Amazing Marvin vs Bento: Comprehensive Comparison
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Overview
In today's fast-paced world, choosing the right productivity tool can make all the difference. This comprehensive comparison between Amazing Marvin and Bento will help you understand which tool best fits your workflow and productivity needs.
⚡ Quick Summary
Aspect | Amazing Marvin | Bento |
|---|---|---|
Best For | Highly customizable task manager and productivity app with behavioral psychology principles, ideal for users with ADHD or complex workflows. | ADHD-friendly focus timer with three-task limit and zen sessions |
Pricing | $12/mo or $300 lifetime | Free, Premium from $24.99/year |
Platforms | Web, Mac, Windows | iOS |
What is Amazing Marvin?
Amazing Marvin is a highly customizable task manager, daily planner, time tracker, project management tool, calendar, habit and goal tracker designed to reduce procrastination, minimize stress, and boost productivity through behavioral psychology principles. It offers extensive customization options allowing users to tailor the app's appearance, behavior, workflows, and features to fit personal needs, making it feel like a 'make your own productivity app.' The app is particularly praised for its focus tools and advanced features that help users with ADHD and complex workflows.
🌟 Key Features of Amazing Marvin
✦Extensive customization with toggleable plug-ins and multiple views
✦Built-in timers (Pomodoro/Sandlock) and time tracking
✦Full calendar integration with 2-way Google Calendar sync
✦Habit and goal tracking with behavioral psychology features
✦Weekly scheduler with visual timeline and time blocking
✦Analytics and stats with productivity charts and graphs
What is Bento?
Bento Focus is a focus timer and task app designed for ADHD-friendly, low-stress productivity. It limits you to working on three tasks at a time (small, medium, large) and includes Pomodoro-style focus sessions with zen mode and themed backgrounds.
🌟 Key Features of Bento
✦Three-task Focus Box (one small, medium, large task)
✦Focus timer with Pomodoro sessions and zen mode
✦Preset and custom routines (Deep Work Flow, Procrastination Breaker)
✦Focus Score analytics and ADHD Brain Insights
✦Gentle design with non-disruptive notifications
✦Achievement badges and progress tracking
📊 Feature Comparison
Feature | Amazing Marvin | Bento |
|---|---|---|
📅 Calendar Integration | ✓ Yes | ✗ No |
✅ Task Management | ✓ Yes | ◐ Limited |
⏰ Time Blocking | ✓ Yes | ◐ Limited |
🗣️ Natural Language Processing | ✓ Yes | ✗ No |
🔔 Notifications | ✗ No | ✓ Yes |
🌍 Time Zones Support | ✗ No | ✗ No |
📆 Scheduler | ✓ Yes | ◐ Limited |
📈 Analytics | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
🔗 Integrations
Amazing Marvin
Zapier, Make, Integrately, Google Calendar, Slack, Notion, Todoist, Google Tasks, Trello, Microsoft Outlook, Evernote, ClickUp, TickTick
Bento
None documented
💰 Pricing Comparison
Amazing Marvin
$12/mo or $300 lifetime
$12/month subscription, $300 lifetime plan, or $96/year annual option. Student discount 50% off. 14-day free trial available.
Bento
Free, Premium from $24.99/year
Free with Bento Premium: $4.99/mo, $12.99/3mo, $19.99/6mo, $24.99/year
💡 Things to Consider
When Choosing Amazing Marvin
→Steep learning curve - expect time investment to master the extensive customization options
→Mobile app experience is weaker than desktop, particularly on Android
→Best suited for advanced users or those with ADHD rather than simple task list needs
When Choosing Bento
→iOS only - no Android, Mac, Windows, or web versions available
→Minimal task management compared to full-featured to-do apps
→No calendar integration or traditional time-blocking features
⭐ User Reviews
Amazing Marvin
"Amazing Marvin receives high praise for its extensive customization and powerful features, particularly from ADHD users and those with complex workflows. Users love the flexibility and transformative productivity boost, with ratings like 4.9/5 on AlternativeTo. However, it has a steep learning curve that can be overwhelming initially, and the mobile app (especially Android) needs improvement compared to the desktop version."
Bento
"Users praise the ADHD-friendly design and three-task limitation for reducing overwhelm. The focus timer and zen mode features are highlighted as effective for maintaining concentration. Achievement system and gentle notifications help build sustainable productivity habits without stress."
🎯 Conclusion
Both Amazing Marvin and Bento are excellent productivity tools with their own strengths.
Amazing Marvin excels in Extensive customization with toggleable plug-ins and multiple views, while Bento shines with Three-task Focus Box (one small, medium, large task). The best choice depends on your specific needs, workflow preferences, and budget.
We recommend trying both tools to see which one fits better with your productivity style.
