Todoist vs Amazing Marvin (2026): Which Fits Your Workflow?

Fabio Bergmann

Fabio Bergmann

Amazing Marvin costs $96/year while Todoist Pro runs $60/year, a 62.5% gap. But price is only half the decision. Todoist gives beginners a structured free system, and Marvin sells one all-inclusive tier for building a fully custom setup.

Person comparing two task-planning setups at a desk.

Key takeaways

  • Todoist Pro costs $60/year vs Amazing Marvin Pro at $96/year, making Todoist 62.5% cheaper annually.
  • Amazing Marvin has no free plan, only a 14-day trial; Todoist has a permanent free Beginner plan.
  • Marvin's "all or nothing" model unlocks 100+ features for every paid user, while Todoist gates Calendar layout and task duration behind Pro.
  • Todoist Assist brings AI-powered suggestions to Web, macOS, and iOS; Marvin's docs emphasize customization and support.
  • Superlist Basic at $60/year costs the same as Todoist Pro but includes unlimited lists and shared lists.
Screenshot of the Todoist website

Screenshot: Todoist website, July 2026.

Todoist vs Amazing Marvin comes down to two different problems. Todoist gives you a structured, beginner-friendly system with capped free features. Amazing Marvin sells a single all-inclusive tier at $8/month for people who want to build a bespoke system from scratch. The $96 vs $60 yearly gap is real, but it follows from that choice.

The actual question is which philosophy fits. Todoist Pro increases personal projects to 300 and adds Calendar layout on a familiar structure. Amazing Marvin calls itself the customizable app for people who think differently: a blank canvas rather than a guided path. One optimizes for fast adoption, the other rewards configuration effort.

Todoist vs Amazing Marvin: comparison table

Screenshot of the Amazing Marvin website

Screenshot: Amazing Marvin website, July 2026.

Side by side, Todoist wins on price and free access, and Amazing Marvin wins on feature depth per plan. TickTick, Superlist, Things 3, and OmniFocus round out the field, each on a different model, from one-time purchase to per-month subscription.

AppFree planPaid price/yearTrialStandout
TodoistYes, 5 projects$60 (Pro)Free plan, no trial neededCalendar layout, integrations
Amazing MarvinNo$9614-day, all features100+ features in one plan
Things 3NoOne-time purchase per platformNo subscription, Apple-only
TickTickYes$35.99 (Premium)Full calendar + stats
SuperlistYes, 5 lists$60 (Basic)Voice AI, unlimited shared lists
OmniFocusNo$99.99Deep project hierarchies
Dooit (our product)No$108 ($9/mo)7-daySub-50ms, keyboard-first

Disclosure: Dooit is our product, included here for transparency. Todoist's free tier and Marvin's trial numbers come from their pricing and pricing pages.

Todoist: best for structured beginners and free-tier users

Todoist suits people who want a free, guided entry into task management. The Beginner plan is permanently free with 5 projects, Smart Quick Add, 3 filter views, and email/calendar integrations. Pro at $60/year adds Calendar layout, task duration, and 300 projects, still the cheapest subscription in this comparison.

The free plan covers 5 personal projects, Smart Quick Add, task reminders, and 1 week of activity history, enough to run a personal system indefinitely. Mainstream trust is a real factor: Todoist claims 374K+ five-star reviews and more than 30 million people using it.

The limit is depth. Custom views and open-ended workflows sit inside fixed tiers, so Todoist structures flexibility rather than handing you a blank canvas.

Amazing Marvin: best for fully custom personal systems

Amazing Marvin is built for people who want to design their own workflow. Its single Marvin Pro plan at $8/month, or $96/year, unlocks all 100+ features, unlimited tasks and projects, custom workflows and views, and analytics at once. There is no free tier, only a 14-day full-access trial with no credit card required.

Marvin's own help center describes the approach plainly:

Marvin is an "all or nothing" app, and during the trial you have access to all features. — Amazing Marvin help center

Every paid user gets the complete feature set, including analytics and custom views that Todoist's tiered structure keeps separate. The tradeoff is the on-ramp: with no free plan, new users must judge fit against a 14-day deadline instead of exploring at their own pace.

Things 3: best for one-time purchase on Apple devices

Screenshot of the Things 3 website

Screenshot: Things 3 website, July 2026.

Things 3 skips subscriptions entirely. It's a one-time purchase per platform with no subscriptions, available on Mac, iPhone, iPad, and Vision Pro. Keyboard shortcuts and Quick Entry with Autofill make capture fast. The catch: it's Apple-only, so Windows and Android users are out.

Things runs across Mac, iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch, and supports keyboard shortcuts on Mac, iPad, and Vision Pro. Its docs describe creating a new project, opening Quick Entry with Autofill, and assigning shortcuts to tags. That's the typed speed keyboard-driven users want without a recurring bill.

TickTick and Superlist: budget and collaboration alternatives

TickTick and Superlist cover the low-cost and shared-list ends of the field. TickTick Premium runs $35.99 per year for full calendar functionality, customizable filters, and Historical Statistics across all platforms, cheaper than both Todoist Pro and Marvin Pro. Superlist's free plan covers 5 shared lists at $0.

Both TickTick and Superlist lean harder into collaboration, while Todoist and Marvin stay personal-productivity-first.

OmniFocus: best for deep project hierarchies at a premium price

Screenshot of the OmniFocus website

Screenshot: OmniFocus website, July 2026.

OmniFocus is the most expensive subscription here at $99.99/year, which is $3.99 more than Amazing Marvin's $96/year. It appeals to users who need deeply nested projects. It fits existing OmniFocus and Apple-ecosystem users better than price-sensitive switchers.

Despite costing more than Marvin, OmniFocus carries a narrower AI and customization pitch. Its strength is hierarchical structure, not breadth of configuration.

How does the actual pricing math work out?

The math clarifies the field. Todoist Pro at $60/year is 62.5% cheaper than Amazing Marvin Pro at $96/year, a gap no ranking page states plainly. Superlist Basic matches Todoist's $60/year but adds unlimited shared lists, while OmniFocus at $99.99/year costs exactly $3.99 more than Marvin.

  • Todoist Pro $60/year is 62.5% cheaper than Marvin Pro $96/year.
  • Superlist Basic $60/year equals Todoist Pro's price but adds unlimited lists and sharing.
  • OmniFocus $99.99/year is $3.99 above Marvin's $96/year.

On trials, Marvin's 14-day free trial with full access is shorter than Todoist's permanent free plan but longer than Dooit's 7-day trial.

Does Amazing Marvin use AI, and how does that compare to Todoist Assist?

Todoist has the clearer AI story today. Todoist Assist is an AI-powered suite with basic features free and advanced ones in paid plans, available on Web, macOS, and iOS. Amazing Marvin's pricing and help docs describe customization and support, not an AI-first suite.

Marvin's marketing centers on 100+ features and manual configuration. For users who want AI-driven task suggestions with documented platform support, Todoist currently holds the edge, though Assist's coverage stops at Web, macOS, and iOS, with no Android or Windows mention.

Which app is easier to use for beginners vs power users?

Todoist's free plan and simple 5-project structure make it the faster on-ramp for beginners. Marvin's 100+ features and custom workflows reward power users willing to invest setup time. The choice is adoption speed against configuration payoff.

Todoist keeps setup minimal with familiar list and board layouts and a low learning curve. Marvin's curve is steeper but pays off in analytics and bespoke views. Both support keyboard use, though the depth of documented shortcuts differs by tool. Pick Todoist for quick adoption, Marvin for a long-term custom system.

Where does a lighter, keyboard-first alternative fit in?

Dooit is our own product, listed here for full transparency. It's an ultra-minimal, keyboard-first task manager where every action is built to complete in under 50ms with no spinners. Dooit runs on a single $9/month plan with a 7-day trial, aimed at readers who find broad interfaces slow or busy.

  • Actions target sub-50ms with no loading delays, 20+ keyboard shortcuts, and full undo/redo.
  • Kanban and list views switch with a single keystroke.
  • Natural language scheduling handles "tomorrow," "next Friday," and "every Monday," alongside goal tracking by week, month, year, and multi-year horizons plus habit streaks.
  • One $9/month plan, 7-day free trial, no tiers, no add-ons.

The honest limit: Dooit has no permanent free plan, and its feature set is newer and smaller than Todoist's or Marvin's mature ecosystems. If you need Marvin's 100+ features or Todoist's integration depth, those tools win on breadth.

Frequently asked questions

Is Todoist still worth it in 2026?

Yes, for most users needing a free or low-cost, well-supported task manager. Todoist's free Beginner plan and $60/year Pro tier remain cheaper than Amazing Marvin's $96/year, and its 30M+ user base and Assist AI features keep it competitive for mainstream task and calendar management.

Is there something better than Todoist?

It depends on the need. Amazing Marvin offers deeper customization for complex personal systems, Things 3 suits Apple-only one-time-purchase users, and Superlist matches Todoist Pro's $60/year with unlimited shared lists for people who collaborate.

Does Amazing Marvin use AI?

Amazing Marvin's own pricing and help documentation focus on 100+ customizable features, analytics, and support rather than AI-specific tools. Todoist documents a named AI suite, Assist, available on Web, macOS, and iOS, making AI capability a clearer differentiator for Todoist.

Which app has better customization for personal productivity systems?

Amazing Marvin is built specifically for customization, with 100+ features, custom workflows, and custom views included in one plan. Todoist offers flexible list and board layouts and filters but structures its customization more within fixed plan tiers rather than an open, build-your-own system.

How do Todoist and Amazing Marvin handle recurring tasks and deadlines?

Both support recurring tasks and deadline scheduling within their interfaces. Neither's official docs detail natural-language recurrence phrasing as explicitly as tools built around it, so users who want to type schedules like "every Monday" should check each app's current documentation.

Which app integrates better with calendars, Slack, and email?

Todoist's free plan already includes email and calendar integrations, and its Pro plan adds Calendar layout support, giving it a documented integration edge. Amazing Marvin's pricing page emphasizes platform support across Web, Mac, Windows, iOS, and Android rather than specific third-party integrations.

Frustrated by slow, busy task managers? Start free with Dooit and see how a keyboard-first tool feels when every action lands in under 50ms.