Feature-by-feature breakdown vs Notion, Todoist, Things 3, and Microsoft Outlook. The market intelligence for winning as the first foldable-native productivity suite.
Four incumbent productivity apps — none built for foldable displays. FoldDesk wins by doing what none of them can: treating the hinge as a feature, not a problem to work around.
Every FoldDesk feature is labeled FREE or PREMIUM. Incumbents are evaluated on their current iOS App Store versions.
| Feature | FoldDesk | Notion | Todoist | Things 3 | Outlook |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hinge-aware layout (opens in dual-pane) | ✅ FREE — core UX | ❌ Responsive stretch only | ❌ No | ❌ No | ❌ iOS: No |
| Compact single-pane (closed phone mode) | ✅ FREE — auto-detects | ⚠️ Manual resize | ✅ Yes (single only) | ✅ Yes (single only) | ✅ Yes (single only) |
| Drag & drop between panes | ✅ PREMIUM | ❌ No | ❌ No | ❌ No | ❌ No |
| Independent pane scrolling | ✅ FREE | ❌ No | ❌ No | ❌ No | ❌ No |
| Left-pane: task list / Right-pane: detail | ✅ FREE — native pattern | ⚠️ Sidebar only, not hinge-timed | ❌ No split | ❌ No split | ❌ No split |
| Open/close fold position detection | ✅ FREE — via UIKit geometry | ❌ No | ❌ No | ❌ No | ❌ No (iOS) |
| Feature | FoldDesk | Notion | Todoist | Things 3 | Outlook |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| On-device AI (private, offline) | ✅ PREMIUM — Foundation Models | ❌ Cloud AI only | ❌ No AI on mobile | ❌ No AI | ⚠️ Copilot (cloud, M365 add-on) |
| Daily brief summarization | ✅ PREMIUM — AI morning summary | ❌ No | ❌ No | ❌ No | ⚠️ Copilot only ($30/user/mo extra) |
| Smart priority suggestions | ✅ PREMIUM | ❌ No | ⚠️ Paid web only | ❌ No | ❌ No |
| Natural language task creation | ✅ FREE | ❌ No | ✅ Yes — all plans | ✅ Yes | ❌ No |
| AI works offline (no server cost) | ✅ PREMIUM — on-device only | ❌ Requires internet | ❌ Requires internet | ❌ No AI | ❌ Requires internet |
| Feature | FoldDesk | Notion | Todoist | Things 3 | Outlook |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Projects / workspaces | ✅ FREE (5) / PREMIUM (unlimited) | ✅ Free (limited blocks) | ⚠️ Free: 5 projects cap | ✅ Unlimited (paid once) | ⚠️ Via To-Do app only |
| Due dates & recurring tasks | ✅ FREE | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes (free) | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Subtasks | ✅ FREE | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes (paid unlocks nesting) | ✅ Yes | ⚠️ Limited |
| Tags / labels | ✅ FREE | ✅ Yes | ✅ Free tier | ✅ Yes | ❌ No task tags |
| Reminders & notifications | ✅ FREE | ⚠️ Basic | ⚠️ Pro only | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Quick capture (widget / Siri) | ✅ FREE — home screen widget | ❌ No home screen widget | ✅ Premium widget | ✅ Yes — Apple Watch too | ⚠️ Limited |
| Feature | FoldDesk | Notion | Todoist | Things 3 | Outlook |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Offline-first (works without internet) | ✅ FREE — Core Data + CloudKit | ⚠️ Paid plans only (2025) | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes (cached) |
| iCloud / sync provider | ✅ FREE — CloudKit (zero cost) | ❌ Notion servers only | ❌ Todoist servers only | ✅ iCloud sync | ❌ Microsoft servers |
| Apple Watch app | ✅ PREMIUM | ❌ No | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ❌ No |
| iPad multitasking (Stage Manager) | ✅ FREE | ⚠️ Partial | ⚠️ Partial | ✅ Yes | ⚠️ Limited |
| Keyboard shortcuts (external keyboard) | ✅ FREE | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ✅ Excellent | ✅ Yes |
| Collaboration / task sharing | ✅ PREMIUM — Family plan ($14.99/mo) | ✅ Yes — core feature | ✅ Business plan | ❌ None — top complaint | ✅ Yes — via Exchange |
| Factor | FoldDesk | Notion | Todoist | Things 3 | Outlook |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entry price | Free | Free (limited) | Free (5 projects cap) | $9.99 one-time (iPhone) | Free (with email account) |
| Annual subscription | $79.99/yr (Pro) | $120/user/yr (Plus) | $48/yr (Pro) | $9.99 iPhone + $49.99 Mac | $83.88/yr (M365 Personal) |
| 3-year total cost | $239.97 (Pro annual) | $360 (Plus) | $144 (Pro annual) | $79.97 (all Apple devices) | $251.64 (M365) |
| Foldable-native design | ✅ Built for iPhone Fold | ❌ None | ❌ None | ❌ None | ❌ None (iOS) |
| Free tier quality | High — dual-pane free | Medium — blocks limit | Low — 5 project cap | None — paid up front | High — full email/cal free |
Head-to-head on what you pay and what you get. FoldDesk prices at premium but delivers the only foldable-native experience.
AI features require Business plan since May 2025. Plus = $120/yr. Mobile app is sluggish — users pay for features they mostly use on desktop.
Cheapest option. Free plan capped at 5 projects — forces early upgrade. Prices raised Dec 2025 (25% increase for Pro annual). No AI on mobile.
One-time purchase — highest rated app in category (4.8★). No subscription, no collaboration, Apple-only. $79.97 total for all devices. Beautiful but frozen in time.
Free tier includes dual-pane layout — the killer differentiator. Pro unlocks AI brief, drag-drop, Apple Watch, collaboration. Targets premium iPhone Fold buyers ($2,000 device spend).
Someone who buys an iPhone Fold at $2,000+ is clearly not price-sensitive. FoldDesk's $9.99/mo Pro tier is 2× Todoist Pro and matches Notion Plus — but offers something neither has: the only app that actually uses the $2,000 screen they just bought. The $79.99/yr annual is the value anchor that converts the editorial-placement audience who download day one.
Free tier delivers the foldable UX immediately. Pro unlocks AI and power-user features that justify the $9.99/mo premium.
Free users experience the dual-pane magic immediately — that's the wow moment that earns the App Store review and the word-of-mouth. The Pro upgrade is triggered by two things: wanting the AI morning brief (the "assistant that knows your tasks" moment) and cross-pane drag-drop for power users who start treating FoldDesk like a desktop workspace. iPhone Fold buyers already paid $2,000 for the device — an $80/yr Pro subscription is a 4% add-on cost they'll barely notice.
Free plan includes
Plus $10/mo · Business $20/mo
Notion built its business on web and desktop. The iOS app is a concession, not a product. Notion will stretch to fill iPhone Fold's screen — it will not be built for it. For iPhone Fold buyers who paid $2,000 for a mobile-first device, a stretched Notion is a daily irritant. FoldDesk's entire existence is the iOS-native, foldable-native answer to this problem.
Free tier
Pro $5/mo · Business $8/mo (annual, post Dec 2025 increase)
The December 2025 40% monthly price increase with no new features left many Pro users searching for alternatives — and their AI feature (a key reason to upgrade) is desktop-only. iPhone Fold is a mobile-first device. FoldDesk delivers AI on-device, offline, and free of cloud costs. For the power user who just bought a $2,000 iPhone Fold, Todoist's single-column layout and mobile-absent AI is a category failure.
One-time purchase includes everything
What you don't get
Things 3 has the highest App Store rating in the category (4.8★) and the most polished design — but it's stagnating. No collaboration, no AI, no foldable awareness, slow development. FoldDesk can match Things' design quality while shipping the three features Things has refused to build: cross-pane drag-drop for foldables, on-device AI brief, and family plan task sharing. The Things user who just bought an iPhone Fold is FoldDesk's highest-quality lead.
Notion's iOS app is widely panned as slow and clunky. When stretched across iPhone Fold's 7.8-inch display it doesn't become better — it becomes bigger. FoldDesk was born on that display. The difference is the entire product.
Notion requires the $20/mo Business plan AND an internet connection for any AI feature. FoldDesk's AI Daily Brief runs entirely on-device via Apple's Foundation Models — private, offline, included in Pro. Your tasks, your device, your brief.
Todoist shows one column of tasks no matter how large the display. On iPhone Fold that's $2,000 of wasted screen real estate. FoldDesk fills both panes with purpose — task list left, detail and context right.
Todoist's December 2025 price hike with no new features triggered mass switching intent. FoldDesk enters the market at an early-adopter moment when the Todoist community is actively evaluating alternatives — and FoldDesk has a hardware reason to switch that Todoist can never match.
Things 3 earns its 4.8★ rating through design excellence. FoldDesk matches that design quality and adds the three features Things has refused to ship for years: foldable dual-pane, AI brief, and task collaboration. The Things user who just bought an iPhone Fold is looking for FoldDesk whether they know it yet or not.
Things 3 will stretch its beautiful single-pane layout across the iPhone Fold display. FoldDesk uses that second pane for something: your task detail, your notes, your AI brief, your calendar. This is the foldable moment Things has zero roadmap for.
Category: Productivity. Target: iPhone Fold early adopters. Positioning: native foldable productivity vs. competitors who are adapting. Price anchor: $79.99/yr Pro (4% of device cost). Acquisition: Apple editorial placement day one + Things/Todoist switcher campaigns.