TickTick vs Todoist: Which To-Do App Should You Use in 2026?

TickTick vs Todoist comes down to how much you want one app to do. Pick TickTick if you want lists, several calendar views, a Pomodoro timer and a habit tracker in the same place. Pick Todoist if you care most about quick natural-language capture, projects, filters and shared work.

Both are closed-source, hosted apps with free plans and no self-hosted version. The sections below compare the free plans, pricing model, planning tools, task capture, sharing and platforms, using each vendor's own pages and Enlisted's catalogue data, and point to open-source options if you want control.

TickTick vs Todoist at a glance

How do the free plans compare?

Both are free to start, and both limit things you will notice as you grow. TickTick's free plan caps the number of lists and tasks per list, keeps the richer calendar and timeline views for Premium, and limits how many people can join a shared list. Premium raises those limits and adds extras such as task duration, themes and widgets.

Todoist's free plan, Beginner, limits the number of personal projects and filter views and has a smaller file upload size, and its AI entry feature, Ramble, comes with limited sessions. Pro raises the project and filter limits and the upload size, and unlocks unlimited Ramble and Task Assist.

The difference in feel is that TickTick's free plan holds back views and sharing, while Todoist's holds back organizing structure. If you keep a few lists and one calendar view, either free plan may be enough. For a wider comparison of free and paid task tools, see the best productivity apps guide.

How do the pricing models work?

TickTick sells Premium as an individual subscription, and its upgrade page lists a yearly option. Premium raises list and task limits, adds calendar views and reminders, and lifts the cap on members of shared lists, so a family or small group can share without moving to a team product.

Todoist is priced per user. Pro is billed per user per month with monthly or yearly options, and Business is per member and adds team features such as shared templates, roles and permissions, and centralized billing. That model fits teams, where each member is a seat, and it means the cost grows with the number of people who need a paid plan. Live prices for both are in the "Pricing compared" section below, and the vendors' current terms are on the Todoist pricing page and the TickTick upgrade page.

Which has better planning, calendar and focus tools?

TickTick, if you want everything in one place. Enlisted's listing describes calendar views at several levels, a Kanban board, a timeline, a split view, an Eisenhower matrix and sticky notes. A Pomodoro timer breaks work into focus intervals, a habit tracker keeps statistics, and countdowns track birthdays, exams and deadlines. The site also lists AI assistance for planning.

Todoist keeps the surface smaller. Its features page lists Today and Upcoming views, custom filters, projects with sections and sub-tasks, labels, priorities and recurring due dates. It adds productivity visualizations by week and month and a Karma points system. If you want a focus timer or habit streaks, those are not in Todoist's feature list, so you would add a separate app.

Which is better for quick capture and recurring tasks?

Todoist leans hardest here. Its Quick Add takes natural language, and the vendor says its date recognition handles recurring due dates and reminders without clunky date pickers. Ramble, its AI-based entry feature, adds another way to enter tasks in plain language.

TickTick also parses what you type: its site says it recognizes dates and times automatically to set smart reminders. It adds voice capture, which it says extracts dates and priorities from speech, and audio summaries that turn recordings into transcripts. For typed capture the two are close, and for speaking tasks aloud TickTick lists more.

What do the AI features add?

Both now include AI, and the plans split it differently. TickTick lists AI assistance for planning, plus the voice capture and audio summaries above, as part of its feature set. Todoist puts AI in two places: Ramble, which has limited sessions on the free Beginner plan, and Task Assist, which comes with Pro and Business alongside unlimited Ramble.

If AI help matters to you, read each pricing page for what your plan includes, because the limits sit in different places. If it does not, you can ignore the feature on either app and judge them on views, capture and sharing.

Which is better for sharing and teams?

Todoist. Its features page lists shared projects, assigned tasks, comments with file attachments and voice notes, team workspaces and role-based permissions in team projects. The Business plan adds team roles, shared templates and centralized billing, and calendar layout for team projects.

TickTick supports sharing lists with friends and colleagues and assigning tasks, which covers a household or a small group. How many people can join a shared list depends on whether you are on the free plan or Premium. It is not built around team administration the way Todoist's Business plan is.

What about platforms and integrations?

Both sync across devices. TickTick lists iOS, Android, Mac, Windows, the web and smartwatches. Todoist lists desktop apps, iOS, Android, wearables and the web, along with browser extensions, email add-ons and a large catalogue of integrations. The platform lists overlap, so check that your own devices and your calendar or email tools are covered before you commit.

Can you self-host TickTick or Todoist?

No. Enlisted lists both as closed source with no self-hosted edition, so your tasks live on the vendors' servers. If that is a problem, Vikunja is an open-source (AGPL-3.0) task manager with lists, Kanban and more that you can self-host or use as a hosted service. Super Productivity is MIT-licensed and local-first, with timeboxing, time tracking and Pomodoro-style focus sessions, available on web, desktop and mobile.

TickTick: best for an all-in-one planner with a calendar, timer and habits

TickTick is a to-do list and calendar app with Kanban and timeline views, a Pomodoro timer, habit tracking and countdowns, synced across devices. People use it for work projects, personal tasks and study plans. See the TickTick listing or TickTick alternatives for more.

It suits people who want fewer apps: tasks, schedule, focus sessions and habits live in one place.

• Best for: individuals, students and families who want planning, focus and habit tools together.
• Watch out for: the free plan limits lists, calendar views and shared members, so many of the best features need Premium, and it is closed source.

Todoist: best for fast capture, filters and shared projects

Todoist is a task manager that captures to-dos in natural language, organizes them into projects and filters, and supports shared team lists. It runs on the web and in apps and offers integrations and templates. See the Todoist listing or Todoist alternatives for more.

It suits people who live in their task list and want it fast to add to and easy to slice, and teams that need shared projects with permissions.

• Best for: professionals and teams who want quick entry, filters and shared projects.
• Watch out for: the free plan limits personal projects and filters, there is no built-in timer or habit tracker in its feature list, and it is closed source.

Which should you choose, TickTick or Todoist?

In short, choose TickTick for an all-in-one personal planner and Todoist for fast capture and team projects. Since both have free plans, load the same week of real tasks into each and see which one you keep opening.

What other options are there?

• Things is a task manager for Apple devices with areas, projects and a clean Today view, from Cultured Code.
• Microsoft To Do is a free task app with a My Day view, shared lists and Outlook task sync, handy for Microsoft 365 users.
• Vikunja is the open-source choice, with self-hosting and a hosted option.

For longer lists, see TickTick alternatives, Todoist alternatives, the productivity category and how Enlisted ranks tools.