If you are stuck choosing between Todoist and TickTick, you are not alone. In this todoist vs ticktick 2026 comparison, these are the two most popular to-do apps in the world, and they both look great at first glance. But they are built for different kinds of people.
Short answer: Pick Todoist if you want a clean, simple task list with smart AI help and the best integrations. Pick TickTick if you want one app that does it all — tasks, habits, a calendar, and a focus timer — for a lower price.
In this guide, we compare Todoist vs TickTick 2026 side by side: price, ease of use, calendar, habits, reminders, AI features, and more. By the end, you will know exactly which one fits your life.
Todoist vs TickTick 2026: Quick Comparison
| Feature | Todoist | TickTick |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes — 5 projects | Yes — 9 lists |
| Paid plan | Pro: $60 per year ($5/month billed yearly) or $7/month | Premium: $49.99 per year (about $4.99/month via app stores) |
| Team plan | Business: $96 per user per year | No real team plan |
| Built-in calendar | Paid only, one project at a time | Yes, full calendar across all lists |
| Habit tracker | No | Yes, built in |
| Pomodoro timer | No (needs an integration) | Yes, built in |
| AI features | Todoist Assist: Task Assist, Ramble, Email Assist, Filter Assist | Basic AI voice input and transcription |
| Integrations | 80+ native, 8,000+ via Zapier | About 30, plus calendar subscriptions |
| Natural language input | Excellent | Good |
| Reminders | Custom reminders on Pro | Nagging reminders with custom sounds |
| Platforms | Web, Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android, Apple Watch, Wear OS | Todoist adds Wear OS; both sync fast and reliably |
| Best for | People who want a clean, focused task list | People who want one app for everything |
Prices change often, so always check the official pricing page before you buy. The prices above reflect the latest 2026 listings.
What Is Todoist?
Todoist is one of the oldest and most trusted to-do apps. It launched in 2007, and millions of people use it every day. Its whole idea is simple: give you a clean list, and get out of your way.
You type a task like “Call Mom tomorrow at 5pm” and Todoist understands the date and time on its own. You can sort tasks into projects, add priority levels, set labels, and build smart filters that show you exactly what matters today.
Todoist is best for people who want a task manager that feels light and fast. It does one job — managing your tasks — and it does that job very well. If you like clean design and you hate clutter, Todoist will feel like home.
What Is TickTick?
TickTick takes a different path. Instead of doing one job, it tries to be your whole planning system in a single app. Tasks are just the start. TickTick also gives you a habit tracker, a Pomodoro focus timer, a full calendar, and even white noise sounds to help you focus.
That makes TickTick a great pick if you are tired of juggling five apps. You can plan your day, build a habit streak, and run a 25-minute focus session without ever leaving the app. The trade-off is that the screen shows more buttons and more options, so it can feel busy at first.
TickTick is best for people who want everything in one place and do not mind a denser layout in exchange for more built-in tools.
Price: TickTick Wins on Value
Price is one of the biggest differences in the Todoist vs TickTick 2026 debate, and TickTick comes out ahead.
Todoist pricing
- Beginner (free): $0 forever. You get 5 active projects, basic task features, 3 filter views, and a short activity history. There is no trial clock — the free plan never expires.
- Pro: $60 per year ($5 per month billed yearly), or $7 per month if you pay monthly. Pro unlocks 300 projects, custom reminders, a calendar layout, task duration, unlimited activity history, automatic daily backups, and the full AI Assist suite.
- Business: $96 per user per year ($8 per user per month billed yearly), or $10 per user per month if you pay monthly. Business adds a shared team workspace, team roles, centralized billing, and shared templates.
Todoist raised its prices in December 2025, from $48 to $60 per year for Pro. That is a 25% jump, and it is the main reason many people now compare the two apps on price.
TickTick pricing
- Free: $0 forever. You get 9 lists, unlimited tasks, basic reminders, tags, and the Pomodoro timer. It is more generous than Todoist’s free plan.
- Premium: $49.99 per year on TickTick’s website, or about $4.99 per month through app stores. Premium unlocks 299 lists, full calendar features, custom Smart Lists, up to 5 reminders per task, sharing with up to 29 people per list, premium themes, and detailed task statistics.
On annual billing, TickTick Premium costs about $10 less per year than Todoist Pro — and it packs in more built-in features. Over five years, that gap grows to about $50 in savings, plus the cost of any extra apps you would need to match TickTick’s built-in habits and timer.
Winner: TickTick. It costs less and includes more out of the box.
Ease of Use: Todoist Wins on Simplicity
Todoist wins this round because it is so easy to learn. Open the app, and you see your tasks. Nothing else fights for your attention. The layout uses lots of white space, the buttons are clear, and adding a task takes one second.
TickTick is not hard to use, but it shows more on screen: lists on the left, tasks on the right, and a mini sidebar for habits, calendar, and the Pomodoro timer. New users sometimes feel lost for the first few days. Once you learn where everything lives, it becomes fast — but the learning curve is real.
If you want the simplest possible app, choose Todoist. If you are happy to spend a day learning a richer app, TickTick rewards you with more tools.
Winner: Todoist.
Task Management: Todoist Wins on Smart Input
Both apps handle the basics well: tasks, subtasks, due dates, priorities, and recurring tasks. But Todoist pulls ahead in two ways.
First, its natural language input is the best in the business. Type “Submit report every Friday #Work p1” and Todoist sets the project, the repeat, and the top priority in one go. TickTick understands dates well, but its parsing is not quite as smart with projects and labels.
Second, Todoist’s filters are more powerful for power users. You can write a filter query like “tasks due this week with priority 1” and save it as a view. TickTick’s Smart Lists are easier to build with a visual editor, which beginners may prefer, but they cannot match Todoist’s depth.
TickTick fights back with better checklists inside tasks and a cleaner way to mix notes with subtasks. For most people, though, both apps are more than good enough for daily task management.
Winner: Todoist, by a small margin.
Calendar: TickTick Wins Easily
This is one of the biggest gaps between the two apps.
TickTick gives you a full calendar view that shows every task across all your lists. You can drag tasks to new dates, see your week at a glance, and even subscribe to outside calendars. The calendar is available on the free plan in basic form, and fully unlocked with Premium.
Todoist only offers a calendar layout on the paid Pro plan, and it shows one project at a time. If your tasks live in five projects, you cannot see them all on one calendar without a workaround. For people who plan their week visually, this is a real drawback.
Winner: TickTick, by a wide margin.
Habits and Pomodoro: TickTick Wins (Todoist Does Not Play)
If you want to build habits, TickTick is the only choice here. Its built-in habit tracker lets you set daily or weekly habits, track streaks, and see your progress over time. It is simple, visual, and motivating.
TickTick also includes a built-in Pomodoro timer. You pick a task, start a 25-minute focus session, take a short break, and repeat. The timer links to your tasks, so you can see how much focused time each task took.
Todoist has no habit tracker and no Pomodoro timer. You can connect third-party apps to fill the gap, but that means more accounts, more setup, and often more money.
Winner: TickTick. This round is not close.
Reminders: TickTick Wins for People Who Forget
Both apps remind you about tasks, but TickTick’s reminders are harder to ignore — in a good way.
TickTick offers “annoying” (nagging) reminders that keep alerting you until you act, plus custom sounds. If you often snooze a reminder and then forget the task, TickTick’s persistence helps.
Todoist’s reminders are calmer and more standard. On the Pro plan you can set multiple reminders per task, including location-based reminders on mobile (“remind me when I get to the store”). That is useful, but Todoist will not nag you the way TickTick does.
Winner: TickTick, especially if you need a push to stay on track.
AI Features: Todoist Wins Clearly
AI is where Todoist has pulled far ahead in 2026.
Todoist Assist is a full AI suite on the Pro plan:
- Task Assist breaks big goals into small, clear steps.
- Ramble turns voice notes into organized tasks.
- Email Assist turns emails into tasks with the right project and date.
- Filter Assist helps you build smart filters in plain English.
TickTick’s AI is much lighter. Its 2026 app versions add AI voice input and basic audio transcription, but there is no full task-planning assistant. If AI help matters to you, Todoist is the clear pick.
Winner: Todoist.
Integrations and Teamwork: Todoist Wins for Teams
Todoist connects to more than 80 tools directly — Gmail, Google Calendar, Slack, Dropbox, Microsoft Teams, and more — plus over 8,000 apps through Zapier. That makes it easy to turn emails into tasks, sync deadlines to your calendar, and fit Todoist into a work setup you already use.
TickTick has about 30 integrations and supports calendar subscriptions, but its ecosystem is much smaller. For solo users this rarely matters. For teams and professionals, it can be a deal-breaker.
Teamwork is an even bigger gap. Todoist Business gives you a shared team workspace, team projects, roles and permissions, and centralized billing. TickTick lets you share lists with up to 29 people on Premium, which is fine for a household or a small group, but it is not a real team product.
Winner: Todoist, especially for work teams.
Platforms and Sync
Both apps run on almost everything: web, Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android, and Apple Watch. Todoist adds Wear OS support, which TickTick lacks. In daily use, both sync fast and reliably across devices.
Todoist feels slightly lighter and faster, especially with very long task lists. TickTick’s extra features can make it feel a touch heavier on older phones. Neither app is slow, but Todoist has the edge on pure speed.
On Windows, you can keep your setup private with a local account. Here is how to bypass Microsoft account setup during Windows 11 installation.
Winner: Tie, with a slight speed edge to Todoist.
Todoist vs TickTick 2026: Which App Is Better for You?
Choose Todoist if you…
- Want the cleanest, simplest task manager
- Love AI help for planning and voice capture
- Work with a team or rely on integrations like Gmail, Slack, or Google Calendar
- Prefer a calm, focused design with no clutter
Choose TickTick if you…
- Want tasks, habits, calendar, and a focus timer in one app
- Plan your week on a calendar
- Need nagging reminders that will not let you forget
- Want the best value for your money
For students
TickTick is the better pick for most students. You get tasks, study schedules, habits, and Pomodoro sessions in one free app — and the free plan is generous. Todoist is better if you only want a simple assignment list and hate extra features.
For professionals
Todoist is the better pick for most professionals. Its AI tools, integrations, and team workspace fit work life better. TickTick works well for solo professionals who plan their day on a calendar and like habit tracking.
For teams
Todoist wins. Its Business plan is built for teams, while TickTick is really a personal app with sharing added on.
Developers also need reliable hosting for their projects. See our guide to the best hosting options for developers before you commit.
For focus and habit building
TickTick wins. Its habit tracker and Pomodoro timer are built in and free to start.
Todoist vs TickTick 2026: Alternatives Worth a Look
Todoist and TickTick are not the only options. These free alternatives may fit you better:
- Microsoft To Do — Completely free, with unlimited lists and tasks. It is simple and clean, and it works great if you already use Microsoft 365. It lacks habit tracking and AI features, but for a basic list, it is hard to beat.
- Google Tasks — Completely free, and built into Gmail and Google Calendar. It is the simplest option on this list. Pick it if your whole life already runs on Google.
- Things 3 — A beautiful, one-time-purchase app for Apple devices only. It costs about $50 for Mac and less for iPhone and iPad, with no subscription. Pick it if you live in the Apple world and hate monthly fees.
- Any.do — A simple task app with a built-in calendar and a nice daily planner. Its free plan covers the basics, and the paid plan adds reminders and unlimited features.
None of these match Todoist’s AI or TickTick’s all-in-one depth, but they are worth trying if you want something simpler or cheaper.
Want even more choices? Browse our roundup of the best productivity apps for 2026 to find the right fit.
How to Switch (or Try Both Free)
The good news: both apps have free plans, so you do not have to guess. Here is a simple way to decide:
- Sign up for both free plans. It takes two minutes each.
- Add 10 real tasks to each app — not test tasks, but real ones from your actual day.
- Use each app for three days. Try adding tasks with your voice, setting a reminder, and planning tomorrow.
- Keep the one you opened more. The best to-do app is the one you actually use.
If you are switching from one to the other, both apps let you export and import task lists. Move your active projects first, then archive or delete the old app so you do not end up checking two lists.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Todoist or TickTick better in 2026?
There is no single winner. Todoist is better for clean task management, AI features, integrations, and teams. TickTick is better for value, calendar planning, habits, Pomodoro focus sessions, and reminders. Pick based on which list sounds more like you.
Is TickTick really cheaper than Todoist?
Yes. TickTick Premium costs about $49.99 per year, while Todoist Pro costs $60 per year. TickTick also includes more built-in features, so the value gap is bigger than the $10 price gap suggests.
Can I use Todoist or TickTick for free?
Yes. Both have free plans that never expire. TickTick’s free plan is more generous (9 lists, Pomodoro timer included). Todoist’s free plan gives you 5 projects and the core task features.
Does Todoist have a habit tracker or Pomodoro timer?
No. Todoist does not include a habit tracker or a Pomodoro timer. You need a separate app or an integration for those. TickTick includes both, built in.
Which app is better for ADHD-style focus?
TickTick’s built-in Pomodoro timer, habit tracker, and nagging reminders help many people who struggle with focus stay on track. Todoist’s clean, low-clutter design helps others by removing distractions. Try both free plans and see which style keeps you on task.
The Bottom Line: Todoist vs TickTick 2026
Todoist vs TickTick 2026 comes down to a simple choice: clean and smart, or complete and cheap.
Pick Todoist if you want a focused task manager with the best AI help and integrations. Pick TickTick if you want one app that handles your tasks, habits, calendar, and focus sessions for less money.
Either way, you are choosing one of the two best to-do apps ever made. The real win is not the app — it is the habit of writing your tasks down and checking them off, one by one.
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