Clear vs Smart Tasks
We give Clear and Smart Tasks the same GPA: 3.2 out of 4.0. Clear grades higher on platforms. Smart Tasks grades higher on value for money. They get the same grade on the free plan, features and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Clear
Gesture-driven list app with no buttons, free on iPhone and Android
Smart Tasks
Color-coded to-do list and weekly planner for Apple devices
How we grade them
| 3.2GPAClearVery good | 3.2GPASmart TasksVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | BClear Pro is listed at $3.99 on the App Store, but the listing doesn't show a billing period and Clear's own site doesn't give the terms. If that's a month, it's the going rate. It buys reminders, repeating tasks, widgets, the Apple Watch app, cloud sync and 389 more themes. | ASmart Tasks+ is $17.99 a year on the US App Store, well under the $3.99 a month a typical to-do app charges. Monthly is $2.99, and twelve of those cost about double the annual plan. One subscription covers every device on one Apple ID. |
| Free plan and trial | BFree with no ads: all 10 gestures, 9 themes, every icon and font, 20 sound packs, shared lists and iCloud backup. But no reminders, no repeating tasks, no widgets and no sync between devices. Fine for a shopping list, tight for running your week. | BFree with no account: tasks, colour-coded categories, Next 7 Days, widgets, calendar events, Siri and Shortcuts. But reminders, repeating routines, notes, iCloud sync and unlimited categories all need Smart Tasks+. A to-do list that can't remind you is a tight one. |
| Features | BGestures do everything, lists are coloured as a heat map, and a shared list opens from a link on iPhone, Android or a browser with nothing to install. Pro adds reminders you can snooze, repeats and archiving. But cloud sync and Clear Web are still labelled beta. | BCategories in 42 colours, a week view with Apple Calendar events above each day's tasks, a Whenever list for things with no date, widgets and an Apple Watch app. Reminders and routines come with the subscription. Solid for one person. But tasks can't be synced between different Apple IDs. |
| Ease of use | A4.6 from about 5,100 App Store ratings. There are no buttons to hunt for: swipe right to complete, swipe left to delete, pull down to add, shake to undo. | A4.7 from about 4,500 App Store ratings. No account and no sign-up, and a task can be checked off from a Home Screen widget without opening the app. |
| Platforms and integrations | BiPhone and Android apps, an Apple Watch app with Pro, and shared lists that open in a web browser. But Clear Web is a Pro feature still in beta, iCloud is the only integration on record, and some shared-list controls are marked iPhone first. | CiPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Watch, with Apple Calendar, Reminders, iCloud, Siri and Shortcuts. All Apple. The FAQ says it's unavailable on Windows and Android, and there's no web version. |
| Best for | bare-bones lists you swipe through | a colour-coded week of tasks on Apple devices |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Clear and Smart Tasks. How we grade
Where they differ
- Clear starts at $3.99 for Clear Pro (billing period not shown on the App Store listing). Smart Tasks starts at $2.99 per month, or $17.99 per year (US App Store).
- Only Clear lists a web app.
- Only Clear lists an Android app.
- Only Smart Tasks lists a macOS app.
- Clear also covers templates.
- Smart Tasks also covers calendar.
At a glance
| Clear | Smart Tasks | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $3.99 for Clear Pro (billing period not shown on the App Store listing) | $2.99 per month, or $17.99 per year (US App Store) |
| Free plan | Free with no ads: all 10 signature gestures, 9 themes, every icon and font, all 20 sound packs, loot drops, shared lists with real-time collaboration, Spotlight search and iCloud backup. | Free with no account: tasks, color-coded categories, the Next 7 Days view, widgets, calendar events, Siri and Shortcuts. Reminders, routines, notes, iCloud sync and unlimited categories need Smart Tasks+. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Impending, Inc. | Francesco Prospato |
| Price read from | apps.apple.com | apps.apple.com |
| Checked | Oct 5, 2026 | Oct 9, 2026 |
Who each one suits
Clear
- People who want a list app with as little interface as possible
- Shared grocery or packing lists with people who do not have the app
- Users motivated by sounds, themes and unlockable rewards
Smart Tasks
- Apple users who plan a week at a time and want it color-coded
- Students who give each class its own color
- People who want a to-do list with no account or sign-up
- Seeing calendar events and tasks on one screen
Worth knowing
Clear
- Reminders, repeating tasks, archiving, widgets and the Apple Watch app all require Clear Pro.
- Cloud sync between devices and Clear Web are Pro features that are still labeled beta.
- Clear Pro's billing terms are not on the vendor's site; the App Store lists it at $3.99 and Google Play shows in-app purchases from $3.99 to $29.99.
- Some shared-list controls, such as member limits and removing people, are marked as iPhone first.
Smart Tasks
- Apple only: the FAQ says Smart Tasks is unavailable on Windows and Android, and there is no web version.
- Reminders, routines, notes, iCloud sync and unlimited categories all require the Smart Tasks+ subscription.
- Smart Tasks+ does not support Family Sharing, and tasks cannot be synced between different Apple IDs.
- The vendor's site gives no prices and points to the in-app subscription screen; the figures here are from the US App Store listing.
Key features
Clear
- Gesture controls
- Every action is a gesture: swipe right to complete, swipe left to delete, pull down to create, pinch apart to insert between two rows, and shake to undo.
- Heat-map lists
- Each list is colored as a heat map that highlights the most important tasks. A long press picks up an item so it can be dragged to a new position.
- Shared lists
- A list is shared with a link that opens in the iPhone app, the Android app or a browser with nothing to install. Edits reach every device at once, and sharing does not need Pro.
- Themes, sounds and collectibles
- There are 398 themes, about 150 app icons, more than 80 fonts and 20 sound packs. Completing tasks drops collectibles at random; 9 themes are free and the rest come with Pro.
- Reminders and repeating tasks
- Clear Pro adds reminders and deadlines with Complete, Reschedule and Snooze actions, along with repeating tasks and list archiving.
- Widgets, Apple Watch and sync
- Pro members get interactive Home and Lock Screen widgets, the Apple Watch app, and Clear Cloud sync with Clear Web, which the vendor labels beta.
Smart Tasks
- Color-coded categories
- Each category takes one of 42 built-in colors or a custom one picked from the spectrum or a photo. Unlimited categories are part of Smart Tasks+.
- Next 7 Days view
- The opening screen lists today's tasks first with the rest of the week beneath, and an undated task can sit in a Whenever list until it gets a day.
- Apple Calendar events beside tasks
- Events from Apple Calendar appear above each day's tasks, including Google Calendar and Outlook calendars connected to it, and can be added, edited or deleted in the app.
- Widgets and Apple Watch
- Three widget types show today's list or a single category on the Home Screen, where a task can be checked off without opening the app. Lock Screen widgets and an Apple Watch app are included.
- Reminders and routines
- With Smart Tasks+, a task can carry one or several reminders, and routines repeat daily, weekly, monthly or a set number of days after the last completion.
- iCloud sync with no account
- Tasks are stored on the device. Smart Tasks+ syncs them through the user's own iCloud across iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Watch, with no sign-up.
Plans
Clear
Free$0
All 10 signature gestures, 9 themes, every icon and font, 20 sound packs, shared lists with real-time collaboration and iCloud backup.
Clear Pro$3.99
billing period not shown on the App Store listing
389 more themes with per-list theming, reminders, repeating tasks, archiving, widgets, the Apple Watch app, and Clear Cloud sync with Clear Web in beta.
Smart Tasks
Free$0
Tasks, color-coded categories, Next 7 Days, widgets, Apple Calendar events, Siri and Shortcuts, with no account.
Smart Tasks + (Monthly)$2.99
per month, US App Store in-app purchase
Unlimited categories, task reminders, recurring routines, notes, iCloud sync and custom swipe actions on every device signed in to one Apple ID.
Smart Tasks + (Annual)$17.99
per year, US App Store in-app purchase
The same Smart Tasks+ features as the monthly subscription, paid once a year.
Smart Tasks +$1.99 to $11.99
billing basis not shown on the App Store listing
Three further items named only Smart Tasks + are listed at $1.99, $9.99 and $11.99, with no billing period given.
Ways to pay less
Clear
No public discounts listed.
Smart Tasks
- Annual discount
About half the monthly cost on the annual plan
The US App Store lists Smart Tasks + at $2.99 monthly and $17.99 annually. Twelve monthly payments come to $35.88, so the annual subscription costs about 50% less.
