NoteCircle vs todo mate
We give NoteCircle a 3.0 GPA and todo mate a 3.2, out of 4.0. todo mate grades higher on platforms. They get the same grade on value for money, 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.
NoteCircle
Weekly to-do planner with routines and checklists for iOS
todo mate
To-do list with routines, a focus timer, a diary and a friend feed
How we grade them
| 3.0GPANoteCircleVery good | 3.2GPAtodo mateVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | BPremium is $3.99 a month or $29.99 a year, about what paid to-do apps start at, and Lifetime is $59.99. But the vendor only says Premium unlocks advanced features, without listing them. So you can't tell what the money buys until you're in the app. | BPremium is $1.99 a month or $7.49 a year on the US App Store, far under what to-do apps usually charge. So why not an A? The store listings don't say what premium adds to the free app, and there's no pricing page. Eight more purchases are named only by a number, at $0.99 to $8.99. |
| Free plan and trial | BFree to download and use, which is a good start. But neither the vendor's site nor the App Store listing says which features need Premium, so we can't tell you where the free version stops. | BFree to download with lists, tasks, routines, the timer, the diary, reminders and the friend feed, with ads. That looks like plenty. But neither store listing says where the free version stops, so we can't promise you'd never hit a wall. |
| Features | BA week view you swipe through, routines set for chosen weekdays, a weekly goal on top, a monthly completion report, separate checklists and a Someday list. Events come in from Google and Apple calendars. Solid for planning one person's week. It's a planner, though, not a project tool. | BColour-coded lists that carry over to a calendar, routines on a weekly, monthly or custom cycle, a timer that saves the time spent to each task, and a daily diary. Friends can react to what you finish. Solid, and a bit different. It's built around daily lists and routines, though, not projects. |
| Ease of use | A4.6 from about 1,200 App Store ratings. Daily tasks and the weekly schedule are shown together, and you can add tasks by voice or by photographing a handwritten list. | A4.8 from about 1,500 App Store ratings. A lock screen widget lists your to-dos and marks one done with a tap, so you don't even need to open the app. |
| Platforms and integrations | CiPhone and iPad, plus a Mac if you run the iPhone and iPad app there, which the FAQ says needs macOS 11 or newer. There's no web version. The vendor's page says Android users get limited features for now and links only the iOS download. | BiPhone, Android, a Mac app and a web app, plus Apple Watch and Wear OS. That covers a lot. But no integrations are on record, and the listings mention PC use without naming a Windows download. |
| Best for | planning to-dos and routines a week at a time | daily to-dos and routines with friends cheering |
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: NoteCircle and todo mate. How we grade
Where they differ
- NoteCircle starts at $3.99 per month, or $29.99 per year. todo mate starts at $1.99 per month, or $7.49 per year (US App Store).
- Only todo mate lists a web app.
- Only todo mate lists an Android app.
- NoteCircle can be bought with a one-time purchase.
- NoteCircle also covers goals and reports.
- todo mate also covers daily notes and time tracking.
At a glance
| NoteCircle | todo mate | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $3.99 per month, or $29.99 per year | $1.99 per month, or $7.49 per year (US App Store) |
| Free plan | Free to download and use. The App Store listing says NoteCircle Premium unlocks advanced features but does not itemize which ones. | Free to download with lists, tasks, routines, the timer, the diary and reminders. Both store listings flag advertising in the app, and neither states a limit on the free version. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Genau Factory | todo mate |
| Price read from | apps.apple.com | apps.apple.com |
| Checked | Oct 9, 2026 | Oct 9, 2026 |
Who each one suits
NoteCircle
- People who plan their to-dos a week at a time
- Keeping weekly routines alongside one-off tasks
- iPhone and iPad users who want calendar events in their list
todo mate
- People who want tasks, routines and a diary in one app
- Friends who want to see and cheer each other's finished tasks
- Recording how long each task takes with a built-in timer
- Using one list across a phone, a watch, a Mac and a browser
Worth knowing
NoteCircle
- Neither the vendor's site nor the App Store listing says which features need Premium.
- There is no web version; on a Mac it runs as the iPhone and iPad app, which the FAQ says needs macOS 11 or newer.
- The vendor's page says Android users get limited features for now, and it links only the iOS download.
- The listing states that refunds are not available for the unused part of a billed subscription period.
todo mate
- The free app carries ads: Google Play marks it as containing ads and the App Store lists advertising among its contents.
- The vendor has no pricing page, and the store listings do not say what the premium plan adds. Prices here are from the US App Store.
- The listings mention PC use but name no Windows download; the vendor's site is the web app itself, and the Mac app is a separate listing.
- The App Store flags messaging, chat and user-generated content, which come with the social feed.
Key features
NoteCircle
- Weekly planning view
- The app is organized around the week: daily tasks and the weekly schedule are shown together, and swiping moves from one day to the next.
- Recurring routines
- A routine is set up once with the weekdays it applies to and then appears among that day's to-dos. A setting can hide routines from the to-do list.
- Weekly goal and monthly report
- A goal for the week is pinned above the to-do list, and a monthly report shows what was planned, the completion rate and progress on weekly goals.
- Events and calendar sync
- Birthdays, paydays and other dated events appear at the top of the list on the day, and events from Google and Apple calendars can be imported or added selectively.
- Checklists and Someday list
- Separate checklists cover topics such as shopping or travel and can be reordered and cleared of completed items at once. A Someday list holds tasks to move into the to-do list later.
- Paper to-do scanning and voice input
- A photo of a handwritten list is turned into editable tasks, and tasks can also be added by voice.
todo mate
- Color-coded lists on a calendar
- Tasks are added to lists, and tasks can be color-coded so that the colors carry over to the app's calendar.
- Routines
- Recurring activities are kept as routines rather than one-off tasks, repeating weekly, monthly or on a cycle the user defines.
- Task timer
- A timer runs while a task is being worked on and the time spent is saved to that task. The feed's analytics page shows the accumulated timer duration.
- Diary
- A short diary entry can be written for each day, marked with an emoji for how the day felt. Stickers can be added to entries.
- Friends, likes and crews
- Users follow each other and react to completed tasks and diary entries with stickers. The release notes also describe crews with their own chat rooms.
- Widgets and watch apps
- A lock screen widget lists to-dos and marks them complete with a tap. The iOS app includes an Apple Watch app and complications, and the Android app supports Wear OS.
Plans
NoteCircle
Free$0
The app is free to download and use; the vendor does not publish a list of what stays outside Premium.
Premium Monthly$3.99
per month
NoteCircle Premium, described by the vendor only as unlocking advanced features, billed monthly.
Premium Annual$29.99
per year
The same Premium upgrade billed once a year.
Premium Lifetime$59.99
one-time purchase
Premium bought once through a Lifetime in-app purchase in place of a subscription.
todo mate
Free$0
Lists, tasks, routines, the task timer, the diary, reminders and the friend feed, with ads shown in the app.
Monthly premium plan$1.99
per month, US App Store in-app purchase
The premium subscription billed monthly. The store listings name the plan but do not say what it adds to the free app.
Yearly premium plan$7.49
per year, US App Store in-app purchase
The same premium subscription billed once a year.
100 to 900 (numbered items)$0.99 to $8.99
per item on the US App Store; what each buys is not described
Eight purchases named only by a number from 100 to 900. Google Play's US listing shows the same range of $0.99 to $8.99 per item.
Ways to pay less
NoteCircle
- Annual discount
Annual plan costs about 37% less than monthly
The US App Store lists NoteCircle Premium at $3.99 monthly or $29.99 annually, so a year on the annual plan costs about 37% less than twelve monthly payments.
- Lifetime license
Lifetime Premium for a one-time $59.99
A Lifetime in-app purchase is listed at $59.99 as an alternative to the monthly or annual subscription.
todo mate
- Annual discount
Yearly premium costs about 69% less than monthly
The US App Store lists the premium plan at $1.99 monthly and $7.49 yearly. Twelve monthly payments come to $23.88, so the yearly plan works out about 69% cheaper.
