Big things afoot for The Hit List

I was greeted this morning with a 1.0 update for my install of Potion Factory’s The Hit List ($49.95), which I’ve been using as my primary task-tracking app for the last number of months.

This is a big deal, because The Hit List — once one of the most promising and well-received apps in its space — has been in perpetual beta for a couple years in which the developer, Andy Kim, seemed to have dropped off the face of the earth. Bit by bit, users had been reluctantly leaving for the likes of Things or OmniFocus, believing The Hit List had become “deadware”. It did look grim, I’ll admit. But it seems like the faithful are finally being rewarded!

This is a very well-made piece of software, with a great user experience that balances between simplicity, style, and a well-rounded functionality set. Though the controls are not as granular as OmniFocus, and the app isn’t quite as minimal and clean as Things, for me The Hit List has found a sweet spot and is in many ways the best in its class. The Hit List nearly makes task management fun. 

Apparently The Hit List for iPhone and The Hit List for Mac are both awaiting app store approval, and over-the-air sync service (which supposedly works between multiple Macs as well as iOS devices) will be available for $1.99/mo or $19.99/yr.

There’s been a fairly large number of people already actively using this service in beta, and you’ll even find a fully operational sign-up site for the sync service (though I don’t suggest subscribing until the service officially launches): 

I’m eager to see what the sync service is actually capable of. I doubt it’ll have quite the expansive capacity that OmniFocus has, particularly with the OmniFocus iPad app and third party supplemental services (such as Spootnik’s amazing project-specific Basecamp-to-OmniFocus sync.)

Still, I’m betting The Hit List will emerge as the best value and most usable solution for personal task tracking. 

(Well, at least for the non-OCD set. Ahem.)

I’m very happy to see this app finally coming of age. Good luck to Andy and Potion Factory, and god-speed!