OmniFocus vs Yata
We give OmniFocus a 2.8 GPA and Yata a 3.0, out of 4.0. OmniFocus grades higher on platforms. Yata grades higher on the free plan and ease of use. They get the same grade on value for money and features.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
OmniFocus
Project-based task manager for Apple devices, with a web companion
Yata
GTD task manager and calendar planner for Apple devices
How we grade them
| 2.8GPAOmniFocusGood | 3.0GPAYataVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | BA v4 Standard licence is $74.99 once, which is under two years of a typical to-do subscription. Fair if you keep it. But custom perspectives and automation need Pro at $149.99, and the subscription is $99.99 a year. | 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 | CNo free plan. You get a 14-day trial with no automatic charge when you start it from an Omni Account. After that the app turns into a viewer: you can look at your tasks but that's about it. | 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 | AProjects, folders, tags, flags, due dates and defer dates, with repeats. Forecast puts tasks next to your calendar and Review steps through projects on a schedule. Pro adds saved custom views, Focus mode and scripting. | 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 | C4.0 from about 340 App Store ratings, which is low for this category. There's a lot here: perspectives, defer dates, review cycles. It pays you back, but not on day one. | 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 | BMac, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Vision Pro, plus a web version. The web one needs an Apple setup first and costs $4.99 a month on top of a licence. No Windows or Android apps, and Apple Calendar is the one listed 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 | running lots of projects on Apple devices | 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: OmniFocus and Yata. How we grade
Where they differ
- OmniFocus starts at $74.99 one-time for a v4 Standard license, or $99.99 per year by subscription. Yata starts at $2.00 per month.
- Yata has a free plan. OmniFocus does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only OmniFocus lists a web app.
- OmniFocus is end-to-end encrypted, according to its own site.
- Yata also covers natural-language input and time blocking.
At a glance
| OmniFocus | Yata | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free plan |
| Starts at | $74.99 one-time for a v4 Standard license, or $99.99 per year by subscription | $2.00 per month |
| Free plan | None | 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 | 14-day free trial with no automatic charge when started from an Omni Account; afterwards the app is a free viewer. | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| iOS | ||
| Made by | The Omni Group | beetee17 Pte. Ltd. |
| Price read from | omnigroup.com | apps.apple.com |
| Checked | Oct 4, 2026 | Oct 9, 2026 |
Who each one suits
OmniFocus
- People managing many projects on Apple devices
- Workflows built around defer dates, tags and regular project reviews
- Buyers who want to choose between a one-time license and a subscription
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
OmniFocus
- Native apps are for Apple devices only. Web access comes with the subscription or costs $4.99 a month on top of a license.
- Custom perspectives, Focus mode and automation are Pro features and are not in the $74.99 Standard license.
- There is no free plan; after the 14-day trial the app falls back to a viewer mode.
- Education discounts do not apply to subscriptions or to purchases made through the App Store.
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
OmniFocus
- Projects, folders and tags
- Actions are grouped into projects and folders and labeled with tags, flags, due dates and defer dates. Repeat schedules handle recurring work.
- Forecast
- Shows upcoming actions together with calendar events. Calendar integration is available in the native apps but not in the web version.
- Review
- A review mode steps through projects at a regular interval, such as once a week, so that projects and goals stay current.
- Custom perspectives and Focus (Pro)
- Pro adds custom perspectives, which are saved views built from filtering and grouping rules in a perspective editor, along with Focus mode.
- Automation (Pro)
- Pro runs Omni Automation plug-ins and, on Mac, AppleScripts.
- Encrypted sync
- Syncing through the free Omni Sync Server or a server of your own is described by the vendor as end-to-end encrypted. The web version requires Omni Sync Server.
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
OmniFocus
OmniFocus for the Web Subscription$4.99
per month, or $49.99 per year
Browser access as an add-on. Requires an existing OmniFocus setup on Mac, iPad, iPhone or Apple Vision Pro.
v4 Standard License$74.99
one-time purchase
Version 4 with all 4.x updates on Mac, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Apple Vision Pro, with the standard feature set.
OmniFocus Subscription$99.99
per year
The latest Pro version on Mac, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Apple Vision Pro plus web access, with no charge for major version upgrades.
v4 Pro License$149.99
one-time purchase
Version 4 with all 4.x updates, plus the Pro features: custom perspectives, Focus mode and automation.
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
OmniFocus
- Lifetime license
One-time v4 license instead of a subscription
A v4 Standard ($74.99) or Pro ($149.99) license is bought once and kept, with all 4.x updates included, as an alternative to the $99.99 yearly subscription.
- Education
Education pricing on licenses
Staff, faculty and students of accredited educational organizations can buy discounted licenses from Omni's Educational Store. Subscriptions and App Store purchases are excluded.
- Other savings
Quantity discount on perpetual licenses
Each license beyond the first in the same transaction takes a further 5% off the whole order, up to 30%. The discount is not available on subscriptions.
- Other savings
Family sharing through an Omni Account
A personal license or subscription can unlock the apps for immediate family members living in the same household. OmniFocus for the Web access cannot be shared.
- Other savings
Upgrade pricing for owners of versions 1 to 3
The purchase page says upgrade discounts are available. The App Store listing shows upgrades from v1-v3 at $37.49 for v4 Standard and $74.99 for v4 Pro, half the full license prices.
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.
