Comparing AI To-Do List apps

#ai #productivity #ipad

I've been hopping between AI task planners lately so I've decided to set up a proper, fair comparison once and for all.

The plan was simple: put each AI through the classic test. Type in a painfully vague goal and see which assistant can turn it into actionable tasks. Along the way, I'd measure the usual parameters: speed, UX, and its overall effectiveness at turning goals into a plan I might actually follow.

Speed

Google Notes AI
Normal latency overall, but the UX makes it feel slower than it is. The number of clicks required just to get a response is surprisingly annoying.

Planndu AI
Fastest response I've seen so far. One click, instant to-do list. Responsive experience and simple UX overall.

Superlist AI
Decent speed, but occasionally it gives very long loading spinner. The generic chat-like UI also makes it feel less like a focused to-do generator and more like yet another chatbot.

Notion AI
Definitely the slowest of the four. Notion always feels like it’s running something in the background. Could be useful sometimes, but unnecessary when you just want a quick task list.

Winner: Planndu, easily. The speed is ridiculous.

Handling Vague Goals

I tested all tools with prompts like:

“Make a YouTube video.”

“How to stop procrastinating.”

“Be more consistent with gym and coding.”

“Finish the big project I keep avoiding.”

Google Notes AI
Not handling vague goals well. If often won't return any result at all.

Example output:
“Try breaking big tasks into smaller ones.”

Planndu AI
Shines here. It turns vague generic goals into concrete, step-by-step actions.

Example output:
☐ Define the tasks you've been avoiding ☐ Set a 10-minute timer and start the first one ☐ Remove distractions (mute notifications, tidy workspace) ☐ Prioritize tasks for today ☐ Schedule 30–60 minutes of focused work ☐ Review progress at the end of the day

Superlist
It returns Chat-GPT story like responses, not to-do lists with checkboxes as I'd expect.

Example output:
“To stop procrastinating, reflect on why the task feels overwhelming. Create a supportive environment and imagine the satisfaction of completing your goals…”

Notion AI
Will generate nicely formatted notes. But it misses the actual point and generates a very long AI slop.

Example output:
“To stop procrastinating, begin by developing a deep understanding of your internal resistance. Start with a comprehensive self-reflection process where you evaluate emotional triggers, environmental obstacles, and personal productivity archetypes. Once you’ve identified these factors, create a multi-layered organizational framework to support future momentum. Consider building a dashboard that integrates habit tracking, thought-logging, energy-level mapping, and daily micro-goal systems...“

Winner: Planndu, without question.