Bye-bye, Wunderlist: here are the best alternative apps

Shortcuts:

• To-do apps: Wunderlist, Microsoft To Do, Todoist, Any.do, TickTick, Trello
• Memo and notes apps: OneNote, Evernote, ColorNote, Google Notes, Samsung Notes

To-Do-Listen-Apps for Android in the overview

	Wonderlist	Microsoft To Do	Todoist	Any.do	TickTick	Trello
Price	free of charge		freemium	freemium	freemium	freemium
Premium advantages	-		location-based reminders, labels, file attachments, comments	colors, themes, location-based reminders, recurring tasks, large attachments, more teamwork	calendar, adjustments for smart lists, more memory, history, progress bar, reminders, and much more	recurring tasks, calendar, voting, admin functions
Platform	RIP	mobile, web, desktop	mobile, web, smartwatches, Slack	browser, desktop, mobile, Slack	desktop, web, mobile, Outlook	browser, mobile, desktop, Slack

Wonderlist: when will it be discontinued?

After many successful years, Microsoft bought the to-do app Wunderlist in 2015, which was once launched in Berlin. True to the scheme Embrace, Extend and Extinguish, Wunderlist will be discontinued on May 6, 2020. In the app, you will be directed quite intrusively to switch to Microsoft To Do.

Fortunately, there are several Wunderlist alternatives that can transfer your lists one-to-one. First of all, however, it is worth exporting your Wunderlist data.

Wunderlist export

Even if Microsoft would like to transfer you to To Do, you can transfer your Wunderlist data to an alternative to-do app. Some of the Wunderlist alternatives shown below even offer a direct import, so that you could skip a previous export. However, since this is only possible until May 6, you should definitely make an offline backup of your Wunderlist data.

According to GDPR, you can download your data from Wunderlist in a human-readable form. Some competing apps use this export file as the basis for importing your data. This is useful because you are not forced to make the proposed switch to Microsoft To Do. With Any.do, To Do, TickTick, and Todoist you can even skip these steps thanks to the import wizard!

1. Enter a desktop browser or open Wunderlist on your smartphone in a browser and switch to desktop view.
2. Click on your name in the top left corner.
3. Opens the account settings.
4. Click on export account.
5. Download the ZIP file.

Microsoft To Do

Similar to Todoist, Microsoft To Do follows the task planning focus and allows easy collaboration. The biggest disadvantage would be at most that a free Microsoft account must be set up. And since recently, you have to prove your age with this account; optionally with a credit card.

Unlike all the other apps listed here, Microsoft To Do is the only one that distinguishes between reminders and deadlines. So you can have a reminder remind you of a task before it is due. Sounds banal, but it's ingenious. And task lists that have to be completed regularly are automatically reset after they have been completed, setting the timer for the reminder to the next day by itself.

If you come from Wunderlist, To Do suggests importing the data in the lower-left corner; the export of Wunderlist data described above is therefore not absolutely necessary.

• To the Microsoft To Do website

Todoist

Similar to Evernote, the free version of Todoist has a very limited range of functions. But if you spend the annual fee, the to-do app turns out to be a streamlined task-manager. Even when creating to-do's in Todoist, you have to follow a strict getting-things-done scheme, and always prioritize the tasks immediately, set a deadline and assign them to someone. Like a boss!

The focus is entirely on task planning, assignment, and progress tracking. If you're looking for a memo app or just want to create a collection of ideas, you should use Google Notes.

Wunderlist users can migrate their data to Todoist via a special link. Again, a previous export of the data from Wunderlist is not necessary.

• To the website

Any.do

Any.do provides an import wizard for Wunderlist (link) First, log in to Any.do or register. Afterward, Wunderlist will ask you if you agree with the migration. After a few minutes, Any.do will open with all your old lists.

Any.do integrates well with your email account and the Google Calendar. Tasks also have subtasks, notes and attachments. It may turn out to be the ideal Wunderlist alternative.

Any.do has a subscription model for dispensable premium features. The free version of the to-do app will more than suffice for common household tasks - even for the whole family.

TickTick

TickTick is one of the favorites of the AndroidPIT community and has truly earned its place in our top list. The task management sorts by lists, tasks, and subtasks. Of course, you can also enter reminders - not only time-based but also location-based. If someone from the family's supermarket passes by, the app reminds you of the need for toilet paper.

The app works very reliably and synchronizes tasks between different devices very quickly. Although there is no stand-alone Windows version, desktop users can use browser extensions. TickTick can also be used without an account, in which case the tasks remain on the smartphone and cannot be synchronized.

In the free version of TickTick, you quickly come up against the limitation of nine task lists. More memory, team functions, and larger attachments are only available with a premium account. This costs $2.79 a month or $27.99 a year.

Wunderlist importing is also possible with TickTick. Just click on your name in the upper left corner. In the menu, click on Settings. There in the Backup section you will find Wunderlist; both as import and import backups. The first one connects the servers directly to each other, as seen at Todoist or Any.do. For the latter, you should extract, upload, and import the JSON file from the Wunderlist export archive created above.

• To the website

Trello

Trello is a digital kanban board. As such, it is ideally suited to visually structure work processes in a team. You can distribute tasks, document processes, contact employees via the @marker, quickly track progress, move task cards, and keep track of everything on the integrated calendar.

Although the sharing options are somewhat complex, they are cleverly thought out and intuitive to use. The free version offers few restrictions, the premium version however offers powerful extras and also better rights management.

• To the website

Memo and note-taking apps for Android at a glance

	OneNote	Evernote	ColorNote	Google Notes	Samsung Notes
Price	download free of charge	download for free, premium plans available	free of charge	free of charge	free of charge
Premium advantage	online storage, collaboration	offline functionality, email import, PDF search/marking, history, more memory	-	-	-
Platform	Windows, iOS, macOS, Android, web	Android, iOS, macOS, Windows, web	Android	iOS, Android, web, Wear OS	Samsung devices
Log-in	Microsoft account	email / Google	without Google/Facebook	Google	Samsung
Note hierarchy	notebook > section > notes	notebook > notes	Note with colors	notes, reminders, labels, colors	category > notes, favorites
Cooperation	premium	yes	no	yes	no
Reminders	no	per note, time-based	time-based	time or location-based	time or location-based
Formats	handwriting, text, list, image, audio	photo, video, audio, handwriting, list, text	text, list	reminders, audio, file, handwriting, photo, text, list	text, list, handwriting
File attachments	no	any, 10 GB/month (Premium)	no	no	picture, voice
Special features	large drawing area	written notes, save websites completely	colorful widgets	global search	screen-off notes

Microsoft OneNote

In OneNote, you create notebooks for collecting ideas or taking notes. The individual pages of these notebooks are infinitely large and allow notes in different formats. In combination with a paid Microsoft subscription, you can edit these notebooks with friends or colleagues.

The handling of the free Android app is functionally clearly limited. Only in combination with the web or even the Windows app does the complete scope of Microsoft OneNote unfold.

• To the website

Evernote

Evernote is more suitable for documenting and quickly taking notes than for creating and planning to-do lists, which can be handwritten, spoken, photographed, or typed. The individual notepads allow the collection of different formats, just like OneNote, but mobile-first. However, the free version of the Evernote memo app is massively limited and only suitable for very limited things like collaboration or synchronization across several devices.

But if you pay the premium fee, you'll probably get the best note-taking app for Android. With Evernote, you'll never lose a note again, thanks to the numerous sorting and search functions including text recognition for PDFs.

• Visit the website

ColorNote

ColorNote is the first note app in this list that follows the KISS principle: Keep It Smart and Simple. ColorNote does not require a log-in, but logging in via Google or Facebook gives you the possibility to save your notes online. And that saves your notes in case your smartphone suddenly disappears or breaks down.

Functionally, ColorNote is of course much simpler than the previously mentioned feature bombs OneNote or Evernote. Your notes are either text or lists. And instead of elaborate label systems or note hierarchies, ColorNote simply works with colors - which is not surprising considering the name. The colorful notepads can be stapled in the same color onto the start screen of your Android smartphone and thus be accessed faster.

Unfortunately, ColorNote lacks any possibility of cooperation, so that you are alone with your notes and the shopping list cannot be worked through together. Thanks to its simple format you can copy the notes as plain text to the clipboard and share them with other apps like WhatsApp.

Google Keep

Google Keep seeks the middle of simple and functional. There are labels and collaboration; handwritten notes and audio memos. Google Keep automatically reminds your family members when they walk past the supermarket using location-based notifications.

In principle, Google Keep keeps everything. Unfortunately, it is quite complicated to keep order with the limited possibilities. In large note collections, the possibilities for hierarchizing your memos are no longer sufficient, and notes seem overcrowded. And there's no way to track your progress, so Google Notes is more suited for lists and collections than for real to-do's.

• Visit the website

Samsung Notes

Exclusively for Samsung smartphones and tablets, the manufacturer offers a pre-installed notes app. This offers the optimal user experience in Android, especially in combination with the S-Pen as in devices of the note series.

The notes app from Samsung also proves to be practical in combination with the Samsung-specific reminder system, which incidentally also allows location-based notifications. Unfortunately, there is no possibility to use the app to work on shared to-dos in a group. Samsung's free memo app is a lone wolf.

• To the website

Conclusion

Microsoft may have taken away our Wunderlist. However, the excellent to-do apps Any.do and Todoist offer great alternatives. Also, Microsoft To Do is not bad if you want to make friends with Microsoft. If you really want to create something professionally, have a look at Trello.

As a collection of notepads, Google's Keep app cuts a fine figure and is free of charge. Samsung fans, on the other hand, swear by the Korean manufacturer's pre-installed notes app, which is unfortunately reserved exclusively for Samsung devices.

Which notes and to-do apps do you prefer to use? Which feature did we overlook in our descriptions? Feel free to give us constructive feedback and new ideas in the comments section!

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