Mindthreads vs to-do apps, notes apps and mind maps
Mindthreads gets compared with to-do apps, notes apps and mind maps, because it looks a little like each of them. It does a different job: it tracks work you've already started and haven't finished. Here's what each kind of app is best at, and where Mindthreads fits next to them.
The short version
| Kind of app | Examples | Holds | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| To-do app | Things, Todoist, Apple Reminders, TickTick | Things you plan to do | Planning, due dates, recurring tasks, your phone |
| Daily planner | Sunsama, Tiimo, Akiflow | What you'll do today, and when | Time-blocking and daily routines |
| Notes app | Apple Notes, Obsidian, Bear | Things you want to keep | Reference, writing, knowledge |
| Mind map or canvas | MindNode, Xmind, Obsidian Canvas, Heptabase | How ideas relate | Brainstorming and structuring a topic |
| Mindthreads | Things you've started and haven't finished | Not losing work to interruptions and tangents |
Mindthreads vs to-do apps (Things, Todoist, Reminders)
To-do apps are built for the future: projects, due dates, reminders, priorities, a phone app so you can add things on the go. They're good at that, and Mindthreads doesn't try to replace them.
The gap is the work that's already under way. Once you start a task, it tends to split: a bug you noticed, a message you need to answer first, a config change you'll come back to. Those rarely make it into a to-do app, because adding them properly takes longer than doing them, and they'd clutter a list meant for planning. They end up in your head, and an interruption takes them out.
Mindthreads is for exactly those. ⌃⌥N captures one from any app in about two seconds, tangents nest under the task they came from, and anything you leave alone warms in color and eventually pulses, so it can't quietly disappear.
Use both. Plan in your to-do app. When you start something, capture it in Mindthreads. When it's done, complete it in both.
Mindthreads vs daily planners (Sunsama, Tiimo)
Daily planners help you decide what to do today and when, often with time blocks and a morning routine. They answer "what should I work on?" Mindthreads answers a different question during the day: "what did I start, and what have I left hanging?" If your plan for the day falls apart by 11am, Mindthreads is what shows you the pieces.
Mindthreads vs notes apps (Apple Notes, Obsidian)
Notes are meant to be kept and found again. Threads are meant to be finished and cleared. A running "working on" note works for some people, but it grows forever, has no sense of which item has been waiting all afternoon, and you have to switch to it and find the right spot to add anything. In Mindthreads, completing a thread removes it from the board, and the goal is an empty board.
Mindthreads vs mind maps and canvases (MindNode, Obsidian Canvas)
Mindthreads draws threads as a graph, and has a mind map layout (press 3), so it can look like a mind mapping app. The difference is time. A mind map shows how ideas relate; Mindthreads shows how long each piece of work has been open and when you last touched it. Its nodes are tasks in flight, not ideas, and they leave when you finish them.
Mindthreads vs a text file, sticky notes or browser tabs
These are what most people actually use, and they're free and fast to start. They also show every item the same way whether you added it five minutes or five days ago, and tabs and stickies scatter across windows and desks. Mindthreads keeps it all in one window you can bring up with ⌃⌥Space, nests tangents, and makes old items look old.
Who Mindthreads is not for
- People who want one app for planning, reminders and notes. Mindthreads does one thing.
- Teams looking for shared project management. Mindthreads is personal, though two of your own Macs can share threads through Postgres.
- Anyone who mostly works from a phone, a Windows PC or an Intel Mac. It runs on Apple silicon Macs with macOS 13.5 or later.
Questions
Can I use Mindthreads alongside Things or Todoist?
Yes, and most people should. Keep planned tasks in your to-do app. When you start one, capture it in Mindthreads, and complete it in both when it's done.
Why not just keep a text file of what I'm working on?
A text file works if you keep it up. Mindthreads makes capture faster (one global shortcut from any app), nests tangents under their tasks, and shows how long each item has gone untouched, which a text file can't.
Is there an iPhone or Windows version?
No. Mindthreads runs on Macs with Apple silicon and macOS 13.5 or later. It's meant to be used on the computer where the work is happening.
Keep your to-do app. Add the part it doesn't cover.
Download for Mac