Let's be honest about Todoist first, because it deserves it: the app is well-designed, fast, and genuinely good at what it does. Natural language input like "call dentist every Tuesday at 2pm" just works. The karma system is clever. The interface is clean enough that it doesn't add cognitive load on its own. If your brain processes to-do lists the way most productivity apps assume it does, Todoist is a very reasonable pick.
The problem is the fundamental format. A list — even a beautifully designed one — forces your brain to process tasks sequentially, top to bottom, with no spatial context. For a lot of ADHD brains, that's exactly the wrong structure. Items disappear below the fold. Priority labels don't actually make things feel urgent. And the moment you miss a day, the overdue pile becomes so demoralizing you close the app entirely. TaskLoco is built around sticky notes on a wall, which mirrors how ADHD brains actually think: spatially, visually, in clusters of related chaos that you can rearrange until they make sense. That's not a gimmick — it's a fundamentally different model.
Why Lists Fail ADHD Brains — And What the Wall Does Differently
ADHD is not a focus problem. It's a salience problem. The brain struggles to assign appropriate weight to things that aren't immediately stimulating — which means a flat list of ten tasks looks like ten equally gray, equally forgettable items. Todoist adds priority flags, labels, and filters to work around this. They help. But they're workarounds for a structural mismatch.
TaskLoco's wall gives each note physical presence. You can make one note big because it's urgent. You can group the three things you need to do before noon in the top-left corner. You can put tomorrow's stuff at the bottom and not look at it. You can use color to mean something specific to you — red for "blocked", yellow for "brain dump", green for "this week". None of this requires learning a system. You just arrange things the way your brain already wants to arrange them.
That spatial freedom is the core difference. Todoist's structure is imposed on you. TaskLoco's structure is built by you, in the moment, in whatever way makes the task feel real and urgent right now.
Reminders That Actually Get Your Attention
One of the most common ADHD failure modes with any task app: you set a reminder, the notification fires, you swipe it away, and twenty minutes later you have no memory it happened. The reminder did its job. Your brain didn't cooperate.
TaskLoco's reminders are built around a detail that changes this: every reminder deep-links directly back to the original note. You don't get a generic "you have a task" ping that you have to go find. You tap the notification and you're staring at the exact thing you need to do, right now, with all the context you wrote down when you created it. That re-entry point matters enormously for a brain that loses context the moment attention shifts.
Reminders deliver as push notifications — on your phone and your computer. If you want, you can also add email notifications or an SMS add-on so the reminder hits multiple channels. For ADHD users who need more than one nudge, that optional redundancy is worth having.
Todoist's reminders work. They're competent. But they land in your notification tray like every other alert — a line of text pointing at a list you have to navigate back to. The deep-link model is a meaningfully different experience.
The Clutter Problem: Files, Photos, and Context in One Place
ADHD brains are context-dependent. When you created a task, you had specific context in mind — a screenshot of the email, a photo of the whiteboard, a PDF of the invoice. Lists strip all of that away. The task becomes an abstract label that has to be reconstructed every time you look at it, which costs exactly the kind of working memory that's already stretched thin.
TaskLoco Premium includes 10GB of file storage, and attachments live directly on the note. You can embed photos, drop in documents, attach screenshots — whatever context helps the task feel concrete. When you come back to it later, you're not starting from a title. You're starting from everything you knew when you wrote it down.
Todoist's free tier doesn't include file attachments, and the feature is gated behind higher-tier plans. It's available, but it's clearly not the center of the experience. In TaskLoco, attachments are first-class — they're part of what makes a note a note rather than just a line of text.
The Honest Comparison
| Feature | TaskLoco | Todoist |
|---|---|---|
| Core format | Spatial sticky-note wall — arrange freely, visually | Linear task list with filters, labels, and priority flags |
| Natural language task input | Not available — notes created manually | Yes — type "every Monday at 9am" and it just works |
| Recurring tasks | Not available | Full recurring task engine — daily, weekly, custom patterns |
| Reminder delivery | Push notification that deep-links back to the original note | Notification that points to the task in the list |
| Optional email reminders | Yes — optional, free add-on channel | Available on certain plans |
| Optional SMS reminders | Yes — optional add-on with free monthly quota | Not available |
| File attachments | 10GB included with Premium — attached directly to notes | Available on higher-tier plans only |
| Visual/spatial organization | Full wall layout — drag, resize, color-code freely | List-based with board view on paid plans |
| Calendar view | Built in with Premium | Available — integrates with Google Calendar |
| Chrome extension | Yes — capture any webpage as a note in one click, free FREE | Yes — browser extension available |
| Free tier | Two free tiers: Lite (20 notes, no sign-in) and Lite Plus+ (30 notes, synced) FREE | Free tier available with limited projects and task history |
| Team sharing | Yes — included with Premium. Each team member requires a separate subscription — currently $9.99/month per person, but TaskLoco is offering a Charter Member special: 50% off for life, currently $4.99/month per person for the first 500 subscribers with code CHARTER50. | Team workspaces with task assignment and comments |
| Native mobile app | Lite only (anonymous, 20 notes, no sync) — Premium is a web app used via mobile browser | Full-featured native iOS and Android apps |
| Full-text search | Yes — search across all notes and attachments | Yes — search across tasks and comments |
| Anonymous / no-account use | Yes — Lite requires zero sign-in, completely anonymous FREE | Account required to use |
| API / integrations | Limited integrations | Extensive API and third-party integrations |
| Extra storage | Add-on tiers: 10GB / 50GB / 200GB / 1TB, stackable | Not a core feature |
| 7-day free trial (Premium) | Yes — no charge until day 8 | Free tier available; trial terms vary |
Who Should Use Each
Use TaskLoco if…
- Your brain works spatially and a list of tasks all looks the same to you
- You need reminders that drop you directly back into the task with full context attached
- You want to attach files, photos, and screenshots to tasks so the context never gets lost
- You prefer to build your own organizational system visually rather than learn a prescribed one
- You want a free tier you can actually use before committing to anything
- You need push notification reminders across phone and computer, with optional SMS backup
Use Todoist if…
- You rely heavily on natural language task input and want to type tasks the way you speak
- You want a fully-featured native mobile app with complete feature parity
- Your workflow depends on deep API access and extensive third-party integrations
TaskLoco Premium is regularly $9.99/month per person. Right now, charter members can lock in 50% off the regular price — forever. That means $4.99/month per person today. And if our price ever goes up, you still pay half. Always.
Code CHARTER50 auto-applies at checkout. First 500 spots only — once they're gone, this offer is gone permanently. Act fast while spots last.
Every Premium subscription includes unlimited notes, 10GB file storage, reminders, calendar, and team sharing. Each team member requires a separate subscription. 7-day free trial — no charge until day 8. Cancel anytime.
Free Options: TaskLoco vs Todoist
TaskLoco Lite
- Native iPhone & Android app
- Completely anonymous — no sign-in
- Data stays on your device
- Up to 20 notes
- Free forever
TaskLoco Lite Plus+
- Web app + Chrome extension
- Sign in with Google
- Wall syncs across all devices
- Up to 30 notes
- Free forever
Lock In 50% Off — Forever
7-day free trial. No charge until day 8. CHARTER50 auto-applies at checkout.
🔒 Lock In My Charter SpotSee TaskLoco in Action
Frequently Asked Questions
Is TaskLoco actually better than Todoist for ADHD?
It depends on what's breaking down for you. If the problem is natural language input or recurring tasks, Todoist does those better. But if the problem is that lists don't make tasks feel real or urgent — which is the core ADHD struggle with most productivity apps — TaskLoco's spatial wall model works differently in a way that matters. You see everything at once, you arrange it the way your brain wants to, and reminders deep-link you directly back to the note with all your context intact. For a lot of ADHD users, that shift is the thing that actually sticks.
What is TaskLoco Lite and is it useful for ADHD?
TaskLoco Lite is a free native iPhone and Android app — completely anonymous, no sign-in, no account, no syncing. It stores up to 20 notes on your device only. It's a genuinely useful way to see whether the sticky-note wall format resonates with your brain before committing to anything. The limitation is that it has no reminders, no file attachments, no team sharing, and no sync. For ADHD users who need reminders, Premium is where those features live.
Do TaskLoco reminders work differently from other apps?
The key difference is the deep-link. Every TaskLoco reminder delivers as a push notification — on your phone and your computer — and tapping it takes you directly back to the original note. You don't get a generic alert pointing at a list you have to navigate. You land on the exact note, with all the context you added when you created it. Optional email and SMS add-ons are also available if you want reminders to hit multiple channels.
Can I attach files to TaskLoco notes?
Yes — TaskLoco Premium includes 10GB of file storage, and attachments live directly on the note they belong to. You can embed photos, drop in documents, attach screenshots — whatever makes the task feel concrete when you come back to it. Additional storage is available in add-on tiers up to 1TB, stackable. File attachments are a Premium-only feature and are not available on Lite or Lite Plus+.
Does TaskLoco have a Chrome extension?
Yes — the TaskLoco Chrome extension is free and available with Lite Plus+ and Premium. One click captures any webpage as a note, which is practical for ADHD users who live in browser tabs and need to pull something out of the stream before it disappears. The extension works alongside the web app and syncs across your devices on Lite Plus+ and Premium.
What is TaskLoco Lite Plus+ and how is it different from Lite?
TaskLoco Lite Plus+ is a free web app and Chrome extension — sign in with Google, up to 30 notes, and sync across all your devices. Unlike Lite (which is a native app with no sync and no account), Lite Plus+ requires an internet connection and a Google account. It doesn't include reminders, file attachments, unlimited notes, or team sharing — those are Premium-only. But it's a solid free option if you want cross-device sync without paying anything.
How much does TaskLoco Premium cost?
$9.99/month per person (currently $4.99/month per person for first 500 charter members with code CHARTER50)
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TaskLoco is available on iPhone, Android, Chrome, and every web browser.