Nirvana vs Yata
We give Nirvana a 3.6 GPA and Yata a 3.0, out of 4.0. Nirvana grades higher on value for money and platforms. 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.
Nirvana
To-do list app built around the Getting Things Done method
Yata
GTD task manager and calendar planner for Apple devices
How we grade them
| 3.6GPANirvanaExcellent | 3.0GPAYataVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | APro is $36 a year, which is $3 a month and under what most paid to-do apps start at, for a full GTD app on five platforms. Monthly is $5. Do be sure first: there's no trial of Pro, no refunds, and nothing back if you cancel mid-period. | BMonthly is $2.00, Yearly $5.00 and Lifetime $10.00, all well under what to-do apps usually charge. So why not an A? Neither the App Store listing nor the website says what those purchases unlock, so we can't tell you what the money buys. |
| Free plan and trial | BThe Basic account never expires: unlimited to-dos, sync across devices and capture by email. But it's capped at 5 projects, 3 reference lists and 2 areas, and repeating to-dos need Pro. | BThe app is a free download on every Apple device it runs on. But the listing doesn't spell out where the free version stops, so we can't promise you'd stay on it for good. |
| Features | AAll the GTD lists, plus a Focus list for what you star. Filter by tags, energy and time required to see what's doable right now. Scheduled to-dos stay hidden until their start date, and an MCP server lets Claude or ChatGPT read and create tasks. | AThe whole Getting Things Done kit is here: an Inbox for captures, Next Actions, Waiting For, projects and contexts. On top you get a calendar with day, week and month views, time blocks, routines, widgets and Apple Shortcuts actions. |
| Ease of use | BWe have no App Store rating on record, so a B is as high as we go. The lists are set up for you, so there's no system to build first. You do need to know, or learn, how GTD works. | BNo rating is on record to go by, so a B. Quick Add reads normal language, and you move things around the calendar by dragging them. It's modeled on Getting Things Done, though, so there's a method to pick up as well as an app. |
| Platforms and integrations | AWeb, Mac, Windows, iPhone, iPad and Android, with sync on the free account too. An MCP server connects it to Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor and VS Code. No Linux app is listed, and the AI assistant has no calendar integration. | CiPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Vision and Apple Watch, synced through iCloud. All Apple, though. There's no Android, Windows or web version, and Planning Mode isn't available on the Mac. |
| Best for | ready-made GTD lists on every device | Getting Things Done 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: Nirvana and Yata. How we grade
Where they differ
- Nirvana starts at $3 per month, billed annually ($36/year). Yata starts at $2.00 per month.
- Only Nirvana lists a web app.
- Only Nirvana lists Windows and Android apps.
- Yata can be bought with a one-time purchase.
- Yata also covers natural-language input, time blocking and calendar.
At a glance
| Nirvana | Yata | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $3 per month, billed annually ($36/year) | $2.00 per month |
| Free plan | Basic account: unlimited to-dos, up to 5 projects, 3 reference lists and 2 areas, with sync across devices and email capture. It does not expire. | The app is a free download. Neither the App Store listing nor the website says which features the Monthly, Yearly and Lifetime in-app purchases unlock. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Nirvanahq, Inc. | beetee17 Pte. Ltd. |
| Price read from | nirvanahq.com | apps.apple.com |
| Checked | Oct 5, 2026 | Oct 9, 2026 |
Who each one suits
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
Yata
- People who follow Getting Things Done on Apple devices
- Seeing to-dos and calendar events in one schedule
- Buyers who would pay once for a lifetime unlock over a subscription
Worth knowing
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.
Yata
- Apple devices only: the App Store lists iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Vision and Apple Watch, and there is no Android, Windows or web version.
- Neither the website nor the App Store listing says which features need the Monthly, Yearly or Lifetime purchase.
- It requires iOS 17, iPadOS 17 or macOS 14 or later, and Planning Mode is not available on macOS.
- English is the only language on the App Store listing.
Key features
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.
Yata
- Captures and Inbox
- A capture holds a thought that is not yet actionable. The Inbox lists unprocessed captures until each is turned into an action, deferred with a reminder, filed in a list or trashed.
- Next Actions, Waiting For and Projects
- An action is scheduled for a date, marked as a Next Action or marked Waiting For. Projects group multi-step outcomes and can suggest next actions from checkboxes in their notes.
- Contexts
- Contexts work like tags for people, places or kinds of work. Actions and captures can carry several, and agendas filter items down to a chosen set of contexts.
- Calendar with to-dos and events
- To-dos and calendar events share List, Day, 3-Day, 5-Day, Week and Month views, and items are rescheduled by drag and drop. Planning Mode shows the calendar beside lists.
- Time Blocks and Routines
- A time block is an action attached to one or more parent actions that counts as done once the allotted time is spent. Routines are daily templates for recurring schedules.
- Quick Add, widgets and Shortcuts
- Quick Add recognizes natural language, interactive widgets run on the Home Screen, Lock Screen and StandBy, and Apple Shortcuts actions can add, edit and query items and attachments.
Plans
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.
Yata
Free$0
Free download for iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Vision and Apple Watch. The listing does not spell out where the free version stops.
Monthly$2.00
per month (in-app purchase named Monthly)
In-app purchase listed on the App Store as Monthly. The listing does not say what it unlocks.
Yearly$5.00
per year (in-app purchase named Yearly)
In-app purchase listed on the App Store as Yearly. The listing does not say what it unlocks.
Lifetime$10.00
one-time purchase
In-app purchase listed on the App Store as Lifetime, paid once in place of a subscription.
Ways to pay less
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.
Yata
- Annual discount
Yearly costs $5.00 against $24.00 paid monthly
The App Store lists Monthly at $2.00 and Yearly at $5.00, so a year on the Yearly purchase costs about 79% less than twelve Monthly payments.
- Lifetime license
Lifetime purchase for $10.00
The App Store listing shows a Lifetime in-app purchase at $10.00 next to the Monthly and Yearly options.
