Todoist vs TickTick: The Personal Task App Decision

Todoist versus TickTick is a choice between a polished, task-first app with a famously clean natural-language input and an all-in-one productivity app that bundles a calendar, habit tracker, and focus timer for less money. The honest verdict is that TickTick is the better value for most individuals because its documented paid price is lower and it packs more built-in features, while Todoist is the stronger pick if you want the cleanest task capture, a mature ecosystem of integrations, and a clear path to team use. Verify current pricing on both vendor sites, since figures differ between sources.

For this comparison, we looked at each vendor's documented free and paid limits, published pricing, and the patterns reviewers consistently report. Todoist documents a free Beginner plan limited to 5 personal projects, with Pro and Business tiers above it. TickTick's free tier is commonly described as 9 lists with 99 tasks per list, and its Premium plan is reported at about $35.99 a year. The sections below weigh both for a solo professional or small team that manages a personal task system.

How We Compared These Task Apps

We compared Todoist and TickTick using each vendor's public pricing page, documented feature lists, and consistent themes in published reviews. We did not manage a real workload in either app, so nothing here measures speed or reliability. We applied one yardstick to both: what the free plan allows, what Premium costs and unlocks, how well the app handles recurring tasks and reminders, what collaboration is documented, and how easily you can leave. Where Doist or TickTick do not publish a number clearly, or sources disagree, we flag it.

Free Plans and Paid Pricing Side by Side

Todoist's free Beginner plan is documented with 5 personal projects, 3 custom filters, 5 MB file uploads, a one-week reporting history, and up to 5 people per project. Pro lifts those to 300 projects, 150 filters, 100 MB uploads, and full reporting history, and adds calendar layout, task duration, custom reminders, and deadlines. Business is documented at up to 500 team projects with roles, permissions, and centralized billing. Third-party trackers put Pro at about $4 per month billed annually (around $5 monthly) and Business at about $6 per user per month annually, but the vendor page we read did not display dollar amounts, so confirm directly.

TickTick's free tier is more generous on structure, commonly reported as 9 lists, 99 tasks per list, and one calendar subscription. Premium is widely reported at $35.99 per year, or about $3.99 monthly, and raises the limits to roughly 299 lists and 999 tasks per list. One review lists a lower price, so treat the exact figure as something to check on ticktick.com. Over a year, that puts TickTick roughly $12 below Todoist Pro at the reported prices.

Where Todoist Wins: Capture, Polish, and Teams

Todoist's reputation rests on fast task capture. Smart Quick Add parses dates, projects, labels, and priorities as you type, and reviewers consistently describe the interface as calm and uncluttered. Its integration library is among the largest for a consumer task app, covering email, calendars, and automation tools, which matters if tasks must flow in from elsewhere. For anyone who might later share projects with colleagues, Business adds shared templates, activity logs, roles and permissions, and a team workspace on the same app.

The documented weaknesses are real. Several useful features, including reminders beyond the basics, deadlines, task duration, and calendar layout, sit behind the paid Pro plan, and the free plan's 5-project cap is tight. Todoist is also narrower in scope than TickTick, since habit tracking and a Pomodoro timer are not core features, so you may need a second app for those.

Where TickTick Wins: Built-In Features and Price

TickTick's pitch is breadth at a low price. Reviewers consistently highlight the integrated calendar, Eisenhower matrix view, habit tracker, and focus timer in one app, which can replace several separate tools. For an individual, the lower reported annual cost and the roomier free tier make it the easier recommendation. Premium unlocks the larger list limits and richer calendar views.

The trade-offs are the flip side of breadth. Reviewers often describe the interface as denser and with more settings than Todoist, which suits tinkerers but can feel busy. Its pricing details differ across sources, which is a reminder to check the live page. Its collaboration story is lighter than Todoist Business, so teams that need roles, centralized billing, and large shared project structures usually look elsewhere.

Which Task App Should You Choose

Choose TickTick if you want one app for tasks, calendar, habits, and focus time, and you are price-sensitive. Choose Todoist if your priority is frictionless capture, a clean interface, wide integration support, or an easy step up to a team workspace. If your needs are really about team projects with boards, timelines, and reporting, neither is a full project management suite, and our roundup of project management tools covers that tier.

Switching is manageable in either direction. Both apps export tasks in common formats, and each documents an import route from the other, though recurring rules, labels, and filters often need cleanup afterward. Try a small real project in each free plan before paying, since the free limits are generous enough to judge fit.

The bottom line: pick TickTick if you want the most features for the lowest documented price, and pick Todoist if clean task capture, integrations, and a path to team use matter more than extra built-in tools.