Comparison

List! vs Next Thing

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

Head to head
About

List!

Manage your tasks and projects with an advanced list application. Organize items with notes, priorities, and due dates, and utilize powerful sorting and export options. A free lite version is available for trial.

Highlights
  • Multiple nested lists
  • Notes, priorities, and due dates
  • Repeating due dates
  • Dynamic sorting
  • Export/import via HTML email
  • Search functionality
Features
Read full description

An advanced list management app. Check out “List! Lite” for free before purchasing. As this is the most commonly requested feature, please note that List! does not have iCloud/synchronization support. Features: • Multiple nested lists • Landscape support • Multiline list item titles • Notes, priorities, and due dates/times • Repeating due dates • Help screens and ‘How To’ tip balloons • Icon badge number • Delete Checked/Check All/Uncheck All actions • Copy/Delete/Move multiple items at a time • Dynamic sorting on multiple attributes • In-app email of list and list items • In-app settings • Export/import list and list items via HTML email • Import list items via text • Badge background updates • List item alert notifications • Search Features not currently supported: • Synchronization • Passwords

About

Next Thing

This app helps you focus on one task at a time using the simple Ivy Lee Method. Prioritize your top tasks each evening and tackle them sequentially the next day, reducing stress and boosting effectiveness. Ideal for those who find traditional to-do lists overwhelming.

Highlights
  • Ivy Lee Method task prioritization
  • Single-task focus
  • Evening task selection
  • Daily habit building
  • Lock screen widgets
  • Home screen widgets
  • Focus bell reminders
Features
Read full description

Most productivity apps make you more stressed, not less. Endless lists, complex systems, notifications pulling you in every direction. Next Thing is different: one list, one task at a time. Built on the Ivy Lee Method, a century-old system famously used by Charles Schwab, Next Thing strips productivity down to its most powerful form. Each evening, choose your most important tasks and rank them in order of priority. The next day, focus on one thing at a time. That's it. We've heard from users with ADHD that this single-task approach is a game changer. No overwhelming lists, just the next thing in front of you. How it works: - Add tasks to your list anytime a thought crosses your mind - Each evening, pick your top 6 and rank them by priority - The next day, focus on one task at a time. Done or skip. Nothing else. - Build the habit with streaks and satisfying completion moments - Optional morning and evening reminders, off unless you turn them on NEW: Projects Some work is bigger than a day. Tap the pill in the corner to switch to Projects mode, with the same calm, one-thing-at-a-time focus. - Break projects into tasks and subtasks - Add owners, start dates, and due dates - Progress rings fill as you check off subtasks - Rank your projects and see each one's next step on your focus screen - Check off the next step with one tap, right from the focus screen - Archive finished projects and restore them anytime Free to use, including one active project. Upgrades are one-time purchases. No subscription, ever. Ivy Lee Pro: - Live Activity and Dynamic Island - your current task, always in view - Lock screen widgets - see your #1 task without unlocking your phone - Home screen widget - see your #1 task without opening the app - Focus bell - set a reminder to check in on your current task - Streaks heatmap - track your consistency over time - Recurring tasks - daily habits auto-return to your list - Custom app icons and focus screen themes - Unlimited task list Projects Pro: - Unlimited active projects Complete: - Everything in Ivy Lee Pro and Projects Pro, for less than buying both Already own Pro from an earlier version? Thank you. Projects Pro is included, free. Your privacy matters. No account required, no login, no data sharing. Your tasks live on your device and nowhere else. Stop managing your productivity system. Start doing your next thing.

Screenshots

List!4 screens
Next Thing4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Next Thing at Free against List!'s $1.99. Next Thing also leads on update cadence (every 11 days vs every 3 months) and review sentiment (100% vs 78%). List!'s advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and ratings volume (243 vs 4). On 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

Next Thing is free to download; List! costs $1.99 up front. Next Thing sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. List! asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Next Thing holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: List! has 243 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 78% of List!'s written reviews are positive against 100% of Next Thing's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

List! ships an update every 3 months, Next Thing every 11 days. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 9, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard9 real differences · 1 level
List! versus Next Thing: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterList!Next Thing
Price$1.99Free — better
Rating4.8 (243 ratings)5.0 (4 ratings) — better
Positive reviews78.1% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings243 — better4
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 11 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFreemium — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS13.0 — better17.6
Further details — not scored
Size9 MB5 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSecret Society SoftwareJEREMIAH DANIEL ROBERTS

Customer experience

List!

All ratings244 ratings
Positive97.5%
Neutral0.8%
Negative1.6%
Written reviews196 reviews
Positive78.1%
Neutral8.7%
Negative13.3%

Next Thing

All ratings4 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

List!

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Crashes when importing/exporting large lists
  • Inconsistent behavior when deleting or rearranging list items

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add syncing capabilities across devices
  • Implement password protection or encryption for sensitive lists
  • Improve user interface for better navigation and management of nested lists
  • Introduce a calendar or due date view to see all tasks at a glance
  • Allow importing and exporting of lists in various formats

Next Thing

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

List!

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Next Thing

One-time1
  • Next Thing Pro$2.99

Questions

Is List! free?
List! costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Next Thing free?
Next Thing is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, List! or Next Thing?
Next Thing is rated higher. List! averages 4.8 out of 5 from 243 ratings, while Next Thing averages 5.0 from 4 ratings.
Do List! or Next Thing have ads?
Neither List! nor Next Thing shows ads.
Which is updated more often, List! or Next Thing?
List! ships an update every 3 months, and Next Thing every 11 days. Most recently, List! was updated on October 23, 2026 and Next Thing on October 9, 2026.

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