Actions by Moleskine Studio Reviews

by Rhinoblogger

Customer service has stopped responding to requests for support and they refuse to address known bugs. Nice app when it works but it often does not work.

Actions continues to disappoint with a very significant bug. Reminders do not work consistently with recurring tasks. Several times I have missed deadlines due to this app not reminding me to complete a task when I had scheduled the reminder to occur. This happens often enough that Actions is completely unreliable.
I have contacted the developer numerous times and we even had a phone conversation about this issue last summer. Updates have come out since then, but this issue has still not been addressed. Whenever I email the developer to remind them I get a response that they are aware of the issue and hope to address it in a future release - it’s been several months and there is still no solution. For an app that expects the user to pay an ongoing subscription, this is unacceptable. After numerous disappointments and no action taken by the developer to resolve a significant bug I would not recommend Actions.

by Jed Again

It is time to move on. I have had Actions for almost two years now. I also have their calendar app TimePage. They both used to work pretty well. As they add more and more stuff and functionality to be and look cooler, the bugs just increase. Now it freezes every time I open it, it freezes in the middle of typing new this app (or new events in TimePage), syncing has just gotten worse and is also a daily problem (and I don’t even have an Apple watch), and this app that are supposed to repeat disappear. I have an iPhone XS and a recent iPad Pro running the latest system updates. Hardware and operating system is not the problem. I have contacted the developer through support a number of times over the last 6 or so months. Responses include questions and intentions and nothing gets better. But here comes another update with more cool stuff! Priority one is that it works flawlessly. The cool additional stuff doesn’t matter until it just works. Seems to be a theme with their apps - keep adding more stuff as basic performance degrades. I have to question their testing protocols. Perhaps we the customers are their testing protocol.

The apps has a 4.7 rating over it’s life. Go sort reviews by most recent and make your own determination.

They are clearly pretty apps. You will quickly get frustrated. Look elsewhere.

by Martyh1

At first I thought everything looked good but without any preference changes at all including that text size preference, most of my reminders imported from apples reminders list, the text doesn’t fit properly and gets cut off on the top and the bottom in the title line (schedule view only). Doesn’t happen to all of them but to most of them. About the only way I can see the full text for those lines is to set the this app preference text size to the smallest size. I was initially using the system size setting and that didn’t work either even using a few different system font sizes. Hard to get to know Actions when that’s the first thing you see.

Update: quick response from developer. Uninstalled and reinstalled app with new version and problem went away. Changing from two stars to four. Need more time to evaluate other features now.

Update: problem with text being cutoff on top and bottom is back with latest version. Back to two stars. And since this seems pretty basic, I’m down evaluating it, at least for now.

by Makakalscdid

I downloaded Actions last week and started the free trial. As a high schools AP student, I find that Actions was very helpful and kept me organized so when the trial was up, I signed up for the monthly subscription. On the subscription screen, when I pressed continue, a pop up read that I needed to verify my credit card info in my settings. When I pressed continued on the pop up, it directed me to Actions store asking for my credit card info. It then redirected me to my settings, and then to the apple ID website. I saw that none of these methods were working. Typing in my credit card info multiple times, my subscription was unsuccessful. I tried to re-enter my credit card info more than 3 times and kept taking me through the same process. I am though, very aware that this could be an issue with apple as well. But I really like Actions and I’m highly disappointed that my subscription isn’t processing. I certainly hope that I am not being scammed (of my hard earned money), due to the numerous amount of times I was asked for my credit card info. I really hope that this can be fixed.

by ToddStark

I’m not a big fan of the “tile” interface in general, it uses a lot of space for very little information, and Actions uses it exclusively. If you just want to track a couple of especially critical tasks per day and be able to easily track when they’re done, and easily reschedule the ones you missed, this is a nice simple way to do that and integrates with the TimePage app, so it is especially useful if you rely on that routinely to view your integrated schedule.

As a general task tracking app though, it is very weak. The views and reporting are very limited, and the interface quickly gets overwhelmed if you have a lot to do or want to plan more than a couple of days ahead.

This is a good app for keeping yourself on track for a few focused tasks over a brief period of time. I used it very successfully for example to track my medications and pt sessions every day while recovering from surgery, by planning my routine a week at a time.

by Dyan007

First...I do actually like the Moleskine Timepage/this app/Flow suite. The widgets are fantastic and have revolutionized how I organize my phone and day. But there’s a huge fatal flaw...it does not sync with Apple Reminders. And it is a little bit clunky moving between the apps. What I really don’t understand is why Moleskine has Moleskine Journey which seems to compete with Timepage/this app/Flow, but seamlessly puts all 3 functions together which is my primary complaint with the suite of apps...AND it *does* sync with Apple Reminders, so why doesn’t this app? It would be amazing if they would marry the journal style functions of Journey with the rest of the suit, but as it is, it appears to be a standalone product that competes with their star product(s) Timepage/this app/Flow.

Add Reminders syncing and full this app functionality in the time stream and it would be truly useful. I do like the 2 presentations of lists as either pages or cards, but I’d *really really* love to see them switch the project/list cards to little Moleskine notebooks that open with customizable cover artwork. In the page view, the chosen artwork could be the background for the action cards.

I would love to see Moleskine combine Journey and the Timepage/this app/Flow suite into one epic organization/productivity product to rule them all.

by FM_M

The team at Molskine have done another superb job of making information feel simple and approachable, and easy to see *and understand* at a glance. That’s no small task, and the work they’ve done here with this app (and earlier with Timepage) is absolutely superb.

However...

The interaction between Lists and Tasks is identical to what’s in iOS’ Reminders, but they don’t just access that iCloud data (as they do with Calendars in Timepage), they make their own. When making your own that point would be to create a better information organization model, but it’s identical. You can’t create a multi-step Task that you want to do today, you have to make a List and then put every Task in that List into your day. There’s no better way to create a slightly more complex task (“make food for the week” could have 7-8 steps you might want to keep order of, but that has to be a List).

If there were a slightly more detailed data footprint vs Reminders, I’d love that. Or integration with Reminders, so I could connect to that information in other places too. But lack of both is ... well, it’s really odd.

Also, while swiping to mark done is the method on the phone, for some odd reason it’s a long-hold to make the line slide to the side to reveal the Done marker. Swiping to the side to make the line slide to the side would make MUCH more sense - that’s a small detail, yet utterly baffling.

by 40302010

It’s a great to-do list app with good functionality and personalization. I really like how well it works with Timepage app and the rollover function. Actions’s schedule function is quite intuitive and i find it to be helpful and effective. I find that once I put my tasks in and set the due date and reminders it does really well at making sure my task isn’t forgotten about but also isn’t annoying and causing me to be less productive as other apps do.
There are things about Actions that I am not as fond of such as bottom task bar. The bottom bar is awkward because the icon you press for the settings is in the bottom left hand corner and the settings menu appears on the right side of the page when you click on it along with various other oddly placed icons. Also the list function is very separated and the transition takes away functionality from the lists. My last negative is that I have trouble with setting the reminders. I want to set my self like every other day reminders in advance of the task and it’s time consuming to do.

Also I found that Actions was not capable of functioning as a homework assignment list and as a life planner.

Overall it works well for helping you get things done on a time schedule but I wouldn’t call it an all in one. I would be really interested in a academic comprehensive version from this developer!

by 阁岚特

Obviously they are developing, and while I still use Todoist I’m definitely excited to follow the development of Actions as I am an avid fan of Timepage. I hope one day I can use Actions over Todoist, but currently Actions does not live up to my expectations of a todo list app. However, it is also very disappointing that the creators of the refined Timepage didn’t create a more polished app before going live— it’s not like you’re doing something new, there’s plenty of good todo list apps to work ideas from, my favorite example being Todoist. Obviously, if you want users you need to work with the crowd who enjoy the brand, and the only way you’ll do that successfully is if you provide a equivalent experience as other apps such as Todoist. I think the possibility of a desktop app will bring great improvement, but otherwise it’s still a work in progress. Also, taking money before having a finished product? I’ll ignore it because of Timepage, but that’s a little... distasteful.

by Kimjuliehansen

I want to start by saying that this is my all time favorite to do list app and there are some new updates that I absolutely love (like the checklists and new colors). That said, some things remain frustrating and new bugs appeared with the latest updates. Here are my main issues:

Synching : this is extremely frustrating and a new bug. When I use the browser version on my laptop and then open Actions on my phone, it immediately undoes everything I’ve done on the browser version and reverts back to how it was before.

Order: for some reason, the order of items added later in the week changes constantly and I’m real time. I can see the items moving place and there’s no way to halt or change it. This real time change is new. Up until now, the browser version would also change the order anytime I refreshed the page (super frustrating too).

Crashes: Actions crashes several times a day

No desktop app: I’ve been hoping for this feature for a long time and continue to hope it’ll be added soon

Even with those issues, I’m glad i paid for it and I’d still recommend Actions, so I’m leaving this review in the hopes that the developers will see it and be able to fix these bugs that make an otherwise fantastic app just a bit faulty. And to whoever designed Actions visually, great job!

by Slimbergh

Most recent update was supposed to “improve performance” of Actions . Instead, it has almost completely bricked it. I run this app on a brand new iPad Pro, and the performance is worse after the update; Actions now lags for almost 60 seconds before updating simple task changes like a reminder time change. Moleskine has been promising for a YEAR that a version for Mac OS/Web is coming so we can actually see our tasks across all devices, and they have gone radio-silent and that version is still not released. And, this app STILL cannot sync with iCloud reminders. So, while I think there are some apps that can ethically-justify charging a subscription fee to defray the costs of continuously-improving Actions , this app is NOT one of them. I would discourage anyone not already using this buggy app from starting to use it now. I hope Moleskine gets their act together because Actions has a lot of potential, but it just doesn’t work well now.

by Mevis0130

I keep coming back to Actions over the years because I really do like the idea of how it works. Between this, and Timepage, it mimics the way I think about my life, scheduling things in my life, and getting things done. However, each time I use it, I find it does not work well with syncing between my devises, and with the reminders and calendar app native to the Apple Ecosystem. Where I have a lot of info stored that I need on any app I use for getting things done. I have tried to fix this, but cannot figure out why tasks I complete and mark as completed in Actions does not reflect in the native reminders app, which then shows up again in Actions.

I came back to it due to a promotion that Moleskin ran while touting improvements to the apps. Frankly, I have not noticed any improvements, but still like the overall idea. Fix this one issue and it will be a five star review for sure.

by Heidirama1969

I like this better than the Todoist app. I love seeing what I’ve accomplished (crossed off) on my list which is a plus for goal oriented people. I am still in the trial and will post again when I purchase which I think I will do. I also really appreciate the 7 day trial so I can get a feel for how often and the ease at which I interact with Actions thru out my day. I also really like the syncing of a calendar option. It’s great to see both my day at a glance plus my todo list. My only issue is that I use pocket life calendar to organize my entire family. There are specific color codes I give to events specific to that family member not just specific calendar as I use a family calendar. With the this app app you must use their TIMEFRAME calendar system (& pay again for that app) to sync the calendar u use to Actions . Its more helpful to me to like to see my colors of the events rather than those of my specific calendars on the this app schedule page. Is there a way it can sync to just the calendar I use or is it a platform thing that I have to get TIMEFRAME too? I wouldn’t mind paying an in app charge to use just my calendar if that’s possible.

by Ssjcherry

It’s a great little to-do/list-making app. I use it to keep track of pretty much anything I need or want to do (home improvements, chores, things I want to read later, etc). You also have the ability to set up repeat tasks, which is nice, and I can use it to remind myself to check the mail or take meds, or anything that might easily slip my mind. The only things I kind of wish were available are things like sub-tasks (I don’t want to make a separate item for everything I need to do to do to clean the kitchen, but it would be nice to be able to make a checklist) and being able to hide certain tasks from what ends up being a massive to-do list. I use Actions to remind myself and keep track of taking medications (I can easily look back and make sure I took them when I was supposed to), but it would be nice if I could hide those, and other little things like it, until the reminder time so that they don’t clutter up the list throughout the day. Overall a great little app, just a couple of small quality of life things I would like to see someday lol

by Hyperandpoor

I cannot put into words how much I enjoy Actions! I have NEVER purchased an app until now; there are just too many that are free and I am a cheapo. Actions, however, cannot be compared to any other. As a manager with hundreds of little things to keep up with, on top of having ADHD, the this app app is truly life changing! I’m also easily frustrated with complex technology; even though scheduling/customizing recurring reminders/tasks took a minute to figure out, the this app app is extremely easy to use! I used to just make lists in my notes app on my iPhone; now, I put EVERYTHING in my this app app!! You can make lists for anything, add notes to each task if needed, and you don’t have to schedule them until you’re ready. Speaking of scheduling, you can set a custom day for each task/reminder. You can also set reminders on the day of and head of time!
I set recurring reminders that repeat monthly/weekly/yearly for bills, appointments, birthdays, etc. My lists are: Grocery, Order, To Do ASAP, To Do Later, Goals, Miscellaneous, & Work. It has been so beneficial to my personal life that I decided to purchase it for all of the company phones at work! For the price of one meal at a cheap restaurant, you can have mind blowing organization and productivity. Why would you not, at the very least, test out the free trial???
(Ps. Sorry for the novel. Lol)

by Lightning Chi

i love Actions more than words can say. i have struggled my whole life with productivity and motivation ESPECIALLY during quarantine but holy cow Actions has been a lifesaver. i’m a minimalist and Actions definitely meets my minimalist standards and it is sooo easy to use. not to mention that it is only $12 a YEAR. most productivity apps around around $40 and this was by far my favorite i have tried (even before i knew the price.) you also get a 7-day free trial without having to put in any information or worrying about cancelling before your subscription starts. you get to control whether you want to set specific times for things with reminders, or just use it as a check off list!! i cannot recommend this enough it has honestly CHANGED MY LIFE. (also you can literally change Actions icon color - how cool is that!??)

by Emax3729

For the most part, the greatest reason I chose the $12 subscription for Moleskine this app over the free Reminders app by Apple, is because of the alluring aesthetics. That’s enough for me in all honesty. My biggest problem with Moleskine this app, though, is how there are fewer options for customising the reminders. The thing that I love about Apple’s app is how there are options to add location reminding and various priority settings. Along with that, I also very much like the extensive “theme” customisation offered in the Timepage app, and syncing themes would be very nice. If these options could be added to the program, that would be greatly appreciated and likely increase the quality value of Actions .

P.S. whenever I schedule an overly-complicated task such as “Work on Novel every Wednesday Thursday and Friday from December 22 to January 8”, Actions crashes.

by Jaredbelcher

I’ve been using this for about a month as a replacement to a paper planner. I’ve tried a lot of to-do apps and this one is almost perfect. My only complaints are that the iPhone and iPad apps are very slow at syncing with each other (when other apps I use do not have this issue), so it could look like I have to-do’s on my iPad that I actually completed days ago on my iPhone. This happens really often, about 50% of the time.

The other knock is that, unlike their Journal app, there is no native Mac app and the web version they point you to is very, very limited. Our organization runs on Mac and iOS, so being able to pull this into our workflow would be very helpful.

That said, I’m going to stick with it for now and see if they can iron some of these things out, because it really is a great app.

by Jamesatty

I never grew up being organized. Actions has helped keep me on track. Especially when people want to plan something I can take out my phone and type it quickly in the task app and then schedule for later. I love being to see the bigger picture of what I need to do for the week on the Timepage (calendar portion). Moleskin did a phenomenal job with ease of moving tasks to different days. I really like being able to move a task around to create priorities. It’s just easier seeing the list then having to write which is supper important. If I need to change the task or add to it, it’s super easy. It’s worth the annual subscription. Seriously worth the value to get all three apps in the bundle.

There is a free drawing app for people who like to doodle. I don’t but that’s not to take anything away from Moleskin. You guys are doing it right. Thanks from a more organized dude.

by TaylorPlayer

UPDATE 2022
I like the combination of this app and Timepage. That’s why I keep giving this app a chance.
this app still has some weird bugs. I have been in contact with support many times and they are trying to be helpful. There are still glitches in the display of tasks that will cut off text or not display some of the text at all.
Actions offers no automatic way to organize your daily tasks. You have to drag them into the order you want to do them. That’s kind of tedious but okay, I can do that. The problem is that sometimes when I drag a task to the top of the list it will change into a copy of another task! Now I have lost the task I wanted to do earlier and have two copies of another task. If I switch views a couple of time the correct task will appear. Still hoping they are going to fix the display issues but some of these have been happening for years and they don’t seem able to find an answer.

Actions has always interested me but it was always loaded with bugs. I have tried it repeatedly over the years but always gave up on it because of all the glitches. With this version they MAY have fixed the things that I have had trouble with and they have added some very nice functionality. Customer support has been responsive to my questions and I have found them to be helpful. I use this app along with Timepage and it is a nice combination.

by Bamaguy06

I am a huge fan and original adopter of Moleskine’s wonderful Timepage app. The key to Timepage being useful, however, is that it integrates seamlessly with iCloud so things to enter on your iPhone or iPad also appear on your laptop or desktop Mac calendar (I use Fantastical 2, and Timepage integrates perfectly). This is ESSENTIAL for any scheduling, reminder, or organizational App used for productivity. It is a huge and mind-boggling disappointment that this app does not do the same thing. Plus, Moleskine expects us, even their own loyal Timepage subscribers, to pay an additional subscription fee for this app when it is not able to be use across platforms. Why would anyone subscribe for a To Do list app that does not show your To Do events/tasks on your laptop or desktop, but only on your mobile devices? It screams out disorganization and will result in confusion and missed tasks/appointments. I will gladly pay for this app, and WANT to do so, but not until it works with Apple Reminders or they offer an MacOS version. Come on Moleskine, you are better than this!

by Ghost😎😎

I was looking for an app that I can use on my new Apple Watch as a school homework planner mixed with reminders for other stuff (buy groceries, go to the gym, etc) I stumbled upon this and at first I almost deleted it immediately because I never buy apps (especially subscription apps, and at $12!) but I’m so glad I didn’t delete it, because after giving it a shot with the free trial I bought it after like 10 minutes. It’s honestly perfect for what I want but more than that Actions design is, just, wow. I’m a Computer Science major and I aspire to be able to make applications as user-friendly, clean, and just overall well-designed as this. Only thing I’d like to see is the ability to add times to tasks, not just dates. Other than that, it’s an A+!