What Maitland is

Maitland is a to-do app and planner for people who hate being micromanaged, even by themselves. Write down what you need to do, and Maitland sorts it by how long it takes, so you can pick something that fits your day.

Most to-do apps are built to nag. They flag what’s overdue, keep streaks, and turn things red when you fall behind. Maitland has no counts of what’s open or overdue, no streaks and no badges. If you swipe past a task, Maitland doesn’t keep track of it. It reminds you of something only when you ask, and it won’t bring back old writing unless you go looking for it.

It runs on iPhone, iPad and the web, with the same account everywhere. The web app is at maitland.app. There’s no Android app, but the web app works in any current browser.

Inspired by neurodiversity. Built for everyone.

Everyone interacts with tasks differently. For some, the pressure that comes with being told to do a task, even by themselves, can spur anxious feelings. Called “demand avoidance” or “PDA,” this trait is reported in people with ADHD or autism, but it is not limited to those groups.

Many apps, including some made for neurodivergent people, use loud alerts, reminders you didn’t ask for, streaks and gamification, which can trigger this feeling. Maitland leaves those out by design. Tasks are presented as offers, not demands, and dates and reminders come only when you ask. Maitland is not a medical app or a therapy. It is for anyone who hates being told what to do, including by themselves.

How it works

Today groups your tasks into three piles: about 10 minutes, about 30 minutes, and an hour or more. When you have a few minutes, look at the short pile.

Maitland guesses a task’s label and how long it’ll take, because a wrong guess there takes one tap to fix. A wrong date or reminder is worse, so it only sets one when your words are clear about it. Writing things down explains how to write them so they’re read.

Everything you write is kept together in one place. A list just shows everything with a particular label, which means one task can show up in several lists, and deleting a list doesn’t delete anything in it.

Getting around

Tap MAITLAND at the top left, or swipe in from the right edge, to get to search, your lists, the trash and Mail. Press and hold a card for more options, like keeping it on top. And if you tap the tab you’re already on, it takes you back to where that tab starts, such as today’s page in the planner.

Free and paid

Most of Maitland is free, including tasks, lists, Today, the calendar, notebooks, reminders you set with the bell, sending tasks and export.

A subscription turns on sorting. Maitland then splits what you write into separate tasks and fills in each one’s label and length, plus any date, time, repeat or reminder your words give. Without it, each thing you type is kept as one task exactly as you wrote it, and you can set those details yourself by tapping the bottom of the card. The subscription also unlocks the planner’s pages in the Daybook tab and four more ink colors. Free accounts use Ultramarine.

In the US it’s $4.99 a month or $39.99 a year after a two-week free trial, and it works with Family Sharing. You buy it in the app on iPhone or iPad, in Settings → Account. To cancel, use Settings → Account → MANAGE SUBSCRIPTION in the iPhone app, or the iPhone’s Settings app → your name → Subscriptions. Accounts made during the beta get everything free through December 31, 2027.

Tasks you added before subscribing stay as you set them. If you want one sorted, press and hold it and choose Sort this.