Core job
- Anchor
- Get you started on the task that's been sitting there
- Goblin Tools
- Break one task into smaller, less-scary subtasks
Comparison
Goblin Tools is the folk-hero ADHD utility — a free web toolkit built around one brilliant idea: take a task, break it down. Anchor is the daily ritual that helps you start whatever the breakdown reveals. They solve adjacent problems. Most readers know within two minutes which one they need today.
Goblin Tools is one of the most-loved tools in the ADHD community for a reason. We're not going to pretend Anchor replaces it. If single-task breakdown is what you need, Goblin Tools is the answer. If starting the task is what you need, that's a different page.
What each tool is actually for. Goblin Tools is a toolkit; Anchor is a relationship.
| Dimension | Anchor | Goblin Tools |
|---|---|---|
| Core job | Get you started on the task that's been sitting there | Break one task into smaller, less-scary subtasks |
| Format | Voice call (phone or in-app) | Web form — type in a task, get a checklist back |
| When you use it | Three scheduled moments a day, plus on-demand when stuck | Open it when a task feels too big |
| Coach / Voice | 4 named personas with persistent memory | No coach — it's a stateless utility |
| Memory | Yes — every call builds on the last | No persistence between uses |
| Sub-tools | Three voice moments + journal — one focused product | Magic ToDo, Formaliser, Estimator, Compiler, Judge — many small tools |
| Body doubling | Stay-on-the-Line co-working session | Not part of the toolkit |
Core job
Format
When you use it
Coach / Voice
Memory
Sub-tools
Body doubling
Goblin Tools is famously affordable. We won't compete with free — different value proposition.
| Dimension | Anchor | Goblin Tools |
|---|---|---|
| Web access | Subscription required after trial | Free on the web |
| Mobile apps | Web today, iOS in development, free with subscription | One-time purchase per app (a few dollars each) |
| Free trial | 14 days, no card | Web version is permanently free |
| Monthly | $24/mo | No subscription — pay-once for mobile |
| Annual | $199/yr (about 30% off) | Not applicable |
| Phone calls | +$5/mo for outbound phone via Twilio | Not applicable |
Web access
Mobile apps
Free trial
Monthly
Annual
Phone calls
The job each tool is doing in the moment you reach for it.
| Dimension | Anchor | Goblin Tools |
|---|---|---|
| A task feels too big | Stuck Call helps you pick the smallest physical first move | Magic ToDo turns the task into a step-by-step checklist |
| You can't start, even with a list | That's the whole product — the starting moment is what we do | Goblin Tools gives you the list, then leaves |
| You need to write a message in a different tone | Not what we do | Formaliser rewrites text in the tone you choose |
| You want a daily rhythm | Three calls a day, the cadence is the product | On-demand only — no ritual layer |
| You want a coach who remembers you | Persistent memory across every call | Stateless — each session is a fresh start |
A task feels too big
You can't start, even with a list
You need to write a message in a different tone
You want a daily rhythm
You want a coach who remembers you
When Anchor is the right pick
When Goblin Tools is the right pick
Goblin Tools is one of the most-loved free tools in the ADHD community. If what you need is the breakdown, not the relationship, go use it. It's better at that job than we are.
You can find them at goblin.tools.
What we're not better at
The point of this page is to help you pick, not to sell you something. Here's where Goblin Tools wins.
Task breakdown.
Magic ToDo is genuinely the cleanest single-task breakdown experience around. If the task itself is the wall, that's Goblin Tools' home turf.
Tone-shifting text.
Formaliser is its own little superpower. Anchor doesn't rewrite your emails. If that's the job, use the tool that does it.
Free.
Goblin Tools' web version is free. Anchor is a subscription. We can't compete on price for users who want zero spend.
Where Anchor wins
The list isn't the problem. Starting is.
Goblin Tools gives you the list. Anchor is the voice that gets you off the couch and into step one.
It calls you. Goblin Tools waits for you.
A phone ringing at 8am bypasses the whole 'remember to open the tool' tax. Different category of product entirely.
Same coach every day. They remember.
Goblin Tools is stateless. Anchor's coach knows the patterns you keep falling into and gently names them back to you in the next call.
Three calls a day, body doubling on demand.
Morning Brief sets the day. Stuck Call rescues mid-day. Evening Recap closes it. Stay-on-the-Line keeps a coach with you while you work. The ritual is the product.
Frequently asked
Not exactly. Goblin Tools is a free toolkit centered on single-task breakdown. Anchor is a paid daily voice ritual centered on starting. Different jobs. Many users will end up using both.
Yes, and many do. Use Magic ToDo to break the big task down. Use Anchor's Morning Brief to commit to the first step. Different problems, no conflict.
Voice infrastructure (real phone calls via Twilio, ElevenLabs Conversational AI, persistent memory) costs money per call. Goblin Tools is stateless web utilities and can be free. Different cost shapes, different pricing.
Indirectly. A Stuck Call helps you find the smallest physical first move, which is breakdown-by-conversation. But it's not a list generator. If you want a clean checklist out of one big task, use Magic ToDo.
Tap the On-Demand Stuck button. Your coach picks up in seconds. You don't have to explain — just say what you were about to start. They help you find the next smallest move, and stay on the line if you want.
Yes. Every call builds on the last. By week two your coach will reference patterns and use your name. Goblin Tools doesn't have a memory model — each visit is a fresh start.
Pick a voice, set your call time, take the call tomorrow morning. If it's not for you, walk away. Nothing to cancel, nothing to remember.
Or check out Goblin Tools. The right answer depends on you.