TickTick vs Todoist

Updated October 2026 · AppBreakup editorial

TickTick

A to-do list that bundles calendar views, a Pomodoro timer and habit tracking in one app.

Free plan + paid

Visit TickTick TickTick profile

Todoist

A cross-platform task manager with fast natural-language entry, projects, labels and filters.

Free plan + paid

Visit Todoist Todoist profile

The short answer

Pick Todoist if you want a clean, fast task list with excellent natural-language entry, wide integrations and light team sharing. Pick TickTick if you want tasks, a Pomodoro timer, a habit tracker and calendar views in one app for one yearly fee. The biggest difference is scope: Todoist stays focused on tasks, TickTick bundles planning tools around them.

TickTick or Todoist: our take

Both apps handle the essentials well: projects or lists, sub-tasks, tags or labels, recurring tasks and quick entry that understands dates typed in plain language. Todoist is known for how reliably its quick add parses phrases like a recurring bill, and for custom filters that pull together views across projects. It offers list, board and calendar layouts and stays tidy as lists grow. TickTick adds tools Todoist leaves out: a focus timer with Pomodoro sessions, a habit tracker, an Eisenhower matrix and kanban boards, with Premium unlocking day, week, month and timeline calendar views that many people use for time blocking. The cost of that density is a busier interface.

The free tiers differ in where they pinch. Todoist's free plan allows 5 personal projects and limits filters and activity history; Pro costs $7/month or $60/year and adds the calendar layout, custom reminders and task durations, with a 7-day trial. TickTick's free plan allows 9 lists with 99 tasks each; Premium is US$49.99/year and raises the limits to 299 lists and 999 tasks per list.

Both run on the web, Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android and browser extensions. For collaboration, Todoist goes further, with shared projects and a Business plan at $8 per user/month, billed yearly, that adds a team workspace and permissions. TickTick's sharing suits families and small groups rather than teams. Todoist also has a larger integration catalogue and a public API.

If you want one place for tasks, focus sessions and habits, TickTick gives more features per dollar. If you prefer a simpler, calmer list that connects to many other tools or is shared with colleagues, Todoist is the better fit.

Choose TickTick if…

Individuals who want tasks, a focus timer, habits and a calendar in a single app
Pomodoro timer and habit tracker built in
Calendar and kanban views alongside lists

Choose Todoist if…

People who want a quick, reliable to-do list on every device with optional sharing
Natural-language quick add handles dates and recurring tasks well
Native apps on nearly every platform, including Linux and watches

What is TickTick?

TickTick covers the same ground as Todoist (lists, tags, smart date parsing, sub-tasks and recurring tasks) and then adds tools most task apps leave to separate products: a focus timer with Pomodoro sessions, a habit tracker, an Eisenhower matrix view and kanban boards. Premium adds a full calendar with day, week, month and timeline views, so many people use it as a light time-blocking planner too. Sharing lists and assigning tasks works for families and small groups, but it is not built for team project management. The free plan is usable but caps the number of lists and tasks per list; Premium is a single yearly subscription that raises those limits and unlocks the calendar views and other extras. It has native apps for iOS, Android, Windows, macOS and Linux, a web app and browser extensions, and syncs quickly between them. It suits people who want one app for tasks, focus sessions and habits instead of three.

What is Todoist?

Todoist is one of the most widely used personal task managers. You type tasks the way you would say them, such as "pay rent every 1st", and it sets dates, recurrences, priorities and labels for you. Tasks live in projects with sections and sub-tasks, can be shown as lists, boards or a calendar, and custom filters pull together views like "everything urgent this week". It also handles light teamwork through shared projects and a Business plan with a team workspace, though it stays closer to a personal to-do list than a project tool. The free Beginner plan is generous enough for many people but caps active projects and filters and keeps only a week of activity history; Pro unlocks the calendar layout, custom reminders, task durations and more projects, and Business adds team billing and permissions. Apps cover Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android, wearables, the web and browser and email add-ons, and there are many integrations plus a public API.

Side by side

Attribute	TickTick	Todoist
Pricing	Free plan + paid	Free plan + paid
Open source	No	No
Self-hostable	No	No
Platforms	Web, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, Browser extension	Web, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, Browser extension
Best for	Individuals who want tasks, a focus timer, habits and a calendar in a single app	People who want a quick, reliable to-do list on every device with optional sharing
Status	Active	Active

Verified facts, compared

Facts both apps publish, checked on each vendor's own site.

Fact	TickTick	Todoist
Platforms	Web, iOS, Android, Windows, macOS, Linux, extension	Linux, Mac, Windows, iOS, Android, watches, browser
Free plan	Yes, 9 lists with 99 tasks each	Yes, 5 personal projects