Nirvana GTD alternative
Trayzero vs Nirvana
Nirvana is one of the few task managers that takes GTD literally. Inbox, Next, Waiting, Scheduled, Someday, Areas of Focus: the lists are the method rather than a template you assemble. Trayzero starts from the same place, so this is not a strict-versus-loose comparison. The split is elsewhere. Nirvana is a cloud service you sign into, and the parts a large system needs, unlimited projects and unlimited areas, sit behind Pro. Trayzero keeps everything on your phone, with no account, and every feature is free.
| App | Platform | GTD fidelity | Data | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trayzero | Android & iOS | Strict | Local-first | Free |
| Nirvana | Web, desktop, mobile | Strict | Cloud (account required) | Free tier; Pro $3/mo billed yearly |
Prices are approximate and may have changed since this was written.
Where Nirvana is strong
- Runs on Mac, Windows, iPhone, iPad, Android, and the browser, so the same system reaches a desktop keyboard.
- Sync across devices is in the free tier, not held back for Pro.
- Email capture: forward a message to your Nirvana account and it lands in the inbox, and the Focus list can be emailed to you on chosen days.
- Advanced filters across tags, areas, contacts, energy, and time required, which is how you cut a big inbox down quickly.
Where Trayzero differs
- Free with every feature included. Nirvana's free plan covers basic projects and areas of focus; unlimited projects, unlimited areas, and recurring to-dos are Pro, $3 a month billed yearly at $36 a year.
- Local-first: on-device SQLite, plain-JSON backup, no account, and no server holding your lists.
- A card-stack Process Inbox that walks the whole clarify decision tree one item at a time. Actionable? Two-minute rule? Delegate, defer, or drop. Nirvana hands you the right lists and leaves the moving to you.
- A seven-step Weekly Review wizard, scripted, instead of a review you have to remember to run.
- Open source under GPLv3, so the on-device and no-account claims are auditable.
The bottom line
If you need GTD on a desktop, want it synced across machines, or capture most of your tasks out of email, Nirvana is the better fit and Pro is cheap for what it does. If you run GTD from your phone and want the clarify and review steps guided, on your own device, for free, that is what Trayzero is built for.