Is the todo app market too saturated already?

As it is often said, the point of a SaaS should be to solve a problem.
So, my guess is that if you want to start a startup in this domain, you might have a problem that is not currently solved by other TODO apps (could be a design problem, a feature problem, a price problem...). So if you focus on this problem, you will eventually come to a solution and therefore a way to differenciate.

I think you'll see some consolidation in the market. With Trello being swept up by Atlassian and Wunderlist being shut down, there's always room for more. the space is actually growing quickly as companies "digitize" their workflows.

Pick a pain point and concentrate on solving it. At Zenkit (https://zenkit.com), we wanted to help users find a solution that grows with them. Usually people are using 10 different apps to get things done. That can't be the future.

We built lists, Kanban, calendar, table and even mind map "views" into the app, so you can switch between them and use the best tool for the job. We also use Zenkit to build Zenkit, so we're constantly adding cool stuff that we like.

Same as the dating app market.
It is saturated, but there’s a place for a good one.

Why?

Similar to dating: It’s not the app, it’s you yourself who can make a difference (by habitualizing GTD).
And when you master that mindset, even a todo.txt is an as good interface as any.

That said, the majority of the market does not get it. So people start using one app then feel like it does not “do the trick”, and then start using another app.

Almost identical to registering a dating website to find a few partners of your interest, and getting frustrated when not finding any, conclude that that dating website sucks.

So you don’t realize that it’s you not being fit (mentally, pyhsically, emotionally), and it’s not the website’s problem. And then, you rinse and repeat with the next dating website.

Though during this journey, the user actually learns how to “be efficient” and then gets under the impression that it’s the last shiny to do app that helped her get there. — Actually, it’s a trail of all to-do app she tried so far that teached her how to “habitualize” an effective use of her time, and maintaining focus.

So as long as this vicious cycle exists, the more the merrier ;)
The market will grow itself.

I think the answer to this is simultaneously yes and no. I just listened to the Workflowy podcast on IH. One of the reasons the founders didn't pursue the idea right away is because the to-do list market is saturated, yet their product is a hit.

You WILL have to differentiate, and significantly to get noticed. How you do that is going to be a defining factor of your company. I personally can't tell you how to do that.

I have a quite different opinion. The market could not be too saturated, but eventually, it will get. At the end of last year, we have launched Flow-e (https://flow-e.com) A Kanban-style tool that transforms your Outlook/Gmail into a Trello-like style. You can create to-dos, columns, add notes, deadlines, you have a time view.

However, after I joined this start-up, you wouldn't believe how many email+to-dos applications have launched similar products.

And the main problem I see is that people don't stick to a particular to-do/productivity application because they really don't create the habit to get things done by a list of priorities.

People are accustomed to multitasking and prioritizing task seems to be hard for them.

We thought it was too saturated but built Streaks anyway (iOS, https://streaksapp.com/) and it has been successful, even winning an Apple Design Award. It spawned a sibling app (https://streaksworkout.com/) which has also done well.

As others have identified, differentiating is the key. The core of Streaks was helping users restrain from over-extending themselves. It focused on daily habits and limiting to six things (now extended to 12 - e.g., six for personal, six professional, etc). Most apps at the time were long lists of tasks that people quickly found overwhelming. Now it's 6-12 regular things in a fixed layout that people quickly find overwhelming. ;)

I definitely believe there's room for new todo apps. The problem really is having that differentiation idea. If you are gonna make another average todo app, then, don't bother. If you have a specific idea, way to approach the problem, personal experience, etc, then I'm sure you can find your people.

I probably wouldn't do one. I think that for a plain "to do" app, you're competing with Google Keep and Apple Notes, which are installed by default on devices. "Installed by default" is not something I want to go up against.

That means that you need features that are so good, or that you respond to a problem so specific, that a user will stay with you despite the ease-of-use of a preinstalled thing.

By adding these features, though, you also start becoming more subjective competing with all the other productivity tools like Trello and Asana.

I think the market's in that complicated space between "if you're simple and solve a single problem, people won't take notice of you" and "if you're solving a more complicated problem, the amount of competitors is immense".

I think as pre-installed solutions improve, Todoist Wunderlist and the like will see less use.

Hi! I'm bootstrapping Y-Productive - a tool that combines a to-do list with the real-time task efficiency feedback. The app helps to improve concentration on top priorities, fight distractions and develop useful work habits.

The idea was born out of several productivity burnouts. When I quit my work it was exciting to become the boss of my own... But I quickly understood that I have major time&energy management issues. I can't figure out where exactly goes my worktime and I can't spot the moment when I end up doing something completely different.

I needed help in fight with unconscious impulses, the tool that will catch my procrastination moment, showcase the websites and apps that eat my time, and most important - prevent my procrastination in the future. It was a real pain for me and there was no proper solution for it on the market. Now there is one - Y-Productive.

What I am trying to emphasize here: think not about the "app market" in a first place. It's vice versa: Think of a problem and if there is a solution for it already, and if yes - how effective or simple it is.
By thus you'll understand, how "saturated" the situation is and if you have something valuable to add. People don't care about the market - people care about the most cost&time-effective solution for their problem.

i created anyway getshitdone247.web.app let me know what you think about it

i think the right way to say is there are good options available but i don't think just being market saturated you should not build something

Rather build a MVP and share with market get their views and see if it helps people

Enough that are okay to upgrade to paid plans (amount does not matters initially) i actually was not happy with all the options available so i created my own getshitdone247.web.app

so definitely not all people are satisfied find the problem solve it and make money.

From personal experience, I think there is no lack of great to do tools out there. What it comes down to for me is more on the behavioural side - I am not always using not because it missed the 57th integration but because I just didn't follow up with the app. So for me, if there would be an app with gamification, streaks or having me to donate if I didn't complete something that might be interesting. It's less about how many tools there are or what exact features they have but how well they serve the need for people to get s*** done. And I think the secret to that, nobody has figured out yet conclusively. - So yes, IMHO, there is still room.

Not the easiest to compete in. But rather than building a generic to-do app, let's focus on to-do for a specific purpose.

One example would be weekly shopping to-do. The extra feature you can integrate is historical price or notify where is having promotion, or do a weekly or monthly reminder of their resupply items.

I think if you want to build another to do app you can definitely do that but you should figure out the differentiating factor. People like doing work in all kinds of ways, find a way that you think people would like and build it for them.

I think it's going to be hard to compete with all the other apps. But that's not a good enough reason why you shouldn't build one for your self.

Maybe the way you want to solve this issue is a unique enough way that many people would find it useful. If you just build another "me too" product, it will be hard to get users.

No, but it can't just be a to-do app. It needs to be a to-do app that does a lot more than just a list of items. Take Slack as an example, it wasn't just a chat room, it was a chat room that integrates with Box, Giphy, etc

So the barrier to entry is a lot higher than in the past when you could get away with just a clean UI. Now you need a clean UI and a bunch of other things implemented. As another example, a to-do list that doesn't sync across Desktop and mobile for me is a non starter for me.

I think there’s still plenty of space. Look at OmniFocus and Things and Todoist, all their products are decently priced and many users use all 3 and “hop” between them. Though if you want to start on it, and don’t even have a clue to differentiate yourself — that’s not a good indicator.

Use some of these tools and you’ll see their shortcomings rather quickly.

This comment was deleted 7 years ago