Todoist caps free users at 5 projects and locks reminders behind a paywall. Here are task management apps that give you more for free — including built-in calendars, Pomodoro timers, and one-time purchase options with no subscription.
Each app below addresses a specific gap in Todoist's offering. We picked them based on real user review patterns and feature differentiation.
The most feature-rich Todoist alternative. Includes a built-in calendar view, Pomodoro timer, habit tracker, and Eisenhower matrix — all in one app. Free tier allows 9 lists with 99 tasks each, and reminders are free. Natural language input rivals Todoist’s.
Explore TickTick data →Apple Design Award winner with a focus on simplicity and elegance. One-time purchase with no subscription. Headings, areas, and projects give it powerful organization without complexity. Beloved for its keyboard shortcuts and quick entry.
Explore Things 3 data →Completely free with no premium tier or paywalled features. Includes reminders, file attachments up to 25 MB, shared lists, and recurring tasks. Deep integration with Outlook — flagged emails automatically appear as tasks.
Explore Microsoft To Do data →Clean, minimal interface with a daily planner view that walks you through prioritizing your day. AI assistant helps break down tasks and suggest scheduling. Includes calendar integration, reminders, and shared lists.
Explore Any.do data →Turns your to-do list into an RPG — complete tasks to earn gold, level up your avatar, and unlock gear. Party system lets you fight bosses with friends by staying productive. Surprisingly effective for motivation.
Explore Habitica data →Open-source and completely free on every platform. Built-in Pomodoro timer, time tracking, Jira/GitLab/GitHub integration, and a focus mode that blocks distractions. Data stored locally by default — no account required.
Explore Super Productivity data →We found these alternatives by analyzing review patterns across hundreds of task management apps. Users switching from Todoist most commonly cite the restrictive free tier, paywalled reminders, missing calendar view, and sync reliability issues.
Microsoft To Do is the best fully free option — it includes reminders, shared lists, file attachments, and Outlook integration with no premium tier at all. TickTick’s free tier is also excellent, offering 9 lists with reminders and a Pomodoro timer included. Both give you more for free than Todoist’s 5-project cap.
For most users, yes. TickTick includes a built-in calendar view, Pomodoro timer, habit tracker, and reminders on the free plan — features Todoist either locks behind Pro or doesn’t offer at all. TickTick Premium is also cheaper at $2.80/month versus Todoist’s $4/month. Todoist’s edge is its natural language input and broader third-party integrations.
Things 3 is the gold standard for one-time purchase task management on Apple ($9.99–$49.99 depending on device). Microsoft To Do is completely free. Super Productivity is free and open source on every platform. Subscriptions are common in this category but absolutely not required.
App Vulture uses AI-powered review intelligence to analyze what real users say about apps — their pain points, feature requests, and reasons for switching. We identified these alternatives by analyzing review patterns across task management and productivity apps.
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