There are several online todo list (also known as task managers) such as RememberTheMilk, Ta-da Lists, Bla-bla List, VitaList and voo2do. Four of these web based todo list were even compared on the much respected TechCrunch. In this post I am going to point out why you should shun away from such services. Yes…. we recommend you not to use them.

First of all for your own privacy. We give great importance to privacy, yet why would you be willing to provide detailed information about which tasks you are planning to do, when, with whom and where. Giving such information to third parties is a privacy invasion. Your tasks should be kept to you and shared only with people who you trust. One should avoid divulging such sensitive information to third parties when you can have the same functionality by using a desktop application. A desktop application has the advantage that all the tasks and related information is safely kept on your computer without allowing anyone to peak through your task list.

Most (if not all) of the web based todo list services start as a free service. This is a marketing technique used to gain popularity and users will start referring other users. Once the service catches up, they will make premium accounts. Such a move will force users to either pay a subscription fee or else to seek another service. To perform the latter the user would need to export the tasks (if an exporting feature is implemented) and import all your tasks in the new service. See the comments of sad users of VitaList when they got to know that they have to pay to keep on using their current service.

The last point is: “Why should you pay a subscription service for a simple todo list?” With the cost of a one year subscription for an online todo list service, you can get a todo desktop application that does the job efficiently and more securely. Having a desktop application as your todo list will free you from any dependancy on the quality and availability of service, change in subscription agreements, change in pricing and other problems that online todo list tend to create.

The only advantage I can think of that an online todo list service offers over a desktop application is that you can access your task list from anywhere, as long as there is an internet connection. But this point is nowadays not that valid since most desktop todo list applications support installation on a USB drive. This allows you to carry your task list with you without having to worry about an internet connection.