Microsoft To Do vs. WBTDL: two ways to plan today
Compare Microsoft To Do's free My Day and Outlook workflow with WBTDL's status-based daily list to choose the better home for your tasks.
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Microsoft To Do and WBTDL share an appealing idea: today's list should be a fresh view of your larger task collection. Microsoft calls that view My Day. WBTDL calls it High Priority. The meaningful differences are what surrounds the daily list and what happens when work is handed off or completed.
| Question | Microsoft To Do | WBTDL |
|---|---|---|
| Today view | My Day resets nightly and offers task suggestions | High Priority stays focused while completed work archives at rollover |
| Microsoft connection | Outlook tasks, flagged email, and Microsoft account sync | A standalone browser app with its own private email inbox |
| Task detail | Steps, due dates, reminders, notes, tags, categories, and files | One-line tasks, nested subtasks, categories, and four statuses |
| Availability | Free on web, iOS, Android, and Windows | Currently free and designed for desktop and mobile browsers |
My Day is the center of Microsoft To Do
Microsoft says My Day begins empty each day. You add tasks directly or select them from suggestions. Anything unfinished remains in the main Tasks list and can appear in later suggestions. The official My Day guide describes that flow clearly.
To Do becomes more distinctive for someone already working in Microsoft products. Flagged Outlook email can appear as tasks, and Microsoft documents lists, sharing, steps, due dates, reminders, notes, categories, tags, and files. It also syncs through its web, iOS, Android, and Windows apps. The Microsoft To Do product page confirms that it is free.
WBTDL gives unfinished work a visible state
Imagine that “Approve final invoice” is in today's list. After you ask a colleague for the missing receipt, the task is no longer ready to complete. In WBTDL, mark it waiting and leave it visible. If the invoice becomes unnecessary, mark it irrelevant. That state distinction is more central than dates or reminders.
Completed tasks move to History during the nightly rollover. Open, waiting, and irrelevant items remain active. The result is a different daily ritual from My Day even though both products value a short current-day view. Our article on tracking tasks you are waiting on shows why that status can matter.
Choose based on the system around your list
Microsoft To Do is the better choice when Outlook is already where requests arrive, when due dates and reminders protect important commitments, or when you need shared lists and files. Its price is not a reason to leave because the personal task app is free.
WBTDL is the better fit when you want a product-independent list with fewer fields and a clearer distinction between waiting and done. It can create tasks from email, but it does not turn flagged Outlook messages into a synchronized Microsoft workflow.
Try planning one ordinary day in each. Choose the one whose unfinished tasks still make sense the following morning.