Amazing Marvin vs Todoist

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

Todoist

• People who want one task list on every device they own
• Fast capture: typing a task with its date in a single line
• Households and small teams sharing a few projects

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.

Todoist

• The free plan stops at 5 personal projects and keeps only 1 week of activity history.
• Calendar layout, task durations and custom reminders all need Pro or Business.
• Personal projects are capped at 5 people, even on paid plans.

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.

Todoist

Quick Add

Capture tasks in natural language as they come to you, including recurring due dates and reminders.

List, board and calendar layouts

Switch any project between a list, a kanban board and a calendar. The calendar layout needs a paid plan.

Filters, labels and priorities

Saved filter views pull tasks from across projects: 3 on the free plan, 150 on Pro and Business.

Shared projects

Share a project to assign tasks and comment on them. Personal projects allow up to 5 people on every plan.

Team workspace

Business adds public and private team projects, folders, roles and permissions, and shared templates.

Ramble and Task Assist

Ramble turns spoken thoughts into tasks; free accounts get limited sessions. Task Assist is included from Pro.

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.

Todoist

• Beginner$0

  5 personal projects, task reminders, list and board layouts, and 3 filter views.

• Pro$5

  per user / month, billed yearly ($60)

  300 projects, calendar layout, task durations, custom reminders, 150 filter views and Task Assist.

• Business$8

  per user / month, billed yearly ($96)

  Everything in Pro, plus a shared team workspace with up to 500 team projects, roles and central billing.

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.

Todoist

• Annual discount

  Save 20% with yearly billing

  Todoist's pricing page lists a 20% saving on Pro and Business when billed yearly instead of monthly.