A good task manager should get out of your way and help you focus on what matters. But with dozens of options available, picking the right one can itself become a productivity drain. We put three of the most popular task managers — Todoist, Things 3, and TickTick — through their paces to help you decide.
Todoist — The Cross-Platform Workhorse
Todoist runs on every platform imaginable: iOS, Android, Windows, Mac, Linux, and the web. Its natural language input lets you type things like “Buy groceries every Monday at 5pm #errands” and it automatically parses the date, time, and project. Labels, filters, and a karma-based productivity scoring system round out the feature set.
Pricing: Free tier is generous. Pro ($5/month) adds reminders, comments, and calendar integration. Strengths: Best-in-class cross-platform support, natural language parsing, team collaboration features. Weaknesses: The free tier lacks reminders (a basic feature), and the design is functional rather than delightful.
Things 3 — The Design Purist
Things 3 is an Apple-exclusive app with one of the most polished interfaces in the productivity space. Its “Today,” “Upcoming,” and “Anytime” views map naturally to how people think about tasks. Headings within projects let you organize subtasks without complex nesting. The keyboard shortcuts on Mac are excellent.
Pricing: One-time purchase — $10 (iPhone), $20 (iPad), $50 (Mac). No subscription. Strengths: Beautiful design, intuitive organization, no subscription, fast and reliable. Weaknesses: Apple-only, no collaboration features, no web app, limited integrations.
TickTick — The Feature-Rich Contender
TickTick packs more features per dollar than either competitor. Built-in Pomodoro timer, habit tracking, calendar view, Eisenhower matrix, and even a white noise generator for focus sessions. It supports Markdown in task descriptions and has a surprisingly capable free tier.
Pricing: Free tier is very capable. Premium ($3/month) adds calendar integration and more lists. Strengths: Most features for the price, built-in Pomodoro and habits, cross-platform including web. Weaknesses: The interface can feel cluttered with so many features, and some advanced features are buried in menus.
Feature Comparison
Here’s how the three stack up on the features that matter most:
- Cross-platform: Todoist (all platforms) > TickTick (all platforms) > Things 3 (Apple only)
- Design quality: Things 3 > Todoist > TickTick
- Free tier: TickTick > Todoist > Things 3 (no free tier)
- Natural language input: Todoist > TickTick > Things 3
- Built-in extras: TickTick (Pomodoro, habits) > Todoist (karma) > Things 3 (none)
- Collaboration: Todoist > TickTick > Things 3 (none)
How To Test A Task Manager
Do not evaluate a task manager by filling it with a fantasy version of your life. Test it with one real week. Add current work tasks, personal errands, recurring reminders, and one project with multiple steps. Then notice what feels natural and what you avoid updating.
The best task manager reduces friction at capture, review, and execution. Capture should be fast enough that you trust it. Review should make priorities obvious. Execution should show what to do next without forcing you to reorganize the system every morning.
Match The Tool To Your Work Style
Todoist works well for people who live across platforms and want fast natural-language entry. Things 3 works well for people who value a calm Apple-native experience and do not need collaboration. TickTick works well for people who want tasks, calendar, habits, and focus timers in one place.
If you work with a team, personal task managers may not be enough. Shared work often belongs in Linear, Jira, Trello, Asana, or GitHub Issues. Your personal task manager should track your commitments, not secretly replace the team’s source of truth.
Common Mistakes
The most common mistake is building a system that takes more energy than the tasks themselves. Too many labels, filters, priorities, and nested projects can become procrastination with a productivity theme.
Another mistake is mixing someday ideas with urgent commitments. Keep a separate list for ideas you are not committed to doing. Your daily task list should be trustworthy, not a junk drawer.
What I Would Do In Practice
I would pick one app, use it for two weeks, and judge it by behavior: did I capture tasks faster, miss fewer commitments, and start work with less confusion? If the answer is no, switch. If the answer is yes, stop optimizing and use the tool.
The right task manager is not the one with the most features. It is the one you keep current when life gets busy.
The Verdict
- Choose Todoist if you need cross-platform support and team collaboration, or if natural language input is important to your workflow.
- Choose Things 3 if you’re all-in on Apple, value design excellence, and prefer a one-time purchase over subscriptions.
- Choose TickTick if you want the most features for the least money and appreciate having Pomodoro and habit tracking built into your task manager.
All three are excellent. The worst choice is spending weeks evaluating when you could be getting things done.
Reevaluate After A Month
After four weeks, review whether the app changed your behavior. Are tasks captured quickly? Do overdue items get cleaned up? Are projects easier to scan? If the answer is no, the issue may be the workflow rather than the app.
Before switching tools again, simplify your lists, reduce tags, and define one daily review habit. Many task systems fail because they become storage, not decision support.