KomoDo vs topydo

KomoDo

• Linux and KDE Plasma users who keep tasks in todo.txt
• People who want their list in a plain-text file they control
• Newcomers to todo.txt who want the format explained in the app

topydo

• People who keep tasks in a todo.txt file and work in a terminal
• todo.txt users who want dependencies and recurring items
• Keyboard users who want several filtered lists side by side

KomoDo

• Linux only: the KDE page offers installation through Linux app stores, distribution packages and Flathub, which marks it as desktop only.
• The feature list covers opening, editing, filtering and searching todo.txt files; it mentions no sync, reminders or mobile app.
• The project is young: version 1.0.0 was released on 2025-08-01.

topydo

• Console only: there is no graphical, web or mobile app. The docs say there is no native Android build and describe running it under Termux.
• Column mode does not work natively on Windows; the docs point Windows users to Cygwin for it.
• Dependencies, recurrence and start dates rely on tags that, the README says, other todo.txt tools may not interpret properly.
• The documentation describes no sync feature, and releases are infrequent: PyPI shows 0.14 in December 2020, 0.15 in April 2025 and 0.16 in February 2026.

KomoDo

Works on todo.txt files

KomoDo opens any file that follows the todo.txt specification and can create new ones, so a list stays in a plain-text format that other todo.txt tools read.

Tasks shown as cards

A line with a priority, a date, a +project, an @context and tags such as due: is parsed and shown as a card, not as raw text.

Add, edit and delete tasks

Tasks are added, changed and removed from within the app, which works directly on the todo.txt file.

Filter and search

The task list can be filtered and searched. Version 1.5.0 sped up search and fixed loading of a saved filter.

Built-in todo.txt help

A help section inside the app explains the todo.txt specification, which the project says makes it suitable for newcomers to the format.

Inline links and launch arguments

Version 1.6.0 added Markdown-style inline links in tasks, and version 1.5.0 added arguments for starting the app from the command line.

topydo

Command line, prompt and column modes

Runs as one-off shell commands, as a prompt with Tab auto-completion, or as a text interface of side-by-side columns with vim-like keys, where each column has its own filter and sort order.

Due dates, start dates and relative dates

Due and start dates are stored as tags on the todo.txt line. When adding items you can type relative dates such as tomorrow, 1w or fri, which are written to the file as absolute dates.

Dependencies between items

The dep subcommand links a parent item to child items that should be done first. A parent with open children is hidden from the default list, and a Graphviz Dot export can draw the dependency tree.

Recurring items

A rec tag such as rec:1w creates a new instance of an item when it is completed, counted from the completion date or, in strict mode, from the original due date.

Filtering, sorting and output formats

Filter expressions select items by text and by tag comparisons such as due:<today, and sort and group expressions order the result. The ls command can also output iCalendar, JSON and Graphviz Dot.

Backups and revert

After each change topydo stores a backup of the todo and archive files, 5 by default, and the revert subcommand undoes the last command or a numbered earlier one.

KomoDo

• Free$0

  The whole application, installed from Flathub, a Linux app store such as Discover or a distribution's package manager.

topydo

• Free$0

  The full program with its command-line, prompt and column interfaces. Prompt mode, column mode and iCalendar output each need an extra pip dependency.