Compare Diigo and Todoist: Which Extension is the Best?

Diigo is a handy tool for bookmarking, highlighting, and annotating web pages. It has many features, but its old design and limited highlight colors might make it less appealing.
Todoist is a well-known to-do app with a simple, easy-to-use design. Its browser extension lets you quickly access your to-do list in a nice popup.
Key Features
  • Highlighting: Works well and highlights are recreated on refresh.
  • Notes: You can add notes to your highlights.
  • Link Creation: Create links to your highlights, although this feature is not very reliable.
  • Sidebar Outliner: Simple design but requires time to understand.
  • Syncing: Highlights are synced across devices.
  • Task Management: Create tasks, subtasks, and projects easily.
  • Integrations: Works with Google Drive, Slack, Zapier, and more.
  • Cross-Platform Support: Available on mobile, desktop, and browser.
  • Natural Language Input: Add tasks using natural language for quick input.
  • Reminders and Due Dates: Set recurring tasks with due dates.
  • Kanban and Calendar Views: Manage tasks in flexible visual layouts.
  • Collaboration Tools: Assign tasks to others and manage shared projects.
Our Rating
7.8
8.9
Total users
200,000
889,191
Total ratings
2,319
52,311
Average rating
4.6 ⭐
4.4 ⭐
Entry Level PriceFreeFree
Chrome
Chrome Web Store logo
4.6
3.56
2.3K+ ratings
200.0K+Users
Chrome Web Store logo
4.7
4.48
51.3K+ ratings
700.0K+Users
Edge
-
Microsoft Edge Store logo
4.0
4.0
82 ratings
174.2K+Users
Firefox
-
Mozilla Firefox Add-ons Store logo
4.7
4.63
927 ratings
14.9K+Users
Safari
-
-
Features
8.5

Diigo offers basic features for a highlighter and bookmarking tool.

It works well and we were able to highlight most websites and they were recreated when revisiting them.

The highlighter popup makes it easy to highlight text offering 4 colors. It looks like this:

Highlighter Popup with four colors

We would have wished to have more color options.

Also, note-taking and the tagging functionality are working, but its design does not look appealing.

Notes Editor: Adding notes to your highlight

The dashboard where your highlights are stored works well and gives you an overview of all your highlights.

Diigo Dashboard
9.3

Todoist offers comprehensive functions for task management. Tasks can be prioritized, labeled and filtered.

to dos

Another good feature is that websites can be saved directly as tasks. This can be done via the taskbar button or by right-clicking. In this way, information on a website can be added directly as a task that you want to edit or read up on later.

right click

The extension can also be used to mark tasks directly as completed.

Other features like collaborating on projects and tracking progress with personalized productivity trends add further value.

Some of these advanced features of the application, such as customized templates and advanced reports, are available in the paid plans.

Performance
8.0

Diigo performs well in terms of highlighting and syncing across devices. The fact that highlights are always synchronized can cause some loading delays.

It's not as fast as other highlighters that use an offline-first approach, but it works reasonably well.

However, the unreliable link creation feature and the simple sidebar outliner design need improvement.

7.3

Most of Todoist's functions worked quickly and without problems in our tests.
The function of connecting the account with the Google Calendar to display your appointments did not work in the test, an error message was displayed. Users also report occasional delays in synchronization in the extension in the reviews.

error
Design
7.0

The design fulfills its functionality. The design of Diigo is outdated and could use a modern refresh.

The lack of a nice overview of all your highlights on the page itself means you have to open the dashboard on diigo.com instead.

The dashboard on diigo.com is okay, but other highlighters like Web Highlights have a much nicer user interface.

9.5

The design is clean and intuitive, making it easy to navigate immediately. The interface can also be visually customized to suit your needs, but these are not overdone. The option of color-coded priority levels and project labels also helps with organization.

Value for Money
8.0

The free version of Diigo offers basic features and is fine for most users. The paid plans are reasonably priced and similar to other highlighters.

However, we think other highlighters offer more value for the same price.

9.0

The functions of the Todoist extension are free of charge. The free functions of the Todoist application should also be sufficient for most users. For users who want to use functions such as reminders or additional view options, the price should also be reasonable. With an annual payment installment, $4 per month is reasonable in our view.

Ease of Use
7.8

Diigo is fairly easy to use, but the sidebar outliner takes some time to get used to.

You can't see all your highlights on the page itself, so you have to go to the dashboard on diigo.com.

We wish there was a sidebar to quickly access all our highlighted pages, like in the Web Highlights extension.

9.0

In our test, we had no problems with the installation and the first steps. The creation of tasks and overall use is self-explanatory. There are also many instructions and tutorials already available for the tool.
For more experienced users, there are also additional functions in the application that can be used with simple shortcuts.

Security & Privacy
7.5

Diigo takes reasonable steps to protect user data. However, since you need an account and your data is stored in their database, absolute protection can't be guaranteed.

We think a highlighter should work without needing to sign up, but this feature is missing in Diigo.

9.0

Todoist describes its data security in detail in its Privacy Policy. This states that the data is encrypted according to the state of the art and that regular security updates are carried out. The data is stored in the cloud for synchronization; it cannot be stored locally.

Conclusion

Diigo is a handy tool for collecting stuff from the web, like bookmarks, highlights, and notes.


It’s a good deal with its premium plans, but the old-fashioned design and limited highlight colors might be a turn-off.


If you want something that looks nicer and offers more customization, check out alternatives like Web Highlights.

Todoist is a great option for task management. We really like its simplicity, which is likely why it has become so popular.

While some modern tools may offer more features, Todoist is one of the best choices if you’re looking for a solid, beautifully designed to-do list.

Still, we noticed some performance issues. The extension takes longer to load when working in environments with a bad internet connection. It’s not a dealbreaker, but something to be aware of, especially if you often work in places with poor internet.

Overall, Todoist is a strong choice for anyone seeking an easy-to-use and powerful task manager, though its speed and offline capabilities could be improved.

If you would like to test Todoist yourself, you can use our code to get the Pro version for 2 months free of charge. https://get.todoist.io/mgs7dk

Our Recommendation

In our comparison between Diigo and Todoist, Todoist came out on top, scoring 8.9.

Todoist is the most widely used, with over 889k users and 52k+ reviews—and it also delivered the strongest performance in our tests. User reviews for Todoist reflect our findings, while we rate Diigo lower than users do.

Notably, Diigo has the highest user rating in the Chrome Web Store at 4.60, which is even higher than our rating of 7.8.

There are some noticeable differences between these extensions, so it's worth considering your priorities and the details below.


  • Looking for the richest feature set? Todoist stands out with a rating of 9.3. On the other hand, Diigo lags behind in this area with a rating of 8.5.
  • Need top performance? Diigo stands out with a rating of 8. On the other hand, Todoist lags behind in this area with a rating of 7.3.
  • Design lovers, take note: Todoist stands out with a rating of 9.5. On the other hand, Diigo lags behind in this area with a rating of 7.
  • Want to get the most for your money? Todoist stands out with a rating of 9. On the other hand, Diigo lags behind in this area with a rating of 8.
  • If you hate complicated tools, Todoist stands out with a rating of 9. On the other hand, Diigo lags behind in this area with a rating of 7.8.
  • With privacy and security becoming ever more important, Todoist stands out with a rating of 9. On the other hand, Diigo lags behind in this area with a rating of 7.5.

If you want a quick recommendation, Todoist is our top pick. But as always, the best choice depends on what matters most to you.