Comparison

Playlyst vs NextStep

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

Head to head
About

Playlyst

Features
Read full description

■ This is for you if you want to: ■ - Focus on what you want to do, not just what you have to. - Dive deep into work, study, reading, or creative work at your own pace. - Bring your to-do list, habit tracker, and focus timer into one beautiful space. - Practice single-tasking—one thing at a time, with full attention. - Build positive routines through habit stacking. [ Play Your Day ] Playlyst is a to-do, habit, and focus app to help you craft your day and immerse yourself in the now. Line up what you want to do today like choosing your favorite songs, then hit "PLAY." Surrounded by soothing music, you fall naturally into focus—one task at a time. From what you want to do (reading, hobbies) to what you need to do (work, chores) and your daily routines, it's a calm, positive way to manage tasks at your own pace. ■ 3 Simple Steps to Design Your Day ■ Inbox: Toss in whatever comes to mind Articles to read later, movies for the weekend, an idea on your way home, your next trip. Drop it all into your Inbox and clear your head. Today: Curate your playlist for the day Pick from your Inbox and habits based on your mood, or add something on the spot. Design your own "playlist for today." Play: Immerse yourself Tap PLAY and a beautiful full-screen player opens. It shows only "what to do right now," so a mountain of tasks never rushes or distracts you. With comforting music, your focus time begins. ■ Mindful Features that Fit Your Life ■ Now Playing: One thing at a time Instead of a rushing countdown, we chose a gentle "count-up" that quietly records your focused time. Built-in music (Jukebox) helps you concentrate, and you can take a Break anytime—like brewing a cup of tea. Loop: Your routines, at your own rhythm Morning stretches, 15 minutes of reading before bed, a weekly yoga session—put your routines into "Loop." They softly appear on your list on the days you choose. Playlog: A small sense of accomplishment What you finished and the time you focused become a single, beautiful poster (Result). Add a "Word of the Day," look back in your calendar, or share it. Reviewing your day becomes something to look forward to. Widgets: A quick tap from your home screen Complete "what's now" with one tap from your home screen widget—no need to open the app. Your day's list stays in view, so you never lose sight of what matters. ■ A Sleek, Capable To-Do App ■ Beyond "playing," it works beautifully as a standard to-do app, with all the essentials: Subtasks & Notes: Break big tasks into steps; keep text and URLs tidy in notes. Link Cards: Paste a URL and it becomes a beautiful card with a thumbnail—your "read later" list, neatly organized. Recurring Tasks: Daily, weekly, monthly, or "every X days"—at your own pace. Natural Language: Type "shopping tomorrow" to set the due date instantly. Schedule: See dated plans together, sorted by date, including past ones. Customization: Set theme colors and background photos per list. From just getting things done, to playing your day. Why not play your day with Playlyst?

About

NextStep

Features
Read full description

Keep your next step in view. NextStep helps you move through everyday routines on iPhone and Apple Watch. Break getting ready, packing your bag or winding down into clear steps, then follow one step at a time with your finish-by time in view. YOU DECIDE WHEN A STEP IS DONE Set an estimate for each step and tap Done when you finish. Reaching zero never moves you on automatically. Pause, add step time, skip a step or end a routine when your plans change. Pausing or adding step time keeps your chosen deadline fixed, so you can see the effect on your plan. MAKE A ROUTINE YOUR OWN Create routines with up to 30 steps, optional steps, short notes and a finish-by time. Start from a sample or build your own. Reorder, duplicate and archive routines. Set optional recurring reminders separately from your finish-by time; a reminder never starts a routine for you. USE YOUR PHONE OR YOUR WATCH Start and follow a routine on either device. Saved routines can run on Apple Watch while disconnected from iPhone. When paired devices connect, they exchange routine and session updates. Each run stays with the device that started it, and the other device shows its saved progress. A QUICK LOOK WHEN YOU NEED IT Widgets and Watch complications offer a glance at your saved routine or current progress. Optional iPhone Live Activities show routines started on iPhone. Alerts depend on permission, Focus and system delivery; open NextStep to act on a step. LEARN FROM YOUR OWN ROUTINES Review completed and ended routines. After enough qualifying sessions, local duration suggestions can help you adjust future estimates. You choose which changes to apply. START FREE Save two non-archived routines and start them as often as you like. Free includes routine editing, reminders, essential widgets, the most recent seven days of history, local estimate suggestions and data export/import. Try a 45-second demo without creating a history entry. OPTIONAL NEXTSTEP PRO Pro adds more saved routines, full retained history views, detailed planned-versus-actual time comparisons and additional authored routine programs. Preview every program for free. Choose a monthly or annual auto-renewing subscription, or a one-time lifetime purchase. Prices and billing periods appear before purchase. If Pro ends, all your existing routines remain available to view, edit and run. Your retained data stays exportable. NextStep never presents a paywall during an active routine. YOUR ROUTINES STAY YOURS No NextStep account, advertising or external AI service. Routines and history are stored on your devices. Export files when you choose to share or back up your data. Apple handles purchases with your Apple Account. Subscriptions renew automatically until cancelled in Apple Account settings. Lifetime does not cancel an existing subscription; manage that subscription separately. Privacy: https://mubaraklabs.com/privacy/nextstep/ Terms: https://mubaraklabs.com/terms/nextstep/ License: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Playlyst4 screens
NextStep4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Playlyst at none against NextStep's 3. Playlyst also leads on iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.0). On price, ads and device support 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. NextStep sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Playlyst asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scorecard2 real differences · 4 level
Playlyst versus NextStep: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPlaylystNextStep
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 2 days—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, Apple Watch
Requires iOS15.1 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size62 MB9 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperStudio Ink & EchoMubarak Almahmeed

In-app purchases

None

Playlyst

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

NextStep

Subscriptions2
  • Pro Monthly$4.991 Month
  • Pro Annual$29.991 Year
One-time1
  • Pro Lifetime$79.99

Questions

Is Playlyst free?
Playlyst is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is NextStep free?
NextStep is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Playlyst or NextStep have ads?
Neither Playlyst nor NextStep shows ads.

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