You know the feeling. You have an idea, a task, an appointment – and you reach for your phone to jot it down somewhere. But where? In your notes app? Your task list? Your calendar? Before you know it, you have four apps open and you’ve forgotten what you wanted to write down. Twos promises to provide a solution for this: one place for everything. I’ve used the app intensively for several weeks and will tell you exactly what works well and what challenges you’ll encounter.
Twos: the company
Twos was founded by Parker Klein and Joe Sak – two American entrepreneurs who became frustrated with juggling between different apps. They wanted something simple: one place where you can quickly jot something down, without having to think about categories, projects or labels.
What makes Twos special is their business model. Instead of the standard freemium subscription with monthly costs, Twos allows you to make one-time purchases for specific features. Want a certain theme? Pay once $1.99. Need more options? Then there’s Twos Plus for $1.67 per month with annual payment. But the basics? Those remain free forever. No data limits, no time restrictions.
The founders are remarkably active in their community. They respond personally to feedback, organize weekly Q&As and aren’t afraid to experiment with new features. You can feel that involvement in the app – it feels like a product that’s truly used and understood by the people who make it.
Who is Twos really for?
Twos is perfect for people who suffer from app overload. You probably currently use Apple Notes for quick thoughts, Todoist for tasks, Google Calendar for appointments and maybe another app for shopping lists. Sound familiar? Then Twos is something for you.
The app works excellently for students who take notes in lectures, plan groceries and need to remember exams. Freelancers who want to keep their day organized without diving into complex project management tools will also feel at home here. And parents who need to juggle between school schedules, groceries and birthdays? They’ll find peace here.
But are you a project manager on a large team? Then Twos falls short. There are no Gantt charts, no advanced filters, no extensive collaboration tools. Do you work with many long documents or wiki-like structures? Then you’d better look at Notion. Twos is deliberately kept simple – and that’s both its strength and its limitation.
Twos features
Let’s look at what Twos can actually do. And more importantly: what it means for you in practice.
- Days (Daily lists) – This is the heart of Twos. Every day you get a fresh list. Today, tomorrow, next week – you scroll through time as if you’re flipping through a calendar. What you don’t finish today? That automatically rolls over to tomorrow. No stress about forgotten tasks.
- Things – That’s what Twos calls everything you save: notes, tasks, reminders. It doesn’t matter what it is – you type it in and Twos takes care of the rest. Want to make it a task? Check the box. Set a reminder? Swipe right. Simple.
- Calendar integration – Connect your Google, Apple or Outlook calendar and your appointments automatically appear in your daily list. Finally see at a glance what’s on your schedule and what you still need to do. No more app-switching.
- Offline mode – No internet? No problem. Twos works completely offline. Your notes sync as soon as you’re connected again. Handy on the train or in places with poor reception.
- Cross-platform synchronization – Start on your phone, continue on your laptop. Twos works on iOS, Android, Windows, Mac and Linux. Plus a web version for when you’re on any computer. Everything stays synchronized.
- Twos World – A kind of community hub where people share their lists. Think book lists, movie recommendations, travel plans. You can copy these lists to your own Twos and customize them. Pretty handy when you’re looking for inspiration.
- AI integration (PALs) – Twos is experimenting with AI assistants that can help you organize your notes. Still in development, but the direction is interesting. You can, for example, ask questions to your notes or automatically generate summaries.
The Days concept deserves some extra attention. In most apps, you have to think about where something belongs. Which project? Which category? With Twos you only think: when is this relevant? Today? Tomorrow? In a week? You place it on that day and you’re done. It feels more natural than the way other apps force you to think in projects and labels.
The rollover feature is brilliant. We’re all too optimistic about what we can accomplish in a day. With other apps, unfinished tasks get stuck in old lists where you forget about them. With Twos, they automatically roll over to tomorrow. No guilt, no forgotten tasks – just a fresh start with everything that still needs to be done.
Twos pricing
Here’s where it gets interesting. Twos has a free version that’s more than enough for most people. No data limits, no restriction on the number of notes or tasks. You can just use the app completely free. Period.
Want extras? Then there are two options. You can make one-time purchases for specific features – usually cosmetic things like themes or icons. These typically cost between $1.99 and $1.99. Pay once, have it forever.
Or you choose Twos Plus. That costs $1 per month, or $1.99 per year (equivalent to $1.67 per month). This gives you access to all premium features, plus priority support and early access to new functions. For an app you use daily, that’s pretty reasonable – especially compared to Notion ($1/month) or Todoist ($1/month).
The weird thing is: on desktop, some features are simply free that are paid on mobile. The developers are clearly still experimenting with their pricing model. That can be confusing, but it also means you often get more than you expect.
Is it worth it? If you really use the calendar integration and cross-platform sync, absolutely. Then you’re paying less than a cup of coffee per month for an app that organizes your entire day. But if you only use the basics? Just stay free. You really can.
What should you watch out for?
Let’s be honest about the limitations. Because they definitely exist.
First: text formatting is limited. You can make an entire block of text bold or italic, but not individual words within a sentence. Want to highlight important words in your notes? Too bad. For those used to the rich editors of Notion or Evernote, this feels like a step backward.
The Android version is noticeably slower than the iOS version. That’s frustrating when you have an Android phone and read all those glowing reviews about how fast the app is. You’re sitting there waiting while iOS users are already moving ahead. The developers are working on it, but the difference is just noticeable right now.
Then the sync bugs. Not often, but it happens: you drag a task to another day and it disappears. Or you check something off on your phone and on your laptop it’s still open. Usually it resolves itself after a restart, but it does break trust. When your app promises that everything is always synchronized, that just has to work.
For advanced users, Twos is too simple. No subtasks, no dependencies between tasks, no time tracking, no reports. Want to manage projects with multiple team members? Then you’re missing features. Twos is deliberately simple, but that also means it doesn’t scale to more complex workflows.
And integrations? There are hardly any. You can connect your calendar and that’s about it. No Zapier, no direct connections with other tools. If your workflow revolves around connecting different apps, then Twos becomes an island in your digital ecosystem.
What do others think?
The general sentiment around Twos is remarkably positive. People are especially enthusiastic about the Days concept. Finally an app that aligns with how you actually work: per day. Not in abstract projects or endless lists, but simply: what do I need to do today?
The involvement of the founders is constantly mentioned as a plus point. Parker and Joe aren’t just another pair of anonymous startup founders – they’re visible, reachable and truly listen. That builds trust. When something doesn’t work, you can just send them a message and often get a response within a day.
The business model is also appealing. No forced subscription, no artificial limitations to force you to pay. You can simply use the app for free and only pay if you really want extras. That feels fair.
But that text formatting remains a pain point. It comes up in almost every review: why can’t I format individual words? It’s such a basic function that its absence is noticeable. Especially people switching from Notion or Evernote miss this.
And those Android performance issues? Android users rightfully complain about that. The app feels less polished than on iOS. That’s unfortunate because it gives the impression that Android users are second-class citizens. Hopefully that will improve soon.
Twos alternatives
Doesn’t Twos quite fit what you’re looking for? Then check out these alternatives.
- Notion – Much more complex and database-oriented. Choose this if you want to build a complete team workspace, wiki or database instead of quick daily notes. Notion can do everything, but that also makes it overwhelming if you just want to quickly jot something down.
- Todoist – Specialized in task management with projects. Choose this if you need advanced project management features like Gantt charts and filters. Todoist is more powerful for managing complex projects, but lacks the simplicity of Twos for daily planning.
- Apple Notes – Installed by default but less structure. Choose this if you’re looking for deep integration with the Apple ecosystem without the specific ‘daily list’ structure. It’s free and already on your device, but it doesn’t really help you plan your day.
Frequently asked questions
Is Twos really free?
Yes, and they mean it. No data limits, no restriction on the number of notes or users. You can simply use Twos completely free forever. There are optional paid features – mostly cosmetic things or advanced features – but the core of the app remains free. No hidden costs, no surprises after a trial period.
Does Twos work offline?
Absolutely. You can use the app completely offline. Are you on a plane or in a place without coverage? No problem. Everything you write down is stored locally and as soon as you have connection again, it automatically syncs to your other devices. That actually works quite well – I tested it by deliberately turning off my wifi and it synced nicely as soon as I went online again.
Can I collaborate with others?
Yes, you can share lists with others. The convenient thing is that the people you share with don’t even need to have the app – you can send a link and they can view and edit through their browser. Ideal for shopping lists with your partner or project lists with colleagues. It’s not as extensive as the collaboration tools in Notion, but for simple shared lists it works fine.
Conclusion
Twos does exactly what it promises: keep your day simple. No complex project structures, no endless settings, no hassle. You open the app, see what needs to happen today and get to work. For many people, that’s exactly enough.
The app is perfect if you struggle with app overload. If you’re now switching between five different apps to organize your day, give Twos a try. There’s a good chance you can replace many of those apps with this one. And that feels liberating.
But are you a power user? Someone who enjoys advanced filters, complex workflows and extensive integrations? Then you’re going to feel limited. Twos is deliberately simple and that’s not for everyone. That’s okay. Not every tool needs to be for everyone.
What I personally appreciate is the honesty. No hidden costs, no artificial limitations, no aggressive marketing. Just a well-functioning app that you can try for free and only need to pay for if you want to yourself. In a world full of subscriptions and vendor lock-in, that’s refreshing.
My advice? Download the free version and use it for a week. See if the Days concept fits you. If after a week you notice that you open fewer apps and your day feels more organized, stick around. If not, you haven’t lost anything. No credit card needed, no obligations. Just try it out.
