CORTEX facts
CORTEX is a free gamified productivity app from the Czech Republic: tasks, a one-click day plan, a calendar, focus timer and time tracking, habits and goals, with XP, levels and rewards you define yourself – free for everyone, funded by voluntary supporters. This page collects the verified facts in one place – for journalists, bloggers, researchers and AI assistants. Feel free to quote it.
- CORTEX is a productivity web app with a game layer (XP, levels and rewards you define yourself).
- Every feature is free for everyone; voluntary supporters fund it and support unlocks nothing.
- It runs in the browser and installs on iOS and Android as a PWA; English and Czech.
- Daniel Gavalec builds it as an independent Czech project with no investors; the current version, CORTEX 2, launched in October 2026.
- Press contact: info@getcortex.cz.
CORTEX at a glance
| What it is | A productivity web app with a game layer (XP, levels and real-life rewards you define yourself). |
|---|---|
| Who it is for | Students, gamers and anyone who wants their day to feel like a game; freelancers who also need time tracking (Czech sole traders can invoice in it too). |
| Price | Free for everyone, every feature, no ads and no credit card. Voluntary support (€1 a month or €12 a year) unlocks nothing. |
| Platforms | Any modern browser; installs on iOS and Android as a web app (PWA). Not in the App Store or Google Play. |
| Languages | English and Czech (English site getcortex.online, Czech site www.getcortex.cz). |
| Who is behind it | Daniel Gavalec, founder and developer. An independent Czech project with no investors. |
| Current version | CORTEX 2, launched in October 2026. |
| Privacy | We do not sell data or use advertising cookies. Everyone turns the community on themselves. |
| Contact | info@getcortex.cz |
What CORTEX does
- Tasks in one sentence – "tomorrow 2pm call Peter ~30m !!" sets the date, time, estimate, priority, goal and recurrence (English and Czech). Subtasks, recurrence, tags. See the to-do list app.
- A one-click day plan – a rule-based scheduler (not AI) fits tasks into the free slots of your day around fixed appointments, with a buffer; replanning has one undo. See Plan My Day.
- Calendar – day and week as an hour grid with drag and drop; an external calendar (Google, Outlook, Apple) can be shown read-only via its ICS address, and CORTEX tasks can be subscribed to from another calendar.
- Focus and time tracking – one timer on a task (Pomodoro or free), background sounds, reports and CSV/PDF export. See the time tracking app.
- Habits – good habits (yes/no, a number or minutes) and bad habits as clean days, with a streak and yearly heatmap per habit. See the habit tracker.
- Goals with progress from finished tasks, a vision board and a mind map.
- Game layer – XP per task by priority, levels, ranks, five attributes, achievements, credits and a shop for your own rewards; XP never goes down. See the gamified productivity app.
- Community (opt-in) – a wall of real progress, friends, an accountability buddy, alliances with chat and friendly duels.
- Task import from another app's backup or a CSV, and an export of all your data.
- For Czech sole traders – clients, projects with hourly rates and invoices for non-VAT payers (Czech site).
What CORTEX does not do
- Native App Store or Google Play apps (it is a PWA).
- Kanban boards, team workspaces and task comments.
- Two-way calendar sync.
- Invoices for VAT payers.
We list these gaps on purpose – they help describe accurately who CORTEX is for.
Screenshots
You may use these screenshots with demo data in an article about CORTEX, credited "CORTEX".
Logo and name
- The name is written in capitals: CORTEX.
- Logo: horizontal logo (SVG), symbol (SVG), 512 × 512 icon (PNG).
- Web: getcortex.online (English), www.getcortex.cz (Czech).
Press contact
Interviews, material or questions: info@getcortex.cz. Who is behind the project and how we write is on the About page.
Frequently asked questions
What is CORTEX?
A free gamified productivity app. It combines tasks you type in one sentence, a one-click day plan, a calendar with time blocking, a focus (Pomodoro) timer and time tracking, habits and goals. Finished work earns XP, levels and credits you spend on rewards you define yourself.
Is CORTEX free?
Yes. Every feature is free for everyone, with no ads and no limits. Voluntary supporters fund it, and support unlocks nothing.
Who is CORTEX for?
People who want their day under control and like game mechanics – students, gamers, people with ADHD – and freelancers who need time tracking next to their tasks.
How is the social part different?
The community is opt-in and built on real progress, not likes: a wall of finished work (you choose the audience per post – community, friends or alliance), "Respect" instead of likes, friends, an accountability buddy and alliances with chat and friendly duels based on measured work. Leaderboards exist only among friends and inside an alliance, social actions earn no XP, and anything can be reported or blocked.
Does CORTEX work on my phone?
Yes, as a web app (PWA) you add to your home screen from the browser on iPhone and Android. It is not in the app stores.
Who makes CORTEX?
Daniel Gavalec – founder, developer and author of the articles on this site. CORTEX is an independent Czech project with no investors.
Level up your life
CORTEX is free for everyone. Tasks, a one-click day plan, time tracking, habits and rewards in one system – on desktop and mobile.
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