What criteria did we follow for this list?
To-do list apps are the ultimate way to keep track of what to do. Right now, Apple offer only the basics with Apple Reminders on Mac.
For many users this leaves them eager for a more unique, compelling to-do app that they can use to manage work or personal life. If you want life outside of Reminders, our recommendations will rock your world of planning.
Well-crafted for Mac: There's nothing worse than downloading an app that is buggy or not designed for the OS. Picked for either M1 or Intel. Good, reliable options: All the tools picked will be easy to use, but also reliable tools that we know from reviewing across other spectrums.
Apple Reminders is fine for grocery lists, but the moment you try to use it for actual project management, the cracks show fast. No nested projects, limited natural language input, and the collaboration features feel like they were added as an afterthought. If you have been frustrated trying to organize a work project in Reminders, you are not alone.
The Mac app ecosystem for productivity tools is wild right now. You have got everything from beautifully minimal apps that just nail the basics, to AI-powered beasts that practically plan your day for you. Some are Mac-exclusive and built with that native polish Apple users expect. Others are web apps wrapped in Electron that work fine but don't quite feel like home on macOS. We focused on apps that actually feel good to use on Mac, whether they are native or just well-optimized.
1. Motion
Best for AI-Powered: Motion
Motion is first on our recommendations. It's quite well known as an AI task management platform, and it's probably not for more casual users. It does work well on Mac, and it's easy to use. Designed with a simple user interface that can be changed in appearance, in dark mode and in light mode.
Many people like this application because it's on a wide range of devices, but also comes with a clean look and feel that many people can manage their projects and tasks alike.
Motion works for individuals and for teams, and it's primarily based around AI prioritization, which means you can add your tasks and they'll basically reorganise themselves into the right places, based on the context that you add. So for Mac users, you'll love this one as an easy-to-use, AI-powered application, but it will come at a price. The application is quite steep in price, with some plans charging $49 per month.
Great for documents and tasks alongside each other. Good for those who suffer from prioritizing. Despite being a web app ported to Mac, it works well (no offline mode). Suitable for busy individuals who need help planning workload. Those with bigger budgets (starting at $29 per month). Open to expanding into using with their team.
The AI scheduling in Motion is actually pretty wild. You tell it your deadlines and how long tasks will take, and it automatically slots them into your calendar around your meetings. If a meeting pops up, everything reshuffles. At first I was skeptical (how good can AI planning really be?), but after a week it was handling my schedule better than I ever did manually. The catch? You need to trust it and actually follow what it schedules, which takes discipline.
Fair warning: Motion is not cheap. Individual plans start at $34/month, which makes it one of the pricier options on this list. But if you are constantly overwhelmed by task prioritization and calendar Tetris, it might be worth the splurge. Teams get charged even more, so budget accordingly.
2. Structured
Best for Casual Users: Structured
Structured is the perfect app if you just want to create a systematic routine that you can follow every single day.
For Mac users, they love it because it’s simple and does have some AI features, which can help you save time adding those tasks.
You just speak into it, say what order you want to do the tasks in, and then it will help you to get them done in that order, but works well on Mac.
It’s not a massively complex application, if you compare it to other apps on the list like Motion, but it will just get the job done if you want a simple routine that you can work on during the day and for more casual use.
Easy to use and works offline (unlike Motion). Uses AI (premium) to help organize the list using your voice.
Great for basic users and comes at reasonable lifetime pricing. Perfect Mac app for more casual to-do list management. Casual users who want to manage home/life/light work.
Those on iOS and Android who want a good on the go planner.
Good for routines and ADHD planning.
3. Superlist
Best for Tasks & Notes: Superlist
Superlist is a to-do list application (compared to others) but it’s well-built for Mac and credited as an easy-to-use experience.
It combines task management on Mac with your notes, so that you can create notes, checklists, and items like that, all in one location that you can collaborate with other team members on.
A lot of people like this because you can share up to five team members in one workspace for free,allowing you to collaborate and there are loads of gestures and animations as part of the Mac app that make it fun to use.
Primarily, people like this one if the calendar is not massively important.
Superlist lacks the ability to visualize all of your tasks on the calendar, which apps like Motion and others have on this list, but you’ll find it easy to use and a good base if you’re somebody that wants a balance between a good quality app with a low price to it.
Allows you to share with up to 5 people in your team for free.
Speedy and fast loading and managing tasks on Mac. Basic users who want to manage their to-do list.
Good for those who want to see work tasks alongside personal tasks.
Great for small teams who all use Mac.
4. Blitzit
Best for Timer Lovers: Blitzit
Blitzit is a very, very popular app at the moment on Mac for many reasons.
The first being that you can download on Mac and it comes as a one time fee for lifetime access.
It makes it really affordable for a lot of people on Mac to download it and avoid the whole subscription cost.
There is a subscription plan, but it’s per month.
If you want the yearly or lifetime pricing, it makes it a lot cheaper overall.
Blitzit comes with some great features, like the ability to stack up your next tasks, start a timer to interact with each of the tasks, and it’s popular with the ADHD community to help you to better organise those tasks.
It works really well on Mac, as it can be pinned to the menu bar and is easily accessible.
Nice and easy to use task stacking. It also comes with import for Notion and more coming too.
Good for ADHD focused workflows. Works well with the Mac menu bar for upcoming tasks & timer. Those who thrive with timers and like to use Pomodoro with their tasks. Something lighter and more easy to use than say Motion or Akiflow.
5. Things 3
Best for Minimal Users: Things 3
Things 3 is probably the best all-round Mac to-do list out on the market. It's easy to use, fast, and comes with a gorgeous design. It's almost like Apple should have designed this one instead of Apple Reminders.
The experience is super easy to use. It allows you to add tasks together along with lists and projects for your own personal goals. It's not good for sharing with others because there are no sharing capabilities, but what it will do is help you to plan your goals alongside your tasks and really capture what's important.
This application comes at a one-time fee as well, a bit like Blitzit. Around $49.99, which they'll like to save a bit of money. Stunning on Mac and works well with gestures too. One-time pricing meaning you never pay again. Does come with Cloud-based storage. Those who want an easy to use design. Those who love minimal well-built Mac apps. Those who aren't worried about the latest features and updates on tools like this.
Things 3 is stupidly beautiful. The animations, the typography, the way tasks slide into your Today list feels like butter. It is the kind of app you show off to other Mac users just to flex how good native apps can look. Cultured Code, the developers, clearly obsess over every pixel. The app has won Apple Design Awards for good reason.
But here is the thing (pun intended): Things 3 hasn't had a major update in years. The core features are rock solid, but if you are expecting constant new features and AI integrations, you will be disappointed. What you buy is what you get. For some people, that is perfect. No subscription treadmill, no feature bloat. For others who want their tools to evolve constantly, it might feel stagnant. Your mileage may vary.
6.Todoist
Best for All Round: Todoist
Todoist is another great to-do list application as an all-rounder that works well on Mac.
Many people really like Todoist because it comes with good iOS and Mac support, which means that you get great widgets, very similar in nature to what you get with Things 3.
The application works well on Mac and will allow you to do all the regular stuff, but just with a solid app that works incredibly well offline.
Todoist is the one app that we always recommend as a more generalist application. It’s so underrated in terms of what it can do, and a lot of people really find it to just breeze well whilst on Mac.
It’ll also work with Google Calendar now, allowing you to see upcoming items, but it does have the Mac menu bar, allowing you to see tasks that you’re working on.
But sadly, it doesn’t have any timer experiences, which other apps like Akiflow and Blitzit do. A solid offline to-do app for Mac.
Works well for menu bar access. No grand gestures, design or abilities like Things 3. For those who want something easy to use For those who want a balance between robust work features & personal use.
7. Akiflow
Best for Task Consolidaiton: Akiflow
Akiflow is a good application if you’re a busy professional: someone who manages their tasks quite a lot and needs help with time blocking.
It won’t be as extensive as an AI-powered task management platform like Motion, but it will be somewhere in between that and Todoist.
Akiflow presents itself with so many great features, allowing you to organize your tasks, bring tasks in from other applications like email, project management software, or other such tools, and also presents itself as a clean user interface to start dragging items in.
There is a timer baked into Mac Akiflow, and also there is a Mac menu bar for seeing upcoming meetings that connects with Google Calendar and Outlook Calendar.
It’s easy and approachable, but it will cost you starting from $19 per month.
Good for bringing tasks together in one place Works with both Google Calendar & Outlook Calendar Comes at a pricey $19 per month as more of a premium to-do app for Mac
8. OmniFocus 4
Best for GTD: OmniFocus 4
One of our final recommendations is OmniFocus 4, which is really tailored towards GTD users, but works incredibly well on Mac. OmniGroup, the creators of OmniFocus 4 have created high-quality iOS and Mac devices.
The application is a bit more serious in terms of its setup.
It’s not for casual users, neither is it for busy professionals that are looking to use AI to help organize their lives.
It’s very much a manualized setup for organizing your tasks using a systemized approach for GTD.
It’s got features like Forecast, and it’s just a solid application for working offline, and many people credit it as one of the most great to-do list apps for Mac that is more tailored towards GTD.
Solid Mac app for GTD focused users Well-built app from OmniGroup, makers of the app Not for everyone and definitely not for casual users
OmniFocus 4 is a place for busy professionals to manage tasks and sort projects.
Which one is best suited for your needs?
Best for Beauty
Picking the right to-do app for Mac depends on what frustrates you most about your current setup. If you are drowning in tasks and cannot prioritize to save your life, Motion's AI scheduling might be worth the premium price. Constantly juggling meetings and deadlines? Same answer.
For folks who just want a beautiful, simple app that does one thing well, Things 3 is hard to beat. Yeah, it costs upfront, but no subscription means you own it forever. Plus it is gorgeous enough to make checking off tasks actually enjoyable.
If you are on a tight budget or want to try before you buy, Todoist's free plan is surprisingly generous. You can build a solid task management system without paying a dime, though you'll miss out on reminders and some of the fancier features.
Godspeed: One of the fastest to-do list apps for Mac with the power of keyboard shortcuts too. Perfect if you are a keyboard warrior who hates touching the mouse.
Lunatask: If you worry about secure E2E task management, Lunatask offers that as part of their to-do list app. Privacy-focused folks will appreciate the encryption.
Free Mac To-Do List Apps
Looking to narrow down your search to those tools that are solely free or no-cost:
Todoist: Offers a good free plan with no calendar modes, but this is free with very few limits. You can create unlimited tasks and projects, which is honestly more than enough for most people. The premium features (reminders, labels, filters) are nice to have but not essential if you are just getting started.
Superlist: Offers a good free plan and good for small teams too that want to offer the basics to up to 5 members. Great if you are coordinating with a partner or small team and don't want to pay per seat immediately.
Griply: For your habits, life planning and tasks in one base, Griply is underrated for Mac users now. It combines habit tracking with task management, which saves you from needing two separate apps. The interface is clean and it actually works offline, unlike some web-based competitors.
Any.do: For personal and work use, the lists are easy to manage and there's no limit of how many tasks you can add and manage on Mac. The daily planner feature helps you focus on what matters today instead of getting lost in your massive backlog. Been using this since 2026 and it just works without fuss.
