skift vs Google Tasks
Google Tasks is already on your screen if you use Gmail or Google Calendar — it lives in the sidebar, quiet and unassuming. It's the task manager you get for free without installing anything. skift is also free, but it's a dedicated daily planner with a Kanban board and backlog management. The question is: do you need more than a sidebar checklist to plan your day?
Feature Comparison
| Feature | skift | Google Tasks |
|---|---|---|
| Kanban Board skift is built around a visual Kanban board with columns for Backlog, To Do, In Progress, Done, and Archive. Google Tasks is a plain list — no board view, no columns, no visual flow. | ||
| Daily Focus View Both let you see tasks for today. Google Tasks shows dated tasks in a list; skift shows them on a board where their position tells you their status at a glance. | ||
| Drag & Drop skift uses drag-and-drop to move tasks between workflow columns. Google Tasks supports drag-and-drop only for reordering items within a list. | ||
| Google Calendar Integration Google Tasks integrates seamlessly with Google Calendar — tasks with dates appear directly on your calendar. skift has no calendar integration. | ||
| Gmail Integration You can turn Gmail emails into Google Tasks with one click from the sidebar. skift is a standalone app with no email integration. | ||
| Backlog Management skift has a dedicated backlog column for parking future tasks. Google Tasks uses multiple lists, but there's no visual separation between 'someday' and 'today.' | ||
| Responsive Design Both work on mobile. Google Tasks has a dedicated mobile app; skift is a responsive web app that adapts to any screen size without installation. |
Kanban Board
skift is built around a visual Kanban board with columns for Backlog, To Do, In Progress, Done, and Archive. Google Tasks is a plain list — no board view, no columns, no visual flow.
Daily Focus View
Both let you see tasks for today. Google Tasks shows dated tasks in a list; skift shows them on a board where their position tells you their status at a glance.
Drag & Drop
skift uses drag-and-drop to move tasks between workflow columns. Google Tasks supports drag-and-drop only for reordering items within a list.
Google Calendar Integration
Google Tasks integrates seamlessly with Google Calendar — tasks with dates appear directly on your calendar. skift has no calendar integration.
Gmail Integration
You can turn Gmail emails into Google Tasks with one click from the sidebar. skift is a standalone app with no email integration.
Backlog Management
skift has a dedicated backlog column for parking future tasks. Google Tasks uses multiple lists, but there's no visual separation between 'someday' and 'today.'
Responsive Design
Both work on mobile. Google Tasks has a dedicated mobile app; skift is a responsive web app that adapts to any screen size without installation.
Pros
Why choose skift
- +Visual Kanban workflow shows task progress at a glance — far more useful than a flat list
- +Dedicated backlog keeps future tasks separate from today's focus
- +Purpose-built daily planner vs. a sidebar afterthought
Why choose Google Tasks
- +Already built into Gmail and Google Calendar — zero setup if you live in Google's ecosystem
- +Turn emails into tasks with one click from the Gmail sidebar
- +Tasks appear directly on Google Calendar with time blocking
- +Lightweight and unobtrusive — it stays in the sidebar without demanding attention
Verdict
Google Tasks is the task manager for people who don't want a task manager. It's there, it's simple, and it works. But 'simple' and 'minimal' aren't the same thing — Google Tasks is simple because it's barebones, not because it's thoughtfully designed for daily planning. skift is minimal by choice: it gives you a visual workflow and a backlog — tools that actually help you plan your day, not just list things out. If Google Tasks feels like it's not quite enough, skift is the natural next step.
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