to do list
The signal here is competition saturation, not search demand. You decide; we lay out the evidence.
Demand read
two models, independent (a read, not a measurement)
Two AI reads (Opus and Codex). A judgment, not measured demand. When they split, that is how uncertain it is.
How crowded is it
saturation from top-app review concentration
A dominant app with 46,117 reviews owns this space. Avoid a head-on fight, find a narrow gap.
Who is already here
top competitor apps (by search relevance)
| App | Rating | Reviews |
|---|---|---|
| To Do List MinimaList & WidgetInner Grow Limited | 4.77 | 46,117 |
| Microsoft To DoMicrosoft Corporation | 4.72 | 264,854 |
| Todoist: To Do List & CalendarDoist Inc. | 4.8 | 127,796 |
| Do! - Simple To Do ListSIMPLERION Co., Ltd | 4.73 | 26,164 |
| Structured: Daily Planner Todounorderly GmbH | 4.8 | 163,682 |
| Todo List & Reminder - TodoeryBetterApp Tech Co., Limited | 4.61 | 5,485 |
| TickTick:To-Do List & CalendarAppest Limited | 4.86 | 44,878 |
| To Do List WidgetTAPUNIVERSE LLC | 4.76 | 13,675 |
What reviews complain about
from 90 competitor reviews
- “Have to get pro to repeat tasks”
- “We can only repeat tasks if we have pro and it doesn't help structure the day”
- “Hate that reoccurring events are something you have to pay for I have to ease all events by hand”
- “Honestly, I hope the developer sees this. It used to be free. I used to use this app ALL the time. And now we can't even repeat?”
Free unlimited recurring/repeating tasks (including weekday-only repeats) as your differentiator; incumbents are burning goodwill by charging for it.
- “in less than a day, I was charged for the full year app, as I d Had to cancel 24 hours before my subscription was over”
- “After upgrading to OS 27, I lost access to Structured Pro and was prompted to sign up for an annual subscription”
- “I paid for the PRO version and it indicated that it was for the lifetime of the app. Now I see that I have to PAY AGAIN”
Honest one-time lifetime purchase or generous free tier; several reviewers explicitly say a fair free tier makes them more likely to pay.
- “after that first week, I stopped getting alerts. It took some time for me to figure that out”
- “I am still having trouble hearing that or seeing them and I have missed to do tasks”
- “Reoccurring reminders show up on the wrong days and can't be deleted. When I delete them they keep showing up again”
Reliable local notifications are table stakes; one reminder failure destroys trust in a to-do app.
- “there have been several instances where majority of the tasks I had set up would disappear over the few years I've had the app”
- “the app took a whole chunk of tasks (about a week's worth) and set them all back by a day”
- “every few months it will change all of the dates in my phone back one day and I have to manually go through all my lists”
Rock-solid local persistence and correct timezone/DST handling; competitors ship date-shift bugs repeatedly.
- “once you reach the top of the screen, IT DOESN'T KEEP SCROLLING. It just stops”
- “the app doesn't sense my tap over the item, neither the check box area nor the word reliably sense my tap”
- “Can't have too many tasks or every time you edit one, the app freezes entirely”
- “Structured absolutely needs a search function”
Fast sorting/filtering, easy reordering, search, and check-off that works every tap; also interactive Home Screen widgets (users ask to check tasks from the widget).
Can a solo dev build it
difficulty and risk, broken down
Buildable solo with local-first Swift (SwiftData + UserNotifications + WidgetKit), no backend. But ranking organically for 'to do list' against free apps from Microsoft, Google, TickTick and Todoist is the hard part, not the code. Expect 3+ months before launch and a long grind on ASO and review velocity.
If you build it
a one-page brief (a starting point, not the answer)
A fast, honest to-do list where recurring tasks and search are free forever, sold as a cheap one-time purchase.
Students and ADHD adults who want a simple visual to-do list without subscription pressure.
Incumbents paywall recurring tasks, hide restore/lifetime options, run aggressive trials, and ship bugs where tasks shift a day or vanish.
- ·Accounts and cloud sync at launch
- ·AI features before core UX is solid
- ·Subscription-only pricing or restricted task counts
One-tap check-off list with free repeats, one solid widget, and notifications. Nothing else.
Free core with free repeats; one-time 'Pro' unlock for themes/icons/import-export. No subscription.
Honest warning
the biggest trap of this opportunity
Users are tired of paywalls on basic lists and widgets, and 10 big apps already hold 900k+ reviews.