Comparison

Catalist vs Handled

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

Head to head
About

Catalist

Features
Read full description

Ever feel like your calendar, to-do list, and daily notes are three different conversations happening in three different apps? Catalist herds them all into one clean daily view — so you can tame the chaos and actually get things done. YOUR DAY AT A GLANCE Scheduled events and reminders on the left, your personal journal on the right. No switching apps. No losing context. PLAN YOUR ACTUAL DAY Switch to Timeline view and drag any event or reminder onto an hourly grid. See exactly when you're doing what, not just a list of what's due. Repeating reminders supported — daily, weekly, monthly, or custom. RECORD ANY MEETING, HANDS-FREE -- AND GET THE MINUTES Tap the mic on a calendar event and Catalist records right in the app, safe from lock screen interruptions, with live captions so you can follow along as you talk. When you stop, Catalist can generate a summary, decisions, and action items right on your device, powered by Apple Intelligence. Start or stop recording from your Apple Watch, too. Still want the full transcript in Notes? One tap sends it there as well. TYPE NATURALLY, CATALIST FILLS IN THE REST Type "Call the dentist next Tuesday at 2pm" and Catalist suggests the date and time for you to confirm — powered entirely on-device, the same technology behind Messages and Mail. PROJECTS: KANBAN & EISENHOWER, BUILT IN Turn any goal into a Kanban board with your own columns, or view it as an Eisenhower urgency matrix — name all four quadrants yourself, so the framework fits how you actually think about the work. Track dependencies between tasks, see what's blocked, and keep project work syncing through Reminders — no separate app, no separate account. YOUR MEDS, IN YOUR DAY Optionally show your medications from Apple Health alongside your tasks and events — each dose appears as Health reminds you or you log it, with taken and outstanding doses at a glance. Display-only and completely private: read on-device, never stored, never transmitted. ONE APP, EVERY SCREEN Catalist runs natively on iPhone, iPad, and Mac — tasks beside your journal on the big screens, a streamlined tabbed view on iPhone. Full data parity, no separate purchase. A Home Screen widget and an Apple Watch app keep today one glance away without opening the app at all. SHOPPING LIST, BUILT IN Add items, check them off, drag to reorder — synced straight to Apple Reminders. Creating an event? Attach reminders or shopping items to it on the spot, so your prep work stays grouped with the event it's for. YOUR DATA STAYS YOURS No Catalist account. No third-party servers. No ads. Syncs only through your own private iCloud. FEATURES AT A GLANCE • Runs natively on iPhone, iPad, and Mac • Daily split view: events + reminders beside your journal • Time-blocking Timeline with drag-and-drop scheduling and recurrence • Projects: Kanban boards and Eisenhower Matrix for goals and tasks • Home Screen widget and Apple Watch app • Smart Reminders — natural-language date/time suggestions, fully on-device • Record a meeting hands-free, with live captions and on-device minutes. • Start or stop meeting recording from your Apple Watch • Your medications from Apple Health — optional, display-only, private • Shopping list with drag-to-reorder; attach items to any event • Reads from Apple Calendar and Reminders — no duplicate entry • Rich journal: text, photos, and audio recordings • Daily wellness habit tracker and full-text journal search • 30-day free trial, then $2.99/month or $19.99/year • 100% on-device — no account required Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Handled

Features
Read full description

Handled is a calm place for everything you need to remember. Open Today for a clear view of what is due and what is on your calendar. Switch to Mind when something pops into your head. Type a sentence, or say it on iPhone and iPad, and Handled turns it into a to-do, a note or a saved link. EVERYTHING TOGETHER • To-dos with dates, reminders, repeats and subtasks • Notes with headings, checklists, links and images • Saved links for the things you want to come back to • Google Calendar with two-way sync and RSVP • Today for what matters now, Mind for quick capture ON EVERY DEVICE One account keeps Handled in sync across iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Watch. Widgets, Live Activities, notifications and the share sheet keep the important things close. SHARE WITH A FEW PEOPLE Create a shared profile for your household or a small team. Assign to-dos, tick them off together and keep shared notes in one place. BUILT TO STAY CALM No streaks, no points, no productivity theatre. A focused list, a place to think, and a quick way to catch a thought before it wanders off. TRY IT FREE Handled starts with a 7-day free trial. After that it's $1.99 a month or $14.99 a year - a small subscription that keeps the servers running. Cancel anytime in your Apple Account settings, and you won't be charged if you cancel before the trial ends. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://myhandled.app/privacy

Screenshots

Catalist4 screens
Handled4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: Handled at 18.0 against Catalist's 26.2. On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price Ā· Rating Ā· Positive reviews Ā· Number of ratings Ā· Update frequency Ā· Ads Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Monetization Ā· Best chart rank Ā· Devices Ā· Requires iOS

CostPrice Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Ads Ā· Monetization

Both are free to download. Catalist sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month and Handled sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Catalist ships an update every 11 days, Handled weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and November 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference Ā· 5 level
Catalist versus Handled: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCatalistHandled
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 11 daysWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple WatchiPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch
Requires iOS26.218.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size5 MB37 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMaureen BoudreauAkhil Krishnan

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Catalist

Subscriptions2
  • Catalist Pro1 Month trial$0.991 Month
  • Catalist Pro - Annual1 Month trial$5.991 Year
2 purchases

Handled

Subscriptions2
  • Zephr Pro (Monthly)7 Days trial$1.991 Month
  • Zephr Pro (Monthly)7 Days trial$14.991 Year

Questions

Is Catalist free?
Catalist is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Handled free?
Handled is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Catalist or Handled have ads?
Neither Catalist nor Handled shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Catalist or Handled?
Catalist ships an update every 11 days, and Handled weekly. Most recently, Catalist was updated on October 31, 2026 and Handled on November 10, 2026.

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