BetterKeeper vs 2Do: a modern all-in-one against a veteran
BetterKeeper
Tasks, projects, notes, sharing, and time tracking in one current-generation Apple app, synced through your own iCloud.
2Do
A long-standing power user's task manager. Smart lists, tags, nested checklists, and multiple sync backends — enormously capable, and showing its age in places.
Feature comparison
| BetterKeeper | 2Do | |
|---|---|---|
| Task management | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes, very deep |
| Smart lists & saved searches | ✗ Fixed views & tags | ✓ Extensive |
| Standalone notes | ✓ Rich notes app built in | ✗ Notes attached to tasks |
| Projects with progress | ✓ Yes, with templates | ✗ Lists & checklists |
| Time tracking | ✓ Built-in timers | ✗ Not available |
| Sharing & collaboration | ✓ Shared projects with chat | ✗ Single-user |
| Sync options | Your iCloud only | ✓ iCloud, Dropbox, CalDAV |
| Platforms | iPhone, iPad, Mac, CarPlay | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Pricing | $4.99/mo or $29.99/yr, all platforms | $9.99 iOS one-time; Mac $49.99 direct |
Where they really differ
Notes are a first-class part of the app. Keep standalone notes for anything that isn't a task, attach notes and files to projects, and move them between projects as work shifts. A client brief and its task list sit side by side.
2Do handles notes and attachments well for a task manager — but always hanging off a task. There's no standalone note, so reference material that doesn't belong to a to-do ends up in a different app.
One tap starts a timer on any task, and totals roll up per project. For consultants and freelancers, the invoice practically writes itself at the end of the week.
No time tracking of any kind. 2Do's depth is in organizing and filtering tasks, not measuring effort — tracked hours mean Toggl or Harvest running alongside.
Today, projects, priorities, tags. The views are fixed on purpose, so there's nothing to design before you can use the app — and nothing to maintain when your workflow changes.
Smart lists with saved searches are 2Do's superpower, and no one does them better at this price. The cost is a settings-heavy app with an interface that has aged compared to newer Apple design.
$4.99/month or $29.99/year covers iPhone, iPad, and Mac, with every feature included and 30 days free without a card.
iPhone and iPad stay a $9.99 one-time purchase. The Mac app is $49.99 bought directly, which includes 18 months of updates — and Guided Ways has announced that the Mac App Store version moves to a $4.99/month or $39.99/year subscription with its next update.
Which one is right for you?
You want notes, projects, tracked hours, and shared lists in one current app that looks and behaves like the rest of your Mac and iPhone — without configuring smart lists to get there.
You think in filters. Smart lists, tag logic, and a choice of sync backends including Dropbox and CalDAV make 2Do a power tool that's still hard to beat — and the iOS app remains a bargain at $9.99 once.