Comparison

Principal Task vs DunCrux

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

Head to head
About

Principal Task

This app helps you manage tasks by tracking your completion rate against new tasks created. It offers a unique 'Task Velocity' score to show if you're keeping up with your workload. Organize with folders, contexts, and priorities, with advanced features available through a premium subscription.

Highlights
  • Task Velocity score
  • GTD-native structure
  • Due dates and repeating tasks
  • Markdown support
  • Kanban boards
  • Private templates
Features
Read full description

Track your Task Velocity — the ratio of tasks you complete against the ones you create, updated every day. See at a glance whether you're ahead or falling behind, not just what's on your list. Principal Task is a GTD-native task manager built for people who've outgrown to-do apps. Folders, contexts, priorities, statuses, and unlimited nested subtasks — organized the way real work actually happens. TASK VELOCITY Your 30-day completed-vs-created ratio, shown as a simple multiplier. Free members see their current score. Premium unlocks the full history, filterable by folder, context, priority, and status. SYSTEM HEALTH A live verdict — Healthy, Strained, or Overloaded — so you know where things stand today, separate from where they're heading. BUILT FOR GTD Folders and sub-folders, contexts, priorities, statuses, and stars. Subtasks nest as deep as you need, with independent completion — no forced parent-child status. KANBAN, HEATMAP, TEMPLATES See your work as a board. Watch your activity over time. Turn repeatable processes into templates you can apply in one tap. BUILT FOR AI ASSISTANTS Principal Task connects to AI assistants over MCP — read and write your tasks, subtasks, and folders directly from the assistant you already use. SHARE WITHOUT FRICTION Share a task list with a four-word link. No account required to view. You control how long it stays open. Free, no credit card. Premium is about $3/month or $24/year, and it doesn't limit how much you can do — it unlocks Task Velocity history, Kanban, the Activity Heatmap, and private templates. Principal Task. Software that gets out of the way. Terms of Use: https://principaltask.com/terms

About

DunCrux

This task manager automatically prioritizes your to-do list using keywords and their assigned importance levels. It helps you focus on what matters most by adapting priorities over time and offering insights into your workload. Core features work offline, with optional cloud sync for cross-device access.

Highlights
  • Auto-prioritized task list
  • Keyword-based organization
  • Adaptive priority adjustments
  • Nested subtasks
  • Workload insights and analytics
  • Offline functionality
  • Optional cloud sync
Features
Read full description

DunCrux is a task manager that helps you focus on what matters most. Instead of making you maintain a rigid priority list, DunCrux organizes tasks using keywords. Each keyword has an “elevation” that represents its importance. Tasks with higher-priority keywords rise toward the top automatically. -- Priorities That Adapt -- Move a task up or down to show DunCrux what matters to you. Its keyword priorities adjust over time, allowing your task list to evolve alongside your goals. -- Capture And Organize -- • Create tasks quickly • Add due dates and snooze tasks until later • Break large tasks into nested subtasks • Use @keywords in task text or add #tags • Search and filter your work • Create saved task views • Review upcoming and completed tasks -- Understand Your Workload -- Explore insights into completed tasks, open work, keyword priorities, and activity patterns. See how your workload changes and discover when you are most productive. -- Local First By Design -- DunCrux’s core task-management features work without an account. Your workspace remains available locally on your device, even when you are offline. Cloud sync is optional. Sign in when you want to keep your DunCrux workspace synchronized across supported devices. You can also export your data whenever you choose. Some advanced features require DunCrux Pro. With the free version you have unlimited tasks but are limited to 10 Keywords for tracking priorities. Additionally paying for or subscribing to DunCrux Pro unlocks saved views. Subscribing to DunCrux Pro+Synch will unlock cloud syncing across multiple devices. Spend less time deciding what to do next—and more time making meaningful progress. Terms of Service: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Principal Task4 screens
DunCrux4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: DunCrux at daily against Principal Task's every 3 months. On price, rating, ratings volume and ads 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. Principal Task sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month and DunCrux sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Principal Task against 5.0 for DunCrux. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 2 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Principal Task ships an update every 3 months, DunCrux daily. The most recent releases landed on October 1, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
Principal Task versus DunCrux: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPrincipal TaskDunCrux
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings)5.0 (2 ratings)
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings12 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsDaily — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details — not scored
Size32 MB61 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperZechariah SchwenkMichael Jones

Customer experience

Principal Task

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

DunCrux

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Principal Task

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly Subscription$3.991 Month
  • Annual Subscription$29.991 Year
3 purchases

DunCrux

Subscriptions2
  • Pro + Sync Monthly$3.991 Month
  • Pro + Sync Yearly.$29.991 Year
One-time1
  • DunCrux Lifetime Pro$24.99

Questions

Is Principal Task free?
Principal Task is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is DunCrux free?
DunCrux is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Principal Task or DunCrux?
Principal Task and DunCrux are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 1 and 2 ratings respectively.
Do Principal Task or DunCrux have ads?
Neither Principal Task nor DunCrux shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Principal Task or DunCrux?
Principal Task ships an update every 3 months, and DunCrux daily. Most recently, Principal Task was updated on October 1, 2026 and DunCrux on October 16, 2026.

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