TL;DR
Aftertone: £20/mo or £100 lifetime. macOS productivity system — tasks, time blocking, Focus Screen, behavioural AI, weekly reports.
Superlist: Free (generous) or $8/mo Pro. Tasks + notes + AI meeting recording in one app. Unlimited subtask nesting, cross-platform, from the creators of Wunderlist.
Key difference: Superlist combines tasks and notes beautifully. Aftertone combines tasks and execution deeply.
Superlist is the spiritual successor to Wunderlist, built by the same team after Microsoft acquired and shut down the original. It combines task management and rich notes in one app — tasks can contain full note pages, and notes can contain tasks. Unlimited subtask nesting means you can model complex projects without hitting the one-level limit of Todoist or TickTick.
The recent addition of bot-free AI meeting recording (similar to Amie and Granola) positions Superlist as a tasks-notes-meetings tool. The design is beautiful, the free tier is generous, and it runs on Mac, iOS, Android, and web.
But Superlist is a task-and-notes app, not a productivity system. There's no time blocking workflow, no focus mode, no behavioural AI, no weekly reports. It captures and organises your work. It doesn't structure your day or help you improve.
Side-by-Side
Feature | Aftertone | Superlist |
|---|---|---|
Pricing | £20/mo or £100 lifetime | Free (unlimited tasks, 5 shared lists). Pro: $8/mo. Team: $10/user/mo. |
Lifetime plan | Yes | No |
Platform | macOS (iOS/Android coming) | macOS, iOS, Android, web |
Core identity | Productivity system: plan, execute, evaluate, optimise | Tasks + notes app with AI meeting recording |
Task management | Keyboard shortcut capture, project tags, filtering | Lists, unlimited subtask nesting, rich notes inside tasks, Gmail integration |
Time blocking | Visual time blocks with daily structure | Google Calendar sync in Today view. No dedicated time blocking workflow. |
AI | Silent behavioural AI — weekly insight reports | AI meeting recording (bot-free), email summarisation, AI list creation |
Focus mode | Focus Screen — context-aware, 1-2-3 shortcuts | None |
Weekly reports | Automated, AI-generated, personalised | None |
Notes | Not included | Rich notes with formatting, images, attachments — embedded inside tasks |
Collaboration | Individual only | Shared lists, assignments, comments, personal/team toggle |
Calendar sync | Google Calendar, two-way | Google Calendar (one-way, shows in Today view) |
Where Aftertone pulls ahead
The Focus Screen
Superlist has no execution mode. It's a task list — you check things off and move on. Aftertone's Focus Screen takes over when it's time to work: current task, nothing else, overdue flags, 1-2-3 shortcuts, automatic calendar updates.
Behavioural AI and weekly reports
Superlist's AI records meetings and summarises emails. Aftertone's AI watches how you work — stalled tasks, time drift, energy — and generates weekly improvement reports. Different kinds of intelligence.
Time blocking
Superlist shows calendar events in a Today view. Aftertone's time blocks are the foundation of the system — they connect to the Focus Screen, feed the AI, and shape weekly reports.
£100 once vs $96/year
Superlist Pro costs $96/year. Aftertone's lifetime plan is £100. After 14 months, Aftertone is cheaper.
Where Superlist is the better fit
Superlist's combination of tasks and rich notes is genuinely elegant. Notes live inside tasks — not linked documents, not separate files, but inline content that belongs to the task itself. For complex projects where tasks need supporting context, sketches, meeting notes, or reference material, that embedded structure is more useful than a plain task with an attached document.
The free tier is generous — unlimited tasks, notes, and reminders without payment. For individuals or small teams evaluating whether Superlist fits their workflow, that access is broad enough to make a real judgment.
Superlist runs on macOS, iOS, Android, and web. The cross-platform parity is strong — the same experience across devices. Aftertone is macOS-only.
Bot-free AI meeting recording is a genuine differentiator for meeting-heavy workflows. No awkward bot joining your calls — Superlist handles recording locally. If you attend a lot of meetings and need to capture action items, that feature removes friction from the follow-up process.
3-year cost comparison
Aftertone costs £100 once. Superlist costs approximately $96 per year — that's $288 over three years. By the end of year one, Superlist already costs more than Aftertone's lifetime price. Over three years, you'd spend 2.9× more on Superlist. Both are independently built tools. Only one lets you stop paying.
Who should choose Superlist
If you need cross-platform support beyond macOS, Superlist may be the better fit today. If you rely heavily on integrations with other tools in your stack, check whether Superlist connects to what you use daily. And if Superlist'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 Superlist better than Aftertone?
It depends on what you need. Superlist 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, Superlist 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 Superlist 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
Superlist is a modern tasks-and-notes app from a team that understands task management deeply. Aftertone is a productivity system that goes beyond organisation into execution, analysis, and improvement. If you need tasks and notes together with a clean interface, Superlist is excellent. If you need time blocking, focus protection, and weekly improvement, Aftertone goes further. Try Aftertone free at aftertone.io.
