Still the best in 2026
Here in 2026 I’m once again surveying the landscape of personal Kanban-style organizers. And TidyCards has come out on top, again. The poor ratings are unjustified, IMO. Sure it has some quirks and bugs (what app doesn’t?). I’ve found the developer very responsive to bug reports and feedback. I do wish the app would get more regular updates and proactive fixes, so I’m hoping it becomes more popular. I dare you to find something better that doesn’t require a subscription.
Show more
Response from developer
Hi man, thank you for the nice review. Just to say that the app has now been updated to 2.0 with new features like sync. The app can still be bought with a permanent licence without a subscription. :)
No improvement in 3 years
This was the best in class 3 years ago although it had some important issues then. Now unfortunately it significantly lags behind other similar apps.
Response from developer
Hello! Sorry for the silence all these years, but I've been hard at work on the app, and version 2.0 is out now with sync and iPhone companion app! I hope this makes up for the slow pace of update. :)
Easy and pragmatic
Clean and easy works well
Hangs - drains battery
I’m trying out multiple Kanban-centric apps, and I love the look of TidyCards. The card formatting is excellent, a very cool feature.
There are some features I wish would improve. The column titles are tiny, especially compared to the cards. Being able to change the UI appearance, or even to switch on dark mode, would be helpful. I’d love the option to have narrower columns.
But there’s a problem that renders TidyCards essentially unusable: if it’s open for a while, it hangs.
Running Sonoma.
I noticed a few days ago that my M1 MBP's battery was draining rapidly -- and it was HOT above the keyboard! Nothing was using significant memory. Only by checking every open process did I discover that TidyCards was frozen and had to be force quit.
Once I force-quit TidyCards, the MBP surface cooled down within a few minutes, and battery usage was back to normal.
TidyCards hasn't been updated in 2 years according to the App Store listing. Even though the developer replied to a couple of reviews a year ago, I have to assume the app is not being supported. At minimum, this issue with hanging and heating up the laptop needs to be resolved. That's a shame, because it could be a really solid contender.
There are some features I wish would improve. The column titles are tiny, especially compared to the cards. Being able to change the UI appearance, or even to switch on dark mode, would be helpful. I’d love the option to have narrower columns.
But there’s a problem that renders TidyCards essentially unusable: if it’s open for a while, it hangs.
Running Sonoma.
I noticed a few days ago that my M1 MBP's battery was draining rapidly -- and it was HOT above the keyboard! Nothing was using significant memory. Only by checking every open process did I discover that TidyCards was frozen and had to be force quit.
Once I force-quit TidyCards, the MBP surface cooled down within a few minutes, and battery usage was back to normal.
TidyCards hasn't been updated in 2 years according to the App Store listing. Even though the developer replied to a couple of reviews a year ago, I have to assume the app is not being supported. At minimum, this issue with hanging and heating up the laptop needs to be resolved. That's a shame, because it could be a really solid contender.
Show more
It crashes... otherwise it would be an awesome app
It crashes... otherwise it would be an awesome app
Response from developer
That’s weird, can you email ne and let me know which version of macOS you’re using? Thank you Support@tidy-cards.com
Wonderful app - but it hangs if left open
I love using this app, it's everything I need to stay organized, and it can easily be used as a personal Kanban board. However, if I leave the application open (MacOS) it will eventually hang and become unresponsive, showing the spinning rainbow wheel whenever the mouse hovers over the window.
100% of the time when I come back to work on monday the application is frozen. 50% of the time it's frozen overnight from one day to the next. Fortunately force stopping and re-opening the app is all that's needed, and none of my data has been lost.
If not for the freezing, this app would be a solid 5.
100% of the time when I come back to work on monday the application is frozen. 50% of the time it's frozen overnight from one day to the next. Fortunately force stopping and re-opening the app is all that's needed, and none of my data has been lost.
If not for the freezing, this app would be a solid 5.
Show more
Love, but needs syncing ability
I reallly like the simplicity of this app. I agree with the previous commenter. It just needs a companion app and syncing.
Response from developer
Hello! Sorry for the silence all these years, but I've been hard at work on the app, and version 2.0 is out now with sync and iPhone companion app! I hope this makes up for the slow pace of update. :)
Works the way I think
Using TidyCards for general small project management and to-dos. I find working in this app is completely intuitive - like the title says, it works the way I think. It doesn't try to do too much, and what it does simply works great.
The best for now
I'm a minimalist. I like native apps, and I like them to do just one thing and do it well. I wanted a dedicated Mac app for super basic kanban. Trello does kanban, but it's way too heavy. Lots of apps have a kanban feature, but same problem. TidyCards is currently the best Mac native, dedicated kanban app. To be quite honest, it's not a great app; it could be better designed, and it tends to stutter a bit. That said, it does the job. It's simple, it's solid enough, and it does kanban. If you just want kanban and nothing else, this is the best app out there at the moment.
Show more
Great for Privacy, Simple and Clean
I've used Trello and other Kanban apps before, never really felt great about having my projects and data 'out there', so TidyCards keeps your data on your Mac, is simple, and not bloated with useless features. It's very fast and highly intuitive.
Druthers: I can live without an iOS app but since I use multiple Macs (iMacs, Macbook, etc.) the ability to sync all via iCloud would be a killer feature. Maybe in a future release?
Druthers: I can live without an iOS app but since I use multiple Macs (iMacs, Macbook, etc.) the ability to sync all via iCloud would be a killer feature. Maybe in a future release?
Show more
Response from developer
Hello! Sorry for the silence all these years, but I've been hard at work on the app, and version 2.0 is out now with sync and iPhone companion app! I hope this makes up for the slow pace of update. :)
Does Almost Exactly What I Need
I have been looking for an app to organzie my brain in the way my brain thinks and have never found anything that works, until now. The layout of the Kanban boards is clean and simple and the ability to create checklists within tasks within projects is perfection.
The only two things missing are a mobile companion app and the abiity to sync across devices. Would love to see an upated version with these options.
The only two things missing are a mobile companion app and the abiity to sync across devices. Would love to see an upated version with these options.
Show more
Response from developer
Hello! Sorry for the silence all these years, but I've been hard at work on the app, and version 2.0 is out now with sync and iPhone companion app! I hope this makes up for the slow pace of update. :)
Looks like a good start
Compact, relatively well designed, this app gives you a good overview of current and upcoming tasks. What's really missing is a good integration with Mac OS (e.g., ability to add links, text, document, images from the Finder and other apps, through shortcuts or Share button, without having to go through the tedious task oif opening the application, creating a new note, and then dragging something onto it, every time you want to create a card frin a document, a website, etc.).
Show more
Superb Product, Innovative Design
I really like the innovative visualization concept. The display metaphor is very interesting making it is easier to manage my activites. Displaying tasks as cards, and cataloging them under different timeframes or phases is a key benefit to TidyCards. Try it out over a few days and I think you will see the utility the application can provide you.
Show more
False advertising
Under Pro Features, Joseph Williamson lists Advanced print layout and Custom background colour and picture. In reality attachments, tags and due dates (core features) are all listed as features of the 'Pro version' in your 14 day free trial. The App store description misrepresents what features you have to pay for.
I am happy to pay developers for their work, but trust is important, and misleading potential clients is untrustworthy behaviour.
I am happy to pay developers for their work, but trust is important, and misleading potential clients is untrustworthy behaviour.
Show more
Response from developer
Hi there, sorry for not making it clear that these are part of the pro features. Writing is not my strong point.
Loving this and want some more features
- I would love to see Tidy Cards integrate with Apple Reminders. I add a lot of TODO's by talking to Siri and want an easy way for those to become cards in Tidy Cards.
- Integration with Apple Calendars or Google Calendars. I spend a lot of my day with Google Calendar open in front of me and want to see my cards there.
- Integration with email. I would love to be able to forward an email and have it become a card.
- Sync between devices via iCloud
- iOS Mobile app so I can view my cards on the go.
Thanks!
- Integration with Apple Calendars or Google Calendars. I spend a lot of my day with Google Calendar open in front of me and want to see my cards there.
- Integration with email. I would love to be able to forward an email and have it become a card.
- Sync between devices via iCloud
- iOS Mobile app so I can view my cards on the go.
Thanks!
Show more
Excellent Personal Project Manager!!!
Love this app... so simple and elegant! I finally found an app that works visually to help me stay organized. Very flexible and very powerful. Full drag and drop!!
Only one feature missing... Outlook email drag and drop directly from Outlook Mac. I can drag the email to my desktop andthen drag into a task... but having the ability to drag directly into TinyCards would be awesome!
Only one feature missing... Outlook email drag and drop directly from Outlook Mac. I can drag the email to my desktop andthen drag into a task... but having the ability to drag directly into TinyCards would be awesome!
Show more
Organizing Gem
An elegantly simple way to work smart. I've had different GTDs to which I could attach notes, documents, link to web sites, add to do lists, set tasks with deadlines, even utilize columns, for Kanban or just section divisions. None that allowed me to attach emails. This one does all these things - attachments no more difficult than drag and drop. I've set up complex projects in minutes. The app uses a link to reference a card from events in the calendar, which hasn't been an issue for me, as it is integrating with Apple's Calendar, a free resource, I already have and use. Help could be a little more comprehensive, however, I was up and running in minutes, referring to it only briefly. Full disclosure: in a couple of weeks usage, the app crashed once, there was no data loss. Very smart app, very smart buy. Check it out.
Show more