Is There An App That Will Put Today's Tasks At The Top Then Arrange By Folders

SystemPanel 2 best task managers for Android

Joe Hindy / Android Authority

Task managers used to be a really big deal. Back in the days of FroYo and Gingerbread there weren't a lot of ways to deal with applications and if you opened one, it remained open to sap what precious RAM was available on phones back then. Since Ice Cream Sandwich and the inclusion of the stock Android task manager, there is no reason to use an app like this anymore. Future additions like Doze Mode, Adaptive Battery, and other Android features not only make apps like this useless, but could actually cause significantly higher battery drain. This is not something we recommend to everyone.

It's true we can probably go with not writing one of these at all, but we care about everybody rocking Android. Even the less than 1% running a version of Android that actually needed these. Here are the best task manager apps for Android! We only recommend these if you're running something older than Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. Otherwise, we recommend the best battery saving apps and methods to manage Android's existing task manager better.

The best task manager apps for Android

Advanced Task Manager
Greenify and Servicely
Simple System Monitor
SystemPanel 2
Taskmanager

Advanced Task Manager

Price: Free / $2.99

Advanced Task Manager is another one of the more popular task management apps. It has sort of evolved into a phone booster. That's not the best news because booster apps don't work well. However, this is a task manager that works on Nougat. That's fairly rare. You can use it to kill apps and games, clear out RAM, and a few other things. It has an ignore list for those apps you don't want closed. This is one of a few that works on newer versions of Android. We wouldn't recommend you do that, though. It's still good for older devices as well.

greenify best task manager apps for android

Greenify and Servicely are two more modern task manager apps. They manage tasks by stopping app services that run in the background. They don't drain battery that way and also can't do random stuff in the background. Greenify works without root, albeit not as well as it does with root. Servicely is a root-only app, however. Greenify also helps you identify what apps wake up your phone and how often they do it. These are still useful on modern phones, unlike most task manager apps. Another great option for spotting rogue apps is wakelock Detector, another root app on Google Play. The video above doesn't have a thumbnail, but it is a tutorial on how to use this app.

Simple System Monitor - best task manager apps

Simple System Monitor is, well, a simple system monitor. It shows a variety of system stats, including RAM and CPU usage, GPU usage, network activity, and some root options. It also includes a task manager, a cache cleaner, and some other tools. The CPU usage only works on pre-Android Oreo devices, though, thanks to changes Google made in the OS. Otherwise, it works quite well as both a system monitor app and a task manager app.

SystemPanel 2

Price: Free / $1.99

SystemPanel 2 is one of the only task management apps that is still worth using. Instead of boasting some magical one-click solution, it just shows you a bunch of information. It'll show you how long apps have fun on any particular day. It'll also show active apps, app CPU usage, and more. It can also backup some data. There are root features as well, including disabling app services and more. It should work really well up through Android Nougat at least. You can get the app for free or get the paid version as an in-app purchase.

Taskmanager - best task manager apps for android

Taskmanager is an old school style task manager app. It shows you a list of tasks and the total amount of RAM used. The app also features a dark theme, the ability to kill apps if needed, and a one by one widget that kills apps for you. It also boasts no in-app purchases, unnecessary permissions, and a somewhat modern design. It's definitely good for what it is and it's a weird modern app killer in an era when they aren't really needed anymore. Still, it's good for older devices.

If we missed any of the best task manager apps for Android, tell us about them in the comments! You can also click here to check out the latest Android app and game lists!