Comparison

Finalist vs SideQuest

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

Head to head
About

Finalist

This app combines your calendar, tasks, reminders, and weather into a single, visually appealing timeline. It integrates with your journal and activity data to inspire your planning. Enjoy a beautiful and joyful planning experience without complex workflows.

Highlights
  • Unified timeline view
  • Calendar, task, and reminder integration
  • Weather forecast display
  • Journal and activity ring integration
  • Customizable themes
  • Native Apple technology integration
Features
Read full description

Inspired by paper planners, Finalist shows your calendar, tasks, notes, reminders and weather forecast in one beautiful timeline. It even pulls in your Journal Suggestions and Activity Rings to keep you inspired. Gorgeous themes make planning a joy, not a chore. Finalist is built for people who finish things, no complex workflows or productivity theater. NOTES, IN YOUR PLANNER Your planner remembers what you wrote. A dedicated Notes tab gives you notebooks, tags and search. Keep native notes that sync over iCloud, or connect a folder of plain markdown files, including your Obsidian vault, and edit them in place. Tasks inside your markdown files become real Finalist tasks: dated, tagged and checkable anywhere in the app. YOUR DAY, ON YOUR WRIST The Apple Watch app puts your whole day one glance away: events, tasks, reminders and habits in one scrollable view, topped by a Now card that always knows what matters next. Check off pinned lists from the wrist, grocery list included, and add tasks by keyboard, scribble or dictation. Complications and a Smart Stack widget round it out. (Requires watchOS 26.) DESIGN YOUR DAY Choose between two Daily designs: Daybook, the classic stacked layout, or Broadsheet, a newsprint-inspired look that shines on iPad and Mac. Rearrange sections with the layout editor and save your own presets. On the rebuilt Timeline, drag tasks onto the grid to sketch your day in pencil, then commit when it's real. "I've tried dozens of planning apps, this is the one that finally works." - Beta user "The integration of Reminders and Lists reduces the apps I need daily and makes planning actually fun." - Beta user Built with native Apple technologies: no accounts to create, syncs over iCloud, supports Family Sharing, and runs on iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Vision Pro and Mac. Full database backup, export and import via JSON and OPML. Finalist is a love letter to paper planners. Give it a try, it feels great :) Purchasing information To get the full functionality in Finalist you will need to either purchase a subscription or a one time In-App Purchase for Lifetime access. The purchase amount will be applied to your iTunes account. Subscriptions will automatically renew unless canceled within 24-hours before the end of the current period. You can cancel anytime with your iTunes account settings. Lifetime purchase is a one-time fee. For more information, see our Terms of Use at https://finalist.works/eula/ and our Privacy Policy at https://finalist.works/privacy-policy/

About

SideQuest

Transform your to-do list into an epic RPG adventure. Complete tasks with a focus timer and unlock unique story chapters, characters, and loot. Designed for ADHD brains, it offers a compelling narrative to keep you engaged and motivated.

Highlights
  • RPG-style task completion
  • Customizable hero and world
  • Serialized narrative with recurring NPCs
  • Loot drops and equipment rewards
  • Flexible focus timer
  • Dynamic Island and Lock Screen widgets
  • Co-op focus sessions via SharePlay
Read full description

Your to-do list deserves an epic story. SideQuest turns real tasks into RPG adventures. Set a focus timer, complete your task, and unlock a unique story chapter featuring your hero, recurring characters, and loot drops — every single time. BUILT FOR ADHD BRAINS Every focus app gives you a timer. SideQuest gives you a reason to use it. A serialized narrative evolves with every quest you complete, so there's always a cliffhanger pulling you back. YOUR STORY, YOUR WORLD - Create a custom hero in the world of your choice — dark fantasy, anime, sci-fi, or describe your own - Meet 5 recurring NPCs: a Mentor, Rival, Trickster, Villain, and a Mysterious figure who knows too much - 8 rotating story arcs with 7 stages each — setup, twists, climax, and fallout - Every story is unique to your hero REAL REWARDS FOR REAL WORK - Loot drops from Common to Legendary with unique artwork - Equipment with XP multipliers — yes, you can earn a legendary sword for doing laundry - Streak bonuses, level-up milestones, and cosmetic rewards - Prestige system for players who want a fresh season FOCUS FEATURES - Flexible timer: 1-120 minutes, with presets for 25, 30, 45, and 60 min - Dynamic Island & Lock Screen widgets show your quest timer - Task backlog with repeat schedules (daily, weekdays, custom) - Co-op focus sessions via SharePlay — up to 4 heroes, +25% XP bonus - Apple Music integration - Siri Shortcuts for quick embark No account required. Your story starts now. Your tasks aren't chores anymore. They're side quests. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Finalist4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: SideQuest at 100% against Finalist's 76%. SideQuest also leads on update cadence (every 4 days vs every 10 days). Finalist's advantage is rating (4.7 vs 4.4) and ratings volume (528 vs 8). 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Finalist sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per 7 days and SideQuest sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Finalist holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Finalist has 528 ratings behind it against 8, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 76% of Finalist's written reviews are positive against 100% of SideQuest's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Finalist ships an update every 10 days, SideQuest every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Finalist versus SideQuest: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFinalistSideQuest
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (528 ratings) — better4.4 (8 ratings)
Positive reviews76.2% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings528 — better8
Update frequencyEvery 10 daysEvery 4 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#191 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Vision Pro — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS18.017.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size121 MB22 MB
Age rating4+9+
DeveloperDiversion Marketing IncRaymonjit Nijjar

Customer experience

Finalist

All ratings519 ratings
Positive92.5%
Neutral2.7%
Negative4.8%
Written reviews126 reviews
Positive76.2%
Neutral6.3%
Negative17.5%

SideQuest

All ratings4 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Finalist

Reported bugs

9 issues
  • Settings/preferences crash the app
  • Pro subscription not recognized after canceling auto-renewal
  • Weather widget fails to display without manual toggling
  • App freezes and becomes unresponsive on iPad
  • Empty tasks cannot be permanently deleted
Show 4 more
  • App crashes when accessing certain reminder lists
  • Slow performance after force closing and reopening
  • Widget functionality discontinued or broken
  • macOS version crashes and lacks performance

Requested features

18 requests
  • Apple Watch native app
  • Recurring/repeating tasks and reminders
  • Subtasks functionality
  • Task tagging and filtering
  • Event location and travel time details
Show 13 more
  • Natural language input for tasks and events
  • Snooze reminder functionality
  • Task comments and checklist support
  • List grouping and archiving options
  • Menubar-only mode for macOS
  • Early/advance reminders for tasks
  • Notes section for daily journaling
  • School/team collaboration version
  • Chinese language support
  • Dark mode option
  • Family sharing features
  • Multiple calendar visibility in month view
  • Invite others to meetings and add conferencing

SideQuest

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

7 purchases

Finalist

Subscriptions5
  • Finalist Pro Weekly3 Days trial$2.997 Days
  • Finalist Monthly$4.991 Month
  • Finalist Pro Monthly$4.991 Month
Show 2 more
  • Finalist Yearly7 Days trial$29.991 Year
  • Finalist Pro Yearly7 Days trial$29.991 Year
One-time2
  • Finalist Lifetime$59.99
  • Finalist Pro Lifetime$59.99
2 purchases

SideQuest

Subscriptions2
  • Side Quest Pro (Monthly)7 Days trial$9.991 Month
  • Side Quest Pro (Annual)7 Days trial$79.991 Year

Questions

Is Finalist free?
Finalist is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is SideQuest free?
SideQuest is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Finalist or SideQuest?
Finalist is rated higher. Finalist averages 4.7 out of 5 from 528 ratings, while SideQuest averages 4.4 from 8 ratings.
Do Finalist or SideQuest have ads?
Neither Finalist nor SideQuest shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Finalist or SideQuest?
Finalist ships an update every 10 days, and SideQuest every 4 days. Most recently, Finalist was updated on November 3, 2026 and SideQuest on October 31, 2026.

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