Cfait vs Taskwarrior

Cfait

• Keyboard-driven users who work in a terminal
• People who sync tasks through their own CalDAV server
• Linux and Android users who want an open-source task manager

Taskwarrior

• People who work in a terminal and want to manage tasks by typing
• Keeping task data in a local database, with sync as an option
• Scripting a personal workflow with hooks and custom fields

Cfait

• There is no iOS app or web version: the README lists Linux, FreeBSD, Windows, macOS and Android.
• The macOS binaries are built and hosted by a contributor on a separate site, not on the project's releases page.
• Syncing between devices needs a CalDAV server that the user hosts or signs up for; Cfait runs no sync service of its own.
• Help is built into the apps; the README points to in-app guides, a commented config file and SPECS.md in place of a manual.

Taskwarrior

• The project ships only a command-line program. Graphical, web and mobile front ends are separate community tools.
• On Windows it runs through the Windows Subsystem for Linux or MSYS2; Cygwin is no longer supported.
• No hosted sync service is included: you run a TaskChampion sync server or configure a cloud storage bucket yourself.
• Since version 3.0 the docs warn that file-sync tools such as Syncthing or rsync can corrupt task data and are unsupported.

Cfait

One-line task syntax

Typing a line such as "Buy green tea @tomorrow !1" sets the due date and priority. Other markers set start dates, estimated durations, recurrence and locations.

Terminal, desktop and Android apps

A terminal interface, a graphical desktop app and a native Android app with home-screen widgets share one Rust core and the same task data.

Offline-first with CalDAV sync

The default Local collection needs no server. To sync devices, Cfait connects to standard CalDAV servers; the README names Nextcloud, Radicale and Baikal.

Sub-tasks, dependencies and tags

Tasks form parent and child trees, one task can block another, and hierarchical tags such as #work:backend can be combined into reusable aliases.

Time tracking and goals

A task can be started and paused to record time spent, given an estimated duration, or tied to a recurring habit goal such as five times a year.

Daily notes and wiki pages

A date-anchored journal and wiki pages linked with double square brackets sit beside the tasks and sync as CalDAV VJOURNAL entries.

Taskwarrior

Task commands in the terminal

Tasks are added, modified and completed with short task commands, and carry attributes such as project, tags, priority and due date out of more than 20 standard ones.

Filters, reports and contexts

Reports list tasks through filters you combine on the command line. A context is a named filter that stays active, for example to show only work tasks.

Urgency score

Each task gets a numeric urgency score summed from a dozen or more factors such as priority, and the next report sorts tasks by it.

Sync between replicas

The task sync command exchanges changes with a TaskChampion sync server, an AWS or Google Cloud storage bucket, a local file or a git repository.

Hooks and user defined attributes

Hook scripts in any language run at set events in the program, and user defined attributes add your own fields that can be stored, sorted and shown in reports.

JSON import and export

Task data moves in and out through a documented JSON format, which the community tools listed on the project's Tools page build on.

Cfait

• Free$0

  The terminal, desktop and Android apps with every feature. Syncing uses a CalDAV server the user supplies.

Taskwarrior

• Free$0

  The full command-line program under the MIT license. Sync needs your own server or a cloud storage bucket, which the docs say carries a small cost.