Chaos Control vs Nirvana

Chaos Control

• People who organize work with GTD-style projects and contexts
• Buyers who prefer a one-time lifetime license to a subscription
• Keeping files and voice notes next to the tasks they belong to
• Small teams that want a flat price per workspace

Nirvana

• People who follow Getting Things Done and want its lists ready-made
• Solo users who want one task system on web, desktop and phone
• Connecting an AI client such as Claude or Cursor to a to-do list

Chaos Control

• The Time Tracker, cloud storage beyond 100 MB and the AI assistant are limited to the PRO plans, with weekly caps on AI requests.
• The site does not publish the free version's task and project limits.
• Some in-app prices on the US App Store are higher than on the website: PRO 10 GB yearly is $49.99 there against $39.
• Team workspaces are licensed separately, and file storage and AI for team workspaces are marked as coming soon.

Nirvana

• Basic accounts are capped at 5 projects, 3 reference lists and 2 areas, and recurring to-dos need Pro.
• Pro has no free trial, and the vendor gives no refunds and does not prorate a cancelled billing period.
• The AI assistant is a beta for Pro early-access members on the web and desktop apps, and it has no calendar integration.
• No Linux app is listed. The apps page names Mac, Windows, iPhone, iPad, Android and the web browser.

Chaos Control

Chaos Box

An inbox for tasks, ideas and information that arrive unplanned: drop an item in to record it quickly, then process the accumulated entries when there is time.

Projects, checklists and contexts

Large goals become projects that break down into tasks with checklists. Projects are grouped into categories, and context tags group tasks by place, priority or other criteria.

Time Tracker

A timer started on a task collects time statistics for that task and by day, week and month. It is part of the PRO plans.

Files and cloud storage

Photos, voice notes, documents and other files can be attached to tasks or kept in a Files section that syncs across devices: 100 MB free, 10 GB to 1000 GB on PRO.

Chaos Control AI

A built-in assistant answers questions, drafts documents, prepares summary tables and writes action plans. PRO tiers include 10, 100 or 1000 AI requests per week.

Team workspaces

Separately licensed workspaces let members assign tasks to each other, with admin and member roles, a Kanban board and a built-in messenger.

Nirvana

Built-in GTD lists

To-dos move between Inbox, Next, Waiting, Scheduled and Someday lists, and a Focus list collects the ones you star for attention now.

Projects, areas and reference lists

Projects group related to-dos, areas of focus separate parts of your life, and reference lists hold material that is not actionable. Basic accounts cap all three.

Tags, contexts and filters

Filter to-dos by tags, areas, contacts, energy and time required to see what is practical for where you are and how much time you have.

Capture and Focus by email

Forwarding an email to your Nirvana address turns it into a to-do, and the Focus list can be emailed to you on chosen days of the week.

Scheduled and recurring to-dos

Scheduled to-dos stay out of the actionable lists until their start date, and due dates can be set on to-dos and projects. Recurring to-dos need Pro.

AI assistant and MCP server

A built-in assistant, in beta for Pro early-access members, runs guided reviews. An MCP server lets clients such as Claude and ChatGPT read and create tasks; updating them needs Pro.

Chaos Control

• Free$0

  The apps without a license, including up to 100 MB of file storage. Task and project limits are not published on the site.

• Premium$29

  per year ($6.99 monthly, or $49.99 one-time for Forever)

  Unlimited tasks and projects, without the Time Tracker, file storage or AI assistant.

• PRO 10 GB$39

  per year ($9.99 monthly, or $99 one-time for Forever)

  Unlimited tasks and projects, the Time Tracker, 10 GB of cloud storage, 10 AI requests and 10 minutes of audio transcription per week.

• PRO 100 GB$79

  per year ($14.99 monthly, or $199 one-time for Forever)

  The PRO features with 100 GB of cloud storage, 100 AI requests and 100 minutes of audio transcription per week.

• PRO 1000 GB$99

  per year ($19.99 monthly, or $299 one-time for Forever)

  The PRO features with 1000 GB of cloud storage, 1000 AI requests and 1000 minutes of audio transcription per week.

• Workspace: Small$79

  per workspace / year ($9.99 monthly, or $450 lifetime)

  A team workspace for up to 5 members, not charged per user. Larger workspaces for 10, 30 and 100 members cost more.

Nirvana

• Free$0

  The GTD lists, tags and contexts, notes and checklists, sync and email capture, with up to 5 projects, 3 reference lists and 2 areas.

• Pro$3

  per month, billed annually ($36); $5 billed monthly

  Everything in Free, plus unlimited projects, areas and reference lists, recurring to-dos and priority support.

Chaos Control

• Lifetime license

  Forever licenses for Premium and PRO

  One-time Forever licenses are sold next to the subscriptions: $49.99 for Premium, and $99, $199 or $299 for PRO with 10, 100 or 1000 GB of storage.

• Annual discount

  Yearly plans cost far less than monthly

  A year of Premium is $29 against $83.88 for twelve monthly payments of $6.99, about 65% less. PRO 10 GB is $39 a year against $119.88 paid monthly.

• Other savings

  50% off PRO for Premium license holders

  Existing Premium users are offered an upgrade to PRO at a 50% discount, applied in the app when logged in or through a code requested from support.

• Other savings

  Workspace discount for lifetime PRO users

  Personal lifetime PRO users get 20% to 40% off a team workspace license on request, and PRO users are not counted toward workspace billing.

Nirvana

• Annual discount

  40% off Pro with yearly billing

  Pro costs $5 a month billed monthly or $36 a year, which works out to $3 a month. The pricing page labels the yearly option as 40% off.