Wunderlist

{{Infobox software

| name = Wunderlist

| logo = Wunderlist_Logo.png

| author = Christian Reber

| developer = 6Wunderkinder GmbH (a subsidiary of Microsoft Corporation)

| discontinued = yes

| genre = Task management

| license = Freemium

| website =

| latest_release_version = 3.4.0 (3.4.25, 1 May 2020)

| operating_system = {{unbulleted list | iOS | Android | Fire OS | Microsoft Windows | Windows Phone | macOS | ChromeOS | watchOS}}

}}

Wunderlist is a discontinued cloud-based task management application. It allowed users to create lists to manage their tasks from a smartphone, tablet, computer and smartwatch. Wunderlist was free; additional collaboration features were available in a paid version known as Wunderlist Pro, released April 2013.

Wunderlist was created in 2011 by Berlin-based startup 6Wunderkinder (Engl.: 6Prodigies). The company was acquired by Microsoft in June 2015, at which time the app had over 13 million users.{{cite news |title = Microsoft confirms acquisition of Wunderlist app maker 6Wunderkinder |first = Jordan |last = Novet |url = https://venturebeat.com/2015/06/02/microsoft-confirms-its-acquisition-of-wunderlist-app-maker-6wunderkinder/ |website= VentureBeat |date = June 2, 2015 |access-date = June 3, 2015 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150602183258/http://venturebeat.com/2015/06/02/microsoft-confirms-its-acquisition-of-wunderlist-app-maker-6wunderkinder/ |archive-date = June 2, 2015 |url-status = live }}

In April 2017, Microsoft announced that Wunderlist would eventually be discontinued in favor of Microsoft To Do, a new multi-platform app developed by the Wunderlist team that has direct integration with the company's Office 365 service.{{Cite web|url=https://techcrunch.com/2017/04/19/microsoft-to-shut-down-wunderlist-in-favor-of-its-new-app-to-do/|title=Microsoft to shut down Wunderlist in favor of its new app, To-Do|last=Perez|first=Sarah|date=2017-04-19|website=TechCrunch|access-date=2017-04-25}}{{cite tweet| user=Wunderlist| number=940255103562510336| date=December 11, 2017| title=There were a number of fundamental areas we wanted to improve such as accessibility, compliance and being more stress-free. We felt it was important enough to start from scratch.| author=Wunderlist}}

On December 6, 2019, Microsoft announced that it would shut down Wunderlist on May 6, 2020. After this date, the application would no longer sync but users could still import their content into Microsoft To Do.{{Cite web|url=https://techcrunch.com/2019/12/09/microsoft-to-finally-shut-down-to-do-list-app-wunderlist-on-may-6-2020/|title=Microsoft to finally shut down to-do list app Wunderlist on May 6, 2020|last=Perez|first=Sarah|date=2019-12-06|website=TechCrunch|access-date=2019-12-09}}

History

In 2009, Wunderlist's CEO Christian Reber called on the social network platform XING for business partners to create a new to-do app. Frank Thelen responded and together Reber and Thelen developed first concepts for Wunderlist. The necessary seed funding was granted by High-Tech Gründerfonds and e42 GmbH.{{cite web|url=http://t3n.de/magazin/kein-wunder-startup-227950/ |title= 6 Wunderkinder – die Berliner App-Shootingstars im Porträt|date= 10 February 2012|access-date=August 6, 2014}}

The first version of Wunderlist was launched on November 9, 2010.{{cite web |url=https://www.wunderlist.com/blog/a-little-review-of-2010/ |title="We started at November 9th" A Little Review of 2010, publication's blog, January 3, 2011 |access-date=April 9, 2020 |archive-date=April 16, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200416171346/https://www.wunderlist.com/blog/a-little-review-of-2010/ |url-status=dead }} Initially, the program was created for desktop PCs and platforms such as Windows, Linux and Mac OS X.{{cite web |url=https://www.wunderlist.com/blog/two-new-members-join-the-family-assistly-and-wunderlist-for-linux/ |title=New members join the family: Assistly and Wunderlist for Linux |access-date=August 6, 2014 |archive-date=August 8, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140808042851/https://www.wunderlist.com/blog/two-new-members-join-the-family-assistly-and-wunderlist-for-linux/ |url-status=dead }} In December 2011, the app received approval for the iPhone. Subsequently, the developers released a version prepared for the iPad with the name Wunderlist HD.

In September 2012, the developers announced a shutdown of their service Wunderkit. Instead they wanted to focus on creating a new version of Wunderlist, which was later on released in December 2012 under the name Wunderlist 2. In September 2013, the company announced it had over 5 million users.{{cite web |url=https://www.wunderlist.com/blog/comments-for-wunderlist/ |title=Let's Talk Comments for Wunderlist |access-date=August 6, 2014 |archive-date=August 8, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140808042849/https://www.wunderlist.com/blog/comments-for-wunderlist/ |url-status=dead }} In July 2014, a new major update was released under the name of Wunderlist 3, with a new real-time sync architecture.{{cite web |url=https://www.wunderlist.com/blog/wunderlist-3-is-here/ |title=Wunderlist 3 is Here |access-date=August 6, 2014 |archive-date=August 6, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140806160931/https://www.wunderlist.com/blog/wunderlist-3-is-here/ |url-status=dead }} Wunderlist reached 10 million users in December 2014.{{cite web|last1=Escreet|first1=Rebecca|title=World Productivity Report|url=https://www.wunderlist.com/world-productivity-report/|access-date=18 December 2014|archive-date=18 December 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141218182358/https://www.wunderlist.com/world-productivity-report/|url-status=dead}}

On June 1, 2015, it was announced that Microsoft had acquired 6Wunderkinder, makers of Wunderlist, for between US$100 million and US$200 million (~${{Format price|{{Inflation|index=US-GDP|value=200000000|start_year=2015}}}} in {{Inflation/year|US-GDP}}).{{cite news|title=Microsoft Buys To-Do List App Maker|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/microsoft-buys-german-to-do-list-startup-6wunderkinder-1433177558|website=Wall Street Journal|date=June 2015|access-date=1 June 2015|last1=Mizroch|first1=Amir}} Following its acquisition of the app, Microsoft announced in April 2017 a preview of To-Do, a multi-platform task management app developed by the Wunderlist team that was intended to eventually replace Wunderlist and incorporate most of its features.{{cite web|title=Introducing Microsoft To-Do—now available in Preview|url=https://blogs.office.com/2017/04/19/introducing-microsoft-to-do-now-available-in-preview|website=Office Blogs|date=19 April 2017|access-date=19 April 2017}} As of January 2019, To-Do had not yet reached feature parity with Wunderlist, with its team citing that the service had to be completely re-written to use Microsoft Azure instead of Amazon Web Services.{{Cite news|url=https://www.theverge.com/2018/3/21/17146308/microsoft-wunderlist-to-do-app-acquisition-complicated|title=Microsoft's Wunderlist acquisition is getting complicated|work=The Verge|access-date=2018-04-02}}

Frustrated by the perceived lack of roadmap, in September 2019, Reber began to publicly ask Microsoft-related accounts on Twitter whether he could buy Wunderlist back.{{Cite web |last1=Sawers |first1=Paul |title=Wunderlist founder wants to buy his app back from Microsoft |work=VentureBeat |date=2019-09-06 |url=https://venturebeat.com/2019/09/06/wunderlist-founder-wants-to-buy-his-app-back-from-microsoft/ |language=en-US |access-date=2019-09-07 |df=mdy-all }} Shortly afterward, however, Microsoft unveiled updates to To-Do that make it more closely resemble Wunderlist.{{Cite web|url=https://www.zdnet.com/home-and-office/work-life/microsoft-redesigns-to-do-to-make-it-look-more-like-its-wunderlist-predecessor/|title=Microsoft redesigns To-Do to make it look more like its Wunderlist predecessor|last=Foley|first=Mary Jo|website=ZDNet|language=en|access-date=2019-09-09}}

In December 2019, Microsoft announced that it would fully shut down Wunderlist as of May 6, 2020.{{Cite web|date=December 9, 2019|title=Microsoft to finally shut down to-do list app Wunderlist on May 6, 2020|url=https://techcrunch.com/2019/12/09/microsoft-to-finally-shut-down-to-do-list-app-wunderlist-on-may-6-2020/|access-date=2020-02-18|website=TechCrunch|language=en-US}}

The team responsible for creating Wunderlist, led by co-founder Christian Reber, created that Superlist app in early 2024.

Finances

In its initial round of funding, 100,000 euro was invested in 6Wunderkinder by Frank Thelen{{cite web|url=http://www.frank.io/blog/wunderlist|title=Frank Thelen's Blog "Wunderlist"|date=2015-06-03|publisher=Frank.io|access-date=2015-06-08}} and others. In December 2010, High-Tech Gründerfonds invested 500,000 euro (approximately US$660,000) in the company.{{cite news|url=https://techcrunch.com/2010/12/21/6wunderkinder-raises-e500000-to-build-slick-productivity-tool-called-wunderkit/|title=6Wunderkinder raises €500,000 to build slick productivity tool called 'wunderkit'|last=Wauters|first=Robin|date=December 21, 2010|work=TechCrunch|access-date=April 11, 2014|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140413142105/http://techcrunch.com/2010/12/21/6wunderkinder-raises-e500000-to-build-slick-productivity-tool-called-wunderkit/|archive-date=April 13, 2014}} T-Venture also invested an undisclosed amount in the startup. In its Series A round of funding in November 2011, Atomico invested $4.2 million (~${{Format price|{{Inflation|index=US-GDP|value=4200000|start_year=2011}}}} in {{Inflation/year|US-GDP}}) while High-Tech Gründerfonds invested an undisclosed additional amount.{{cite news|url=https://techcrunch.com/2011/11/16/atomico-invests-4-2m-in-6wunderkinder-german-name-global-ambitions/|title=Atomico Invests $4.2M In 6Wunderkinder: German Name, Global Ambitions|last=Wauters|first=Robin|date=November 16, 2011|work=TechCrunch|access-date=April 11, 2014|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140330125136/http://techcrunch.com/2011/11/16/atomico-invests-4-2m-in-6wunderkinder-german-name-global-ambitions/|archive-date=March 30, 2014}}

In May 2012, High-Tech Gründerfonds sold off its stake in 6Wunderkinder to Earlybird Venture Capital.{{cite news|url=http://gigaom.com/2012/06/18/mystery-resolved-6wunderkinder-htgf-earlybird/|title=Revealed: Why 6wunderkinder's backers really sold up|last=Meyer|first=David|date=June 18, 2012|work=GigaOM|access-date=April 11, 2014|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140413123128/http://gigaom.com/2012/06/18/mystery-resolved-6wunderkinder-htgf-earlybird/|archive-date=April 13, 2014}} In November 2013, $19 million (~${{Format price|{{Inflation|index=US-GDP|value=19000000|start_year=2013}}}} in {{Inflation/year|US-GDP}}) was raised in a Series B round led by Sequoia Capital with participation from Earlybird and Atomico.{{cite news|url=https://techcrunch.com/2013/11/12/to-do-app-wunderlist-confirms-19m-series-b-and-expands-to-the-us-while-sequoia-heads-into-germany/|title=To-Do App Wunderlist Confirms $19M Series B And Expands To The US, While Sequoia Heads Into Germany|last=Lunden|first=Ingrid|date=November 12, 2013|work=TechCrunch|access-date=April 11, 2014|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140419083433/http://techcrunch.com/2013/11/12/to-do-app-wunderlist-confirms-19m-series-b-and-expands-to-the-us-while-sequoia-heads-into-germany/|archive-date=April 19, 2014}}

Awards

In 2013, Wunderlist for Mac was named App of the Year.{{cite web |url=https://work-management.org/to-do-list/wunderlist-the-rise-and-fall/ |title=Thanks for making Wunderlist App of The Year 2013 |access-date=2024-02-02 |archive-date=2015-03-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150319040630/https://www.wunderlist.com/blog/thanks-for-making-wunderlist-app-of-the-year-2013/ |url-status=dead }} Wunderlist was selected as a Google Play Top Developer in 2013.{{Cite web | url=https://play.google.com/store/apps | title=Android Apps on Google Play | access-date=2015-06-02}}

In 2014, Wunderlist won the "Golden Mi" award from Xiaomi,{{Cite web | url=https://twitter.com/Wunderlist/status/497767952146391040 | title=Guess who's got @xiaomi's Golden Mi Award? Thanks for all the love China! | access-date=2015-06-02}} and also named as one of its Best Apps of 2014{{cite web|title=Xiaomi App Store|url=http://app.mi.com/}} was given a "Google Play Editor's Choice" award,{{Cite web | url=https://play.google.com/store/apps/collection/editors_choice?hl=en | title=Editors' Choice - Android Apps on Google Play | access-date=2015-06-02}} and was named in Google Play's Best Apps of 2014{{Cite web | url=https://time.com/3611709/best-android-google-play-apps-2014/ | title=Google Says These Are 2014's Best Android Apps | date=2014-12-01 | access-date=2015-06-02}} as well as Apple's Best of 2014.