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Comparison · PM
Ellie Planner vs ZenTao
A side-by-side editorial comparison of Ellie Planner and ZenTao — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
Ellie Planner vs ZenTao: at a glance
What is Ellie Planner?
Ellie follows its MCP opening with a 30-day Trash and Google Calendar editing.
Ellie is a solo-built task and calendar planner on web, desktop, iPhone and iPad. The August catch-up release opened task data to outside agents through MCP and an API in beta, alongside iPad Week Calendar, Pomodoro and Quick Capture. The October 5 update added a 30-day Trash across platforms, Google Calendar editing and more iPhone features.
What is ZenTao?
ZenTao posts a 22.0 beta with no notes in the feed.
The only tracked ZenTao entry is the 22.0 beta tag from October 21. It links to a changelog file in the repository and contains no description of what changed.
Ellie Planner vs ZenTao: editorial side-by-side
Ellie follows its MCP opening with a 30-day Trash and Google Calendar editing.
◆ Current state
Ellie is a solo-built task and calendar planner on web, desktop, iPhone and iPad. The August catch-up release opened task data to outside agents through MCP and an API in beta, alongside iPad Week Calendar, Pomodoro and Quick Capture. The October 5 update added a 30-day Trash across platforms, Google Calendar editing and more iPhone features.
◆ Where it's heading
After a long quiet stretch, releases are arriving more often and filling gaps in safety and calendar parity between platforms. MCP access remains the directional bet, while recent work is mostly parity and polish.
◆ Prediction
Expect more iPhone and iPad parity work; whether MCP access leaves beta is unclear from the entries.
ZenTao
2.5PM
ZenTao posts a 22.0 beta with no notes in the feed.
◆ Current state
The only tracked ZenTao entry is the 22.0 beta tag from October 21. It links to a changelog file in the repository and contains no description of what changed.
◆ Where it's heading
A beta of a new major version suggests a larger release is in progress, but nothing in the feed says what it contains.
◆ Prediction
Unclear: the entry does not show what 22.0 changes or when a stable version will follow.
Alternatives to Ellie Planner and ZenTao
Other PM products tracked by Sparkpulse, ranked by recent ship velocity. Each card links to a full editorial trajectory and lets you pivot into a head-to-head comparison with either Ellie Planner or ZenTao.
NocoBase
NocoBase's v3 beta lets apps ship their own CLI, separate from Agents.
Productboard
Productboard's v2 documents API now keeps plain web addresses and emoji as ordinary text.
Hive
Hive turns reporting into a planning tool: shared inputs, grouped values, per-person drill-downs.
Tracecat
Tracecat 1.5 alpha patches add sub-cases and lock down agent sandboxes.
SmartSuite
SmartSuite adds tracked changes to SmartDocs, so policy edits need an approver.
See all Ellie Planner alternatives → · See all ZenTao alternatives →
Recent activity from Ellie Planner and ZenTao
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 24d agoZenTaoZenTao 22.0 beta posted without release notes
- 1mo agoEllie PlannerEllie adds Trash, Google Calendar editing and iPhone features
- 2mo agoEllie PlanneriPad Week Calendar, Pomodoro, Quick Capture, rich notes, and MCP ⚡
- 10mo agoEllie Planner🧹 Todoist integration, improved Slack/Notion integrations and more
- 1y agoEllie PlannerEllie AI, Task templates, "Add task" from calendar events and more ✨ ⚡
- 1y agoEllie PlannerNotion integration, Analytics, Rituals, Notifications and a ton more
- 2y agoEllie Planner🐹 Outlook Calendar Integration, iOS Widgets, Slack integration and more
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Ellie Planner and ZenTao?
They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. Ellie Planner and ZenTao are shipping at a similar cadence (velocity 2.5 vs 2.5, both within Sparkpulse's "active" band). See the at-a-glance table above for a side-by-side breakdown of velocity, recent sparks, and editorial themes.
Is Ellie Planner better than ZenTao?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. Ellie Planner and ZenTao are shipping at a similar cadence (velocity 2.5 vs 2.5, both within Sparkpulse's "active" band). For your specific use case, the alternatives sections above list other PM products to evaluate alongside.
What are the best alternatives to Ellie Planner?
Top Ellie Planner alternatives in PM are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Ellie Planner alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/ellie for the full list with editorial commentary on each.
What are the best alternatives to ZenTao?
Top ZenTao alternatives in PM are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "ZenTao alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/zentao for the full list with editorial commentary on each.