If you want to get more things done in your day, you need to have some kind of to-do list. Thanks to Smartphone apps, it has become easier to carry one in your pocket all the time.
If you search for a to-do list app in the Google Play Store, you will find thousands of apps. But if you are reading this article, chances are, you already use one.
And maybe it is Wunderlist, which is one of the best to-do list apps available.
After it got acquired by Microsoft in 2015, the future of Wunderlist was uncertain, as it was unclear whether Microsoft will continue it, or shut it down.
Fast forward to 2019, we have got another to-do list app from Microsoft, called the Microsoft To Do, and we still have Wunderlist. But, maybe for a few more months.
Microsoft To Do vs Wunderlist
Although we are going to do a comparison between the Microsoft To Do and Wunderlist, our objective is to see whether Microsoft To Do app has all the features we love in Wunderlist.
So that we can decide to switch to Microsoft To Do and not look for a better alternative.
User Interface
The user interface for both the Microsoft To Do and Wunderlist is pretty similar, and is becomes obvious when you compare these both apps side by side.
Since both the apps coming from Microsoft, the team of developers did not shy away from making it similar.
Wunderlist offers multiple color accents so that you can customize it as per your choice, while Microsoft To Do has got a light mode and dark mode, which is also a nice touch since you do not waste time choosing how the app should look.
But you still have control over how you want your lists to appear, and you can add different colors to different lists, which can be done from the individual settings of lists.
You cannot only add colors, you can also change the wallpaper for the list
Although, you can still select wallpapers to customize the user interface, both the Wunderlist and Microsoft To Do app has got different default wallpapers.
One of the best features that I like about Wunderlist is the ability to create new Lists for categorizing tasks. You can still do that in Microsoft To Do.
We will talk about features in the other section, but to get an idea about how Microsoft tries to evolve the Wunderlist app and form Microsoft To Do, you can watch this video.
Productivity features
All the difference that is there between the Wunderlist and the Microsoft To Do app, is in a visual sense, which can be seen in the user interface.
But, when it comes to the features for productivity, pretty much good thing that was there in Wunderlist has been incorporated in Microsoft To Do.
You can create separate lists to keep your tasks organized.
For me, I have got a list, for the ‘Books’ I want to read, the ‘Movies,’ I want to watch, and there is a personal shopping list and a ‘Work’ list.
Another great feature called ‘Repeated Tasks’, allows you to remind you of specific tasks after a certain period. It was available in Wunderlist, and I used it extensively. Fortunately, it is incorporated in Microsoft To Do.
A recent addition to the Microsoft To Do list is another excellent feature from Wunderlist, which is collaborations. You can invite other people to join a list.
I have a shared list with my wife, where we both can add tasks so that they appear in both of our Microsoft To Do app.
‘My Day’ Feature in Microsoft To Do
It is a new feature which has been added in Microsoft to do, it is available as a list on the home screen of that Microsoft to do app.
So when you tap on it it shows you to the tasks that are due for the day for the tasks where the reminders have been set for the day.
You can also pick other tasks from different lists and add them manually to ‘My Dy’ giving you the option to focus on the things that matter.
I am glad that Microsoft did not make it a default home screen. It just stays as a list on the home screen, so if you do not want to use it it does not come in your way.
Cross platform
One of the biggest fears of Wunderlist users was, Microsoft would make it exclusive to the Windows platform.
Fortunately, the Microsoft To Do is also available on other platforms as well. It is one of the most widely available apps.
You can install Microsoft To Do on your iPad, your iPhone, your Android mobile, your Windows PC, your Chromebook. You can also access it from the web browser.
it does make sense to switch from Wunderlist to Microsoft. It will, however, take time to get familiar with the user interface, but you will love it if you are a Wunderlist user.
How to make a switch from Wunderlist to the Microsoft To Do
Since Microsoft itself wants you to switch from Wunderlist to Microsoft To Do, it has made the process of switching to it straight forward.
- If you haven’t already installed on your mobile, make sure you do that and login using your Microsoft account.
- Make sure you use the same account that you used on Wunderlist.
- Once you are logged in, go to the settings area of Microsoft To Do.
- You will find, an option to import your task from Wunderlist.
- Simply tap on it and wait for the app to grab more information.
- It will then show you the number of lists, tasks, completed tasks will get imported. Confirm and you are done.
