The Best TaskPaper Alternatives for Enhanced Productivity
TaskPaper is renowned for its straightforward, plain-text approach to task management, offering a clutter-free and keyboard-centric workflow that helps users get things done efficiently. Its simplicity is a huge draw for Mac users, yet its proprietary format and Mac-only availability often lead users to seek out a TaskPaper alternative. Many excellent options exist, ranging from web-based solutions with broad platform support to those with enhanced Markdown compatibility or open-source credentials.
Top TaskPaper Alternatives
If you're looking to expand beyond TaskPaper's unique ecosystem, you'll find a wealth of applications that offer similar plain-text principles with added flexibility, features, and platform accessibility. Here are some of the top contenders that can help you streamline your productivity.
Simplenote
Made by the company behind WordPress, Simplenote is a free and open-source solution that makes keeping notes and lists incredibly easy. Its strength lies in its seamless cloud sync across all your devices, including Mac, Windows, Linux, Web, Android, and iPhone, making it a fantastic TaskPaper alternative for cross-platform users. It supports Markdown and offers features like tag-based search, clean design, and note synchronization, providing a fast and efficient note-taking experience similar to TaskPaper's minimalism.
Todoist
Todoist is a powerful and popular task manager that's useful, fast, and easy to use, serving as an excellent freemium TaskPaper alternative. It supports a wide array of platforms including Mac, Windows, Web, Android, and iPhone, and offers features like recurring tasks, subtasks, task assignments, and integrations with services like Google Calendar and Slack. Its beautiful design and extensive platform support make it a versatile choice for managing tasks anywhere.
WorkFlowy
WorkFlowy allows you to organize your thoughts into easily manageable lists, functioning as a single-pane outliner with inline notes. It's a freemium web-based TaskPaper alternative with mobile apps for Android and iPhone, offering features like hierarchical structure, infinite hierarchical depth, and real-time collaboration. Its focus on outlining and task management makes it a strong contender for those who appreciate TaskPaper's structural simplicity but need more organizational power.
Wekan
Wekan, formerly LibreBoard, is an open-source and collaborative Kanban board application that provides a visual approach to task management. While different from TaskPaper's plain text, it's a free and open-source TaskPaper alternative for teams or individuals who prefer Kanban boards for organizing tasks. It's web-based and self-hostable, offering features like real-time collaboration and to-do lists within a visual interface.
Dynalist
Dynalist is a freemium web app that excels at breaking down and organizing thoughts in list format. As a TaskPaper alternative, it offers Markdown support, infinite hierarchical depth, and cross-platform availability (Mac, Windows, Linux, Web, Android, iPhone). Its robust outlining capabilities, night mode, and cloud sync make it a powerful tool for note-taking and list management, appealing to users who value structure and flexibility.
Remember The Milk
Remember The Milk is a feature-packed freemium task management application that allows you to take your tasks anywhere. It's a strong TaskPaper alternative for its comprehensive features, including recurring tasks, IFTTT integration, and excellent integration with services like Gmail and Google Calendar. Available on Mac, Windows, Linux, Web, Android, and iPhone, it offers a robust solution for managing todos with natural language processing and smart add features.
Google Tasks
Google Tasks is a free and straightforward task management tool that syncs across all your devices and integrates seamlessly with Gmail and Google Calendar. For those looking for a simple, no-frills TaskPaper alternative within the Google ecosystem, it's an ideal choice. It's available on Web, Android, iPhone, and Chrome OS, offering basic yet effective task management, recurring tasks, and subtasks.
Org mode
Org mode is a powerful, free, and open-source plain-text system for keeping notes, maintaining ToDo lists, and project planning within GNU Emacs. For power users who appreciate TaskPaper's plain-text and keyboard-centric nature, Org mode is an unparalleled TaskPaper alternative. It offers extensive features like hierarchical structure, outlining, customizable options, and export capabilities, making it a highly versatile and privacy-focused choice for Mac, Windows, and Linux users familiar with Emacs.
Notezilla
Notezilla is a commercial sticky notes application for Windows desktop, offering features like note organization, reminders, and syncing across devices (Web, Android, iPhone). While visually different from TaskPaper, it serves as a functional TaskPaper alternative for users who prefer visual notes and need features like password encryption, real-time collaboration, and recurring tasks. Its comprehensive set of features provides a robust note-taking and task management solution.
Things
Things is a highly polished and intuitive commercial task management application designed exclusively for Apple platforms (Mac, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch). For Mac users seeking a premium, beautifully designed TaskPaper alternative with advanced features like project dashboards, subtasks, and email-to-task conversion, Things stands out as a top-tier choice. It offers simplicity without sacrificing powerful organizational capabilities.
Ultimately, the best TaskPaper alternative for you will depend on your specific needs, preferred platform, and desired features. Whether you prioritize Markdown support, cross-platform compatibility, open-source freedom, or advanced task management capabilities, the options above provide a diverse range of choices to help you enhance your productivity workflow.