I was looking for a way to connect to org mode from my phone. My main goals were to:

• Write todos when away from the computer
• Read todos when away from the computer
• Timetracking when away from the computer

In my search I came across the following possible solutions:

org-web

org-mode on the web, built with React, optimized for mobile, synced with Dropbox and Google Drive.

Organice

A community driven fork of org-web with the commitment of a Swiss company behind it.

Orgzly

org-mode on android, a native mobile app.

Beorg

org-mode on ios, a native mobile app.

Termux

Run emacs from termux on android. Not built with mobile in mind.

Organic

org-mode on android, a native mobile app; unmaintained.

For me it was easy to narrow down my choice to Organice and Orgzly (I am on Android). At that point it became difficult to decide so I gave both a try. These are my initial impressions:

Organice

Pros

• Capture templates
• Easy time tracking.
• Great user experience feel
• Agenda view
• Search functionality
• Support for checkboxes

Cons

• Offline support not as good
• No reminders

Screenshot

Orgzly

Pros

• A native android app.
• Reminders for scheduled tasks.
• Agenda view
• Offline Support
• Search functionality

Cons

• Not easy to do time tracking from mobile.
• No capture templates.
• User experience not as intuitive.

Screenshot

Conclusion

In deciding, its important to keep in mind the goals for using org mode from mobile.

• Write todos when away from the computer
• Read todos when away from the computer
• Timetracking when away from the computer

In keeping with these goals, I prefer Organice because of the capture templates and time clocking. A nicer user experience is an added bonus. Yes, Orgzly has the advantage of better offline support, but I rarely see myself without access to mobile data. Orgzly has the advantage of reminders for upcoming tasks, but I don’t rely on these types of reminders from my mobile device.

Keep in mind these are my initial impressions. My plan is to go with Organice for a few weeks and report back with anything else I notice.

Feel free to leave a comment below!