Playlyst vs NextStep
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Playlyst
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■ 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?
NextStep
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One step on screen and your finish-by time right beside it. NextStep turns getting ready, heading out or winding down into a short run of steps that you follow on iPhone or Apple Watch. Every step counts down its own estimate. When the countdown hits zero, nothing jumps ahead: the step waits for you to tap Done. PLAN THE ROUTINE • Up to 30 steps per routine, each with a time estimate, a short note and an optional flag • Give the routine a finish-by time and keep an eye on the estimated finish while you go • Begin from a starter such as Leave for work, Evening reset or Start a focus block, or write your own • Break a task into steps: NextStep suggests steps and times from its own templates for common tasks and, on iPhones with Apple Intelligence, from the on-device model for the rest. You check every step before it is added • Reorder, duplicate or archive routines • Recurring reminders nudge you at the time you pick; a reminder never starts a routine by itself FOLLOW ALONG, STEP BY STEP • Done, Skip, Pause, Add 1 minute and End are always your call • Running behind? Adjust plan lists the optional steps still ahead and the minutes each one would save. Skip a few, or move the finish time for this run only • Pausing or adding a minute leaves your deadline where you set it, so you see straight away what it does to the plan APPLE WATCH, WIDGETS AND LOCK SCREEN • The Apple Watch app runs saved routines by itself, even with iPhone out of reach, and the two catch up when they reconnect • An optional Live Activity follows routines started on iPhone, with a Done button for the current step • The Home Screen widget shows the current step with a Done button, or your next routine • A Start routine control in Control Center or on the Action button opens your next routine, ready for you to confirm • Watch complications show your current progress at a glance ESTIMATES THAT LEARN YOUR PACE • History lists the routines you completed or ended • After enough real runs, NextStep proposes new step times based on your own pace, and you choose which ones to keep WITHOUT PRO • Two saved routines, run as often as you like • Routine editing, reminders, widgets, the Live Activity, the Start routine control, the last seven days of history, estimate suggestions and file export and import • Three tries of Break a task into steps • Watch complications, if you used NextStep before version 1.1 • A 45-second demo run that stays out of your history NEXTSTEP PRO • No two-routine limit • Full history plus planned-versus-actual time comparisons • Extra ready-made programs, such as Ready to go and A calmer evening, each one open to preview before you buy • Break a task into steps as often as you like • Watch complications, when NextStep was first installed at version 1.1 or later • If Pro ends, every routine you made stays available to view, edit and run • A paywall never interrupts a routine in progress KEPT ON YOUR DEVICES There is no NextStep account, no advertising and no outside AI service; Apple Intelligence suggestions are made on the iPhone itself. Routines and history stay on the devices that run them, and you can export a file whenever you want a copy. PAYING FOR PRO Pro is sold three ways: a monthly subscription, an annual subscription, or a lifetime unlock bought once. Before you confirm, the purchase sheet lists what Pro costs in your region and how often it bills, and payment comes from your Apple Account. A subscription carries on into each new period by itself. To stop that, turn off auto-renewal at least a day before the current period ends, since the coming period is billed in the final 24 hours. Manage or cancel from Settings, then your name, then Subscriptions. A lifetime unlock does not end a subscription you already pay for; cancel that 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
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Playlyst at none against NextStep's 3. Playlyst also leads on update cadence (every 2 days vs every 3 weeks) and 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
Both are free to download. NextStep sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Playlyst asks for nothing beyond the download.
Playlyst ships an update every 2 days, NextStep every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 28, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Playlyst | NextStep |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Every 2 days — better | Every 3 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, Apple Watch |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 62 MB | 12 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Studio Ink & Echo | Mubarak Almahmeed |
In-app purchases
Playlyst
No in-app purchases
NextStep
- Pro Monthly$4.991 Month
- Pro Annual7 Days trial$29.991 Year
- Pro Lifetime$49.99









