Stack
Todoist
A personal task manager with natural-language capture that runs on every platform.
What it actually does
Todoist captures tasks with natural-language input, so typing 'tomorrow 9am every weekday' sets the date, time, and recurrence in one line. Tasks organize into projects with labels, filters, and priorities.
It runs on web, mobile, watch, and through email plugins, so you can capture wherever an idea strikes. Solo founders use it as a plain to-do list kept separate from their project or issue tracker.
The free plan covers basic personal task management but caps you at 5 projects, 3 filter views, and one week of activity history. Pro is the cheapest paid tool in this audit at $5/mo, though it holds no docs, specs, or roadmaps, so it sits alongside Notion or Linear rather than replacing them.
Todoist vs its main rivals
The tools people actually weigh against Todoist: TickTick, Things 3, Microsoft To Do. Same criteria for every column, including where Todoist loses.
| Todoist |  TickTick |  Things 3 | MMicrosoft To Do | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Pricing & access | ||||
| Free tier | Yes5 projects | Yes9 lists | NoPaid only | YesFully free |
| Starting price | $5/mo | $35.99/yr | $49.99 one-time | Free |
Scaling & limits | ||||
| Project/list cap on free | 5 | 9 lists / 99 tasks each | n/a | Unlimited |
Capture | ||||
| Natural-language input | YesStrong | YesYes | YesYes | YesBasic |
| Recurring tasks | YesYes | YesYes | YesYes | YesYes |
| Reminders on free tier | YesYes | YesYes | YesIncluded | YesYes |
Views | ||||
| Built-in calendar view | YesPro | YesYes | NoNo | NoNo |
| Habit tracker / Pomodoro | NoNo | YesBoth | NoNo | NoNo |
Platform | ||||
| Cross-platform (all OSes) | YesAll | YesAll | NoApple only | YesAll |
Developer & API | ||||
| REST API | Free | Paid | No | Free |
| Third-party integrations | YesMany | YesSome | NoLimited | YesMS 365 |
- Cheapest paid tool in this audit at $5/mo, and the free tier covers basic personal task management
- Natural-language input makes task capture fast
- Works on web, mobile, watch, and email plugins, so you can capture on most devices
- Free cap of 5 projects is tight for a founder juggling product, marketing, and admin
- Calendar layout and unlimited saved filters stay behind Pro; the free tier gives only 3 filter views
- No docs, specs, or roadmaps, so you still need Notion or Linear beside it
Pay less for it
5 ways foundPro is $5/mo annual versus $7 monthly, a 29% monthly premium
5 projects and core task management stay free indefinitely if you keep scope tight
Microsoft To Do offers unlimited lists and reminders at no cost
Things 3 is a single $49.99 payment (Apple only) with no recurring fee
Microsoft To Do — Completely free with unlimited lists, reminders, and cross-platform apps; covers basic personal task management without a subscription
StackTracker tracks what you actually pay for Todoist and every other tool, flags overpayment, and shows the dollars you would save by switching.
Is it the right tool for you
- You want frictionless personal task capture for $5/mo or less
- You want a task list kept separate from your project tracker
- You value fast natural-language input and capture on every device
- You want a free task app with calendar and habit tracking built in → use TickTick
- You are all-Apple and prefer a polished one-time purchase → use Things 3
Track what Todoist and the rest of your stack cost
StackTracker adds up every subscription, plus your hours, so you see the real number.
Prices and limits last verified 2026-07-20.