Comparison

Proactive List vs PlanCoach

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

Head to head
About

Proactive List

This AI-powered to-do app helps users overcome procrastination by breaking down tasks into manageable steps. It offers motivational prompts, game-like guidance, and visual progress tracking in a minimalist pixel art style. Designed for those who struggle with starting tasks or maintaining motivation.

Highlights
  • AI-powered task breakdown
  • Motivational prompts and guidance
  • Visual progress tracking
  • Minimalist pixel art design
  • Local data storage
  • Built-in statistics
Features
Read full description

Crush Procrastination. Plan Proactively. Strike Hard. As a pioneer of AI-powered to-do apps, Proactive List is getting a major upgrade — now with a minimalist pixel art style, smarter models, and a more playful experience. Just type in any task or plan you want to complete — Proactive List will analyze and break it down step-by-step, pairing each step with encouragement and smart prompts to help you finish with ease. Built for procrastinators, people with ADHD, and “P-types”. (If you’re a “J-type,” maybe you don’t need it… or do you?) Why We Procrastinate: • Getting started is hard — we don’t know where to begin, so we don’t. • Fear of failure. • No sense of progress or feedback — goals feel too far away and motivation fades. AI-Powered Productivity: • Tasks are broken down with maximum clarity — and the first step is always easy, so you can start right away. • Every step comes with motivation and game-like guidance to keep you on track. • Visual progress tracking helps you stay aware and in control of your goals. What Makes a Great To-Do App: • Just 3MB in size. • Ultra-minimalist design. • All data stored locally on your device, with anonymized network requests. • Built-in statistics and insights. At the end of the day, a to-do app should help you get things done. Proactive List redefines planning as an active, AI-supported journey, giving your goals the momentum they deserve. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

PlanCoach

This app helps users overcome procrastination and ADHD by breaking down tasks into manageable steps. It uses principles of CBT and cognitive offloading, offering customizable coaches and a growth system to make progress visible and enjoyable.

Highlights
  • AI task breakdown
  • Customizable coaches
  • Cognitive offloading
  • Growth system
  • Navigation mode for focus
  • Idea capture
Features
Read full description

PlanCoach helps you get through everything you thought was too hard, one thing at a time, and actually enjoy the process. Built on CBT and cognitive offloading: serious about beating procrastination, and ADHD-friendly. What makes PlanCoach different from its many imitators? ================================= 1. A larger community. Since a viral post in July 2025 (300K likes, 3M+ views), PlanCoach has grown to hundreds of thousands of users. 2. Built with the community. Shaped by 1,000+ pieces of community feedback, with constant iteration and great reviews. 3. Covers the whole task cycle (start, execute, focus, capture distracting thoughts, record reflections, time receipts), so you can get back on track from any stage. 4. Deep customisation. Coaches, personal profiles, per-coach rewrites and lorebooks give you huge freedom and fun. The Psychology Behind It ======== 1. Zeigarnik effect: unfinished tasks keep occupying your mind. Making a plan lets you put them down, and once you start, you want to finish. → AI breaks tasks into steps, with a first step small enough to start now; widgets, Live Activities and persistent reminders keep it in sight. 2. Cognitive offloading: your mind is for thinking, not for storing. → Shake to save a thought to Idea Capture; Navigation Mode keeps the current step on screen, so you only need to look, not remember; lorebooks and your profile remember your context. 3. CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy): act first, and your mood will follow. → Coaches turn tasks into concrete actions and answer self-doubt with encouragement; "Explain it" shows the reasoning behind each step, dissolving resistance. 4. Tiny starts (Atomic Habits): make the bar so low you can't fail. → Revise steps until they are small enough; Shortcuts can start a routine on a schedule or with an NFC tap. 5. Instant positive feedback: make progress visible. → Check-ins, the Growth System and time receipts turn your real-world effort into results you can see. Key Features ====== 1. Multiple Coaches 4 carefully selected built-in coaches: Coach W gets you started, the cool big sister is blunt and balanced, Miss S handles chained tasks, and the NPC Mage turns boring tasks into role-playing adventures. 2. Coach DLC Download the coaches you like: a minister, a butler, a communication coach, a sleep coach, even a chef… one app, endless ways to play. 3. Growth System Make your real-world effort visible inside the app, so you fall in love with the version of yourself that keeps improving. 4. Personal Profile Coaches refer to your profile every time they plan, so steps fit your situation and encouragement hits home. Each coach can see its own rewrite of your profile (the "Master Chef" sees your food preferences; the "Minister" sees that you are a Spanish princess). 5. Navigation Mode (Focus) An ADHD-friendly focus mode: large always-visible text (GTD-inspired), progressive step disclosure and course correction, so focus comes naturally. 6. Idea Capture (Not a TODO List) "Your mind is for having ideas, not holding them." Shake firmly on any screen to capture an idea instantly. You don't need a brilliant idea every time. Keep capturing them, and the rare good ones will eventually connect into real change. 7. Lorebook Define a dictionary for your own world, packaging complex instructions, technical terms and personal SOPs into reusable entries. 8. Apple Watch Support! Great for cooking, exercising or walking, when you can't keep looking at your phone. 9. Iterative Revision Good plans are made by revising. Refine yours endlessly with AI until it truly fits. ==== The app price is increasing month by month, and the lifetime purchase will gradually rise to ¥268. The earlier you buy, the better the deal! Website: https://plancoach.app/ Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Proactive List4 screens
PlanCoach4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Proactive List at daily against PlanCoach's every 2 days. PlanCoach's advantage is ratings volume (21 vs 2) and review sentiment (84% vs 75%). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases 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. Proactive List sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month and PlanCoach sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 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 — 4.5 for Proactive List against 4.5 for PlanCoach. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: PlanCoach has 21 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 75% of Proactive List's written reviews are positive against 84% of PlanCoach's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Proactive List ships an update daily, PlanCoach every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Proactive List versus PlanCoach: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterProactive ListPlanCoach
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (2 ratings)4.5 (21 ratings)
Positive reviews75.0% of reviews84.2% of reviews — better
Number of ratings221 — better
Update frequencyDaily — betterEvery 2 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS16.6 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size6 MB56 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developer登科 王晓江 苏

Customer experience

Proactive List

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive75.0%
Neutral25.0%
Negative0.0%

PlanCoach

All ratings21 ratings
Positive85.7%
Neutral4.8%
Negative9.5%
Written reviews38 reviews
Positive84.2%
Neutral7.9%
Negative7.9%

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Proactive List

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly membership$0.991 Month
  • Annual membership$7.991 Year
7 purchases

PlanCoach

Subscriptions3
  • Premium - Monthly$2.991 Month
  • Premium - Quarterly$6.993 Months
  • Premium - Yearly$29.991 Year
One-time4
  • 500 Coffee Beans$1.99
  • Essentials - Lifetime$9.99
  • Upgrade to Premium$19.99
Show 1 more
  • Premium-Lifetime$29.99

Questions

Is Proactive List free?
Proactive List is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is PlanCoach free?
PlanCoach is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Proactive List or PlanCoach?
Proactive List and PlanCoach are both rated 4.5 out of 5 on the App Store, from 2 and 21 ratings respectively.
Do Proactive List or PlanCoach have ads?
Neither Proactive List nor PlanCoach shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Proactive List or PlanCoach?
Proactive List ships an update daily, and PlanCoach every 2 days. Most recently, Proactive List was updated on October 30, 2026 and PlanCoach on November 5, 2026.

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