# An offline task manager that keeps working in airplane mode > Yes, Done Bear works offline. It keeps a full copy of your tasks on your device, so you can add, edit, complete and search tasks with no connection. Changes wait on the device and sync when you reconnect. You need a connection to sign in the first time, and the desktop app needs one to start. ## What works with no connection | App | Opens with no connection | Add, edit, complete and search | | --- | --- | --- | | iPhone app | Yes, once you have signed in | Yes | | Web app | Yes, in a browser where you have used Done Bear online before | Yes | | Desktop app for Mac, Windows and Linux | No. It loads the web app from donebear.com when it starts | Yes, if it was already open when the connection dropped | Needs a connection: Signing in for the first time, uploading or opening file attachments, inviting people, the in-app assistant, and anything that goes through the server: the MCP server, the CLI and the API. [Start free](/sign-up) ## Why it works offline Done Bear is local-first. Your tasks live in a database on your device: in the browser’s own storage on the web, and in a database file on iPhone. Inbox, Today, Upcoming, Anytime and Someday read from that copy, so they open with no network request. When you add or change a task, the change is written to the device first and put in a queue. The app does not wait for a server to confirm it. ## What happens when you reconnect When the connection comes back, the queue sends your changes in the order you made them. The server gives every change from every device one order, and each device catches up to it. If two devices changed different fields on the same task, both changes stay. If they changed the same field, the change the server receives last is the one everyone ends up with. We tested this: a title edited offline on one device, sent on reconnect, replaced the title edited online in the meantime, and both devices showed the same result. If the server refuses a change, for example because the free plan’s task limit was reached, the app undoes it on your device and tells you why. [How Done Bear’s sync handles offline changes, retries and conflicts](/blog/server-sequenced-sync-offline-changes) ## What “offline” means in other task apps From each vendor’s own documentation. ### Todoist You can add, change, complete and delete tasks offline, as long as you signed in before going offline. Changes sync when you are back online. Todoist warns that closing the app, logging out or clearing local data before they sync deletes them. The article does not say which apps, including the web app, open with no connection. Source: [Use Todoist while offline](https://www.todoist.com/help/todoist/features/use-todoist-while-offline-4rbaZw) (checked 2026-09-27) ### TickTick TickTick’s help centre has no article on offline use, so its own documentation does not say what works without a connection. Source: [TickTick help centre](https://help.ticktick.com/articles/7055792921664028672) (checked 2026-09-27) ### Things 3 Each device stores your full database, so you keep working with no internet and changes sync through Things Cloud when you are back online. Things runs on Mac, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Vision Pro; there is no web app. Source: [Things Cloud](https://culturedcode.com/things/cloud/), [Things support: using Things](https://culturedcode.com/things/support/articles/2803586/) (checked 2026-09-27) ### Microsoft To Do Tasks are stored on Exchange Online servers. Microsoft mentions an offline mode and warns that logging out loses unsynced data, but does not list what works offline on each platform. Source: [Syncing your Microsoft To Do account](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/syncing-your-microsoft-to-do-account-61aeee82-6b3e-451b-ba80-79e1b66aca33), [Important updates for Microsoft To Do apps](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/important-updates-are-available-for-microsoft-to-do-apps-e5cdff3d-caba-4018-a089-774132900646) (checked 2026-09-27) - Stay with Things 3 if every device you use is Apple. Each device keeps the full database, and on a single device it needs no account. - Stay with Todoist if you need Android, and offline for you means adding and ticking off tasks after you have signed in. - Stay with Microsoft To Do if your tasks already live in Outlook. ## Try it in airplane mode Open Done Bear on your iPhone, or in a browser, while you are online. Turn on airplane mode, close the app and open it again. Add a task, complete another and search for it. Turn the network back on and open Done Bear on a second device: both changes are there. ## Frequently asked questions ### Does Done Bear work offline? Yes. On iPhone and in a browser you have used online before, Done Bear opens with no connection. You can add, edit, complete and search tasks, and the changes sync when you reconnect. ### Does the desktop app work offline? Only once it is running. The desktop app for Mac, Windows and Linux loads the web app from donebear.com when it starts, so it needs a connection to open. If the connection drops while it is open, it keeps working and syncs later. To open Done Bear on a laptop with no connection, use a browser you have used it in before. ### Do I need to be online the first time? Yes, once. Signing in needs a connection, and so does the first download of your tasks to a new device. After that, the device has its own copy. ### What happens if I edit the same task on two devices? Changes to different fields both stay. For the same field, the change the server receives last wins, and every device shows that value. You never pick between versions by hand. ### How much does Done Bear cost? Done Bear is free for up to 250 tasks with no card. Paid plans start at $7/month per member billed yearly. ## Related pages - [What a local-first task manager is, and how to test one](/blog/local-first-task-manager) - [Download Done Bear for iPhone, Mac, Windows and Linux](/download) - [Things 3 alternative](/things-3-alternative) - [Todoist alternative](/todoist-alternative) - [GTD fact sheet](/gtd) --- Free for 250 tasks with no card. [Start free](/sign-up). Plan details on [pricing](/pricing). --- Every Done Bear page is listed at https://donebear.com/llms.txt. Any page has a markdown copy at its URL plus `.md`. Start from the map rather than guessing a path.