Ayoa

Pros

- great feature set
- elaborate shortcut set (quick entering data)
- great options to use visual indicators (Icons, numbers, etc.) in the mind maps
- good export options
- pleasing visual appearance
- normal file management, so easy to organize multiple mind maps

Cons

is replaced by cloud option - that is not supporting the greatest parts of the feature set in iMindMap yet. Zooming and keeping the overview can be a little challenging, but nothing compared to the benefits of the solution

Pros

Ayoa is an intuitive task management software that makes project and task management super easy. It has a sleek, user-friendly interface and comes with a host of powerful features that help you organize your tasks and keep track of your progress. It also integrates with a variety of other services, making it an incredibly versatile tool.

Cons

Ayoa can be a bit expensive for some users, and the learning curve can be a bit steep at first. Additionally, some users may find it difficult to navigate the interface and use all of the features.

Pros

Training explains how to do it, but it seems that training refers to a different version. "Oh yeah, we changed that, this is how to do it." and the new instructions will take you to the next page and more puzzlement.

Cons

I feel like a sucker. I have wasted three days of work trying to learn how to make Ayoa operate like I was led to believe it would work.
I finally decided it was not going to happen.
I will complement them on their their salesmanship.
"I thought I went to bed with an angel, but I woke up with a circus clown."
No refund.

Pros

I like the integration between Mind Mapping, Brainstorming, the Kanban Feature for Task/Project Management, and the Whiteboard Feature for Information Retention.

Cons

That I didn't come back to this earlier, I wasted time using other apps.

Pros

The "now, next, soon" planning feature; ability to create tasks from e-mail.

Cons

I actually preferred the old name (droptask).

Alternatives Considered

Reasons for Switching to Ayoa

Pros

The promise of combining a robust task manager to a mind mapping solution

Cons

Online only, unable to work while offline.. I use mindmap 11 a lot while flying.
Limited map formating
When creating a task from a mind map, the created task is a stand-alone and is not referenced to the project or mind map.
Storing and accessing maps online

Pros

1. Mind mapping and sharing it with team members as a trial. You can't start paying apps for 10 people and then check if it works.
2. Formatting an idea into different ways - a very useful capability

Cons

1. The graphics environment does not make online collaboration easy (UI is kind of heavy as well)
2. The trial version does not allow the onboarding of a testing team to find out whether this is a good fit
3. Does not offer canvases or templates to cover the most popular team activities. You need to jump to another app

Alternatives Considered

Reasons for Switching to Ayoa

Pros

Easy to use interface combining Mind maps with task boards.
High level of detail and ability to attach files to tasks.

New Gantt chart feature now in task mode as well as planner means you don't have to add tasks to the planner to see a broad view of deadlines.

Easy to add and complete a checklist too!

Cons

At first having to go to the home page before navigating to another mode was a minor inconvenience but now that the buttons are in the navigation bar that is now irrelevant!

Sometimes in the Gantt chart it can be hard to identify deadline times for short-term tasks

Pros

Quite speedy and accessible everywhere - good approach to mind mapping.

Cons

Missing options to organize my mind maps - I miss the ability to add icons to mind maps (not social features, but icons indicating content meaning.

Pros

The Mind Mapper, I like its value add, its effectiveness, and it's very easy to use; the auto-layout is especially quick and easy with just two main hot-keys, "child" and "sibling", and spacing and layout are done for you immediately.

Cons

As little as I have used it, I could find no quick-and-smooth, Ayoa way of moving tasks from a Mind Map to a task board, which I believe is quite a valuable function. After mapping tasks in the Mind Map, my next step is a linear, ordered list of all tasks in one big, hierarchical list I can export for my Pomodoro tracker, Pomodone. Something else I'm more enamoured with in PomoDone is how many task management systems it integrates with, like Trello. I know you have a review somewhere where the user quickly switched from Trello to Ayoa, but for many, a nice, quick switch to Ayoa requires lots of work with the outgoing task system. You should try winning with a great product and not excluding competitors from your integrations.

Alternatives Considered

Reasons for Switching to Ayoa

Pros

Mindmaps are the best which is what I use.

Cons

The fonts become very small when we put in more information and the PDF does not come very clear

Pros

This review refers to the paid version. I bought a 1-year subscription to the pro service when they offered iMindmap 11 for free. This is a great value. I tried the software and was pleasantly surprised with the extent of training videos available. I was up and running in 10 minutes, although 2 weeks later I am still learning functionality as I increase my integration of the software into my daily routine. The graphical nature and simplicity of the software are helpful to me as I don't think in list mode. For those who do, there are multiple ways to view tasks and progress including more traditional list formats. The program integrates with iMindmap as well which is a plus for me, but unless you are a mindmapper, this feature will be unimportant to you. DropTask also has a web-based, PC, Android and Mac apps, however I find the iPad version easier to work with. The connectivity and team communication features work well and my 3 employees and I can easily collaborate, update progress and see where things are in real-time.

I have purchased 3 other to do list apps and have also used a number of freebies, DropTask is what I use now and I have removed the others from my Apple devices. While I originally purchased the plan for the free iMindmap software, I have adopted DropTask and now use it constantly.

Cons

I like to view my tasks with the circle format and I find it a bit hard to see things on my iPhone X. It looks fine on my iPad and beautiful on my iPad pro. That said, I always have my phone with me, not my iPads. I am not sure if this is a limitation of the visual format or if it could be improved.

Pros

Ayoa is really something special. I am currently transitioning from Trello as my daily task manager to Ayoa. Trello is and was fabulous, but it was lacking something, and that is why I started looking for a replacement. What was it lacking? The big picture!

I had built up a backlog of hundreds of tasks with no way to view them at a distance. Ayoa allows you to build a mind map that displays every aspect of your project/business/organization. Broken down in every category of tasks. **Here** is the magic. Now you have your "task mind map", you can click on a branch and start adding tasks, then adds them to "task boards". Then you have a "My Planner" that is separate​ from the big task boards, just for "up next" stuff.

A lot of flexibility​!, there are limitless ways to use this software.

Cons

There are LIMITLESS ways to use this software. It took me a couple of weeks before I could even figure out how I was going to organize everything. (and I'm still not done yet) It's not clear yet how people are using this software for business, there are not many example templates that are useful to me. So for now you just have to figure it out.

There is also no ability to integrate third-party​ SaaS products like we've come to expect with most enterprise software these days.

Pros

- It's great to have a free option that isn't super limited. It's totally useable and as our small team comes to use it more we will upgrade.
- Offline syncing and multi-platform (windows/mac/ios/android). This was one of the most important things for me. Requiring a connection all the time makes things difficult in many locations around the world and this is something the competition doesn't have.
- Ease of use. I wanted something my boss (70 years old) could understand that is also practical for our team of of younger IT orientated people.

Cons

- A very simple clock on - clock off time tracker would make this even more efficient for workers / particularly free lancers. Sure we can use another app, but there's an app for everything nowadays, so nice to have basic needs in one place.

- Recurring Tasks. Amazed all task management software seems to have nothing for recurring tasks. Something just to check off that it's been done this week, and needs to be done again next week, rather than having to click complete and then recreate the task, or mark as incomplete again.

- Undo button. All developers who implement an undo button deserve a cookie. All who don't deserve a smack on the butt!

- Not something I like least, but something that would be awesome. Integration with AI assistants...Cortana, Siri, Google etc. would be amazing.

Pros

The visual presentation of AYOA is helpful, engaging and fun! There is a huge variety of ways in which tasks and projects can be displayed. Sometimes you want a calendar view showing what must be done today, sometimes you need to see the full picture of a project to progress plans.

Cons

I look forward to the full implementation of iMindMap in AYOA. there is still work to be done to bring the organic, interactive bits of iMindMap to AYOA.

Pros

Its really easy to use, I was able to use the software on all of my devices within the first day without any issues. I also invited various people to collaborate on projects and none of them had any issues navigating or utilizing the functions of the program.

Cons

So far the only thing I've experienced that I would improve would be larger file size upload when adding attachments into the discussion section / projection sections. I think that would help speed up work flow even more, right now it maxes out around 20mb in file size, so then I have to upload to Google Drive or Dropbox separately. That takes extra steps. Overall this is a fantastic product and I'm really happy thats the only thing if I'm being nit-picky.

Pros

Great visual layout which helps me keep track of everything in my creative company. Like the different view type recently added under my planner section to focus on Now, Soon and Later tasks.

Cons

It's a bit difficult to see the completed tasks and I would like to see a notes section where teams can add their notes from conference calls with clients and among team members. We have to use other apps for these two features which are not easily accessible on Droptask yet.

Pros

I love iMindMap and for years I have drawn maps useful to clarify ideas, take notes or pit long and complex documents. It's an easy, colorful and fun tool. The Mac version allows you to copy and paste images from the web or draw them by hand. There are a lot of features, not all of them perfect, but overall it's a really good product

Cons

Some sudden software closures are annoying and perhaps denote a certain obsolescence of the technology with which it is developed. The iOS version is definitely practical, but with much less functionality than that Mac or PC. The synchronization of proprietary (paid) cloud maps is also a bit cumbersome and not always accurate.

Pros

SEARCH! SHARING! I compared ALL of the various options on the market, and after spending a long time evaluating each one, Ayoa - which started as a complete unknown - ended up taking the prize.

We then converted 400 mind-maps into their system, and have been enjoying the new features and working with the development team.

Cons

On more than one occasion, a bug has caused some topics to be lost while copying/pasting - this is very intermittent, but has happened.
I would LOVE a better export/backup option - years worth of work are now contained within the product, and having a good backup would make my anxiety decrease a lot!

Alternatives Considered

Reasons for Choosing Ayoa

Reasons for Switching to Ayoa

Pros

I use several mind-mapping apps to lay out information. Imind gives you the ability to see information displayed in several ways, not just the traditional tree-branch style. You Canada see your info as a radial fan, note cards, and as connected bubbles. This is very helpful in seeing information from other perspectives.

Cons

very limiting in certain aspects. color choices are limited, only pastels. rectangles or bubbles don't increase in size with added text, so text is divided incorrectly or not visible at all. example: the word "emotional" might appear as "emoti" within the bubble-and even if you click on it, it doesn't expand. "Brainstorm" and "Radial" correlate but not exactly. Example, drawing connections in Brainstorming do not appear in radial.

Pros

Enjoy the ability to use it across all my mobile devices & desktop platforms. Great for backing up important files.

Cons

Latest write ups have sparked some concern with future use and functionality. Not sure how it’s going to effect the way I currently use this service?

Pros

The different views help you to visualize your tasks in creative ways. I like the "Workflow" view best with the Kanban style. And the new "MyPlanner" view is perfectly done. Also the details you can add to a task are completely thought through. It provides everything from notes, to lists, to reminders, to due dates, and more. And assigning tasks to team members is done right. I know about any updates and changes immediately as well as assigning tasks is easy.

Cons

The only thing I don't like about DropTask is how you close a task after putting in the details like putting in a note, etc.

Pros

Other features except mind mapping are very useful (visual task management, focus on progress etc.).

Cons

The developers say the program was designed specifically based on Tony Buzan's technique. However, the maps are not like the maps in Tony Buzan's books. Tony Buzan says, start by drawing a picture in the center. But there is no drawing option in this application. You can only add an existing picture on your computer, emoji or unsplash.com picture. Moreover, there is no emoji or unsplash.com option in the iOS version. You cannot add a picture and emoji or 2 different emoji on the same branch. Tony Buzan says the branches should be the same length as words. However, you cannot shorten branches as much as the word length in this program. You cannot play with the thickness of the branches. You cannot change the font. Font size can only be increased limited. If you try to make an organic map like Tony Buzan's maps with this program, you may be disappointed. Drawing and writing feature must be added with Apple Pencil for iPad version. I regretted buying the program.

Pros

Visual, drag and drop, and being able to use it on mobile devices allows me to view my tasks when I'm out and about. This makes it easy for me to remember things I need to grab when I'm out, or to organize my thoughts or add things on the go. Being able to log into DropTask from anywhere means that I can do what I need to do, when I need to do it.

Cons

On the web browser, which is where I primarily use the product, the graphics are pretty big. That's generally a good thing, but I would really like the ability to create a simple list, that's small - one time per line, perhaps with a checkbox. I would also like the ability to "dumb down" the interface when I want to see more information at once - I want to shrink the width of the columns and I want to have smaller text that I can drag and drop with a mouse.

Pros

Centralizes your team's workspace, but it can also be used as an individual workspace and task management. Upload files, assign tasks, set dates and schedule reminders, has service in the cloud for you to update information from any mobile device.

Cons

Visualization in mobile devices is limited to large devices such as tablets, because in the cell phone can not appreciate well the main environment

Pros

The freedom to create workflows and mindmaps easily and quickly - very intuitive.

Cons

If you have a very large mindmap it can run slow which can be frustrating

Pros

The flexibel visual approach suites my way of bringing structure into my ideas and plans.

Cons

the price development and handling of it and the way the support does not really support when one wants to become an affiliate.

Alternatives Considered

Switched From

Reasons for Switching to Ayoa

Pros

DropTask is versatile: you can use it as a simple task list, as a collaborative system, even as an agile tool... Most of the time, I find what I need just by looking where it seems to make sense - and there it is. The interface is beautiful and well thought through. My company uses Jira to manage workflows. It's great, but heavyweight. I could imagine small companies or teams using DropTask.

Cons

I don't know what happens to the files I attach to a task. Are they ever deleted? Are they kept somewhere? I am reluctant to attach files because I don't see DropTask as a safe storage place. I wish there was a way to attach files through DropTask to Google Drive, OneDrive, DropBox, on another dedicated service.

Pros

Great to use as a simple task list as we can list the various types of jobs into projects.
Aesthetically pleasing and easy to understand.
Being able to add comments to tasks and attach files.
Great for reminders for tasks due.
Projects can be shared or kept private.
Completed projects/tasks are archived for reference.
Can communicate between team members within the projects.
Great for tasks that repeat weekly/monthly/yearly.
Assigning tasks to various members of staff and being able to see who is doing what.

Cons

Would like to see summary of completed projects without having to scroll past blank days.
Would like to see the whole monthly calendar on the screen rather than day by day.
Would be great to be able to print individual categories within a project.

Pros

Drop Task after watching some excellent easy to understand tutorials is not only easy to use but works better than many other expensive projects management systems costing many times more with a lengthy learning curve.

Drop Task is great for getting you organised as an individual, both personal and business but incredible in involving all those who play a part in the overall project.

Cons

Don't dive in without going through the easy to follow tutorials as they will allow you to set up from the outset the best fit for your planned outcome.

Personally I use Drop Task with iMindmap software and it's an unbelievable combination, but that's personal choice.

Pros

the ease, visualization aspect (I love the bubbles),

Cons

When I initially started I was using hte free option and when it updated, I lost a lot of importnat options (e.g. sort by time etc), which made me have to buy the package. I didn't do that for a logn time as I didn't have the financial resources, and I went to a competitor that was free and had those specific options.
Then when I actually got the subscription, I felt it was expensive for what I got. I wish there was an option for student subscription or maybe a sliding scale or something.
Another thing, is that I still find working with the mind maps to be difficult. It would be nice if there was an easier way to connect hte mindmaps tasks to the tasks boards etc. Now it is just getting confusing.

Pros

The visual task representation is unique and helpful. For a visual person it really helps to keep a handle on everything.

Cons

Missing functionality cripples this software and makes it very difficult to fit into your workflow. For example, they finally added the ability to add sub-tasks, but you can't put separate due dates on them. There is no "Canvas View" in the Android app to show the circles that are the raison d'être for DropTask. Finally, the company OpenGenius is downright crooked! They make you sign up for a year to even try the full business version, but then bury the fact that it is non-refundable for any reason down in section 14.8 of their terms & conditions.

Pros

New users to project management software will find Ayoa very ease to understand and use. It's intuitive. It's remarkably quick and easy to set up task boards and tasks. The range of view options is a standout feature - whatever your preferred work mode, there's a style of inputting and viewing a project to suit everyone.
The mind-mapping package is easy to use and the radial mapping function a useful and eye-catching way of providing an overview of complex data.

Cons

Ayoa does, sadly, have one massive Achilles heel: the Dependencies function doesn't automatically adjust the start dates of dependent tasks if one changes the start/end dates of the parent task. This is a standard feature of competing products and a major shortcoming of Ayoa as one can't see the knock-on effects on the critical path if there is a timing change on one task. As a result one has to go through all dependent tasks and manually adjust them - a time-consuming task and one which is prone to error.
I really can't understand why Ayoa don't incorporate this basic feature, as its absence really undermines an otherwise excellent product.

Pros

I love the way that AYOA renders it's mind maps in several views. Same for task management that actually allows you to have the different categories in large moving "bubbles". it even has a Pulse which is a team blkast that I use as a daily diary.

Cons

Not enough hotkeys and the email to task method could be more focused.

Pros

There's so many features to like - it is visual and can be made to look just how I want, and I love the new planner which helps me nail down my priorities.

Cons

Adding a document to a task is a bit clunky, I'd rather go to the linked file in its native app or on my computer than bring it into DropTask. I would also like the task sidebar to have more space, as the boxes for writing updates here are quite small and you have to scroll a long way down. Perhaps an update would offer the opportunity to open up the task sidebar into a full screen view?

Pros

I love the flexibility that allows users to track project tasks in the way thsy suits them. Kanban style/calendar Style/priority style/the most visual task board style was what originally drew me to DropTask because I like to have an overview before I drill down. I use most of the view options at some point.

Cons

On smartphone I find that entering data can be fiddly so I do most of my inputting on iPad or Desktop.

Pros

DropTask does have dedicated applications for all OSes, which is getting more difficult to find. I absolutely do not like PM tools that are all web-based. The web just doesn't provide all of the functionality that a native application does, including an icon on my Taskbar. I realize that may sound silly, but being able to get to my PM app quickly is very important to me. The fact that DropTask supports all OSes is a real benefit.

Cons

As a disclaimer, I bought a year subscription to DropTask because of a package deal with iMindMap. I really only wanted iMindMap, but figured I would at least give DropTask a shot as well. I'm currently using another task management system, which I intend to continue.

The short story is that DropTask looks beautiful and has neat animations and pretty colors and flying bubbles and drag-and-drop swimlanes...and I ended up feeling that it was all just fluff over the same task management system I use now. Pretty colors are great - they can be engaging. Further, I realize that DropTask is integrated with iMindMap, which promotes engaging the viewer. I just ended up turned off by the whole experience, however. I am happy with lists, not bubbles. Zooming in and out is fine, but a simple list would do the job. I spent a total of about 15 minutes clicking around and just felt that children would love all of the neat UI, but as a PM tool, I felt DropTask obscured what I need to do things.

Pros

I like the flexibility because you can use it Kanban style, priorities style or the visual bubbles make it clear which actions fit to which project. You can also maintain several projects at the same time.
I especially like the new planner view which I use on a daily basis to identify what I want to achieve TODAY.

Cons

Sometimes adding start and finish dates can be a bit awkward.

Pros

Ayoa allows me to plan ahead for projects and set reminders months or even years from now if needed. I use the calendar view every day to plan my day and set priorities for what I must achieve in that day. Being able to look ahead at the rest of the week gives me a good idea of what’s is coming at me. Having been an avid user or Mindmaps it is great that this is now incorporated in the system, I use this each time I start a new project.

Cons

I have no issues with Ayoa, it does all of the things that I need and has many useful features that I am sure I will use if I work with a bigger team.

Pros

Easy on the eye and to use.
Either has or will have all the funtionality needed to recognise tasks and sub tasks needed to manage any project with others as needed. Suitable and easy reminder system that works across platform:web, desktop, phone: android or iphone, tablet.
You can turn emails into tasks and add timing, importance, due dates and repeats as you do so - the email can be seen in the task.
Multiple views which can be filtered so you can get overview or closely focused view.

Cons

The last couple of updates have removed some minor issues that were an negative.

Pros

The thing I like most is the way everything is laid out visually. I can create categories and categories-within-categories and drag tasks around. It's not like a checklist app where you have to retype something in a different checklist, or your only organization method is columns of cards. It mimics being able to write things out in different categories in my sketchbook, except it's better, because instead of crossing something out and rewriting it in a new list, I can just grab it and move it.

Cons

There are some tasks that I actually do like to have checklist-style, where all steps are instantly visible. It would kind of mess with the circular format for tasks, but I wish you could turn on an option to show a task's checklist from the canvas. I also wish you could choose a category that would be the default that DropTask would zoom in to when you start.

Pros

Droptask is so simple to use that it requires little to no training.
The various visual representations of projects allows people to see their tasks in a format that works for them.

Cons

Very happy with the product. Sometimes lose myself when scrolling in canvas layout.

Pros

I like that you have have different layouts. As I am old fashioned, I have asked them to activate an old feature, the Calendar View, just so I can see task in a date order.

The recurring tasks work so well. I have tasks that repeat daily, every work day, every three working days, monthly and annually - it just works even in the free version.

Cons

Some tasks mean I have to go to an online resource. Other To Do management tools allows me to click on the link and take me to that resource. Although I have the link in the subject line. I have to go into the subject and copy and paste it in the browser. If you could support links in the subject link, it would make it a lot easier.

It would be nice to hide tasks that are not due for one month on the Project View, just to remove the clutter.

Pros

Ayoa is a great visual diagram generator, the number of templates to edit and incredible. The tools it has are just and necessary, the text processing is fine, and the handling of images is correct. Overall, it's a great creative diagram generator.

Cons

Perhaps the only problem you have is the export of the diagrams since these are very well thought out for the source platform, but in other formats such as PNG, it is not at all. The interface could be better made, with much more intuition, but it's nothing serious either, it's a correct interface.

Pros

Ease of use, range of views, well thought out stuff in the tasks like check lists, reminders and due dates, priority and importance. Task management is all about weighting what needs to be done so that the list you need to get on with now can be manageable and this is the first software I've found that suits my needs. Of course the catch the eye bit is the canvas view but even without that excellent feature this would be the best task management software around.

Cons

There are still some issues to iron out but I can see from the blogs that Drop Task is listening to its users and improving all the time. I've talked through my concerns with the Customer Service Manager and I believe they will actually do something based on my issues. These are that the list news take up too much screen space, you can't edit or perform actions on multiple tasks, navigating between the views take a few too many clicks and assigning the tasks to categories could be a bit smoother. These are niggles but for me not fundamental problems.

Pros

Very intuitive to use for anyone. Can be very simple or as intricate as you need.

Cons

Can't attach large files. Deleting a user who created tasks also deletes tasks they have created (not sure if this was updated—too afraid to try).

Pros

The visual interface makes this a simple tool to work with.

Cons

I still like to print out my daily task list. Unfortunately, there is no simple way to do this in Droptask, you need to export your entire list by project.

Pros

The visual aspect of droptask is useful for me, I can see at a glance how tasks relate to each other. The new planner view has increased my usage because I can work out what I need to work on and I can only put dates where they are really necessary.

Cons

I generate a lot of tasks from imindmap, this can cause an issue because I have to process the notifications one at a time and what's worse the dialogue disappears after every one so the notification has to be opened again.

Pros

It’s so easy to use and it does a lot. Just need to explore as it has a quick learning curve.

Cons

Still looking for...
Well, I still miss some features present on iMindMap

Pros

Just totally love this app - I use an external keyboard with my ipad and it is really easy to create mindmaps using just the keyboard. I use it from small maps of ideas on a particular topic to (what is one of my favourite uses) as a mindmapping tool when at a conference or event to take all my notes. I can create maps so easily and quickly that by reviewing the map it is like I am still at the event taking in all the details

Cons

Sometimes I mis click and it thinks I am wanting to assign project related items to a line - but it is easy enough to remove afterwards