TL;DR
Aftertone: £20/mo or £100 lifetime. macOS productivity system — tasks, time blocking, Focus Screen, behavioural AI, weekly reports.
TeuxDeux: $3–$4/mo. Minimalist to-do list with daily columns, auto rollover, Someday lists. Web, iOS, Android.
Key difference: TeuxDeux is a digital paper planner. Aftertone is the system you need when paper-level simplicity isn't enough.
TeuxDeux is a deliberately simple daily to-do list. Tasks sit in day columns, uncompleted items roll forward automatically, and Someday lists hold ideas without deadlines. No integrations, no AI, no calendar sync. Just tasks on days.
For people who want a digital version of a paper planner — nothing more — TeuxDeux delivers. But there's no time blocking, no focus mode, no pattern analysis. Tasks exist in a list. What you do with them is up to you.
Aftertone is a full productivity system with time blocks, Focus Screen, behavioural AI, and weekly reports. More complex, more depth, more improvement over time.
Side-by-Side
Feature | Aftertone | TeuxDeux |
|---|---|---|
Pricing | £20/mo or £100 lifetime | $4/mo or $36/yr |
Platform | macOS (iOS/Android coming) | Web, iOS, Android |
Task management | Native — keyboard shortcut capture, project tags, filtering | Daily columns, auto rollover, Someday lists, recurring tasks, colour tags |
Time blocking | Visual time blocks with daily structure | None — no hourly 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 | None |
Weekly reports | Automated, AI-generated, personalised | None |
Calendar sync | Google Calendar, two-way | None |
Where Aftertone pulls ahead
Time blocking
TeuxDeux has no concept of when tasks happen. Aftertone places them inside time blocks — your day has structure, not just a list.
The Focus Screen
TeuxDeux stays in the background. Aftertone's Focus Screen shows your current task and nothing else.
Behavioural AI and weekly reports
TeuxDeux doesn't learn anything. Aftertone analyses patterns and delivers personalised weekly suggestions.
Calendar integration
TeuxDeux has zero calendar sync. Aftertone has two-way Google Calendar integration.
Where TeuxDeux is the better fit
TeuxDeux's deliberate simplicity is its most honest strength. It's a digital paper planner — nothing more, nothing less. If you've tried more complex systems and found them overwhelming, or if you simply work better with a list than with time blocks and analytics, TeuxDeux respects that.
The auto-rollover is quietly useful: uncompleted tasks move forward automatically, so nothing falls through the cracks. In more complex apps, checking yesterday's unfinished items requires a deliberate review step. TeuxDeux does it invisibly.
Someday lists give you a place for tasks without deadlines — ideas, aspirations, things you'll get to eventually. It's a minimal version of the 'someday/maybe' concept from GTD, without having to adopt the full methodology.
At around $36 per year, TeuxDeux is one of the most affordable tools in the space. It runs on web, iOS, and Android. If cross-platform matters and budget is tight, there's real value here.
3-year cost comparison
Aftertone costs £100 once. TeuxDeux costs approximately $36 per year — that's $108 over three years. By the end of year one, TeuxDeux already costs more than Aftertone's lifetime price. Over three years, you'd spend 1.1× more on TeuxDeux. Both are independently built tools. Only one lets you stop paying.
Who should choose TeuxDeux
If you need cross-platform support beyond macOS, TeuxDeux may be the better fit today. If you rely heavily on integrations with other tools in your stack, check whether TeuxDeux connects to what you use daily. And if TeuxDeux'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 TeuxDeux better than Aftertone?
It depends on what you need. TeuxDeux 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, TeuxDeux 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 TeuxDeux 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
TeuxDeux is for people who want the simplicity of a paper planner in a digital form. Aftertone is for people who need structure, focus protection, and weekly improvement — not just a running list. Try Aftertone free at aftertone.io.
