Comparison

Primalist vs Boxday

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Primalist

This app helps you focus on your most important daily tasks by limiting your to-do list to a maximum of seven items. It encourages prioritization and offers quick, simple task management with timers and reminders.

Highlights
  • Limited task list (up to 7 tasks)
  • Prioritization prompts
  • Quick task entry and completion
  • Task timers and reminders
  • iCloud sync
  • Widgets
  • Customizable themes
Read full description

Primalist is the to-do list app that helps you focus on the most important things you want to do in the day. WHY USE IT: 1. Your list always stays short. Primalist only holds up to 7 tasks at a time. Once you reach the limit, you must complete or delete a previous task to add a new one. So the list always stays short, and never becomes overwhelming. 2. It helps you prioritize your day. A limited list encourages you to ask the question: "What are the things that truly matter to my day?", because only the things that matter most make it into the list. 3. It's super quick and simple to use. From adding a new task, to setting a timer or reminder, to marking a task as complete: everything has been carefully designed to be quick and smooth, so that you can be in and out of the app in seconds. HOW IT WORKS: - Take time to think and enter up to 7 things that are most important to your day, - try to complete them in the time you have, - you can add more tasks only if you complete or delete existing tasks, and - repeat this process daily - to develop a strong awareness of the things that really matter to you. FEATURES: - Control how many tasks you want to have at one time (from just one up to seven) - Optional daily prompt to develop a habit of noting down goals - Short-term Reminders - Timers for tasks, with a quick and easy interface - iCloud sync to get your list on both your iPhone and iPad - Widgets for quick access to your entries (optional one-time purchase) - Give a unique name to your list - Face ID / Touch ID unlock - Themes and alternate app icons to add color and personality Feedback is very welcome, and you can send it right from the Settings page in the app. Thank you for considering Primalist. Wishing you a more focused daily life!

About

Boxday

Read full description

Have you ever opened a planning app, only to spend more time choosing categories, tags, and goals than actually starting the task? Boxday is a fast timeboxing app for those moments. Write one line, choose a start time and duration, and let your Today timeline and reminders take care of the rest. ■ PLAN YOUR DAY IN SECONDS Create a timebox with only what matters: • A short title • Start time • Duration No categories, projects, tags, or goal-setting required. ■ SEE YOUR DAY ON A SIMPLE TIMELINE View each timebox in chronological order, move between dates, and see what comes next without managing a complicated calendar. ■ START AND FINISH ON TIME Turn on the reminders that fit your day: • When a timebox starts • Five minutes before it ends • When it ends Notifications are local to your device, and the app still works when notification permission is not granted. ■ BUILD ROUTINES WITHOUT RECREATING THEM Repeat timeboxes daily, on weekdays, or on selected days of the week for work, study, exercise, chores, and personal routines. ■ MARK PROGRESS AND REVIEW YOUR FOCUS Complete boxes with a simple check, then review weekly and monthly patterns such as completion rate, focus time, and activity by day, hour, and duration. ■ ALL FEATURES ARE FREE Create unlimited timeboxes and use detailed stats and iCloud Drive backup and restore without a subscription, in-app purchase, or paid feature lock. Depending on your advertising privacy choices, ads may appear in the app. Boxday does not use your timebox titles, schedules, or completion history to personalize ads. ■ NO ACCOUNT REQUIRED Your timeboxes, settings, and completion history are stored on your device. iCloud Drive is used only when you choose to back up or restore your data. Boxday is for people who want a lighter way to move through work, study, chores, and everyday routines—one focused block at a time. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://woorlds.github.io/app-legal/boxday/privacy/

Screenshots

Primalist4 screens
Boxday4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Primalist at none against Boxday's shown. On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Primalist sells 2 one-off in-app purchases and Boxday sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Primalist ships an update fortnightly, Boxday weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
Primalist versus Boxday: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPrimalistBoxday
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (58 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews80.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings58 — better—
Update frequencyFortnightlyWeekly — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS17.017.0
Further details — not scored
Size31 MB9 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTushar ChhabraHYUNWOO LEE

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Primalist

One-time2
  • Themes and App Icons$0.99
  • Widgets$4.99
2 purchases

Boxday

Subscriptions2
  • Boxday Monthly$2.991 Month
  • Boxday Annual$15.991 Year

Questions

Is Primalist free?
Primalist is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Boxday free?
Boxday is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Primalist or Boxday have ads?
Boxday shows ads; Primalist does not.
Which is updated more often, Primalist or Boxday?
Primalist ships an update fortnightly, and Boxday weekly. Most recently, Primalist was updated on November 3, 2026 and Boxday on November 5, 2026.

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