To Do App Real-Time Sync: Desktop & Mobile in 2026

Yes, plenty of to-do apps sync across desktop and mobile in real time, but the quality varies wildly. True real-time sync pushes a change to your other devices within seconds, with no manual refresh, no relaunch, and no lag between thinking and seeing.

Disclosure: Dooit is our product. This roundup covers competitors alongside it and cites public sources throughout.

Key takeaways

• True real-time sync means updates appear on other devices without a manual refresh. Not all "synced" apps behave this way.
• Todoist's account calendar feed and TickTick's Pomodoro sync show two different flavors of live sync in practice.
• Free-tier limits vary sharply: Superlist caps lists, Amazing Marvin has no free plan, Any.do's free tier includes full sync.
• Offline design matters as much as sync speed. What happens when your phone reconnects separates good apps from frustrating ones.
• Dooit syncs in real time across desktop and a dedicated mobile app, with every action completing in under 50ms once online.

Can a To-Do List App Really Sync Across Devices in Real Time?

Yes, most modern to-do apps sync across devices, but "sync" ranges from near-instant background updates to slower polling that needs a manual refresh. Real-time sync means a task added on your phone appears on your desktop within seconds, without reopening the app or pulling to refresh.

There are two broad mechanisms. Push-based sync sends changes as they happen, so a completed task on mobile checks itself off on desktop almost immediately. Pull-based sync polls the server on a schedule or when you open the app, so updates can lag. Any.do builds sync and cloud backup into every plan, and Amazing Marvin syncs to the cloud and all devices by default.

The distinction matters most for keyboard-first, flow-based work. If you plan on desktop and execute on mobile, a five-second gap is fine. A "reopen the app to see changes" gap breaks the loop.

True Background Sync vs. Manual Refresh: The Difference No One Explains

Background sync and manual-refresh sync look identical on a feature checkbox but feel completely different in use. Background sync updates silently as changes happen. Manual-refresh sync makes you reopen or relaunch the app to see what changed. Todoist, for one, layers a calendar feed for dated tasks on top of its per-client sync.

Todoist's account calendar feed syncs tasks that have a date, time, and duration across all projects. That's great for planning your week in a calendar view, but it's a scheduling layer, not a live task-state channel. A calendar feed answers "when is this due" everywhere; push sync answers "did this just change" everywhere.

Todoist's 2026 changelog lists current builds at Web v10614, iOS 26.5.13, and Android v12148: separate clients that each reconcile against the same account. Most comparison pages treat "sync" as a single checkbox. It isn't. Know which flavor you're buying.

Is There a To-Do App for Desktop, and Which Platforms Are Actually Supported?

Yes, most major to-do apps ship dedicated desktop apps for Mac and Windows, not just browser tabs. Coverage varies: Todoist supports Linux, Mac, Windows, iPhone, iPad, Android, Apple Watch, and Wear OS, while TickTick and Any.do cover Windows, Mac, phones, tablets, and web, with TickTick adding smartwatches.

Don't assume parity. Todoist's download page lists the widest desktop-plus-wearable range, including Linux. TickTick's help center confirms support for Windows, Mac, phones, tablets, web, and smartwatches. Any.do lists Web, Desktop (Mac/Windows), iOS, and Android.

Watch and wearable support is the common blind spot. If you triage from a wrist, Todoist (Apple Watch and Wear OS) and TickTick (smartwatches) are the safer picks. And a "desktop app" that's just a browser wrapper behaves differently offline than a native client, which matters in the next section.

Offline-Capable To-Do Apps: What Happens When You Reconnect?

Offline-capable to-do apps let you keep working with no connection and reconcile changes once you're back online. Amazing Marvin's browser app works offline, but its own help docs recommend the desktop app for heavy offline use, since browser storage is less reliable for long stretches without a connection.

Marvin's guidance is explicit: the browser app works offline, and if you work offline a lot it's safer to install the desktop apps. That's an honest architectural note. Browser storage can be evicted, while native apps hold a durable local copy until the connection returns.

Reconnection quality is where apps diverge. Practical rule: if you regularly work on planes, subways, or spotty Wi-Fi, choose a native desktop app over a browser tab.

How Does Real-Time Sync Actually Work in Apps Like Todoist or TickTick?

Real-time sync in TickTick works through live session syncing. Starting a Pomodoro focus session on one device automatically syncs it to the others without manual action. Todoist instead layers a calendar feed on top of its per-client sync, so scheduled tasks with dates, times, and durations appear consistently across every connected calendar and project.

TickTick: "starting a focus session on one device automatically syncs it to the others."

That timer you start on your laptop is already running when you pick up your phone. TickTick documents the behavior directly: Pomodoro Focus can sync across multiple devices. That's active-state sync, not just data sync.

Todoist's approach is different in kind. Its calendar feed keeps scheduled tasks consistent by date, time, and duration across projects. Both are useful. Neither is purely instantaneous push for every field, which is exactly why "real-time" deserves a closer read before you commit.

Comparison: Cross-Platform To-Do Apps With Real-Time Sync

Pricing and platform coverage differ sharply across sync-focused to-do apps. Free plans range from fully featured (Any.do) to nonexistent (Amazing Marvin), while paid tiers run from $5 to $9 per month. The table below compares price, free-plan availability, and platform coverage side by side.

App	Starting paid price	Free plan	Platforms	Notable sync feature
Todoist	$5/user/mo (yearly)	Yes — 5 projects	Linux, Mac, Windows, iOS, Android, Apple Watch, Wear OS	Account calendar feed
TickTick	Paid tier available	Yes	Windows, Mac, phones, tablets, web, smartwatches	Live Pomodoro session sync
Amazing Marvin	$8/mo	No — 14-day trial	Web, Mac, Windows, iOS, Android	Cloud sync by default
Superlist	$5/person/mo	Yes — capped lists	macOS, iOS, Android, Web	Shared-list sync
Any.do	$4.99/mo (yearly)	Yes — free forever	Web, Desktop (Mac/Windows), iOS, Android	Sync on every plan
Dooit	$9/mo	No — 7-day trial	Web, dedicated mobile app	Real-time sync, sub-50ms actions

One pricing note worth carrying: Amazing Marvin at $8/month costs 60% more than Todoist Pro at $5/month on monthly list price. And Superlist Basic at $5/month lands at exactly the same monthly price as Todoist Pro billed yearly.

Todoist: Best for Calendar-Layered Scheduling Across Devices

Screenshot: Todoist pricing page, August 2026.

Todoist suits people who want tasks tied tightly to calendar dates and times across every device. Its free Beginner plan covers 5 projects and basic sync, while Pro at $5/month (billed yearly) adds a full account calendar feed that syncs task dates, times, and durations across projects.

The free Beginner plan is $0 and includes 5 personal projects, Smart Quick Add, task reminders, list and board layouts, 3 filter views, and 1 week of activity history. Todoist Pro runs $5 per user/month billed yearly, and Business is $8 plus local tax per user/month. For context, Pro is 37.5% cheaper than ClickUp Unlimited at $7 per user/month billed yearly.

The calendar feed is the standout. Its limit is the one from earlier: the feed syncs by schedule, so it's built around dated tasks, not instant push for every quick edit. For a deeper breakdown, see our Todoist alternative comparison.

TickTick: Best for Live-Syncing Focus Sessions and Widest Device Range

Screenshot: TickTick articles page, August 2026.

TickTick stands out for syncing active states, not just data: start a Pomodoro focus session on one device and it carries live to every other device. It also supports one of the widest device ranges here, including smartwatches, plus keyboard shortcuts and command menus for faster desktop capture.

TickTick's help center confirms the Pomodoro session syncs across devices automatically, and its platform page covers Windows, Mac, phones, tablets, web, and smartwatches. Desktop speed comes from documented keyboard shortcuts and command menus.

The limit: syncing focus sessions live doesn't guarantee every feature updates at the same speed. Our TickTick alternative guide ranks options by fit if the widest device net isn't your priority.

Amazing Marvin: Best for Customizable Workflows With Cloud-Default Sync

Screenshot: Amazing Marvin pricing page, August 2026.

Amazing Marvin syncs data to the cloud and all devices by default, with no separate sync setup required. At $8/month with a 14-day free trial and no free tier, it costs 60% more than Todoist Pro on a monthly basis, but bundles unlimited tasks, custom workflows, and analytics across Web, Mac, Windows, iOS, and Android.

Pricing is $8/month or $96/year, with a 14-day free trial requiring no credit card and no free plan currently offered. The plan bundles unlimited tasks and projects, custom workflows and views, and analytics, syncing to the cloud and all devices by default.

The limit is offline reliability: Marvin's own docs recommend the desktop app for heavy offline use over the browser client. See our Amazing Marvin alternative roundup for lighter-weight options.

Superlist: Best for Free Shared Lists With Capped Sync Scope

Screenshot: Superlist pricing page, August 2026.

Superlist's free plan covers up to 5 private and 5 shared lists with unlimited tasks and notes, syncing across macOS, iOS, Android, and Web. Its Basic plan at $5/month, the same monthly price as Todoist Pro billed yearly, removes list caps and adds unlimited lists, integrations, and Voice AI.

The $0 free plan includes up to 5 private lists, up to 5 shared lists with up to 5 people, unlimited tasks and notes, reminders, repeating tasks, labels, 10 MB attachments, and 500 MB total storage. Basic at $5 adds unlimited lists and sublists, all integrations, unlimited team members, Voice AI, and 25 GB storage.

The limit: Superlist's listed platforms are macOS, iOS, Android, and Web, with no dedicated native Windows app. Our Superlist alternative comparison covers the tradeoffs.

Any.do: Best Free-Forever Sync Across Every Device

Screenshot: Any.do pricing page, August 2026.

Any.do includes sync and cloud backup on every plan, including its Personal tier, which is free forever and covers tasks, reminders, calendar, and daily planner across Web, Desktop (Mac/Windows), iOS, and Android. Premium adds features without changing sync scope.

The Personal plan is free forever with tasks and lists, reminders, calendar, daily planner, and cross-device sync. Premium runs $4.99/month billed annually or $7.99 monthly, adding recurring tasks, WhatsApp reminders, AI features, color tags, and location reminders. Sync and cloud backup are built into every plan.

The limit: AI and location reminders sit behind Premium, so the free tier is fully synced but feature-light.

Dooit: Keyboard-First Sync With Under-50ms Actions

Screenshot: Dooit blog page, August 2026.

Dooit is our product. Dooit offers real-time sync across desktop and a dedicated mobile app, with every action completing in under 50ms once online, no spinners. It's built for keyboard-first users who want Kanban and list views, natural language scheduling, habit streaks, and multi-horizon goal tracking in one plan.

Dooit ships 20+ keyboard shortcuts with full undo and redo, natural language scheduling ("tomorrow," "next Friday," "every Monday"), recurring tasks, and goal tracking by week, month, year, and multi-year horizons. Views switch between Kanban board and list with a single keystroke, and habit tracking with streaks sits alongside tasks and projects.

Pricing is a single $9/month plan with a 7-day free trial: no tiers, no add-ons, no surprises. The honest limit is that there's no free-forever tier, so users who want to test indefinitely will prefer Any.do's or Todoist's free plans. If keyboard-first speed is the priority, our best task manager comparison puts it in context.

Frequently asked questions

Can a to-do list app sync across devices?

Yes, most modern to-do apps sync across devices by default, typically through cloud accounts linked to desktop, web, and mobile apps. The speed and reliability of that sync varies. Some apps push updates within seconds, while others rely on periodic refreshes or calendar feeds tied to scheduled dates rather than instant updates.

How do I sync Microsoft To Do with my phone?

Microsoft To Do syncs once you sign in with the same Microsoft account on your phone and other devices, with updates appearing across clients automatically. If sync stalls, checking your internet connection and confirming you're signed into the same account on every device usually resolves it.

What are the alternatives to Microsoft To Do?

Third-party options like Todoist, TickTick, and Dooit offer different sync architectures worth evaluating: Todoist adds a calendar feed for dated tasks, TickTick syncs live focus sessions, and Dooit runs real-time sync across desktop and a dedicated mobile app with actions under 50ms once online.

Which to-do apps sync instantly between phone and computer?

Apps like TickTick show near-instant sync through features like live Pomodoro session syncing across devices, while Any.do and Amazing Marvin build cloud sync into every plan by default. Dooit also syncs in real time across desktop and its dedicated mobile app, with actions completing in under 50ms once connected.

What's a task manager with live sync across Mac, Windows, iPhone, and Android?

Todoist, TickTick, Amazing Marvin, and Any.do all offer apps across Mac, Windows, iPhone, and Android with cloud-based sync included. Coverage differs: Todoist adds Linux and Wear OS, while TickTick extends to smartwatches, so check exact platform lists before committing.

Is there an offline-capable to-do app that syncs automatically when back online?

Yes. Amazing Marvin's browser app works offline, with the desktop app recommended for heavier offline use since it stores data more reliably before reconciling with the cloud once reconnected. Native desktop clients generally hold a more durable local copy than a browser tab.

Want sync that keeps up with how fast you think? Start free with Dooit and see every action land in under 50ms across desktop and mobile.