Not every workload needs a full project platform. If your task list is personal, a lightweight to-do app loads faster, syncs everywhere, and costs a fraction of the price. The three serious contenders are Todoist, TickTick, and Things.
At a glance
| Todoist | TickTick | Things | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Premium price | $4/mo | $2.99/mo | $9.99 (one-time) |
| Platforms | All major | All major | Apple only |
| Natural language input | Excellent | Good | No |
| Best for | Cross-platform power users | Feature-hungry users | Apple purists |
Todoist — the all-rounder
Todoist's killer feature is natural-language input: type "report due tomorrow 3pm #work" and it parses the date, time, and label. It's available everywhere, with reliable sync. Premium is $4/mo and unlocks reminders, labels, and filters[1].
TickTick — the feature-packed value
TickTick bundles a calendar, habit tracker, and Pomodoro timer on top of solid task management, all for $2.99/mo[2]. It's the best value if you want one app to run your whole day, not just your tasks.
Things — the Apple purist's pick
Things 3 is beautifully designed and a joy to use, with a one-time $9.99 purchase on iOS and $49.99 on Mac[3]. The catch is the ecosystem: there's no Windows, Android, or web version, and collaboration is minimal.
The verdict
Pick Todoist for cross-platform reliability, TickTick for the most features per dollar, and Things only if you live entirely in the Apple ecosystem.