Mindlist vs Bento
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Mindlist
This app helps you manage your daily schedule and tasks with a minimalist interface. It offers features like reminders, calendar visualization, and customizable task lists to boost productivity without distractions.
- No ads
- Customizable task lists
- Reminders for appointments
- Calendar visualization
- Simple and fast task entry
- Dark mode
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Mindlist is a simple, beautiful, and powerful to-do list app designed to help you stay focused, organized, and in control of your day. Plan your tasks, manage your schedule, create checklists, set reminders, and organize everything that matters — without unnecessary complexity. Whether you are managing work, study, errands, personal goals, chores, or daily routines, Mindlist gives you a calm and minimal space to keep everything clear. No complicated setup. No clutter. No ads. Just your tasks, your plans, and a simple way to get things done. Mindlist is built for everyday productivity. Add a task in seconds, set a date, create a reminder, organize your lists, and see what needs your attention. The app is fast, intuitive, and easy to use from the first launch. KEY FEATURES • Minimalist design A clean, distraction-free interface that helps you focus on what matters. • iCloud sync Keep your tasks, lists, reminders, and plans in sync across iPhone, iPad, and Mac. • No ads Stay focused without distractions, pop-ups, or intrusive advertising. • Smart reminders Never miss important tasks, meetings, appointments, deadlines, or daily routines. • Calendar planning View your schedule clearly and plan your day, week, and upcoming tasks with ease. Recurring tasks are now shown directly in Calendar, so your routines are easier to see and manage. • Recurring tasks Create repeating tasks for habits, routines, chores, bills, workouts, study sessions, and more. Set an end date for recurring tasks when a routine or plan should not repeat forever. • Custom task lists Personalize your lists with colors, icons, and display options that match the way you work. • Simple and fast task creation Quickly add tasks, set dates, enable reminders, and organize your plan in just a few taps. • Organized lists Drag, reorder, and arrange your lists so everything stays exactly where you need it. Mindlist is perfect for: • Daily to-do lists • Work tasks • Study and homework planning • Personal goals • Shopping lists • Chores and home organization • Habit tracking • Appointments and deadlines • Simple project planning • Family and personal routines Mindlist is free to use, with optional Premium features available for users who want to unlock even more functionality. Premium is a one-time purchase, giving you lifetime access to all premium features. Download Mindlist today and turn your plans into progress — one task at a time.
Bento
This app offers a calm focus timer designed to enhance productivity for work and study. It utilizes Japanese-inspired themes and a distraction-free interface to help users achieve deep work states, manage tasks, and improve focus patterns with insightful analytics.
- Aesthetic Japanese focus scenes
- Task limitation for reduced overload
- Deep focus mode to block distractions
- Customizable daily routines
- Focus score and analytics
- Focus booster for momentum
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Stop getting overwhelmed with long to-do lists. Used by 50,000+ productivity enthusiasts. Bento is not a to-do list app. It's a focus companion. We believe in doing less, and finishing more. Using the calming Japanese themes, stay focused and get things done by packing your focus box. Your focus box is limited to up to 3 tasks. The goal is getting the right things done, not everything. Popular with ADHD, everyday users struggling with to-do list apps and overwhelmed individuals who need better focus. Start your first focus timer today! Bento Features - Aesthetic Timer: Our Japanese focus scenes are designed for calm and minimalism. - Focused Productivity: Limit your focus to up to 3 tasks to help reduce overload and burnout. - Deep Focus Mode: Block distractions, enter deep work states and stay focused with intention. - Custom Routines: Start a daily custom routine from your morning routine to deep focus start. - Focus Booster: Build momentum with your focus & stay engaged as you work. ADHD is one of our most popular use cases. Helping you to beat task paralysis, support better focus & deep work. Use Cases - Study Timer: Perfect for revision and exam preparation. The ultimate timer for study. - Work Timer: Enter flow states at work by embracing the focus box, focus score & scenes. - Reducing Burnout: Stop overwhelm by using a calm, low stimulation timer like Bento Focus. - Neurodiverse Focus: This focus timer is ADHD friendly and popular with the neurodivergent community. - Pomodoro Lovers: Bento focuses works as a pomodoro timer for entering cycles of focus. Plus focus badges, app icons, new themes released monthly, focus achievements and unique Japanese focus scenes. Bento is for everyone who wants to stay focused and reduce distractions. FREE TRIAL & PRICING Start a free trial for Premium for full features. Free version includes: 1 theme, timer mode. Auto-renewal can be canceled anytime via Apple settings. PRIVACY & TERMS: https://www.bentofocus.com/privacy https://www.bentofocus.com/terms SEND US FEEDBACK: https://www.bentofocus.com/feedback
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Mindlist at 4.7 against Bento's 4.1. Mindlist also leads on review sentiment (76% vs 54%) and ratings volume (1.6K vs 339). Bento's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs fortnightly) and iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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
Both are free to download. Mindlist sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Bento sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Mindlist holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.1. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1.6K and 339 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 76% of Mindlist's written reviews are positive against 54% of Bento's.
Mindlist ships an update fortnightly, Bento weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 27, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Mindlist | Bento |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (1.6K ratings) — better | 4.1 (339 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 76.4% of reviews — better | 53.8% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 1.6K — better | 339 |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | Weekly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Freemium | Freemium |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 15.1 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 25 MB | 117 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Nova Ocean | Keep Productive Ltd |
Customer experience
Mindlist
Bento
User reviews
Mindlist
From 1.6K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Simple and easy to use
- 👍 Useful with friendly design
- 👍 Clear and simple way to make to-do lists
- 👍 Customizable
- 👍 Syncs across devices
Room to improve
- 🐛 Issues with tasks disappearing or not being saved
- 🐛 Bugs with repeating tasks and calendar integration
- 🔒 Concerns about data storage and syncing
- 🔒 Lack of account/login system
- 🔒 Limited customization options in free version
Bento
From 339 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Helps focus on important tasks
- 🎨 Beautiful and calming design
- 🕰️ Useful Pomodoro-style timer
- 📚 Bento methodology is insightful
- 👍 Simple and easy to use
Room to improve
- 🐛 App freezes and crashes frequently
- 🔋 Drains battery quickly
- 💰 Paid app now requires subscription
- 🔇 Limited music/sound options
- 🤔 Confusing or unintuitive UI
Bugs and requests
Mindlist
Reported bugs
5 issues- Tasks disappearing or not being saved
- Repeating tasks not functioning properly
- Calendar integration issues
- Syncing problems between devices
- Unexpected app behavior after updates
Requested features
10 requests- Add shortcuts for Mac version
- Implement subtasks and task filtering
- Improve calendar integration and timeline view
- Add ability to move tasks between lists
- Implement Apple Watch support
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- Provide more customization options
- Add Siri integration
- Improve syncing between devices
- Implement automatic task reminders
- Add ability to create recurring tasks with flexible schedules
Bento
Reported bugs
4 issues- Titles randomly deleted
- Timer stops working unexpectedly
- Switching themes doesn't work
- Accessibility issues
Requested features
5 requests- Add more music/sound options
- Implement a widget for quick access
- Allow customization of Bento templates
- Sync tasks across devices
- Add an Apple Watch app
In-app purchases
Mindlist
- Buy Premium$5.99
Bento
- Bento Premium - Monthly3 Days trial$1.991 Month
- Bento Premium - Annually1 Year trial$9.991 Year
- Bento Premium - Quarterly7 Days trial$12.993 Months
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- Bento Premium - Semiannual7 Days trial$19.996 Months








