Todoist vs TickTick (2026): Which Task App Wins?

You've tried Todoist, found it too rigid, switched to TickTick, then felt buried in panels. Here's the short answer: Todoist leans toward polish and team calendar sync, while TickTick leans toward personal-productivity depth like habits and filters. Your workflow decides.

Key takeaways

• TickTick Premium runs $35.99/year versus Todoist Pro's roughly $51/year, a $15.01 gap most pricing pages gloss over.
• Free-tier collaboration is capped hard: TickTick allows just 1 shared member per list free vs 29 on Premium.
• Todoist leans toward lightweight capture and team-ready calendar sync; TickTick leans toward personal depth via habits, filters, and widgets.
• Neither app advertises sub-50ms actions or a single flat price, a gap keyboard-first users often feel daily.
• Things 3 stays Apple-only with no browser access, a platform nuance worth weighing before any cross-device workflow.

Why Are You Still Choosing Between Todoist and TickTick?

Todoist and TickTick pull in opposite directions: Todoist leans toward polish and team calendar sync, while TickTick leans toward personal-productivity depth like habits and filters. The right pick depends on whether you need lightweight capture or richer solo configurability. If you've bounced between them, you're not alone.

The real friction isn't feature count. It's the tax of tool-hopping: re-learning shortcuts, re-importing tasks, and burning decision energy on a choice that should take an afternoon. Both apps are mature and cover every checklist item, from recurring tasks to reminders to cross-platform sync.

So this comparison skips the feature-count contest. It's a workflow-fit read: where each tool's limits actually bite, and who should walk away with which.

What Are the Key Differences Between Todoist and TickTick?

Todoist prioritizes clean task capture, team workspaces, and calendar layout on paid tiers. TickTick packs more native features into one cheaper subscription: habit tracking, Pomodoro, filters, and widgets. Todoist scales toward teams; TickTick stays personal-first with deeper solo customization. The split comes down to breadth versus native depth.

Todoist's strength is connection and structure: 90+ integrations, team roles and permissions, and support for up to 1,000 team members and guests on Business. TickTick counters with native depth, from a habit library to the Filter feature baked into one plan.

Both support recurring tasks and reminders. The differentiator is depth, not presence. Todoist goes wide toward teams; TickTick goes deep on solo productivity.

Todoist vs TickTick vs the Field: Quick Comparison Table

Todoist and TickTick split on price, collaboration ceilings, and habit features, while Things 3, OmniFocus, Superlist, and Amazing Marvin occupy pricier or platform-locked niches. This table shows where each tool's limits actually bite before you commit to a plan or a subscription.

Tool	Starting price	Free plan limits	Calendar sync	Collaboration cap	Habit tracking	Platform
Todoist Free	$0	5 projects, 3 filters, 1-week history	Sync, no layout view	Shared projects	No native module	Web, desktop, iOS, Android
Todoist Pro	~$51/year	300 projects, calendar layout, full history	Layout view included	Shared projects	No native module	Web, desktop, iOS, Android
TickTick Free	$0	1 shared member, 1 attachment/day	Google/iCloud subscriptions	1 member/list	Yes	Web, desktop, iOS, Android
TickTick Premium	$35.99/year	—	Bidirectional Google Calendar	29 members/list	Yes (library + stats)	Web, desktop, iOS, Android
Things 3	One-time	—	Via Things Cloud	None	No	Apple only, no browser
OmniFocus	$99.99/year sub	—	Calendar events	None	No	Apple + web add-on

Todoist Free's 5 personal projects give more structural headroom than TickTick Free's 1 attachment per day at 10MB. And Things Cloud is free but Apple-only, with no browser view.

The Real Cost Math: What TickTick's $35.99 vs Todoist Pro Actually Buys You

TickTick Premium costs $35.99/year, undercutting Todoist Pro's roughly $51/year equivalent by $15.01. But the gap isn't only price; it's what each plan gates. TickTick's discount buys a Filter feature and habit tools, while Todoist's higher cost buys calendar layout, task durations, and 150 filtered views.

The exact subtraction: $51.00 − $35.99 = $15.01 saved annually with TickTick. For context on how wildly this category prices "premium," look wider:

• Superlist Basic at $59/year is $23.01 pricier than TickTick Premium.
• OmniFocus runs $99.99/year for the subscription versus $35.99/year for web-only add-on access, a $64.00 spread inside a single product line.

Cheaper isn't automatically better. If the feature you need is Todoist Pro's calendar layout or team roles, the $15.01 saving on TickTick is irrelevant. You'd be buying the wrong tool at a discount.

Which Free Plan Gives You More: Todoist or TickTick?

Todoist's free Starter plan gives more structural room: 5 projects, 3 filtered views, and a week of history. TickTick's free tier is tighter on collaboration and attachments. Neither free plan includes calendar layout or advanced filters; both apps reserve those for paid tiers.

Todoist Free ships smart quick add, voice add, task reminders, and email and calendar integrations. TickTick Free caps you at 1 shared member per list and 1 attachment per day.

The paywall bites the same way on both. TickTick's Filter feature is Premium-only, and Todoist's calendar layout is Pro/Business-only. Test your real workflow against these caps before you upgrade.

How Do Collaboration Limits Actually Scale as You Grow?

Collaboration ceilings jump sharply between free and paid tiers on both apps, a gap most comparison pages never quantify. TickTick goes from 1 shared member free to 29 on Premium. Todoist Business supports up to 1,000 team members and guests, far beyond either app's personal tier.

TickTick's jump is 1 member per shared list free to up to 29 members on Premium. There's a structural catch: only regular lists you create yourself can be shared. Smart Lists like Today, Tomorrow, and Inbox can't.

Todoist Business is the team play: a shared workspace, 500 team projects, granular activity logs, roles and permissions, and up to 1,000 members and guests. Solo users rarely touch these ceilings, but a freelancer onboarding a client should map the jump before upgrading.

How Do Todoist and TickTick Handle Calendar and Scheduling?

Todoist syncs Google and Outlook events alongside tasks on all plans, but calendar layout, the true time-blocked view, is Pro/Business only. TickTick offers bidirectional Google Calendar sync plus calendar subscriptions across its plans, making it slightly more flexible for multi-calendar users out of the gate.

Todoist's Calendar integration works on all three plans, but the calendar layout view is reserved for Pro and Business. TickTick syncs Google Calendar bidirectionally and supports third-party subscriptions including iCloud.

Time-blockers should test both before paying. "Sync" and "layout view" are not the same feature, and only one lets you block time visually.

Which App Integrates Better with Slack, Google Calendar, and Other Tools?

Todoist connects to 90+ tools spanning calendar, email, communication, automation, and voice assistants, including a native Slack integration for creating and completing tasks without leaving a channel. TickTick's integrations concentrate more narrowly around calendar sync and subscriptions rather than broad workplace-tool coverage.

Todoist's 90+ integrations include a Slack integration that lets you create, assign, and complete tasks from channels or DMs. TickTick is strongest on the calendar side, with Google and iCloud sync, rather than workplace breadth.

Freelancers juggling several client Slack workspaces will likely lean Todoist here.

Which Has Better Recurring Tasks and Habit Tracking: TickTick or Todoist?

TickTick is purpose-built for habit tracking, with a rich habit library, flexible tracking options, and statistics, a native feature Todoist doesn't match. Todoist supports recurring dates across all plans but has no built-in start-date hiding or dedicated habit module, making TickTick the stronger pick for streak-driven personal goal tracking.

TickTick's habit library and statistics cover streaks and daily rituals natively. Todoist offers recurring dates on Free, Pro, and Business, but confirms it does not support start dates that hide tasks until they're due.

If your system runs on streaks and repeating rituals, TickTick gives you more native support without bolting on a second app.

Where Does a Keyboard-First, Sub-50ms Workflow Fit In?

Neither Todoist nor TickTick advertises a hard speed benchmark or a single flat price; both run tiered plans and general-purpose interfaces built for breadth. That's the gap. Dooit targets sub-50ms actions, 20+ shortcuts with undo/redo, and one $9/month plan for people who find tiered pricing and UI weight distracting.

Disclosure: Dooit is our product, so treat this section as a vendor description, not an independent verdict.

Dooit is an ultra-minimal, keyboard-first task app for web and mobile, built so every action completes in under 50ms, with no spinners or loading lag. It ships 20+ keyboard shortcuts with full undo and redo, and switches between Kanban and list views with a single keystroke. Natural language scheduling handles "tomorrow," "next Friday," and "every Monday," daily habit tracking runs on streaks alongside your tasks and projects, and goal tracking runs by week, month, and year.

Pricing is one plan at $9/month with a 7-day free trial: no tiers, no add-ons. The honest limitation is that single-plan minimalism means Dooit doesn't offer Todoist-style team workspaces or TickTick-style habit-statistics dashboards. If you need those, one of the incumbents fits better. Raw speed plus pricing simplicity is one axis neither Todoist nor TickTick competes on directly.

Which App Has a Better Interface and Is Easier to Use?

Todoist and TickTick trade off differently on setup. Todoist keeps the interface restrained, while TickTick packs more panels, widgets, and views that reward configuration but ask more of new users upfront. TickTick's desktop shortcuts narrow the speed gap for power users willing to learn them.

TickTick's desktop app includes keyboard shortcuts and command menus, which help once you've invested the setup time. Todoist asks less to configure before it feels fast. Users allergic to clutter often prefer that restraint, or a dedicated minimal tool over either.

Which App Performs Better on Mobile, and How Does Things 3 Compare?

Both Todoist and TickTick offer real-time sync across dedicated mobile apps, making either viable for on-the-go capture. Things 3 syncs free via Things Cloud but only across Apple devices, with no Android and no browser access, a platform nuance that matters for mixed-device households.

Things Cloud keeps to-dos updated across Mac, iPad, iPhone, Apple Watch, and Vision Pro. But Things supports no iCloud or Dropbox alternative and can't be viewed in a browser. Its scheduling model runs on Today, Upcoming, Anytime, and Someday lists, and it accepts natural language reminders like "tomorrow at 2pm" plus a Cmd+S shortcut on Mac.

Android and Windows users can't run Things 3 at all, since it's Apple-only with no browser view.

So, Todoist or TickTick — Who Should Choose Which?

Choose Todoist if you need clean team collaboration, broad integrations, and calendar layout for time-blocking at scale. Choose TickTick if you want native habit tracking, more configurable views, and lower annual cost. If neither's tiered complexity fits, a single-plan, keyboard-first tool may suit solo, distraction-averse workflows better.

• Founders and teams onboarding collaborators → Todoist Business, up to 1,000 members.
• Freelancers living in Slack → Todoist, for its in-channel task actions.
• Habit and streak-focused individuals → TickTick's habit library and stats.
• Budget-conscious solo users → TickTick's $35.99/year edge.
• Keyboard-first users frustrated by bloat → worth trialing a minimal alternative like Dooit (our product).

Do Todoist or TickTick Fit GTD and Time-Blocking Systems?

Todoist's filters, projects, and calendar layout on Pro/Business map well onto GTD contexts and time-blocking once you're paying. TickTick's Filter feature plus calendar subscriptions supports similar structuring, though its smart lists can't be shared, limiting GTD-style delegation within teams.

Todoist Pro's 150 filtered views enable GTD-style context tagging at scale. TickTick's Filter feature is gated to Premium, and its Smart Lists (Today, Next 7 Days, Inbox) can't be shared, which limits delegation.

Time-blockers need either Todoist's calendar layout or TickTick's bidirectional sync, and neither is available on the free tier.

Frequently asked questions

Is TickTick actually cheaper than Todoist?

Yes. TickTick Premium costs $35.99/year, compared to Todoist Pro's roughly $51/year equivalent, a $15.01 annual difference. TickTick's price also unlocks its Filter feature, while Todoist's higher cost includes calendar layout, task durations, and 150 filtered views, so the value depends on which features you'll actually use.

Which app is better for a small team, not just solo use?

Todoist Business is built for this: a shared workspace, 500 team projects, roles and permissions, and support for up to 1,000 members and guests. TickTick's collaboration tops out at 29 shared members per list on Premium and only works on regular lists, not Smart Lists like Today or Inbox.

Does either app support natural language date entry like 'next Friday'?

Both apps support recurring and flexible scheduling, though details differ by plan and platform. If natural language scheduling for phrases like 'tomorrow,' 'next Friday,' or 'every Monday' is your priority alongside speed, it's worth comparing against lightweight alternatives like Dooit (our product), which builds this in as a core feature.

Can I try TickTick or Todoist before paying?

Yes. Both offer functional free tiers rather than time-limited trials. Todoist's Starter plan includes 5 projects and 3 filtered views, while TickTick's free tier allows 1 shared member and 1 attachment per day. Test your actual workflow against these caps before upgrading to Pro or Premium.

Is Things 3 a viable alternative to Todoist or TickTick?

Only if you're fully inside the Apple ecosystem. Things Cloud syncs free across Mac, iPad, iPhone, Watch, and Vision Pro, but there's no Android support, no iCloud/Dropbox alternative, and no browser access, a hard limitation for mixed-device users that Todoist and TickTick don't share.

Which app is better for habit tracking specifically?

TickTick, by a clear margin. It includes a rich habit library, flexible tracking options, and built-in statistics for habit building. Todoist has no dedicated habit module; its recurring-date system covers repeating tasks but doesn't track streaks or offer habit-specific insights the way TickTick does.

Disclosure: Dooit is our product. If tiered plans and interface weight are slowing you down, try Dooit free, a keyboard-first, sub-50ms task app with one flat plan and a 7-day trial.