IvyTask vs Next Thing
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
IvyTask
This app helps you focus on your most important tasks with a priority-first approach and a distraction-free design. It features a Live Activity widget to keep your top priority visible and connects daily actions to larger goals.
- Priority-first task organization
- Live Activity widget for lock screen
- Smart goal tracking
- Distraction-free design
- Daily focus system
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Stop drowning in endless to-do lists. IvyTask helps you focus on what truly matters by keeping your highest priority task visible throughout your day. Unlike other task apps that overwhelm you with features and endless lists, IvyTask embraces simplicity. Based on proven productivity principles, it encourages you to identify your most important tasks and actually complete them, rather than getting lost in busy work. Why choose IvyTask? IvyTask is a focused productivity tool that cuts through the noise and keeps you on track with your priorities. - Priority-first approach – Organize tasks by importance, not just urgency, so you're always working on what moves the needle forward - Live Activity widget – Your current highest priority task stays visible on your lock screen and Dynamic Island, so you never lose sight of what matters most - Smart goal tracking – Connect daily tasks to bigger objectives and watch your progress unfold over time - Distraction-free design – Clean, intuitive interface that encourages action over endless organization and tweaking - Daily focus system – Start each day knowing exactly what to tackle first, eliminating decision fatigue before it starts Perfect for: - Professionals who want to move beyond busy work to meaningful progress - Anyone tired of complex productivity apps that become a chore to maintain - People who struggle with prioritization and focus in our distraction-filled world - Goal-oriented individuals who want to see their daily actions connect to bigger achievements Transform scattered productivity into focused achievement. Download IvyTask and discover the power of working on the right things, not just more things.
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.
- Ivy Lee Method task prioritization
- Single-task focus
- Evening task selection
- Daily habit building
- Lock screen widgets
- Home screen widgets
- Focus bell reminders
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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
Verdict
IvyTask and Next Thing both sit at 5.0 stars, but that hides the real split: 100% of Next Thing's written reviews are positive against 50% of IvyTask's. Next Thing also leads on price (Free vs $1.99) and ratings volume (4 vs 1). IvyTask's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3) and update cadence (daily vs every 3 weeks). On rating, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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
Next Thing is free to download; IvyTask costs $1.99 up front. Next Thing sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. IvyTask asks for nothing beyond the download.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for IvyTask against 5.0 for Next Thing. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 4 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 50% of IvyTask's written reviews are positive against 100% of Next Thing's.
IvyTask ships an update daily, Next Thing every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | IvyTask | Next Thing |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $1.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 5.0 (1 ratings) | 5.0 (4 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 50.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 1 | 4 — better |
| Update frequency | Daily — better | Every 3 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | Freemium — better |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPad — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.2 — better | 17.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 5 MB | 8 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | John Mock | JEREMIAH DANIEL ROBERTS |
Customer experience
IvyTask
Next Thing
In-app purchases
IvyTask
No in-app purchases
Next Thing
- Ivy Lee Pro$3.99
- Projects Pro$5.99
- Next Thing Complete$7.99









