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ByDesign

Comparison

ByDesign
Superlist

ByDesign vs Superlist

Superlist captures everything. ByDesign turns it into a plan and runs it.

Superlist is a fast list and notes app from the Wunderlist team: tasks with subtasks and sublists, rich notes, shared lists with assignments and messages, Talk voice AI, AI meeting notes and Google Calendar sync. ByDesign keeps the capture and adds the plan: goals the AI schedules around your hours with a preview you approve, a calendar with time blocking and auto-scheduling, habits with streaks, goal pages, a year-to-day canvas, Kanban, a Pomodoro timer and time tracking.

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What you get with ByDesign that Superlist doesn’t offer

  • AI that plans, not just transcribes

    Say a goal and ByDesign writes the tasks, subtasks, courses and deadlines and schedules them with a preview you approve. Superlist’s Talk turns voice into tasks, Make AI expands a project plan, and an MCP agent can scaffold a project or reschedule tasks on request; nothing builds a scheduled plan from a goal for you to approve.

  • A calendar that plans your day

    Day, week, month and a year-to-day canvas, two-way Google and Apple sync, time blocking and auto-scheduling around your hours. Superlist syncs due dates and titles with Google Calendar and turns a due time into a 30-minute block there.

  • Habits, goals and focus

    A habit tracker with streaks and stats, goal pages with progress, a Pomodoro timer and time tracking. Superlist handles habits as repeating reminders and shows your productive streaks on an activity heatmap.

  • The long view

    Year, quarter, month, week and day on one zoomable surface, plus Kanban boards and a customisable dashboard. Superlist shows lists, Inbox and Today.

ByDesign vs Superlist, feature by feature

Only the differences. What both apps do the same is listed underneath.

  • Included
  • Limited
  • Not available

AI planning

  • AI goal plans

    ByDesign

    Included: Built and scheduledTasks, subtasks, courses and deadlines land on your calendar; AI and AI Plus plans

    Superlist

    Limited: Make AI and MCPMake AI expands a project plan and an MCP agent scaffolds tasks with deadlines from a brief; no courses, calendar placement or preview to approve

  • AI scheduling with a preview you approve

    ByDesign

    Included: Preview, then acceptConflicts shown; nothing saves until you say so; AI and AI Plus plans

    Superlist

    Limited: Through MCP agentsAn MCP-connected agent can reschedule tasks based on your calendar; no in-app scheduler with a preview

  • Auto-schedule around your hours

    ByDesign

    Included: Rules you setWork hours, breaks, buffers, max hours a day, split long tasks

    Superlist

    Not available: Dates and times you setAn MCP agent can reschedule on request

  • Planning assistant chat

    ByDesign

    Included: In the app, full contextSees your calendar, goals, habits and notes; moves and reschedules items; AI and AI Plus plans

    Superlist

    Limited: AI Chat about meetingsOn the Super plan; MCP for Claude and ChatGPT; no assistant that plans your week

  • Voice control

    ByDesign

    Included: Mic and hands-freeOptional wake phrase; AI and AI Plus plans

    Superlist

    Limited: TalkVoice AI creates tasks and notes on Basic and Super

Calendar and views

  • Two-way calendar sync

    ByDesign

    Included: Google and AppleEdit events in either place; Outlook and ICS subscriptions too

    Superlist

    Limited: Google CalendarDue dates and titles sync both ways and a due time becomes a 30-minute block; Outlook and Apple Calendar aren’t documented

  • Year-to-day planning canvas

    ByDesign

    Included: Year to dayYear, quarter, month, week and day on one zoomable surface; AI and AI Plus plans

    Superlist

    Not available: Lists, Inbox and Today

  • Kanban boards

    ByDesign

    Included: Custom columnsMain board plus boards per page

    Superlist

    Not available: No

  • Sticky notes, images and pinned pages on the calendar

    ByDesign

    Included: Yes

    Superlist

    Not available: No

  • Customisable dashboard

    ByDesign

    Included: Drag-and-drop widgetsScore board, tasks, habits, inbox, pinned pages, Kanban

    Superlist

    Limited: Activity heatmapTask activity over time on your profile

Habits, goals and focus

  • Habit tracker

    ByDesign

    Included: Check-ins and streaksSkip a day, stats, habits with friends

    Superlist

    Limited: Repeating remindersHabits repeat as reminders; the activity heatmap shows productive streaks; no per-habit tracking

  • Goals with progress

    ByDesign

    Included: Goal pagesTasks, resources, percent complete, shareable

    Superlist

    Limited: Goals as tasksBreak a goal into subtasks with a progress indicator; no goal pages

  • Courses and roadmaps from the Hub

    ByDesign

    Included: The HubCourses, roadmaps and a habit library; schedule a roadmap straight onto your calendar

    Superlist

    Not available: No

  • Pomodoro timer

    ByDesign

    Included: Built in25/5/15 cycles with a floating timer

    Superlist

    Not available: No

  • Time tracking on tasks

    ByDesign

    Included: Start and pause on any taskTotals per task; “most tracked” filter

    Superlist

    Not available: No

Collaboration and platforms

  • Built-in chat

    ByDesign

    Included: Direct and groupThreads, reactions, polls

    Superlist

    Limited: Messages on tasksDiscuss a task below its details; live chat during meetings

  • Apps

    ByDesign

    Included: Web, Mac, Windows, iOS, iPad and Android

    Superlist

    Limited: Web, Mac, iOS and AndroidNo Windows app listed

Superlist column based on help centre, Google Calendar, Talk, meeting notes, tasks, priorities, MCP, updates and pricing on October 26, 2026. If something has changed, email info@bydesign.io.

Both apps cover the basics

  • Natural-language dates
  • Tasks with subtasks, priorities, labels and recurring schedules
  • Notes with rich text and images
  • Reminders
  • Shared lists with assignments and comments
  • Per-seat team plans
  • MCP server for AI assistants
  • Home-screen widgets
  • Multiple interface languages
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Why people switch from Superlist to ByDesign

Say the goal. Get a scheduled plan.

Tell ByDesign what you want to achieve. It asks a few questions, then builds the tasks, subtasks, courses and deadlines and schedules them around the life you already have. Replan in one message.

Superlist: In Superlist you capture tasks by typing, by voice with Talk, or from Gmail, Slack and meeting notes, then organise them into lists with due dates and priorities. Make AI can expand a project plan and an MCP agent can scaffold one, but nothing turns a goal into a scheduled plan you approve.

ByDesign AI goal plan with tasks, tags and durations

Your calendar, both ways

Connect Google or Apple Calendar and edit an event in either place, with Outlook and ICS subscriptions too. Auto-scheduling fills the real gaps around the meetings already there.

Superlist: Superlist works through Google Calendar: tasks with due dates appear there as all-day events, a due time creates a 30-minute block, and date changes sync both ways. Outlook and Apple Calendar aren’t documented, and nothing schedules tasks around your hours inside the app.

Google, Microsoft and Apple calendars syncing with ByDesign

Your whole year on one surface

The planning canvas zooms from the full year down to a single day. Pin goals, notes and milestones where they belong, drag anything, and the plan keeps up.

Superlist: Superlist shows lists, sublists, Inbox and Today. There is no in-app calendar view, year view, Kanban board or canvas.

ByDesign planning canvas showing a full year of plans

Habits, goals and focus, built in

Track habits with streaks and stats, keep goal pages with progress, run a Pomodoro and track time on any task. Open ByDesign in the morning and it already works.

Superlist: Superlist handles habits as repeating reminders and shows productive streaks on an activity heatmap, with no per-habit tracking, goal pages, Pomodoro timer or time tracking.

ByDesign reminders, habits and deadlines on iOS

Don’t take our word for it.

  • From E

    I really like ByDesign - a lot. I was looking for something that works for me but is also simple and intuitive enough to work for my 12 yr old daughter who needs to start planning out her homework and chores around her other calendar events. I think this is it - and I have looked at a lot of your competitors - Notion, Motion, Tick Tick, To-Do, Todoist. None have the simplicity of user interface combined with the rich features (but not overly complex). love it😍

  • From Petey M.

    I used to keep a calendar, a to-do list, and a project app. ByDesign replaced all of them. It’s clean, it works, and I haven’t needed anything else.

  • From Daniel

    Honestly, Notion was really exhausting for me... Your product works in the simplest way. I’m a product designer, and I’d love to share my feedback with you after using it more :)

See All The Love →

Make the switch in three steps

No setup project. Start free, connect the calendar you already use, and give ByDesign your first goal.

  1. Start your free trial. No credit card.
  2. Connect your Google, Apple or Outlook calendar.
  3. Say your first goal and watch the plan land on your calendar.

Ready to turn the list into a plan?

Start free. No credit card. Tell ByDesign a goal and watch the plan land on your calendar.

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