Voice Dictation
Hold Globe, talk, let go. Clean text lands wherever your cursor is, and “add a todo …” files a to-do.
Explore Voice Dictation →Compare · To-dos
SwitchDesk vs Todoist: voice to-do lists for Mac, compared
Both take to-dos by voice. SwitchDesk adds them from any Mac app with the Globe key, and your calls suggest more.
Last checked
Pick Todoist if you want
Windows, Android and the web,
Pick SwitchDesk if
you live on a Mac and want
TL;DR
- Todoist runs on almost every device and has a free plan. SwitchDesk is a Mac app; its iPhone app is coming soon to the App Store.
- Todoist’s Ramble also reads dates from what you say. In SwitchDesk you pick dates on a calendar, and there are no repeating to-dos.
- Todoist shares projects; SwitchDesk shares the categories you switch on, in both plans. Both keep the rest private.
Try it: press Play it again.
Sam holds the Globe key and says “add a todo prep pricing slides for thursday”. The dictation pill shows “Todo Added” with Add to buttons, and the to-do lands under Fernhill. Pressing “Today's Todo” moves it to the top of Today's Todo.
Prep pricing slides for ThursdayFernhill
SwitchDesk to-do window, Beige theme: Fernhill: Send Joe the pilot timeline by Thursday; Prep pricing slides for Thursday.
Side by side
Todoist and SwitchDesk, row by row
| SwitchDesk | Todoist | |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms2 | Mac (macOS 14.6 or later). The iPhone app is coming soon to the App Store. | Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone, iPad, Android, Apple Watch and Wear OS, plus browser extensions. |
| Adding to-dos13 | Hold Globe in any app and say “add a todo …”; calls suggest to-dos; Siri; the chat box; other tools through the Incoming API (Pro). | Smart Quick Add with natural language, Ramble for adding tasks by voice (10 sessions a month on the free plan, unlimited on Pro), and email. |
| Due dates34 | Picked on a calendar with “Assign Due Date…”. Voice doesn’t set dates: “Thursday” stays in the title. No repeating to-dos. | Typed or spoken in natural language, including recurring dates like “every Monday”. |
| Sharing1 | Share a category with your team; untoggled categories stay private. Teams are in both plans. | Shared projects; a team workspace on Business, $8 per user a month billed yearly. |
| Free plan or trial1 | No free plan. A 14-day free trial of Pro. | A free Beginner plan: 5 personal projects, 3 filter views. |
| Price1 | Essential $12/mo billed yearly ($15 monthly), with dictation, meeting notes and screen video included. Pro $18/mo ($23 monthly). | Pro $5/mo per user, $60 billed yearly, or $7 billed monthly. |
Meetings → to-dos
Calls end with suggested to-dos you add in one click.
When the weekly sync ends, SwitchDesk suggests the to-dos it heard. “Add all” files them under Fernhill, next to everything you said out loud.
- Nothing joins the call: your mic and the call’s audio record on your Mac.
- Set “How much to suggest” to “Everything”, “Concrete tasks only” or “High-confidence only”.
3 suggested todos
Post the support-lead job listingFernhill
Add the salary range
Share it in the founders' group
Send Daniel feedback on the onboarding flowFernhill
Book the offsite venueFernhill
SwitchDesk to-do window, Beige theme: Today's Todo: Reply to Daniel about the Q4 hiring plan (in progress); Book Theo's dentist appointment. Fernhill: Send Joe the pilot timeline by Thursday.
Try it: press Add all, or + Add on one.
From other tools
Other tools can send to-dos too.
A support form, a Zap or your own script posts a to-do with an API key. It waits in Incoming, above Today’s Todo, until you send it to Today, This Week or a category.
- Each row says where it came from, like “from Support form”.
- Create keys under Settings → Developer.
Plan: Incoming API, Pro
Call Marlow & Finch back about the renewal
Approve the contractor invoices
1.Prep pricing slides for ThursdayFernhill
2.Reply to Daniel about the Q4 hiring planFernhill
3.Book Theo's dentist appointmentFamily
1.Call Marlow & Finch back about the renewalFernhill
Call Marlow & Finch back about the renewalFernhill
Call Marlow & Finch back about the renewalFernhill
Call Marlow & Finch back about the renewalPersonal
Call Marlow & Finch back about the renewalFamily
Call Marlow & Finch back about the renewalPottery Shop
Call Marlow & Finch back about the renewal
1.Approve the contractor invoicesFernhill
Approve the contractor invoicesFernhill
Approve the contractor invoicesFernhill
Approve the contractor invoicesPersonal
Approve the contractor invoicesFamily
Approve the contractor invoicesPottery Shop
Approve the contractor invoices
Try it: press Today on a row.
Today and This Week
Today in order, and This Week planned by day.
Turn on “Organize by day” to plan Monday to Friday. Give a to-do a due date and it moves into Today’s Todo on that day.
- Number and reorder Today’s Todo with “Show item numbers”.
- Anything you don’t plan waits in “Week Backlog”.
- There are no repeating to-dos.
Due ThursdayUrgentBlocked by 1Draft the monthly investor updateFernhill
Pull Q3 usage numbers
Ask Maya for the churn chart
Order kiln shelvesPottery Shop
SwitchDesk to-do window, Beige theme: Today's Todo: Reply to Daniel about the Q4 hiring plan (in progress); Book Theo's dentist appointment; List the new glaze mugs; Record Lumora pilot walkthrough. This Week: Draft the monthly investor update; Order kiln shelves.
October 2026
Pick a day for “Draft the monthly investor update”. Today moves it into Today’s Todo; later this week keeps it under its day with a due badge.
Try it: pick a day in the calendar.
Honest trade-offs
Where Todoist is better
If these matter most, Todoist is the better pick. Facts from Todoist’s own pages, read on Oct 5, 2026.
- It runs everywhere. Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone, iPad, Android, Apple Watch and Wear OS.2
- Natural-language and recurring dates. Type or say “every Monday” and the task repeats.34
- A free plan. Beginner is free, with 5 personal projects and 10 Ramble sessions a month.13
- Integrations. 90+ integrations, from email to calendars.1
- Filters and projects. Up to 150 filter views and 300 personal projects on Pro.1
Price and switching
What it costs, and how to move over
Prices as listed
| Plan | Price | Billing basis |
|---|---|---|
| Todoist Beginner | $0 | free: 5 personal projects, 3 filter views, limited Ramble sessions |
| Todoist Pro | $5/mo | per user, $60 billed yearly, or $7 billed monthly |
| Todoist Business | $8/mo | per user, $96 billed yearly; a shared team workspace |
| SwitchDesk Essential | $12/mo | billed yearly, or $15 billed monthly |
| SwitchDesk Pro | $18/mo | billed yearly, or $23 billed monthly |
Source: todoist.com/pricing, read . Prices change; check the page before you buy.
Switching from Todoist
Write a one-line bio for each category.
SwitchDesk reads it to decide where each new to-do goes. Fernhill’s reads “Work at Fernhill: clients Lumora and Marlow & Finch, pilots, pricing, proposals, hiring”. Settings → Categories
Bring your open tasks over by voice.
There’s no importer. Hold Globe and say “add todos: X, Y, and Z”; each lands in its category.
Or paste a list into the chat box.
Paste your open tasks into “What can I help with?” at the bottom of the list.
Set dates where they matter.
Right-click a to-do and choose “Assign Due Date…”, then pick a day.
Share Fernhill with your team.
Switch it on under “Shared with team”. Everything else stays private. Settings → Teams
Todoist’s price covers a to-do list. SwitchDesk’s includes dictation, meeting notes and screen video.
Shown in the Midnight Blue theme
Dictation, meeting notes and screen videos, in the same app.
The Globe key that adds to-dos also types into any app. Your calls get notes and suggested to-dos; a walkthrough video ends in a link.
Meeting Notes
Your mic and the call’s audio record as two tracks on your Mac. Notes and suggested to-dos come when it ends.
Explore Meeting Notes →Create Video
Pick Screen, Window or Area, talk with your camera on, and the link is on your clipboard at Stop.
Explore Create Video →Teams
Your team sees the categories you switch on.
Switch Fernhill on under “Shared with team”, and Maya and Daniel see it on their Macs.
“Categories you toggle on are visible to teammates. Untoggled categories stay private.”
Each person needs their own SwitchDesk account today.
Plan: Teams, Both plans
See how teams work →Switching from Todoist: questions
More in Help →Can I import my Todoist tasks?
Not today. There’s no importer. Say “add todos: X, Y, and Z”, or paste a list into the chat box.
Can I set a due date by voice?
No. Voice doesn’t set dates: say “Thursday” and it stays in the title. Right-click the to-do and choose “Assign Due Date…” to pick a day.
Are there recurring to-dos?
Not today. SwitchDesk has no repeating to-dos.
Who sees my to-dos?
Only the teammates in a team you share a category with, and only that category. Personal, Family and anything else you don’t switch on stay private. Each person needs their own SwitchDesk account today.
Does it work on Windows or Android?
No. SwitchDesk is a Mac app. An iPhone app is coming soon to the App Store.
Is there a free plan?
No. There’s a 14-day free trial of Pro. After that, Essential is $12/mo billed yearly, or $15 monthly.
Sources · each read on
- Todoist — Pricing (todoist.com/pricing) · accessed Oct 5, 2026
- Todoist — Downloads (todoist.com/downloads) · accessed Oct 5, 2026
- Todoist Help — Dictate to add tasks with Ramble · accessed Oct 5, 2026
- Todoist Help — Introduction to recurring dates · accessed Oct 5, 2026
Competitor facts come from each company’s own pages on the date shown. We re-check every 90 days.