6Wunderkinder GmbH, the makers of Wunderlist, the popular to-do, list and tasks application for the Mac, iOS, Apple Watch and other platforms, confirmed today it’s being acquired by software giant Microsoft.
With more than thirteen million users across platforms and more than one billion to-dos created in Wunderlist, the app should seamlessly fit in Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella’s mobile first, cloud first vision.
But don’t fret, mobile Wunderlist apps aren’t going anywhere, at least for the time being. “As Wunderlist becomes a part of the Microsoft family, we’ll introduce a host of new features, keep adding partner integrations, and progress further in delivering Wunderlist to billions of people,” Christian Reber, 6Wunderkinder founder and CEO said Tuesday.
“Customers can expect the app to remain free in all of its existing markets,” Microsoft confirmed today in a blog post. “There will be no price changes for Wunderlist Pro or Wunderlist for Business customers and the service will continue to support a wide range of third-party apps and integrated services.”
So far so good!
“Our team in Berlin will continue to build and deliver you Wunderlist, Wunderlist Pro and Wunderlist for Business across all platforms–iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Mac, Android, Windows Phone, Windows and the web,” Reber, who will continue to lead the team and product strategy, wrote.
“On a personal note, I couldn’t be more proud of my team,” he continued. “I started this company with a dream. My team turned it into a reality. Together we have created an award winning beautiful and simple to-do list that is powered by a real-time sync architecture, unlike any other.”
News of the acquisition arrives less than two weeks after 6Wunderkinder announced a tie-up with Microsoft-owned calendar application Sunrise. The deep integration allows Wunderlist fans to access their to-do lists in Sunrise, with the ability to create new to-dos on Wunderlist right within the Sunrise calendar app.
Pictured below: the Wunderlist team working from a camp in Bavaria, Germany.
Microsoft’s intent to snap up Wunderlist was first reported yesterday by The Wall Street Journal. According to the newspaper, the Windows giant spent between $100-$200 million on the German startup.
6Wunderkinder is backed by such investors as U.S.-based Sequoia Capital and European VCs Atomico and Earlybird Venture Capital GmbH.
Microsoft recently went on quite an acquisition spree.
In February 2015, the firm bought lightweight, cross-platform calendar app Sunrise hailing from New York for a reported $100 million. Six months ago, another highly regarded mobile app joined Microsoft, the San Francisco-based startup behind the mobile email client Acompli, which Microsoft rebranded and re-released as the native Outlook for iOS app.
“All three acquisitions point to an integration of Microsoft productivity tools, with an emphasis on mobile apps,” according to a source who spoke with The Wall Street Journal.
That same month, Microsoft announced buying Hockeyapp, a mobile distribution and analytics service. In addition, the Redmond firm is believed to have snapped up newsreader Prismatic this year.
Both Wunderlist for iOS and Wunderlist for OS X are available at no charge.
Source: Microsoft, 6Wunderkinder