions of 1 to 3 hours, and a built-in timer supports Pomodoro intervals.

Calendar sync

External calendars such as Google Calendar sync one-way into Marvin or two-way, and events can be imported as events, tasks or time blocks.

Habits and gamification

Track habits and streaks, and earn points, levels and rewards for completed work.

Offline use and API

Tasks are saved on the device first and synced when online, so the desktop and mobile apps keep working without a connection. An API is documented on GitHub.

Super Productivity

Tasks, projects and boards

Tasks take subtasks, notes, tags, projects and repeat rules, and can be viewed as lists, on a Kanban board, in an Eisenhower Matrix or on boards you build yourself.

Time tracking and time sheets

Starting a task tracks time against it. Tracked time can be turned into time sheets and work summaries for export to a company's time-tracking system.

Focus mode and break reminders

Focus mode offers Pomodoro, Flowtime and countdown sessions, and a break reminder tells you when it is time to step away.

Planner and schedule

The planner lays the day out on a schedule timeline next to calendar events, which come in through Google Calendar or any CalDAV calendar.

Issue tracker imports

Issues assigned to you can be imported from Jira, GitHub, GitLab, Gitea and other trackers, with time tracked per issue and work logs sent back.

Local data and optional sync

Data is stored on the device and no account is needed. Devices can sync through Dropbox, WebDAV or SuperSync, the project's end-to-end encrypted service that can be self-hosted.

Amazing Marvin

• Marvin Pro$8

  per month, billed annually ($96); $12 billed monthly

  Every feature, unlimited tasks and projects, custom workflows and views, analytics, all apps and personal email support.

Super Productivity

• Free$0

  All features on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS and the web, released as open source under the MIT license.

Amazing Marvin

• Annual discount

  Save 33% with annual billing

  The pricing page lists a 33% saving on the annual plan: $96 a year, equal to $8 a month, against $12 when billed monthly.

• Education

  50% off for students

  Students get 50% off the monthly or the yearly plan. The discount is claimed by emailing the vendor.

• Other savings

  Reduced price on request for financial hardship

  The vendor says it does not want finances to prevent anyone from using Marvin and invites people who cannot afford the regular price to email for a price that works.

Super Productivity

No public discounts listed.