Google Tasks vs Google Keep: Which is Better

Mehvish Mushtaq is a computer engineer by degree. Her love for Android and gadgets led her to develop the first Android app for Kashmir. Known as Dial Kashmir, she won the prestigious Nari Shakti award from the President of India. She has been writing about technology for 6+ years and her favorite categories include how-to guides, explainers, tips and tricks for Android, iOS/iPadOS, social media, and web apps.

Afam has been a content writer with Guiding Tech Media since August 2023. However, his experience in tech writing dates back to 2018, when he worked as a freelance writer for Make Tech Easier. Over the years, he has grown a reputation for publishing quality guides, reviews, tips, and explainer articles. His work is featured on top websites, including Technical Ustad, Windows Report, and Next of Windows. He has training as a Microsoft Certified Professional and has covered more Microsoft-related guides on these platforms.

The Main Difference Between Google Tasks and Google Keep

Cross-Platform Availability

Both tools are available on the same number of platforms. You have Google Keep onAndroidandiOSand as aChrome extension. It doesn’t have a Windows or Mac app but can be accessed via itsweb version.

Similarly, Google Tasks doesn’t have a Windows or Mac app. It is available onAndroidandiOSand has aweb versiontoo. Google Tasks is also part of the Google app on Android and Google Calendar.

Functionality in Terms of Reminders and Lists Integration With Gmail, Google Calendar, and Other Google Products

Previously, any reminders that you created in Google Keep would appear under Reminders in Google Calendar. These could also be created from Google Assistant. However, reminders from Google Tasks didn’t appear in Google Calendar.

Now,things have changed. Google will store the lists that you create from Assistant in Google Keep and it has moved all the reminder-related functionality to Google Tasks. There’s only one app for reminders now: Google Tasks, which can be accessed from literally anything Google.

That means any reminder you create from Google Assistant, Google Home, Calendar, etc., will appear in Google Tasks. Moreover, even when someone assigns you a task in Google Docs, it will appear in Google Tasks with a link to that document.

Google Keep lets you create reminders. However, there is a major difference between the two apps when it comes to reminders. Firstly, reminders from Google Tasks are accessible from Google Assistant and even Google Calendar. On the contrary, Reminders from Keep will remain in Keep only and won’t show up in Calendar or Google Assistant.

Furthermore, Google Keep lets you create reminders for the entire list. You cannot create reminders for individual to-do list items. It’s totally the opposite in Google Tasks where you can set reminders for individual tasks.

For instance, if you have a shopping list in Google Keep, you must set a reminder for the entire list. On the contrary, you can set individual reminders for each item in the shopping list task in Google Tasks.

Moreover, Keep lets you create time and location-based reminders. Unfortunately, Google Tasks currently only supports time-based reminders. Thankfully, both supportrecurring reminders.

Both Google Keep notes and Tasks can be accessed inside the various Google product web versions, such as Gmail, Sheets, Calendar, etc. They get a special place on the right side of the taskbar of these services, making it easy to access and use them from anywhere.

However, there are some differences. You can drag and drop emails from the Gmail web browser to create new task items in the Tasks. You also get a dedicated button in each individual email to add it as a task. This is not available for Google Keep. However, you can add notes from Google Docs or Slides to Keep. Just select the text and choose Save to Keep.

Furthermore, as mentioned before, Google Tasks appear in Google Calendar too. You also get a dedicated space in Google Calendar for Google Tasks. Just click on the Tasks button at the top of the Calendar to access Google Tasks.

User Interface, Organization, and Ease of Use

There is a major difference in the design of both apps right from the first screen itself. While Google Keep lists notes and to-do lists in card format on the main screen, the Tasks app shows the tasks in list format with the list names at the top.

These tasks are sorted by the order in which you created them. You can also sort them by date. Talking about sorting, there is no proper way to sort notes/lists in Google Keep. You have to manually reorder the cards by dragging them. The same goes for individual to-do items. You will have to manually drag them to reorder them in a note list.

Like the other to-do apps, we can create tasks with just one tap in the Google Tasks app. All you need to do is tap the Add Task button at the bottom and enter your task. That’s it. Once created, you can then easily move tasks between lists.

In Google Keep, we first need to find our list in the messy design. Then, we can add new list items by tapping the +List item label. Basically, Google Keep is about lists, not proper tasks. In both apps, the completed tasks or list items are kept at the bottom of a new list.

Furthermore, you can directly take action on tasks from the main screen itself in Google Tasks. However, you will need to open the note first in order to complete a to-do in Google Keep.

Hierarchy, Multiple Lists, and Notes

The Google Tasks app lets you easily create and switch between multiple lists. You can name them too. You can also move tasks between multiple tasks with just one tap. Interestingly, you can start a task to add it to theStarredlist from where you can access it quickly.

On the other hand, while you can create multiple lists in Keep, it’s complicated to switch between them. You also cannot move individual tasks from one list to another or create starred tasks.

Using multiple lists in Google Keep is a major task on its own. However, you can simplify the organization processusing labelsand color-coding. These two features are not present in Google Tasks.

Both support subtasks in hierarchy. You can create subtasks under each to-do item. When you mark the parent task as complete, all subtasks will be marked as complete.

You can add notes to tasks in Google Tasks. This is not possible in Google Keep where you cannot add notes to to-do lists. It’s either a to-do list in Google Keep or a note.

Tip:Know how tocreate subtasks in Google Keep.

Sharing and Collaboration

Google Keep lets you share your notes (including lists) with others. You can then edit or add new items to the lists in real-time. This is possible using the Collaboration feature in Google Keep. Currently, Google Tasks doesn’t support sharing or collaboration.

Google Keep vs. Google Tasks: When to Use

Earlier, when Google initially launched the Google Tasks app, the question was “Should you switch to Google Tasks?”. However, now, the question has changed to “Which app to use between Google Keep and Tasks for task management?” or when to use each app since they sound similar.

The answer basically lies in your use case. If you want a decent note-taking app with the added functionality of to-do lists (and that too shareable), Google Keep is the right choice. However, if you are looking for something to manage tasks daily with the added functionality of notes, then Google Tasks is a better choice.

Also, if you use the Google ecosystem to create reminders, you no longer have the option to ignore Google Tasks as reminders now function from Google Tasks only. So practically, you will have to use both services, especially if you use Google Assistant. And that’s because lists from Google Assistant are saved in Google Keep and reminders are saved in Google Tasks.

And there’s no harm in that. You can use Google Keep for simple note-taking and to-do lists whereas Google Tasks for task-management. The best part is that you don’t need to install the Google Tasks app on your phone. You can access the tasks or reminders of Google Tasks in Google Calendar as well.

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Last updated on 08 July, 2024

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