Quick verdict
Short answer: TickTick is the best Todoist alternative for most people — it adds a calendar, habit tracker, and Pomodoro timer for less money. Microsoft To Do and Google Tasks are the best free swaps, and Things 3 is the best pick if you hate subscriptions and live on Apple devices.
Why do people look for Todoist alternatives?
Todoist raised Pro from $48 to $60 a year in December 2025 — a 25% jump — and its free plan is tight, at 5 active projects and 5 collaborators. It also stays deliberately narrow: task management only, with no built-in habit tracker, focus timer, or full calendar view across projects. People leave for one of three reasons: they want those extras in one app, they want a genuinely free tool, or they are done paying subscriptions for a to-do list. Each pick below answers one of those complaints directly.
Todoist alternatives at a glance
| Tool | Free tier | Paid from | Best for | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TickTick | Yes, 9 lists | $35.99/yr Premium | Tasks + calendar + habits | Best overall value |
| Microsoft To Do | Fully free | Free | Microsoft 365 users | Best free baseline |
| Things 3 | No | $49.99 one-time (Mac) | Apple users, no subscription | Best one-time purchase |
| Any.do | Yes | $4.99/mo billed annually | Life-plus-work lists | Best for families |
| Google Tasks | Fully free | Free | Gmail and Calendar users | Best lightweight Google pick |
| Apple Reminders | Fully free | Free, preinstalled | Siri and location reminders | Best built-in Apple option |
| Taskade | Yes | $10/mo Pro | Teams wanting AI agents | Best AI-powered step up |
| Akiflow | No | $19/mo | Calendar-first time blocking | Best for time blocking |
What are the best Todoist alternatives in 2026?
1. TickTick — best overall value
TickTick bundles what Todoist leaves out: a calendar view, habit tracking, an Eisenhower Matrix, and a Pomodoro timer in one app. Its free tier allows unlimited tasks and 9 lists, and Premium lists at $49.99 a year but is commonly shown at $35.99 a year — about 17% less than Todoist Pro’s $60 a year. Capture parses dates from natural language nearly as well as Todoist. The cost is density: the interface feels busier, and team sharing is light.
2. Microsoft To Do — best free baseline
Microsoft To Do is completely free with a Microsoft account, with simple lists, My Day suggestions, and deep ties to Outlook and Microsoft 365. For a solo user whose needs are “write it down, get reminded, check it off,” it does the job at $0 forever. It will not satisfy power users: organization, filters, and project features are basic next to Todoist. As a step up from paper, though, it is the obvious free starting point.
3. Things 3 — best one-time purchase for Apple users
Things 3 charges once per device — $9.99 for iPhone and Watch, $19.99 for iPad, and $49.99 for Mac, about $80 for the full set — with free sync and no subscription ever. It is a polished, GTD-style manager that many former Todoist users pick specifically to escape recurring fees. The limits are hard ones: Apple only, and strictly single-player, with no team assignment at all. Beautiful for your own week; wrong for a crew.
4. Any.do — best for blending life and work
Any.do pairs a capable free tier with Premium at $4.99 a month billed annually ($7 monthly), plus family sharing at $8.33 a month for four members. Its strength is merging groceries, family lists, and work tasks in one calm, calendar-integrated app. Calendar integration and daily planning are the draw; heavy project structuring is not. If your lists are half life and half job, Any.do fits better than Todoist’s work-first feel.
5. Google Tasks — best for Google Workspace users
Google Tasks is free with a Google account and lives inside Gmail and Google Calendar, so tasks sit next to the email and events that created them. It is deliberately lightweight: lists, subtasks, stars, and due dates, nothing more. There is no natural-language parsing or project system to learn. Pick it if your whole day already runs in Google apps and Todoist felt like one login too many.
6. Apple Reminders — best built-in option on iPhone and Mac
Reminders is free and preinstalled on every iPhone, iPad, and Mac, with deep Siri integration — say the reminder out loud and location triggers fire when you arrive or leave. Smart Lists group tasks by tags, dates, or priorities automatically. The catch is the walled garden: no Android, Windows, or web version, and collaboration is weaker than dedicated apps. For an all-Apple solo user, it is the most frictionless option here.
7. Taskade — best if you want AI agents with your tasks
Taskade is the step-up pick: multiple project views, AI agents, automations, and 100-plus integrations, free to start with unlimited tasks, and Pro from $10 a month billed annually for 10 users. Where Todoist’s AI stays an assistant, Taskade leans into agents that can work tasks, not just list them. That power adds complexity a personal user may never need. Teams outgrowing a simple list should start here.
8. Akiflow — best for calendar-first planning
Akiflow at $19 a month is built around time blocking: pull tasks from your tools into one calendar and schedule your day deliberately. It suits executives and freelancers whose problem is not capturing tasks but protecting time for them. There is no meaningful free tier, and the price is steep next to TickTick. Buy it for the planning ritual, not the list.
Should you actually switch from Todoist?
Pros of switching: lower cost (TickTick), zero cost (Microsoft To Do, Google Tasks, Apple Reminders), no subscription (Things 3), or built-in calendar and habits Todoist lacks. Cons of switching: you give up the best natural-language input in the category, 150-plus integrations, and a calm, minimal interface most rivals do not match. Migrate only if one pick above solves a problem you feel weekly.
Frequently asked questions
What is the closest free alternative to Todoist?
Microsoft To Do is fully free and covers basic lists well. TickTick’s free tier is more powerful, with unlimited tasks, 9 lists, a calendar view, habits, and a Pomodoro timer.
How much does Todoist cost in 2026?
Free covers 5 active projects. Pro is $60 a year ($5 a month billed annually, $7 monthly) after the December 2025 rise from $48 a year, and Business is $96 per user per year.
Which Todoist alternative has no subscription?
Things 3, at a one-time $49.99 for Mac, $19.99 for iPad, and $9.99 for iPhone and Watch. It is Apple-only with no team features.
Is TickTick really cheaper than Todoist?
Yes. TickTick Premium lists at $49.99 a year and is currently shown at $35.99 a year, versus Todoist Pro at $60 a year — and TickTick includes calendar, habits, and a focus timer.