Todoist vs TickTick: Which Task Manager Wins in 2026?

Todoist has been around since 2007 and has built a reputation for doing one thing really well: task management. The app focuses on simplicity and speed, with arguably the best natural language input in the business. Type 'Call mom every Sunday at 2pm' and it just works.

Millions of people use it because it's clean, distraction-free, and stupidly fast for capturing tasks. Recently they've beefed up the team features too, which makes it decent for small teams if that's your thing.

TickTick launched in 2013 with a totally different philosophy - why use five apps when one could do it all? You get task management (obviously), but also habit tracking, a built-in pomodoro timer, calendar views, and even white noise for focus sessions. It's the Swiss Army knife of productivity apps.

If you're the type who'd otherwise juggle separate apps for tasks, habits, and timers, TickTick might save you some subscription money and mental overhead.

Todoist's task management is well refined. The natural language processing handles dates, priorities, labels, and assignments without you thinking about it. The interface stays clean even when you've got 100+ tasks flying around, and the quick-add shortcut (works everywhere) makes brain dumps effortless.

You can nest projects up to 4 levels deep, which hits the sweet spot between flexible and not-overcomplicated. Oh, and there's a karma system that gamifies your productivity streaks. I'm not usually into that stuff, but it actually works on me.

TickTick does the core task stuff just fine, but throws in way more views. Kanban boards, calendar layout, even an Eisenhower matrix if you're into that prioritization framework. Task creation is smooth, though honestly the natural language parsing lags behind Todoist's.

The timeline view is pretty slick though - gives you this visual map of your day that beats staring at a plain list. Smart lists are handy too; they auto-group tasks based on whatever criteria you set, so deadlines don't sneak up on you.

The integrations are what really set Todoist apart. 80+ official ones including Slack, Gmail, Alexa, and Google Calendar, plus the API is solid enough that developers have built hundreds more. It just plugs into whatever workflow you've already got.

The productivity insights are pretty cool too - charts showing your completed tasks, when you're most productive, all that data nerd stuff. For teams, workspaces keep your personal and work tasks separated without making you juggle two apps.

The habit tracking in TickTick isn't some tacked-on afterthought - it's actually well done. Track daily, weekly, or custom habits, watch your streaks grow, get reminders at specific times. The pomodoro timer integration is smart: start a focus session right from any task, and when the timer ends, boom, task marked complete automatically.

Calendar integration goes deeper than most apps too; you can manage actual calendar events alongside tasks, turning it into more of a daily planner. The white noise feature sounds silly until you try it - apparently lots of people swear by it for focus.

The free tier is actually usable - 5 active projects, basic features, up to 5 collaborators per project. Pro runs $4/month (annual billing) and unlocks unlimited projects, reminders, labels, filters, and themes. Business tier is $6/user/month with team workspaces, admin controls, and priority support.

Straightforward pricing, no weird gotchas. Plenty of people stick with free for personal use, though locking reminders behind Pro is kind of annoying if you ask me.

TickTick's free tier is honestly more generous - 9 lists, basic habit tracking, and you keep the calendar view. Premium is $35.99/year (works out to about $3/month), gets you unlimited lists, full calendar integration, complete habit tracking, and better filters. No separate team tier; collaborative stuff is just included in Premium.

If you'd pay for separate habit and pomodoro apps anyway, TickTick's a steal. The catch? Annual billing only. No monthly option, which is annoying if you want to test-drive it for a month first.

The mobile apps are polished and fast. Quick add works from widgets or the share sheet, making task capture basically instant. Syncing is reliable, and offline mode works well for commutes or spotty wifi.

Android version follows Material Design, iOS feels native - no weird cross-platform jank. Location reminders are in Pro, handy for 'remind me when I get to the store' tasks. The apps mirror desktop closely, so switching devices doesn't make you relearn anything.

TickTick's mobile apps cram in a ton without feeling messy. The widgets are well designed - task list, calendar, habit tracker all available on your home screen if you want them. Android gets this 'quick ball' floating button that lets you add tasks from literally anywhere.

Voice input works well when you're driving or whatever. Nice detail: you can customize the bottom nav bar to prioritize whichever features you use most. The apps do feel a bit busier than Todoist's minimalist vibe, but you get used to it fast.