DayCaptain vs Routine

DayCaptain

• Keyboard-oriented people who time-box their tasks each day
• Developers who want a REST API for their tasks and schedule
• Planning at a desk, then checking the plan from a phone browser

Routine

• People who want tasks, calendar and notes in a single app
• Capturing tasks quickly from the keyboard on desktop
• Trying a planner on a free plan before paying

DayCaptain

• There is no native mobile app; phones and tablets use the browser, and the vendor recommends planning on a computer with a keyboard.
• There is no free plan: after the 14-day trial a subscription of at least €10 / $12 per month is required.
• Google and Outlook calendars are imported one way, so time slots planned in DayCaptain are not sent back to them.

Routine

• The Free plan is capped at 3 integrations, 3 custom databases and 250 AI credits.
• Time blocking and time boxing are not part of the Free plan; they start with Personal.
• AI meeting notes, AI agents, automations and time tracking require Professional or higher.
• Routine's download page says the web app is 30% slower than the desktop apps and lacks some functionality.

DayCaptain

Keyboard usability concept

Every action can be triggered from the keyboard with mnemonic keys on the home row; pressing T, for example, focuses the task list.

Task list and calendar side by side

Each day has its own task list, ordered by importance, and tasks are assigned time slots on the calendar shown next to it.

Guided day and week planning

Step-by-step planning processes lead through setting up the day and reviewing the coming week, after which the plan acts as a guide through the day.

Backlogs

Tasks, to-dos and ideas that are not yet scheduled are kept in backlog lists, with filters to narrow what a view shows.

Google and Outlook calendar import

Events created in Google or Outlook calendars are imported automatically. Data flows into DayCaptain only, not back to the calendar.

REST API

A REST API lets developers build their own tools and extensions for managing tasks and time in DayCaptain.

Routine

Planner and calendar

Plan the day in a view that combines tasks with events from connected calendars such as Google Calendar and Microsoft Outlook. Time blocking starts on the Personal plan.

Dashboard hotkey

A desktop hotkey opens a dashboard for creating tasks quickly and adding context to them without switching apps.

Universal inbox

Imports tasks, messages and notifications from connected apps and services into one inbox.

Notes and custom databases

Notes, a journal and pages sit alongside tasks. Custom databases model your own object types: 3 on Free, 10 on Personal and unlimited from Professional.

AI meeting notes

Records meetings without a meeting bot and generates a summary with the transcript and original audio. Requires the Professional plan.

AI assistant, agents and MCP

An AI assistant and voice commands are in every plan. AI agents and automations need Professional, and MCP connects Routine to assistants such as ChatGPT and Claude.

DayCaptain

• Monthly subscriptionFrom $12 (€10)

  per month; you choose the amount above the minimum

  One subscription with every feature. The vendor suggests paying the equivalent of one hour at your hourly rate.

Routine

• Free$0

  Tasks, calendars and notes, AI assistant, voice commands, offline mode, 3 integrations, 3 custom databases and 250 AI credits.

• Personal$5

  per month, billed yearly

  Adds time blocking, time boxing, event coloring, exporting, unlimited file uploads, 10 integrations, 10 custom databases and 500 AI credits.

• Professional$10

  per month, billed yearly

  Adds AI meeting notes, AI agents and automations, time tracking, a menu bar widget, unlimited integrations and databases, and 7,000 AI credits.

• Business$15

  per seat / month, billed yearly

  Adds an organization with workspaces, access control, versioning, consolidated billing, priority support and 10,000 AI credits per seat.

• EnterpriseCustom

  Adds unlimited history, compliance, audit logs, analytics, user provisioning and a success manager.

DayCaptain

No public discounts listed.

Routine

• Annual discount

  Up to 38% off on yearly plans

  Routine's pricing page marks its yearly prices as 38% off for Personal and 17% off for Professional and Business.

• Startups

  Startup program: Business plan free for a year

  Startups with under $2 million in funding and fewer than 20 employees can apply for the Business plan free for one year, worth up to $2,500.