Todoist, TickTick, Microsoft To Do, Any.do and Google Keep compared — which task app fits complex projects, shared chores or a quick daily list.
A task app only earns its place if you open it every morning, and that depends less on the number of features than on matching how you already think. Some people run projects with dozens of steps, labels and filters; others just need four boxes to tick before lunch, and any configuration screen is one more reason to abandon the list. The five apps here sit at different points on that line: two pack calendars, habits and timers together, one is the polished default for plain-language entry, one is a free planner tied to Outlook, and the fastest of all barely organises anything. We picked the 5 apps in this guide to cover those distinct ways of working rather than to name a single winner.
Todoist is the balanced pick: type pay the bill Monday at 9 and it sets the date and reminder itself, with projects, labels and priorities on top.
Its natural-language entry is the most polished around, which keeps adding tasks fast instead of filling in forms. Everything then organises through projects, labels, priorities and reminders, and changes sync across devices cleanly. Against TickTick it feels less stuffed: there is no bundled Pomodoro or habit suite, the free plan caps projects and leaves out the full calendar view, and very complex setups are better handled by a workspace tool such as Notion. The appeal is doing the essentials without making you study the app — ideal for running a day without overthinking the system.
TickTick bundles lists, calendar, habit tracking and a Pomodoro timer into one subscription, aimed at anyone who wants one productivity app instead of four.
Tasks are added in natural language, sorted into folders and priorities, and shown on a built-in calendar, alongside habits and focus timers that rivals usually sell separately. It is the richest single tool of the five and good value if you would otherwise pay for several subscriptions. The density has downsides: calendars and other pieces are reserved for premium, the feature set can overwhelm a newcomer, and its community is smaller than Todoist's. Choose it for the all-in-one bargain; avoid it if you just want a quiet checklist.
Microsoft To Do gives you full task management free with no artificial limits, a My Day planner and tight Outlook and Microsoft 365 integration.
The app is clean but genuinely capable: lists, sub-steps, reminders and attachments all work without a paywall, and the My Day view nudges you to plan a realistic day each morning. It slots straight into Outlook and the wider Microsoft ecosystem, where it is the obvious companion. Outside that world some of the value fades — there are few visual customisation options, and heavy project work is better served by Todoist or Notion. If your mail and calendar are already Microsoft, or you simply refuse to pay for a to-do app, it is the most generous free choice in this group.
Any.do joins tasks, a calendar and a shared shopping list in one polished app, at its best for running a household with a partner or family.
The design brings your to-dos, schedule and grocery list into a single view, and its daily My Day review makes you choose each morning what will actually get done instead of staring at a backlog. Solo use works, but sharing is where it stands out from the rest of this list: household chores and the shopping list update in real time for everyone involved. The catch is payment: recurring reminders and the most useful functions sit behind Premium, and for multi-step projects it is less capable than Todoist. It is the right pick for life admin rather than work systems.
Google Keep is just checkable lists and notes: the fastest option for people who hate setting things up, completely free and rated 4.7 stars.
Open it, type or dictate, and the note is already syncing to your Google account, which makes it the fastest place for on-the-fly ideas, shopping lists, voice notes and reminders tied to a time or a place. It costs nothing and shows no ads. The simplicity is also the ceiling: there are no folders or sub-notes, text formatting is rudimentary, and long notes or multi-step projects quickly outgrow it. Among the five it is the one with the least friction and the least structure — perfect as a capture tray, not as a project manager.
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Questions & answers
Which to-do app is completely free?
Microsoft To Do is the strongest free choice: no caps on tasks or lists, phone-to-computer sync and Outlook integration included. TickTick and Todoist also have free tiers, but they restrict things like the number of projects, recurring reminders and advanced filters, and the paid upgrades are where most of their power lives.
Todoist or TickTick — how do I choose?
For managing tasks alone, Todoist is more polished, parses natural-language dates better and connects to more services. TickTick gives more for the same subscription by adding a calendar, Pomodoro focus sessions and habit streaks in the same place. One focused tool versus one app for the whole productivity stack is the real decision.
Is a task app worth it with only a few tasks a day?
Yes, but keep it simple. With four or five daily tasks, Google Keep or Microsoft To Do repay the effort far better than Todoist or TickTick, where organising the list can take longer than doing the tasks. The rule of thumb is honest: the app should never cost more effort than it saves, and a bare checkbox list is hard to beat at that scale.
Can I share lists and assign tasks to other people?
Yes. Todoist, TickTick, Microsoft To Do and Any.do all support shared lists or projects and task assignment, with some usage limits on their free plans. Any.do is the most household-oriented of the group: its shopping list updates in real time for the whole family, which makes it the easy pick for chores rather than teamwork.
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