Why End-to-End Encryption Matters: Zero-Friction Tasks vs. Other Todo Apps

The Encryption Gap in Task Managers

When you type "buy groceries" or "call dentist" into a task manager, you're sharing personal information. But here's the uncomfortable truth: most task managers can read your tasks.

Todoist, Microsoft To Do, Asana, Trello—they all store your tasks in ways that allow their employees (or database administrators) to read them. Some use "encryption at rest" (data encrypted on servers), but that's not the same as end-to-end encryption.

Zero-Friction Tasks is different. We use true end-to-end encryption (E2EE) with AES-256. This means your tasks are encrypted on your device before they ever reach our servers. We cannot read them. Our employees cannot read them. Database administrators see only encrypted gibberish.

What is End-to-End Encryption?

End-to-end encryption (E2EE) means your data is encrypted on your device and only decrypted on devices you authorize. At no point does anyone see your tasks in readable form—not even the service provider.

How It Works in Zero-Friction Tasks

1. You create a task on your iPhone or Windows PC
2. Your device encrypts it using your sync code (which acts as your encryption key)
3. Encrypted data is sent to our servers (we see only gibberish)
4. We store the encrypted version (unreadable to us)
5. When you sync, your other devices download the encrypted data
6. Your device decrypts it using your sync code

Result: Only devices with your sync code can read your tasks. Not us. Not anyone else.

The Problem with Most Todo Apps

Server-Side Encryption vs. End-to-End Encryption

Most task managers use server-side encryption (also called "encryption at rest"). This means:

• Your data is encrypted when stored on their servers
• But it's decrypted when processed or displayed
• Company employees can access readable data
• Database administrators can see your tasks
• If legally required, companies can decrypt and share your data

Examples:

• Todoist: Stores tasks with server-side encryption. Employees can access data if needed.
• Microsoft To Do: Uses Microsoft's encryption, but Microsoft can read your tasks.
• Asana/Trello: Team-focused, so data is accessible to workspace admins and company employees.

Why This Matters

Your tasks contain personal information:

• Medical appointments ("call doctor about test results")
• Financial reminders ("pay credit card bill")
• Personal goals ("lose 10 pounds")
• Work tasks that might be confidential
• Family reminders ("pick up kids from school")

If a company can read your tasks, so can:

• Their employees (for "support" or "analytics")
• Database administrators
• Anyone who gains server access
• Law enforcement (if legally required)

Zero-Friction Tasks: True End-to-End Encryption

AES-256 Encryption

We use AES-256 (Advanced Encryption Standard with 256-bit keys), the same encryption standard used by:

• Banks for financial data
• Governments for classified information
• Security experts worldwide

Your sync code is used to derive an encryption key using PBKDF2 (Password-Based Key Derivation Function 2), an industry-standard method.

Zero-Knowledge Architecture

Zero-knowledge means we have zero knowledge of your tasks. We cannot:

• Read your task text
• See your list names
• Access your personal information
• Decrypt your data, even if we wanted to

This is different from "we promise not to read your data." With zero-knowledge, we physically cannot read it because we don't have the decryption key (your sync code).

What Gets Encrypted

Everything is encrypted before it leaves your device:

• ✅ All task text and content
• ✅ List names and organization data
• ✅ Any personal information you enter
• ✅ Everything is encrypted end-to-end

Comparison: Zero-Friction Tasks vs. Popular Todo Apps

vs. Todoist

Todoist:

• Server-side encryption
• Employees can access data for support
• Data readable by company if legally required
• Privacy policy allows data access for "service improvement"

Zero-Friction Tasks:

• End-to-end encryption (AES-256)
• Zero-knowledge architecture
• We cannot read your tasks, even if legally required
• Only you can decrypt your data

Winner: Zero-Friction Tasks for true privacy

vs. Microsoft To Do

Microsoft To Do:

• Uses Microsoft's encryption (server-side)
• Microsoft can read your tasks
• Data accessible to Microsoft employees
• Part of Microsoft 365 ecosystem (data may be shared)

Zero-Friction Tasks:

• End-to-end encryption
• Independent service (no ecosystem data sharing)
• We cannot read your tasks

Winner: Zero-Friction Tasks for independence and privacy

vs. Things 3

Things 3:

• Uses iCloud sync (Apple's encryption)
• Apple can access data if legally required
• Data stored on Apple servers
• Privacy-focused but not zero-knowledge

Zero-Friction Tasks:

• End-to-end encryption independent of platform
• We cannot access data, even if legally required
• Cross-platform (not limited to Apple ecosystem)

Winner: Tie—both are privacy-focused, but Zero-Friction Tasks offers true zero-knowledge

vs. Asana/Trello (Team Tools)

Asana/Trello:

• Designed for teams (data accessible to workspace admins)
• Server-side encryption
• Company employees can access data
• Not designed for personal privacy

Zero-Friction Tasks:

• Built for individuals
• End-to-end encryption
• Zero-knowledge architecture
• Personal privacy first

Winner: Zero-Friction Tasks for personal use

Why End-to-End Encryption Matters

1. True Privacy

With E2EE, your tasks are truly private. No one can read them—not us, not employees, not database admins, not law enforcement (they'd need your sync code, which only you have).

2. Protection Against Breaches

If our servers were compromised, attackers would see only encrypted data. Without your sync code, they cannot decrypt it. This is why banks use E2EE for sensitive data.

3. No Data Mining

We cannot analyze your tasks for "insights" or "suggestions" because we cannot read them. Your data is yours alone.

4. Legal Protection

Even if legally required to share data, we cannot decrypt your tasks. We can only share encrypted gibberish, which is useless without your sync code.

The Trade-Offs

What You Give Up

End-to-end encryption has some trade-offs:

• No cloud search: We cannot search your tasks on our servers (you search locally)
• No AI features: We cannot use AI to analyze your tasks (we can't read them)
• Sync code responsibility: If you lose your sync code, you cannot recover encrypted data
• No password recovery: We cannot reset your "password" (sync code) because we don't store it

What You Gain

• True privacy: Only you can read your tasks
• Security: Even if servers are compromised, your data is safe
• Independence: No reliance on company promises—privacy is built into the architecture
• Peace of mind: Your personal information stays personal

Who Should Care About E2EE?

You should care if:

• ✅ You store personal or sensitive information in tasks
• ✅ You value privacy and data ownership
• ✅ You don't want companies analyzing your tasks
• ✅ You want protection against data breaches
• ✅ You prefer technical guarantees over privacy policies

You might not need E2EE if:

• ❌ You only store public, non-sensitive tasks
• ❌ You need cloud-based AI features
• ❌ You want companies to analyze your tasks for insights
• ❌ You prefer convenience over privacy

The Bottom Line

Most task managers prioritize convenience over privacy. They can read your tasks, analyze them, and share them if legally required.

Zero-Friction Tasks prioritizes privacy. We use true end-to-end encryption (AES-256) so only you can read your tasks. We cannot read them, even if we wanted to.

If privacy matters to you, choose a task manager with end-to-end encryption. If convenience matters more, choose a traditional task manager.

The choice is yours—but now you know the difference.

Try Zero-Friction Tasks with end-to-end encryption →

Learn more about our data protection →