TL;DR
Aftertone: £20/mo or £100 lifetime. macOS productivity system — tasks, time blocking, Focus Screen, behavioural AI, weekly reports.
Any.do: Free tier or ~$3/mo (annual). Task manager with calendar, daily planner, reminders, Kanban boards, and basic AI. Runs everywhere — iOS, Android, web, Mac, Windows, browser extensions.
Key difference: Any.do keeps your to-do list organised. Aftertone helps you actually work through it and improve over time.
Any.do is one of the most mainstream to-do apps available — clean, simple, and available on every platform. It combines task management, a calendar view, a daily planner ("My Day"), smart reminders (including location-based), and light project management with Kanban boards. It integrates with Google Calendar, Outlook, Slack, WhatsApp, and Zapier. There's a usable free tier and Premium costs roughly $3/month on an annual plan.
For casual task management — groceries, errands, personal reminders, light work tasks — Any.do does the job without friction. The interface is clean and the cross-platform sync means you can capture tasks from anywhere.
But Any.do is a to-do list with a calendar bolted on. There's no focus mode, no behavioural AI that learns your patterns, no weekly reports, and no time blocking workflow built for deep work. It helps you remember what to do. It doesn't help you understand how you work or get better at it.
Aftertone is that system. Time blocks, native task capture, a Focus Screen that adapts while you work, AI that studies your patterns, and automated weekly reports — all for £100 once.
Side-by-Side
Feature | Aftertone | Any.do |
|---|---|---|
Pricing | £20/mo or £100 lifetime | Free tier. Premium: ~$3/mo (annual) or ~$5/mo (monthly). |
Lifetime plan | Yes | No |
Platform | macOS (iOS/Android coming) | iOS, Android, web, macOS, Windows, browser extensions, Wear OS, Apple Watch |
Core identity | Productivity system: plan, execute, evaluate, optimise | Mainstream to-do list with calendar and daily planner |
Task management | Native — keyboard shortcut capture, project tags, filtering | Lists, subtasks, recurring tasks, Kanban boards, voice input, smart reminders |
Time blocking | Visual time blocks with daily structure | Calendar view with tasks, but no dedicated time blocking workflow |
AI | Silent behavioural AI — tracks stalled tasks, time drift, energy patterns. Weekly insight reports. | Basic AI task suggestions. No behavioural analysis. |
Focus mode | Focus Screen — context-aware, current task only, overdue flags, 1-2-3 shortcuts, auto calendar updates | None |
Weekly reports | Automated, AI-generated, personalised | None |
Calendar sync | Google Calendar, two-way | Google Calendar, Outlook |
Reminders | Built into time blocks | Smart reminders — time-based, location-based, recurring |
Integrations | Google Calendar | Google Calendar, Outlook, Slack, WhatsApp, Zapier, IFTTT |
Independently owned | Yes | Yes |
Where Aftertone pulls ahead
The Focus Screen
Any.do has no execution mode. You look at your to-do list, you open whatever you're working on, and Any.do stays in the background. It doesn't know if you're doing the task or scrolling Twitter. Aftertone's Focus Screen takes over — current task, nothing else. Overdue items surface. Finish early and pick what's next with 1-2-3. Your calendar updates behind the scenes.
Behavioural AI
Any.do offers basic AI suggestions. Aftertone's AI runs silently across your entire week — tracking which tasks keep slipping, where planned time drifts from reality, when your energy dips — and delivers a weekly report with specific observations and suggestions. Any.do helps you remember. Aftertone helps you understand.
Weekly reports
Any.do has no analytics or end-of-week review. Aftertone generates a personalised report that compounds over time — each week builds on the last.
Time blocking that works
Any.do has a calendar view but no purpose-built time blocking workflow. Aftertone's time blocks are the foundation of the entire system — they connect to the Focus Screen, feed the AI, and shape the weekly report.
£100 once vs $36+ every year
Any.do Premium costs ~$36/year. Over three years that's $108. Aftertone's lifetime plan is £100 and includes everything. No annual renewal, no feature gates.
Where Any.do is the better fit
Any.do runs everywhere — iOS, Android, web, macOS, Windows, browser extensions, Apple Watch, Wear OS. If cross-platform is essential, Any.do covers every device you own. Aftertone is macOS-only.
The free tier is genuinely usable for casual task management. If you just need a simple, clean to-do list at no cost, Any.do does that well.
Location-based reminders are a nice touch — get reminded to buy groceries when you're near the shop. Aftertone doesn't do location-aware reminders.
WhatsApp integration is unique and useful for some workflows.
3-year cost comparison
Aftertone costs £100 once. Any.do costs approximately $36 per year — that's $108 over three years. By the end of year one, Any.do already costs more than Aftertone's lifetime price. Over three years, you'd spend 1.1× more on Any.do. Both are independently built tools. Only one lets you stop paying.
Who should choose Any.do
If you need cross-platform support beyond macOS, Any.do may be the better fit today. If you rely heavily on integrations with other tools in your stack, check whether Any.do connects to what you use daily. And if Any.do's specific approach — its unique features and design philosophy — matches how you prefer to work, it's worth trying.
But if you want a productivity system that goes beyond planning into execution, evaluation, and optimisation — with behavioral AI that learns your patterns and a Focus Screen that protects your attention — Aftertone goes deeper. And it costs less to own forever than most competitors charge per year.
Frequently asked questions
Is Any.do better than Aftertone?
It depends on what you need. Any.do has its own strengths — particularly if you need broader platform support or specific integrations. Aftertone is stronger on execution: its Focus Screen, behavioral AI, and weekly reports create a four-phase productivity system (plan, execute, evaluate, optimise) that most competitors don't attempt.
Does Aftertone work on Windows or Linux?
Not yet. Aftertone is currently macOS-only, built as a native Mac app for performance and deep OS integration. iOS and Android apps are in development. If you need Windows or Linux support today, Any.do may be a better short-term choice.
Can I use Aftertone with Google Calendar?
Yes. Aftertone syncs with Google Calendar via two-way sync. Your time blocks, events, and schedule changes appear in both apps. Aftertone adds the productivity layer — tasks, Focus Screen, AI insights — on top of your existing calendar.
Is Aftertone's lifetime plan really one payment?
Yes. £100 once, then it's yours. No annual renewals, no price increases, no feature gates behind higher tiers. Every feature — behavioral AI, Focus Screen, weekly reports, unlimited projects — is included.
What if I'm switching from Any.do to Aftertone?
Aftertone syncs with Google Calendar, so any events you have there will appear automatically. For tasks, you'll need to recreate them in Aftertone — but the keyboard shortcut capture makes this fast. Most users are fully set up within a day.
Related reading
For more context on how Aftertone compares in the broader productivity landscape, see Best Mac Calendar Apps for Time Blocking (2026) and Productivity Methods Compared.
Bottom line
Any.do is a solid mainstream to-do app that works everywhere and costs very little. Aftertone is a productivity system that goes deeper — time blocking, a Focus Screen that protects your attention, AI that learns your patterns, and weekly reports that help you improve. If you need a simple task list across every device, Any.do does that. If you want to actually get better at how you work, Aftertone does things Any.do wasn't designed to do. Try Aftertone free at aftertone.io.
