Most mentions are answered in a minute, and a task for each one fills a plan with items that have to be ticked off by hand. Mention Reminder keeps those small asks in a separate inbox that empties itself as you reply, and leaves Planner for actual work.
Mention ReminderComparison
Microsoft Planner and To Do vs Mention Reminder
Teams lets you turn a message into a task with a deadline, priority and assignee. That is useful when you need to plan work. Mention Reminder helps you return to mentions that need a reply, without creating a separate task.
⚖️ The short answer
Use Planner and To Do to plan and track work. Add Mention Reminder for everyday chat questions: reminders are created automatically and clear after your reply or reaction.
Free · no card · no extra app
What it is
What Planner and To Do do with Teams messages
From the menu of any Teams message you choose More actions, then Create Planner task. You give the task a name, priority, due date and notes, and choose where it goes: your Private Tasks, or a shared plan.
In a plan you can also assign the task, set its bucket and progress, and post a reply in the chat so others see that a task exists. Private tasks are yours alone. Tasks show up in the Planner app in Teams, which also brings in your Microsoft To Do lists.
The task lives on its own from then on. Replying in the chat does not change it; you complete it in Planner or To Do. Basic Planner and To Do come with Microsoft 365 business plans, and premium Planner features need an extra licence.
Side by side
Compare the features
| Feature | Mention Reminder | Microsoft Planner and To Do |
|---|---|---|
| Reminders created automatically from @mentions | YesNo need to save messages. Applies to people an admin enables; obvious thanks and similar non-actionable mentions are skipped. | NoSomeone creates each task from the message menu, one message at a time. |
| Recognises a reply to the mention | YesYour thread reply or reaction clears it. On Team, AI can also match your reply posted separately in the channel. | NoThe task does not know about the chat. A reply leaves it open. |
| Clears the reminder after a reply or reaction | YesThe item leaves your list after your reply or reaction. Deleting the source message also clears the reminder. | NoYou mark the task complete yourself. |
| Reminds the person who was mentioned | YesThe person mentioned in the message. | PartlyIn a shared plan you can assign the task to the person you mentioned. Private tasks remind only you. |
| Private, nothing extra posted in the channel | YesThe list and reminders are private. The bot adds a 🔔 reaction to the source message. | PartlyPrivate tasks are private. Plan tasks are visible to the plan, and you can post a reply in the chat. |
| Personal reminder hours and timezone | YesOne daily reminder time on Starter; several chosen hours on Team. Weekdays only is optional. | PartlyA due date per task, not standing hours for each person. |
| Team setup without each person configuring reminders | YesAn admin installs the bot and chooses people. Everyone uses their existing chat account. | YesBuilt into Microsoft 365 and the Teams Planner app. |
| Reminders about anything, not only mentions | NoMentions only. For your own notes, keep the built-in reminders. | YesAny message, or anything else, can become a task. |
| Tasks with assignees, due dates and boards | NoTracks replies, without tasks, deadlines or boards. | YesAssignees, due dates, priorities, buckets and boards. |
| Price | Starter is free for up to 5 people. Team starts at $2.50 per person per month, billed annually. | Basic Planner and To Do included in Microsoft 365. Premium Planner costs extra. |
When it is enough
When Planner and To Do are enough
- Requests in your team arrive as clear pieces of work with deadlines, and someone files them as tasks.
- You want an assignee, a due date and progress that a manager can see on a board.
- You are disciplined about creating a task the moment you are asked for something.
When to add Mention Reminder
When to add Mention Reminder
- Most mentions are quick questions that need a reply, not a task with a deadline.
- Mentions are missed before anyone thinks of making a task out of them.
- You want the reminder to close itself when you answer, not to be ticked off in another app.
- Your team also works in Slack or Discord and you want one inbox for every mention.
🤝 Using both
Using both
Create a Planner task when a message needs planned work. Mention Reminder tracks the mention until your reply or reaction. Your acknowledgement clears the reminder while the task stays in Planner for you to manage.
No. The task is a copy that lives in Planner, and you complete it there or in To Do. A Mention Reminder item is tied to the message itself, so a reply in the thread or a reaction closes it.
No, and that is on purpose. It has no tasks, assignees, due dates or boards. If a mention turns into work, the built-in Create Planner task option on the message is the quickest route.
No. It is a Teams app an admin installs once and has nothing to do with your Planner or To Do setup.
More comparisons
- Task managersTasks created from messages compared with mentions that simply need a reply.
- Teams "Remind me"A reminder set from a message menu compared with automatic mention tracking.
- Teams Activity and SavedNotifications and saved messages compared with reminders that reach you automatically.
- Copilot in TeamsAn AI conversation summary compared with automatic reminders for individual mentions.
Sources
Information last checked on October 14, 2026.
Other products change. If something here is out of date, tell us and we will correct it. Contact
Stop letting things vanish in the scroll
Add Mention Reminder to Slack, Teams or Discord - two minutes, once. After that it runs in the background and nobody on the team has to do anything else. Starter is free, no card.
Free · no card · no extra app