Marvelist started as a way to teach myself Swift. It was not supposed to become a product. I wanted a small project to learn on, picked a "to-do app" because every tutorial on Earth uses one, and then quietly kept building it for the next four years. Immediately family members downloaded the app, used it daily, fed me constructive feedback and their annoyances, and helped me get it to where it is today.
(Credit to Matthew, John and Bridget for their... relentlessness.)
So, this is the post where I finally stop calling it "my side project" and introduce it properly.
So: Marvelist is a productivity app that keeps your tasks, notes, lists and event planning in one place – built solo, and around a full-time job, mostly in events that should probably have gone on sleep. It runs across the Apple ecosystem and the web, and the thing that ties it together is AI that actually does something useful rather than sitting in a corner looking impressive.
What it actually does
At its core, Marvelist is four tools that usually live in four different apps:
- Tasks – with subtasks, due dates, and the usual machinery you'd expect, minus the bloat.
- Notes – for the thoughts that don't fit neatly into a checkbox.
- Lists – shopping, packing, projects, whatever you need to track in a row.
- Event planning – including guest lists and RSVPs, which is where things get interesting.
The point isn't "we have the most features". It's that these four things constantly bleed into each other in real life – you plan an event, which becomes a list, which becomes ten tasks – and bouncing between separate apps to manage that is a tax nobody should pay.
The AI bit, and why it's not just a checkbox
Plenty of apps bolted "AI" on in the last couple of years and called it a day. I tried to build it as something you'd genuinely reach for.
In Marvelist, you can edit and build lists in plain language. Tell it what you need, and it populates the list – no manual entry, one item at a time, until you lose the will to live. It's the part of the app I'm most protective of, because it's the bit that makes Marvelist Marvelist rather than another tidy checklist with a nice icon.
Events and RSVPs, for the people doing the hosting
The feature I'm quietly proud of is the RSVP Guest List. If you've ever organised anything involving other humans, you know the admin: who's coming, who hasn't replied, who said "maybe" three weeks ago and has since gone dark.
Marvelist handles guest lists and RSVPs directly, and guests can now add the event straight to their calendar without needing the app themselves. It's host-focused by design – built for the person doing the organising, not just the people turning up.
It runs where you do
Marvelist is on iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch, plus the web at app.marvelist.co.uk. Recently the web app got offline mode (in beta – tasks, lists, notes, and guest lists all sync back up when you reconnect) and light mode, so it's no longer aggressively nocturnal.
What's next
The roadmap leans into an AI angle, because that's the bit worth doubling down on. On the horizon: AI-generated packing lists from your trip details, gift lists from a quick prompt, meal plans that spin up their own grocery lists, and turning event RSVPs into dietary-requirement lists automatically – so you find out about the three vegetarians and one nut allergy before you're standing in the supermarket.
I'll keep posting here as those ship. If you want the moment-to-moment details, the Release Notes tracks everything as it lands.
Try it
If any of this sounds like it'd make your week less chaotic, Marvelist is on the App Store now, and you can find everything else at marvelist.co.uk.
It started as a way to learn Swift. Four years later, I think it's earned a proper introduction.
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