TL;DR
Aftertone: £20/mo or £100 lifetime. macOS productivity system — tasks, time blocking, Focus Screen, behavioural AI, weekly reports.
Microsoft To Do: Free. Simple task manager with My Day planning, smart suggestions, Outlook integration, and cross-platform sync. Built into Microsoft 365.
Key difference: Microsoft To Do is a free checklist. Aftertone is the system you move to when a checklist isn't enough.
Microsoft To Do is the spiritual successor to Wunderlist (which Microsoft acquired in 2015). It's clean, free, and deeply woven into Microsoft 365 — flagged Outlook emails become tasks, Planner tasks sync in, and everything appears across Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, and web. The My Day feature lets you curate a daily focus list from smart suggestions.
For basic personal task management inside the Microsoft ecosystem, it works. But it's a checklist with a calendar glance. There's no time blocking, no focus mode, no behavioural AI, no weekly reports, no execution environment. It tells you what to do. Not when, not how, and not what to change.
Aftertone costs £100 once and builds a complete productivity cycle: time blocks, Focus Screen, AI pattern analysis, weekly reports. It's more expensive than free — but it does more than remember your tasks.
Side-by-Side
Feature | Aftertone | Microsoft To Do |
|---|---|---|
Pricing | £20/mo or £100 lifetime | Free (included with Microsoft account) |
Platform | macOS (iOS/Android coming) | Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, web |
Core identity | Productivity system: plan, execute, evaluate, optimise | Free task list with Microsoft 365 integration |
Task management | Native — keyboard shortcut capture, project tags, filtering | Lists, My Day, smart suggestions, subtasks, due dates, reminders |
Time blocking | Visual time blocks with daily structure | None |
AI | Silent behavioural AI — weekly insight reports | Smart suggestions for My Day (rule-based, not AI) |
Focus mode | Focus Screen — context-aware, 1-2-3 shortcuts | None |
Weekly reports | Automated, AI-generated, personalised | None |
Calendar sync | Google Calendar, two-way | Outlook Calendar (tasks appear as flagged items) |
Ecosystem | Standalone macOS app | Microsoft 365: Outlook, Planner, Teams |
Where Aftertone pulls ahead
Time blocking
Microsoft To Do has no concept of when you'll do your tasks. They sit in a list. Aftertone places tasks inside time blocks — you decide what happens at 10am, 2pm, 4pm. Your day has structure, not just a list.
The Focus Screen
Microsoft To Do stays in the background while you work. Aftertone's Focus Screen takes over — current task, nothing else. Overdue flags, 1-2-3 shortcuts, automatic calendar updates.
Behavioural AI and weekly reports
Microsoft To Do suggests tasks for My Day based on due dates and recent additions. Aftertone's AI analyses how you actually worked — which tasks stalled, where time drifted, energy patterns — and delivers a weekly report with specific suggestions.
A complete system vs a feature
Microsoft To Do is one feature inside a massive ecosystem. Aftertone is a self-contained productivity system where every piece connects: plan → execute → evaluate → improve.
Where Microsoft To Do is the better fit
If you live in Microsoft 365, Microsoft To Do integrates with a depth that's impossible to replicate elsewhere. Flagged Outlook emails become tasks automatically. Planner tasks sync into your To Do list. Teams mentions can be converted to tasks. That ecosystem weaving means task capture happens passively — your existing workflows generate tasks without extra effort. Aftertone is a standalone macOS app with no Microsoft integration.
My Day's smart suggestions draw from flagged emails, upcoming due dates, and tasks you've been postponing — a gentle daily prioritisation nudge that requires no setup. For people in Microsoft environments who want just enough structure to get started each morning, it works.
Microsoft To Do runs on Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, and web — every platform simultaneously, for free. If your team uses Windows and you need task sync across all devices, nothing is simpler.
For household or personal use — shopping lists, family chores, shared reminders — Microsoft To Do's list sharing is straightforward and free. Aftertone is built for professional work, not personal administration.
3-year cost comparison
Microsoft To Do is free — and for a free tool, it does its job. But free tools stay simple by design. Aftertone costs £100 once and delivers behavioral AI, Focus Screen, and weekly reports that a free tool will never offer. The question isn't cost — it's whether the free version gives you enough to actually improve how you work.
Who should choose Microsoft To Do
If you need cross-platform support beyond macOS, Microsoft To Do may be the better fit today. If you rely heavily on integrations with other tools in your stack, check whether Microsoft To Do connects to what you use daily. And if Microsoft To 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 Microsoft To Do better than Aftertone?
It depends on what you need. Microsoft To 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, Microsoft To 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 Microsoft To 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
Microsoft To Do is a solid free task list that's deeply woven into the Microsoft 365 ecosystem. Aftertone is a productivity system for people who want more than a list — structured time, focus protection, AI pattern analysis, and weekly improvement reports that compound over time. Try Aftertone free at aftertone.io.
