Indexing and Comparing all GTD Tools/Apps - What to Compare?

[GTDerEvan]

Hey all, there really aren't many good resources out there that provide an objective list and comparison of all the available GTD tools, so I'm working with a few key people to put that together in a way that will allow new and veteran GTDers alike quickly and easily identify what apps or tools meet their needs. And yes, we'll be keeping it current.

So my question for everybody here is this. What features do you want indexed?

A few examples would be:
- Platforms the app can be used on/synced with (mobile, web, windows, osx)
- Date of Last Update
- Integrates with Calendar
- List can be sorted by context
- Projects can contain sub-projects
- Cost/Trial Length
- Lists that allow Due Dates

Etc.

We'll be taking a considerable amount of time and financial investment to thoroughly index every single option out there, so please be thorough in describing what features we should or should not index for sake of comparison.

The goal is for someone to have the ability to say they want a Mac app that syncs with their iPhone and sync's with iCal in OSX and this comparison grid will show them only the possibilities that meet those requirements, etc.

I thank you in advance for your contributions to this thread. We will in return be contributing to GTDers everywhere with this grid as soon as possible!

Thanks all,

-Evan

 

[Minimalist]

Don't even know how possible this is but above all things would be to make it highly Customizable for the user.

That's how you will basically please everyone! Implementing all the key gtd areas plus all the extra fancy integrated stuff and have it highly customizable your on to something special and versatile for every user with different wants and needs.

 

[ScottL]

Index which ones can be used WITHOUT A CLOUD e.g. just iPHone and mac.

Make whatever you produce easy to use. I can imagine advanced users wanting lots of detail, but it would be helpful to have something people relatively new to GTD could use without getting bogged down in details.

 

[Todd V]

re: Comparing all GTD Tools/Apps - Already Done

The comparisons have already been done. Priacta seems to have theirs updated fairly regularly. You might be able to partner with them to keep their stuff current or add more detail.

118 GTD Software Apps - Researched Comparison

Getting Back on the GTD Wagon - Review by Ed Eubanks

 

[GTDerEvan]

The comparisons have already been done. Priacta seems to have theirs updated fairly regularly. You might be able to partner with them to keep their stuff current or add more detail.

118 GTD Software Apps - Researched Comparison

Getting Back on the GTD Wagon - Review by Ed Eubanks

Priacta went in an entirely different direction, pushing their own product in conjunction with their list of GTD apps. I'm looking to provide new GTDers with a much more comprehensive comparison and filtering system without the added confusion of "TRO" or any other system. I want to make it simple and easy for someone to come find what tool will best help them implement GTD, and enjoy stress-free productivity.

The second link is brilliant. I'd like to provide something similar, but with the assurance that it's up-to-date within a day, rather than 6 months. Also have it eventually searchable and filterable by feature.

Right now, I just need to understand what elements should be noted about each app. Going off of existing sites and common sense, here's what I've got so far:

Platforms:
Developer: (inc. link)
Current Version:
Current Release Date:
Price/Trial:
Calendar Sync:
Email Sync:
Lists Sortable by Context:
Lists that allow Due Dates:
Can Link Actions to Projects:
Someday/Maybe:
Priorities:
Attachments:
Sub-projects:
Quick Entry Shortcut:
Web-access:
Print Lists:
Mobile Sync:
App Requirements:
Distinguishing Features:
News:

Anything else significant that I'm missing?

 

[Todd V]

re: Indexing and Comparing all GTD Tools/Apps

Here is the list of features I compiled for my Ready-Set-Do! approach for the mac. I pulled it together from online bloggers who had stated criteria that mattered most to them for evaluating a GTD app. You might be able to use a similar categorization (e.g., First Impressions, GTD-Specific, Other Features).

But I think it's easy to get lost in the complexity of features offered by various GTD programs and lose sight of the most important variable: e.g., getting things done.

Honestly, it's very helpful to know what OS I need to have in order to run some GTD application, and I am interested in comparing various features across these offerings, but what I (and I'm going to guess most others are most interested in) is whether it's actually working for people. And by "working" I don't mean simply that I have captured all of my thoughts or organized all of my files. What I really want to know is does this application actually help people crank through their tasks? does this application develop the kind of trust from veteran GTDers after 3 years that it did from GTD newbies during its initial release date?

What I would really like to see is people who have been using each of these applications for a committed period of time (at least six months to a year) blog about their experiences and rate the applications based upon how well they helped them get organized, the average number of tasks they complete per day with that application, and what their level of trust (not loyalty; there's a difference) is in that application after a year of use.

Perhaps too much to wish for, but having some narratives to add to each application that go beyond a one-week trial would be much more informative, I think, for those looking to find the right GTD tool for their own workflows.

 

[TesTeq]

Internationalization / language versions.

Anything else significant that I'm missing?

- Internationalization / language versions.

- Horizons of Focus support.

 

[GTDerEvan]

Here is the list of features I compiled for my Ready-Set-Do! approach for the mac. I pulled it together from online bloggers who had stated criteria that mattered most to them for evaluating a GTD app. You might be able to use a similar categorization (e.g., First Impressions, GTD-Specific, Other Features).

But I think it's easy to get lost in the complexity of features offered by various GTD programs and lose sight of the most important variable: e.g., getting things done.

Honestly, it's very helpful to know what OS I need to have in order to run some GTD application, and I am interested in comparing various features across these offerings, but what I (and I'm going to guess most others are most interested in) is whether it's actually working for people. And by "working" I don't mean simply that I have captured all of my thoughts or organized all of my files. What I really want to know is does this application actually help people crank through their tasks? does this application develop the kind of trust from veteran GTDers after 3 years that it did from GTD newbies during its initial release date?

What I would really like to see is people who have been using each of these applications for a committed period of time (at least six months to a year) blog about their experiences and rate the applications based upon how well they helped them get organized, the average number of tasks they complete per day with that application, and what their level of trust (not loyalty; there's a difference) is in that application after a year of use.

Perhaps too much to wish for, but having some narratives to add to each application that go beyond a one-week trial would be much more informative, I think, for those looking to find the right GTD tool for their own workflows.

Excellent. Thank you very much for putting that together! In the near future, we'd like to get into in-depth reviews, including the experience. There will also be an ability for GTDers to include their own ratings and stories and experiences as well.

For now, I'd like to keep things as objective as possible so we can simply compare feature set. Once we have that foundation, we'll make this resource much more dynamic, interactive, and comprehensive.

- Internationalization / language versions.

- Horizons of Focus support.

Great additions to make. Thank you!

I welcome any further ideas or suggestions! This is "for the people" so to speak, and considering we are just GTD'ers like anyone else here, it's also "by the people." Thank you again for all of your contributions! Keep them coming!

-Evan

Based on additional feedback:

Platforms: (Describe what functionality each platform provides)
Developer: (inc. link)
Current Version:
Open/Closed Source:
Current Release Date: (how long since the last update?)
Price: (Including any types of discounts or coupons available)
Limitations: (Limits to number of projects, actions, etc)
Trial: (Including listing limitations and length of Trial)
International/Languages:
Installation:
Calendar Sync: (Specificly what does it sync with and how)
Email Sync: (Specificly what does it sync with and how)
Lists Sortable by Context:
Lists that allow Due Dates:
Deferred Start: (ie. Tickler list - will show up after specified date)
Can Link Actions to Projects:
Someday/Maybe:
Horizons of Focus:
Priorities:
Attachments:
Sub-projects:
Quick Capture Shortcut:
Web-access:
Printable Lists:
Reminders: (Email reminders, pop-up reminders, etc)
Reports: (Displays what you've accomplished, etc)
Mobile Sync: (Specificly what does it sync with and how)
Search lists:
App Requirements:
Distinguishing Features:
News:

 

[notmuch]

interesting project...

recurring tasks
recurring events
regenerating tasks (reschedule x days after complete)
import (CSV, Outlook etc.)
export
Reference notes
event notes
task notes
global search
keyboard shortcuts
backup
security/password protection
checklists (reusable)

 

[larea]

A few that often get left out....

Looks like everyone has covered most of the essentials. Here is where I find many apps lacking:

Customizable Reporting capabilities (by project, by whatever fields I want)
Have the ability for a user to add a few custom fields and throw them in the mix (sort, filter, report, etc.)

 

[tominperu]

Here are some things I would like but seldom find:

Ability to change the order of the action list manually so it is not just in alphabetical or the order of due dates but tentatively in the order you want to do them today.

Being able to see both lists of projects and actions at the same time, so you can check each project has an action easily. I dont want a link, too much maintenance of the system, but I do want to do a quick minireview from time to time, quickly.

I want to be able to see all my tasks grouped in context but all on the screen at the same time. Again, very useful for checking all projects have at least one action, and also I just like to be able to see a full list of all my commitments (this is possible on Outlook but on surprisingly few other systems).

Post dated tasks so that I can't see them now but they pop up on their start date in the future. A nice alternative to putting them in my calender where I won't do them on the day anyway and will then have lost the reminder to do them.

An easy way to transfwe to someday/maybe and back again without losing the @Context on the transfer. This should be possible for actions and projects. This is possible in Outlook as you can create a subfolder in Tasks but it is not possible on many other applications.

Very quick entry of actions without having to open a program or change a window and to be able to do this quickly for a succession of actions while looking through emails or looking through a document on the same computer.

 

[chris101]

quality of support

While i realise that it doesn't lend itself to the check-boxes in a comparative table, i think the nature and quality of support that a developer offers is a key feature of its long-term viability. Similarly, robust user forums would also be a important factor, although again difficult to quantify.

 

[GTDerEvan]

Looks like everyone has covered most of the essentials. Here is where I find many apps lacking:

Customizable Reporting capabilities (by project, by whatever fields I want)
Have the ability for a user to add a few custom fields and throw them in the mix (sort, filter, report, etc.)

Agreed. We've got "reports" as an attribute to index. Down the road, when there are additional in-depth reviews of each app, we'll be able to dive into this aspect in more detail as you described. For now, to fit information that specific about each attribute would make this already massive grid of information quite overwhelming. Thank you for the contribution though!

Here are some things I would like but seldom find:

Ability to change the order of the action list manually so it is not just in alphabetical or the order of due dates but tentatively in the order you want to do them today.

Excellent. Added.

Being able to see both lists of projects and actions at the same time, so you can check each project has an action easily. I dont want a link, too much maintenance of the system, but I do want to do a quick minireview from time to time, quickly.

I want to be able to see all my tasks grouped in context but all on the screen at the same time. Again, very useful for checking all projects have at least one action, and also I just like to be able to see a full list of all my commitments (this is possible on Outlook but on surprisingly few other systems).

Great point, but something that will be elaborated on in future in-depth reviews. Too difficult to quantify within a comparison grid for now. Truly an important feature though, so don't hesitate to continue mentioning things of this nature and complexity!

Post dated tasks so that I can't see them now but they pop up on their start date in the future. A nice alternative to putting them in my calender where I won't do them on the day anyway and will then have lost the reminder to do them.

Definitely. This will show up under "Deferred actions".

An easy way to transfer to someday/maybe and back again without losing the @Context on the transfer. This should be possible for actions and projects. This is possible in Outlook as you can create a subfolder in Tasks but it is not possible on many other applications.

This too will be something that will need elaboration on a per-app basis in more in-depth reviews.

Very quick entry of actions without having to open a program or change a window and to be able to do this quickly for a succession of actions while looking through emails or looking through a document on the same computer.

This is a big one! This is under "Quick Capture Shortcut".

While i realize that it doesn't lend itself to the check-boxes in a comparative table, i think the nature and quality of support that a developer offers is a key feature of its long-term viability. Similarly, robust user forums would also be a important factor, although again difficult to quantify.

That's a VERY important factor that we hope to incorporate over time, as naturally those things take time to asses. For now, we're including the most recent update date, so we can see how on-top of their app developers are. We'll get more into this later, but definitely an excellent point to make!

Thanks for the replies, guys and gals, and keep them coming! We've updated the list, and even added a pre-qualification list of must-have features for an application to even be represented on the eventual "master list" of sorts. Please contribute any further thoughts or ideas to either list in this thread!

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Required Features (Feature an application must have in order to be represented on this comparison list)

[*]Lists Sortable by Context

[*]Printable Lists

[*]Customizable contexts

[*]What else should go here?

Features or Attributes to Index and Compare

Platforms: (Describe what functionality each platform provides)
Developer: (inc. link)
Current Version:
Open/Closed Source:
Current Release Date: (how long since the last update?)
Price: (Including any types of discounts or coupons available)
Limitations: (Limits to number of projects, actions, etc)
Trial: (Including listing limitations and length of Trial)
International/Languages:
Installation:
Calendar Sync: (Specificly what does it sync with and how)
Email Sync: (Specificly what does it sync with and how)
Identify Actions within a project as sequential or parallel:
Lists Sortable by Context:
Allows Actions to be sorted manually:
Lists that allow Due Dates:
Deferred Start: (ie. Tickler list - will show up after specified date)
Can Link Actions to Projects:
Someday/Maybe:
Horizons of Focus:
Priorities:
Customizable Fields:
Attachments/Notes on Tasks/Projects/Events:
Sub-projects:
Quick Capture Shortcut:
Recurring/Regenerating Tasks/events:
Web-access:
Printable Lists:
Reminders: (Email reminders, pop-up reminders, etc)
Import: (CSV, Outlook, etc)
Reports: (Displays what you've accomplished, etc)
Formal Review Feature:
Mobile Sync: (Specificly what does it sync with and how)
Global Search:
Keyboard Shortcuts:
Backup:
Security/Password Protection:
Reusable Checklists:
App Requirements:
Distinguishing Features:
News:

 

[ceperry]

Under required features, you have "Printable lists". Do you mean printed to paper? If so, that's going to eliminate most mobile solutions that I'm familiar with. I'd suggest that you rethink that one.

 

[GTDerEvan]

Under required features, you have "Printable lists". Do you mean printed to paper? If so, that's going to eliminate most mobile solutions that I'm familiar with. I'd suggest that you rethink that one.

Great point. I think the only thing that really makes up a "GTD" application is a list manager that allows you to assign contexts to actions, and actions to projects.

That said, I think there are many more important features to make a GOOD one, but that's what this site will be fore anyway.

Thanks for the thought! Any others?

-Evan

 

[jrdouce]

Simplicity. A good app should not require any of the advance features. I was my best at GTD, before it was called GTD, using the Time Design system. I was still very good using my first Palm, the Palm III. The 4 basic apps were simple to use, the Palm Desktop was also fast and simple to use.

Moving to a Tungsten, then E3, I essentially failed and have not yet recovered. Data is stored in too many areas, Gmail, Outlook work, Outlook home, Google Calendar. No handheld I've tried is as simple as the old Palm III and everything syncs with Outlook which is slow and ponderous to maintain, yet still limited in customizability.

I have a BB Storm now (terrible smart phone). iPhone looks great, but AT&T has miserable coverage in my area. Maybe an Android system in the fall when my contract expires.

Anyway, the more overhead required the less successful I have been. I feel strongly that simplicity is the key. Not sure how you measure that, but it's worth considering.

 

[GTDerEvan]

Simplicity. A good app should not require any of the advance features. I was my best at GTD, before it was called GTD, using the Time Design system. I was still very good using my first Palm, the Palm III. The 4 basic apps were simple to use, the Palm Desktop was also fast and simple to use.

Moving to a Tungsten, then E3, I essentially failed and have not yet recovered. Data is stored in too many areas, Gmail, Outlook work, Outlook home, Google Calendar. No handheld I've tried is as simple as the old Palm III and everything syncs with Outlook which is slow and ponderous to maintain, yet still limited in customizability.

I have a BB Storm now (terrible smart phone). iPhone looks great, but AT&T has miserable coverage in my area. Maybe an Android system in the fall when my contract expires.

Anyway, the more overhead required the less successful I have been. I feel strongly that simplicity is the key. Not sure how you measure that, but it's worth considering.

Without a doubt - simplicity is key for most. People need to find the app that has all the features they need, and none that they don't need. That's a large part of our goal; to make that easy to find.

As for measuring the simplicity, that can be done by viewing the feature set, and then we'll dive further in depth on the ease of use of those features in a more full-featured review down the road.

Cheers!

 

[Oogiem]

Under required features, you have "Printable lists". Do you mean printed to paper? If so, that's going to eliminate most mobile solutions that I'm familiar with.

For me the ability to get a printed copy out, even if it requires a sync with a desktop version is absolutely critical. If the app can't do that I can't use it. There must always be a way to backup the data to paper. An all electronic no paper BU option system would give me the screaming heebie jeebies. I flat don't trust my electronics that well!