TL;DR
Aftertone: £20/mo or £100 lifetime. macOS productivity system — tasks, time blocking, Focus Screen, behavioural AI, weekly reports.
Lunatask: Free (basic) or ~$6/mo. Privacy-first task manager with end-to-end encryption, mood tracking, habit tracker, journaling, CBT exercises. macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android.
Key difference: Lunatask combines tasks with mental health tools. Aftertone combines tasks with execution tools.
Lunatask is a privacy-focused planner that combines task management with mental health features: mood tracking, energy tracking, habit tracker, journaling prompts, and CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) exercises. End-to-end encryption means your data is private.
For people who want their productivity tool to also support their mental wellbeing — and who value privacy — Lunatask is uniquely thoughtful. But task execution features are basic: no Focus Screen, no time blocking workflow.
Aftertone focuses on execution: time blocks, Focus Screen, behavioural AI, weekly reports. Less wellness, more structure.
Side-by-Side
Feature | Aftertone | Lunatask |
|---|---|---|
Pricing | £20/mo or £100 lifetime | Free (basic). Pro: ~$6/mo. |
Platform | macOS (iOS/Android coming) | macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android |
Task management | Native — keyboard shortcut capture, project tags, filtering | Tasks with Eisenhower Matrix, habits, journaling, mood/energy tracking |
Time blocking | Visual time blocks with daily structure | Basic time-based scheduling |
AI | Silent behavioural AI — tracks patterns, weekly insight reports | None |
Focus mode | Focus Screen — context-aware, current task, overdue flags, 1-2-3 shortcuts | Pomodoro timer |
Weekly reports | Automated, AI-generated, personalised | Mood/energy charts and habit completion stats |
Privacy | Standard data protection | End-to-end encryption. Zero-knowledge architecture. |
Where Aftertone pulls ahead
The Focus Screen
Lunatask has a Pomodoro timer. Aftertone has a context-aware Focus Screen with adaptive shortcuts and automatic calendar updates.
Behavioural AI
Lunatask tracks mood and energy manually. Aftertone's AI analyses work patterns automatically and generates actionable weekly reports.
Execution depth
Aftertone covers planning, execution, evaluation, and improvement in an integrated cycle.
Where Lunatask is the better fit
Lunatask's mental health integration is its most distinctive feature. Mood tracking, energy monitoring, journaling prompts, and CBT exercises built into a task manager is genuinely unusual. For people dealing with anxiety, burnout, or depression — where mental state directly affects productivity — having those tools inside the same app as your tasks means you're more likely to use them.
End-to-end encryption is a meaningful privacy commitment. Lunatask encrypts your data in a way that prevents even its own team from reading it. For people who are sceptical of cloud-based productivity tools accessing their private task data — what they're working on, when they work, their mood and energy levels — that's a real differentiator.
Lunatask runs on macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, and Android — the broadest platform coverage of any tool on this list. If you work across multiple devices and operating systems, that matters.
Energy tracking helps identify when you work best — high-energy mornings for deep work, lower-energy afternoons for email. Lunatask makes this tracking manual and visible. Aftertone tracks energy patterns automatically through AI, but Lunatask's manual approach puts you in control of the data.
3-year cost comparison
Aftertone costs £100 once. Lunatask costs approximately $72 per year — that's $216 over three years. By the end of year one, Lunatask already costs more than Aftertone's lifetime price. Over three years, you'd spend 2.2× more on Lunatask. Both are independently built tools. Only one lets you stop paying.
Who should choose Lunatask
If you need cross-platform support beyond macOS, Lunatask may be the better fit today. If you rely heavily on integrations with other tools in your stack, check whether Lunatask connects to what you use daily. And if Lunatask'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 Lunatask better than Aftertone?
It depends on what you need. Lunatask 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, Lunatask 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 Lunatask 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
Lunatask is for people who want their productivity tool to also care for their mental health, with real privacy built in. Aftertone is for people who want their productivity tool to optimise their execution through time blocking, focus protection, and AI analysis. Wellbeing vs performance — and for some people, addressing the former is what makes the latter possible. Try Aftertone free at aftertone.io.
