Focus5 vs Google Tasks: a Google Tasks alternative
Google Tasks is free and sits inside Gmail. Focus5 costs $29 once and adds a Focus mode that picks your next task and times it.
Google Tasks is free, it is already in your Gmail and Calendar sidebar, and it takes about four seconds to add something. For a lot of people that is enough, and there is no reason to pay for anything else.
It is also deliberately thin. Nothing works through the list for you, there is no timer, no view of where your time went, and the mobile app is a plain list.
Focus5 is the opposite trade: it does less than a full task manager, but the little it does is aimed squarely at finishing.
| Google Tasks | Focus5 | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free with a Google account | $29 once, lifetime |
| Choosing what to do | You decide, every time you open it | Focus queues them for you, 5 on screen at a time |
| Focus timer | No | Yes, one task on screen with a timer |
| Capture | Typed, in the Gmail or Calendar sidebar | Talk, and it writes it down and files it |
| Where it lives | A sidebar in Gmail and Calendar | Its own full screen |
| Time tracking | None | Insights, from real focus sessions |
Why people pick Focus5 over Google Tasks
Something that starts the work for you
Google Tasks holds everything you type into it in one long scroll, and then it is on you to pick something out of it.
Focus5 has Focus mode: open it and the next task is on screen with the timer running, 5 in view at a time, chosen in order rather than by you.
A screen of its own, not a sidebar
Google Tasks lives next to your email, which is the single most distracting place a task list can be. You open it to check one thing and you are reading mail.
Focus5 is its own screen, showing one task with a timer and nothing else.
Add a task by talking
Google Tasks is fast to type into but that is all it does.
In Focus5 you talk about your day and it writes the tasks down, dates them and files them into the right book. Nothing has to be organised to get out of your head.
Where Google Tasks is the better fit
It is free and it is already open in a tab, which are two very good arguments.
You live in Gmail and Calendar. Tasks appear on your calendar and you can turn an email into a task in one click. Focus5 knows nothing about your email or your calendar.
Your list is genuinely short. If you have four things a day and finish them, you do not have a problem worth paying $29 to solve.
You want it free. Google Tasks costs nothing and always has.
You need it on an iPhone. Google Tasks has iOS and Android apps. Focus5 has the Android one and a desktop browser, so on iPhone you are waiting.
Google Tasks is a fine list. Focus5 is for the case where a list was never the missing piece.
Who Focus5 is for
Choose Focus5 over Google Tasks if:
- Your Google Tasks list has quietly grown past 30 items and you avoid opening it.
- You want the next task handed to you, not just somewhere to put things.
- You want a timer running while you work.
- You do not want your task list living inside your inbox.
- You want to see where your focus time actually went.
See Focus5 in action
Frequently asked questions
Is Focus5 a good Google Tasks alternative?
It is if your list has outgrown you. Google Tasks is a free, thin list that lives in Gmail. Focus5 picks your next task, runs a timer and shows where your time went. If a simple free list is working, there is no reason to switch.
How much does Google Tasks cost?
Nothing. It is free with any Google account and is included in Google Workspace.
Does Focus5 sync with Google Calendar?
No. Focus5 has a calendar view of its own tasks, but it does not read or write your Google Calendar. Google Tasks does, and if that matters to you it settles the question.
Can you import Google Tasks into Focus5?
No, there is no importer. Most people switching start fresh with today’s five.
Why pay for a task app when Google Tasks is free?
To stop choosing, plus the focus timer and voice capture. If those do not solve a problem you have, free wins and we would rather you kept your money.
Can you try Focus5 without paying?
Every feature is unlocked for your first 7 days, with no card. After that, Today, Agenda, Calendar and 2 books stay free with no time limit.
Compare Focus5 with another app
Focus5 vs Sunsama
Sunsama costs $204 a year and connects to 21 other tools. Focus5 costs $29 once and shows you 5 tasks at a time, one at a time, in the right order.
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Focus5 vs Todoist
Todoist organises your whole list from $5 a month. Focus5 costs $29 once and shows you 5 tasks at a time so you never decide what to do next.
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Focus5 vs TickTick
Both apps have a focus timer. TickTick costs $35.99 a year and leaves you to choose what to work on. Focus5 costs $29 once and chooses for you.
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Focus5 vs Motion
Motion uses AI to build your calendar, from $19 per person a month. Focus5 costs $29 once and just queues your tasks in order, 5 on screen at a time.
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Focus5 vs Things 3
Neither app charges a subscription. Things 3 is Apple only and costs up to $79.97 across devices. Focus5 is $29 once for every device, with a focus queue Things does not have.
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Focus5 vs Notion
Notion makes you build your own task system. Focus5 gives you one you cannot change, and a Focus mode that decides what you do next.
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Focus5 vs Microsoft To Do
Microsoft To Do is free and syncs with Outlook. Focus5 costs $29 once and adds a Focus mode that queues your tasks and times them.
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Focus5 vs Trello
Trello shows all your work on a board at once. Focus5 shows 5 at a time and one on screen, in an order it picks for you.
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Focus5 vs ClickUp
ClickUp runs a whole company’s work. Focus5 runs your next hour: it picks the next task and starts the timer.
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Focus5 vs Superlist
Both apps let you add tasks by talking. Superlist is $59 a year. Focus5 is $29 once and adds a Focus mode that queues them and times them.
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