Android and iOS users alike are faced with a glut of to-do apps, and picking a good one out of the endless lists isn't all that easy. So what does the simply-named Tasks add to the mix? At its heart, Tasks isn't so much a to-do app in its own right as a client for Google Tasks: connect your Google account and everything syncs painlessly.

Its other point of pride is the cross-compatibility it offers between phones and tablets. While it's Android-only, it will work on any device running 2.2 or above, and syncing between them is — as you might expect — instant and intuitive. Its creators have clearly put some work into optimizing for different form factors, with a simple single-column phone UI and a dual-paneled tablet version. Its attractive blue-and-white palette reflects the app's general no-nonsense approach. The free version will start displaying ads after ten days; for $0.99, you can upgrade to an ad-free version.

Tasks would get a pretty solid recommendation from us, save for one thing: Astrid. Tasks is clearly working for a more stripped-down and widely compatible app than Astrid offers, but Astrid has it beat both on cross-platform compatibility (it's available for Android, iOS, and web) and price (it's free with optional "power pack" feature upgrades.) If you've got multiple Android devices and want something without the extra features that Astrid offers, though, Tasks is still a good bet.