2026 Test: 5 To-Do Apps Compared – Which Auto-Extraction Feature Do PTT Users Want Most?

Why Do You Need a To-Do App?

PTT users often post asking for to-do app recommendations, with needs like 'categorization' and 'icon badge showing incomplete count.' But many overlook that the biggest source of to-dos is meetings and discussions. If you have to manually type each action item into an app after every meeting, that's a double waste of time. Therefore, this article not only introduces classic to-do list tools but also focuses on AI tools that can 'automatically extract to-dos from meetings.' After hands-on testing, we've compiled 5 options, from free to paid, from personal to team use, to help you figure it out at once.

Option 1 | Tinrec – The Most Complete AI Meeting Notes and To-Do Extraction Assistant

Tinrec is not a traditional to-do app but an AI meeting notes and collaboration tool. Its core value: when you record a meeting, it not only transcribes it but also automatically generates summaries, chapters, key points, and extracts to-dos. For office workers overwhelmed by meetings, this saves the double effort of 'listening to recordings to type transcripts + manually listing to-dos.'

Its highlights are clear:

• Bot-free recording of online meetings: Capture system audio directly via the desktop app without adding a bot to Zoom, Meet, or Teams meetings, so you don't disturb participants.
• AI to-do extraction and follow-up processing: Automatically organize action items from meeting content, generate reports and tables, and use AI Q&A on meeting data, e.g., 'What to-dos are still incomplete this week?'
• Multilingual and team spaces: Supports Chinese, Traditional Chinese, multilingual transcription, and real-time translation; team plans offer member, role, seat management, usage analytics, and audit logs, turning meeting data into traceable team assets.

Pricing: Personal plans include a free tier, weekly pass, Pro monthly, and annual plans, suitable for different usage frequencies; team plans are priced per seat, ideal for departments needing to share meeting data.

Best for: Professionals who attend meetings daily, need to organize action items, and track progress, especially those needing Chinese meeting notes and team collaboration.

Option 2 | Otter.ai – Automatic Meeting Notes and Action Item Extraction

Otter.ai is a mature English AI meeting assistant that can automatically join online meetings, transcribe in real time, and extract action items. The difference from Tinrec is that Otter has a more complete ecosystem for English business meetings, but its Chinese experience and team data retention are not as deep as Tinrec's.

Key highlights: Real-time transcription with speaker identification, AI Chat to query meeting content. Free plan offers 300 minutes per month; Pro plan costs about US$8.49/month billed annually.

Best for: Users whose meetings are primarily in English and need quick action item organization.

Option 3 | Notta – Multilingual Transcription and Meeting Organization

Notta overlaps significantly with Tinrec, covering multi-device transcription, meeting notes, file import, and translation. The difference is that Tinrec adds bot-free desktop recording, more complete AI Q&A, and team space management.

Key highlights: Supports multilingual transcription and subtitles, file import to text. Free plan offers 120 minutes per month; Pro plan costs about US$8.17/month billed annually.

Best for: Users needing multilingual transcription and occasional meeting recording organization.

Option 4 | Todoist – Classic To-Do List Management

Todoist is a pure to-do list tool focusing on categorization, recurring tasks, priorities, and reminders. It doesn't have automatic to-do extraction from meetings, but if you just need a simple, cross-platform list manager, it's very reliable.

Key highlights: Natural language input (e.g., 'Submit report tomorrow at 3 PM'), multi-platform sync. Free plan available; paid plans offer more projects and reminder features.

Best for: Individuals who don't need meeting notes and just want to organize to-dos into categories.

Option 5 | Microsoft To Do – Completely Free To-Do List

Microsoft To Do is Microsoft's free to-do tool, with the biggest advantage being integration with Outlook and the Microsoft 365 ecosystem, allowing you to create tasks directly from emails.

Key highlights: Syncs with Outlook tasks, shared lists, completely free.

Best for: Windows or Office users with zero budget who only need basic to-do management.

Option 6 | Apple Reminders – Built-in To-Do on iPhone

Apple Reminders is a built-in iOS app often mentioned by PTT users. It has all the basics: categories, lists, reminders, location-based triggers, and can show incomplete counts as a red badge on the icon.

Key highlights: Siri integration, sync across Apple devices, completely free.

Best for: iPhone users who don't want to install another app and have simple needs.

With So Many Options, How Do You Choose?

• Want automatic to-do extraction from meetings without manual organization → Tinrec (the only option offering bot-free recording + AI to-do extraction + team spaces)
• Need meeting recording to text + AI Q&A + report export → Tinrec (most comprehensive post-processing capabilities)
• Team needs to share meeting data and action items, manage member permissions → Tinrec Team Plan (complete roles, seats, usage analytics)
• Only need a simple to-do list without spending money → Microsoft To Do or Apple Reminders (free and sufficient)
• Meetings primarily in English, need action item extraction → Otter.ai (mature English ecosystem)

4 Things to Know Before Using a To-Do App

1. AI-extracted to-dos still need human review: Tools like Tinrec automatically extract to-dos from meeting content, but for important items, it's recommended to double-check against the transcript or recording to avoid missing context.
2. Get consent before recording: When using any meeting recording tool, including Tinrec's desktop recording, comply with local laws and inform participants as needed.
3. Free plans usually have minute limits: Otter and Notta's free versions have monthly minute caps; assess your meeting volume before choosing to avoid hitting the limit mid-use.
4. Understand permissions for team use: If using as a team, Tinrec's team plan distinguishes roles and seats; members without seats can only view, not edit, to avoid data confusion.

Summary

To-do apps aren't just about 'having one'; the key is whether they save you from the repetitive work between meetings and action lists. If you only need a simple personal to-do list, free options like Microsoft To Do or Apple Reminders are sufficient. But if your to-dos mostly come from meetings and you often need to track progress and collaborate with a team, Tinrec is currently one of the few solutions that can streamline 'recording → transcript → to-dos → team sharing' in one go, making it worth trying first.

References

• Question: Looking for recommended 'to-do' app! - iOS Board - PTT Web
• Question: How to systematically manage to-dos/assignments/track progress - Salary Board - Mo PTT
• Question: Looking for recommended 'to-do' app! | PTT Hot Articles Hito
• Question: Any note app recommendations? - MobileComm Board - Mo PTT
• What is a to-do? To-do recommendations and discussions on PTT/Dcard and related news - Computer King Ada