TL;DR
Aftertone: £20/mo or £100 lifetime. macOS productivity system — tasks, time blocking, Focus Screen, behavioural AI, weekly reports.
OmniFocus: $10/mo or $150/yr (web + all platforms). The definitive GTD app — projects, contexts, perspectives, review, defer dates, custom views. macOS, iOS, iPadOS, Apple Watch, web.
Key difference: OmniFocus is the most capable GTD system. Aftertone is a simpler system focused on daily execution and weekly improvement.
OmniFocus is the gold standard for Getting Things Done (GTD). Projects with sequential or parallel actions, contexts (tags for location/energy/tool), custom perspectives (saved filtered views), defer dates, and a built-in weekly review. If David Allen's methodology is your religion, OmniFocus is the temple.
The power is real — but so is the complexity. OmniFocus requires significant setup and ongoing maintenance. It's Apple-only (with a recent web addition) and the $10/month subscription or $150/year for full access across devices makes it one of the pricier options.
Aftertone is simpler: time blocks, Focus Screen, AI that does the analysis for you, weekly reports generated automatically. Less methodology, more automation.
Side-by-Side
Feature | Aftertone | OmniFocus |
|---|---|---|
Pricing | £20/mo or £100 lifetime | $10/mo or $150/yr (all platforms). Single platform cheaper. |
Platform | macOS (iOS/Android coming) | macOS, iOS, iPadOS, Apple Watch, web |
Methodology | Time blocking with behavioural AI | Full GTD: projects, contexts, perspectives, sequential/parallel actions, weekly review |
Task management | Native — keyboard shortcut capture, project tags, filtering | Deep GTD: projects, actions, contexts, perspectives, defer dates, flags, custom views |
Time blocking | Visual time blocks with daily structure | Not a core feature (forecast view shows date-based items) |
AI | Silent behavioural AI — tracks patterns, weekly insight reports | None (relies on manual review process) |
Focus mode | Focus Screen — context-aware, current task, overdue flags, 1-2-3 shortcuts | Focus mode filters to specific perspectives |
Weekly reports | Automated, AI-generated, personalised | Built-in Review feature (manual process, user-driven) |
Where Aftertone pulls ahead
Automated intelligence
OmniFocus relies on you doing the weekly review manually. Aftertone's AI generates insights automatically.
The Focus Screen
OmniFocus' Focus shows filtered views. Aftertone's Focus Screen is an execution environment — current task, overdue flags, adaptive shortcuts.
Simplicity
OmniFocus requires learning GTD methodology. Aftertone works in five minutes.
£100 lifetime vs $150/year
Significant cost difference over time.
Where OmniFocus is the better fit
For committed GTD practitioners, OmniFocus is unmatched in implementation depth. Sequential and parallel action groups let you set up task dependencies — task B doesn't appear until task A is complete. Defer dates hide tasks until they're relevant. Custom perspectives give you any filtered view of your system, saved and accessible with a keyboard shortcut. No other task manager implements the GTD methodology this thoroughly.
The Review feature is a structured weekly maintenance mode — OmniFocus walks you through every project to confirm status, update next actions, and archive completed work. If the weekly review discipline is central to how you work, having it built into the app is more likely to keep you consistent.
Apple ecosystem integration is comprehensive. Mac, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and web — plus Shortcuts automation for everything. If you capture tasks across multiple Apple devices throughout the day, OmniFocus syncs reliably across all of them.
Custom perspectives let you create any view of your task system — by energy level, context, project, deadline, or any combination. Power users who want to see their tasks through multiple lenses find this capability essential. Aftertone offers no equivalent level of view customisation.
3-year cost comparison
Aftertone costs £100 once. OmniFocus costs approximately $150 per year — that's $450 over three years. By the end of year one, OmniFocus already costs more than Aftertone's lifetime price. Over three years, you'd spend 4.5× more on OmniFocus. Both are independently built tools. Only one lets you stop paying.
Who should choose OmniFocus
If you need cross-platform support beyond macOS, OmniFocus may be the better fit today. If you rely heavily on integrations with other tools in your stack, check whether OmniFocus connects to what you use daily. And if OmniFocus'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 OmniFocus better than Aftertone?
It depends on what you need. OmniFocus 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, OmniFocus 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 OmniFocus 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
OmniFocus is the most thorough GTD implementation available — deep, Apple-native, and built for people who take task methodology seriously. Aftertone is a simpler system that automates much of what OmniFocus asks you to do manually: AI generates the weekly review, the Focus Screen replaces the context-switching, and time blocks replace defer dates. If you love GTD, OmniFocus is the right tool. If you want the outcome without the methodology overhead, Aftertone is a shorter path. Try Aftertone free at aftertone.io.
