The best to-do list apps in 2026
Todoist is the best to-do list app for most people: adding tasks is fast, it works on every major platform, and it scales from a shopping list to a full project system. Pokobot is our second pick if tasks get lost because you never open the app, since you can add a to-do from WhatsApp in one message. TickTick is the best-value all-in-one, Things 3 is best for Apple users who want to pay once, Microsoft To Do is the best completely free app, Apple Reminders is the best built into iPhone, Google Tasks suits Gmail users and Notion suits to-dos that live inside projects and notes.
This guide judges each app as a to-do list: how quickly you can capture a task, how well it organizes many tasks, whether you can share lists, what the free version allows and what it costs. If your real problem is noticing a reminder at the right moment rather than managing a list, our reminder app comparison covers that instead.
Pokobot publishes this guide and ranks itself second; its to-do list is deliberately simple, and Todoist remains first for most people. We checked official sites and US App Store listings on 7 October 2026. We did not accept payment for inclusion, and prices vary by region.
The short answer
Choose Todoist if you want one list app that grows with you. Choose Pokobot if you want to add tasks without opening anything. Choose TickTick for the most features per dollar, Things 3 for a beautiful Apple-only app with no subscription, and Microsoft To Do, Apple Reminders or Google Tasks if free matters most. Choose Notion if your to-dos belong inside project documents.
| App | Best for | Platforms | Free version | Paid (US) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Todoist | Best overall, from quick lists to projects | iPhone, Android, Mac, Windows and web | 5 personal projects, with reminders | Pro $59.99 a year or $6.99 a month |
| Pokobot | Adding to-dos without opening an app | Any phone with WhatsApp | Full 7-day trial | Paid subscription after the trial |
| TickTick | Tasks, habits and a calendar in one app | iPhone, Android, Mac, Windows and web | 9 lists of up to 99 tasks | $49.99 a year or $4.99 a month |
| Things 3 | Apple users who want to pay once | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch and Vision Pro | None | $9.99 iPhone, $19.99 iPad, $49.99 Mac, each once |
| Microsoft To Do | A capable list that is completely free | iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac and web | Everything | Free |
| Apple Reminders | The list already on your iPhone | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch and iCloud.com | Everything | Free |
| Google Tasks | Simple tasks beside Gmail and Calendar | Android, iPhone and the web | Everything | Free |
| Notion | To-dos inside projects and notes | iPhone, Android, Mac, Windows and web | Free plan for individuals | Plus $119.99 a year or $11.99 a month |
How we compared the to-do list apps
A to-do list app earns its place by making two things easy: getting a task out of your head, and finding the right task again later. We weighed these five things.
Capture speed
How many taps it takes to add a task while you are busy, and whether the app understands a typed date like “tomorrow at 5pm”.
Organization
Projects, sections, tags, priorities, subtasks and filters. Simple lists are fine for some people; others need structure for dozens of tasks.
Sharing
Whether you can share a list with a partner, family or team, and assign tasks to someone.
Free version
What you can do without paying, and where the limits start to bite.
Long-term cost
Subscription, one-time purchase or free, and how that adds up over a few years.
1. Todoist: best to-do list app overall
Todoist is the to-do list app that suits the most people. Quick Add understands dates, repeats, projects and priorities typed in one line, so “pay rent every month on the 1st” lands in the right place with the right schedule. Tasks can live in projects with sections, labels, filters and list or board layouts, and you can share projects with other people.
The free Beginner plan includes reminders and up to five personal projects, three filter views and a week of activity history. Pro raises that to 300 projects and 150 filters and adds a calendar layout, task durations, custom reminders and AI task help. On the US App Store, Pro was listed at $59.99 a year or $6.99 a month. Todoist runs on iPhone, Android, Mac, Windows and the web.
Choose Todoist if you want a list that can grow from groceries to work projects without switching apps. If you only ever need one short list, a free built-in app may be enough.
2. Pokobot: best for adding to-dos without opening an app
Pokobot keeps a to-do list inside WhatsApp. Text “todo send the invoice to Acme” and it goes on the list; “todo list” shows everything, numbered; “tick off the invoice from my todo list” or “tick off 2 from my todo list” removes one. Every command contains the word “todo”, so an ordinary message never turns into a to-do by accident.
It ranks second because capture is where most lists fail: the thought arrives while you are in the middle of something, and opening a separate app feels like too much. Sending a message in a chat you already have open takes seconds. Tasks with a time go in as reminders instead, which arrive as WhatsApp messages; to-dos stay silent until you ask for them.
The limits are deliberate but real. There is one list of up to 50 items, with no due dates, projects, tags, subtasks, attachments or shared lists. It suits a short running list, not a project system. Every feature is included in a 7-day trial with no card required, and the to-do list needs a paid subscription afterwards.
todo book the flightsOpen in WhatsApp - How the WhatsApp to-do list worksEvery command, the 50-item limit and how to-dos differ from reminders.
- Free printable to-do listA paper list with due dates, where any line can become a WhatsApp reminder.
- Check Pokobot's current plansRegional monthly and annual pricing after the free trial.
todo book the flightstodo listtick off 2 from my todo list3. TickTick: best value all-in-one
TickTick gives you more features per dollar than any other app here. Alongside lists with tags, priorities, subtasks and natural-language dates, it has Kanban boards, an Eisenhower Matrix for sorting by urgency and importance, a habit tracker and a Pomodoro timer. With Premium, tasks can be dragged onto a calendar.
The free plan includes 9 lists of up to 99 tasks each, reminders and sync, which is plenty for many people. Premium raises the limits to 299 lists and adds calendar views, and was listed at $49.99 a year or $4.99 a month on the US App Store. It runs on iPhone, Android, Mac, Windows and the web.
Choose TickTick if you want one app for tasks, habits and focus. If you prefer a calmer interface with fewer features, Todoist or Things 3 may feel better.
4. Things 3: best for Apple users who want to pay once
Things 3 is a twice Apple Design Award-winning task manager with a calm, polished design. Tasks flow through Today, Upcoming, Anytime and Someday, and projects can be grouped into areas and split with headings and checklists. Quick Entry and natural-language dates make capture fast, and your calendar events appear beside today's tasks.
There is no subscription. On the US App Store, Things 3 costs $9.99 for iPhone (including the Apple Watch app), $19.99 for iPad and $49.99 for Mac, each a one-time purchase, with free sync through Things Cloud. It runs only on Apple devices.
Choose Things 3 if you use Apple devices and value design and a single payment. Skip it if you need Android or Windows, or want to share lists and assign tasks; it is built for one person's work.
5. Microsoft To Do: best completely free to-do list app
Microsoft To Do is free with no paid tier and works on iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac and the web. My Day gives you a fresh list each morning, tasks can have steps, notes, due dates, reminders and repeats, and lists can be shared with other people. If you use Outlook, flagged emails can appear as tasks.
The one thing to watch is which Microsoft account you sign in with. A work account and a personal account keep separate lists, so personal tasks saved in a work account can disappear if you change jobs.
Choose Microsoft To Do for a capable, completely free list on any device. Choose Todoist if you outgrow it and need projects and filters.
6. Apple Reminders: best to-do list built into iPhone
Apple Reminders is already on every iPhone, iPad and Mac, and it has grown into a proper list app. Reminders can have subtasks, tags, flags and dates, smart lists gather them automatically, grocery lists help when shopping, and shared lists let you assign tasks to family members. Everything syncs through iCloud, and Siri can add tasks by voice.
It is completely free, but it only runs on Apple devices, with web access through iCloud.com. Choose it if everyone you share lists with uses an iPhone. If you need Android or Windows apps, look at Todoist, TickTick or Microsoft To Do.
7. Google Tasks: best for Gmail and Calendar users
Google Tasks is a deliberately simple list that sits in the side panel of Gmail, Google Calendar and Google Docs, as well as in its own phone app. You can create lists, add due dates and subtasks, star important tasks and repeat tasks daily, weekly, monthly or yearly. Tasks with a date and time appear on your Google Calendar.
It is free and is now where old Google Assistant, Calendar and Keep reminders live. It has no projects or tags, and tasks with subtasks can't repeat. Choose it if your day already runs through Gmail and you want something light.
8. Notion: best for to-dos inside projects and notes
Notion is a workspace for notes and documents with flexible databases, so a task list can sit inside the project page it belongs to. Tasks can have custom properties, subtasks and dependencies, and you can view the same tasks as a table, a board or a calendar. It suits people who already plan projects in Notion.
The free plan works for individuals, and Plus was listed at $11.99 a month or $119.99 a year on the US App Store. It runs on iPhone, Android, Mac, Windows and the web. The tradeoff is set-up time: you build the system yourself, which is powerful but slower than a ready-made list app.
The best to-do list app for iPhone
Start with Apple Reminders: it is free, built in and handles subtasks, tags and shared lists. If you want a more refined app and are happy to pay once, Things 3 is the standout on iPhone. If you also use Windows or Android, Todoist or TickTick will keep your list in sync everywhere, and Pokobot lets you add to-dos from WhatsApp on any phone.
The best free to-do list apps
Microsoft To Do, Apple Reminders and Google Tasks are completely free, with no paid tier to push you towards. Todoist's free Beginner plan and TickTick's free plan are generous enough for many people, and Notion is free for individuals.
If you prefer paper, our free printable to-do list costs nothing and lets you turn any dated line into a WhatsApp reminder.
How to keep a to-do list you will actually use
Most to-do lists fail from neglect, not from the wrong app. These habits work in any of them.
Have one place to capture
Every task goes into one inbox, however you capture it. Two lists means you never trust either.
Start each task with a verb
“Email Priya about the quote” is a task. “Quote” is a reminder of a worry. A verb tells you what to do when you see it.
Separate dated from undated
Things with a time, like calling the bank at 3pm, need a reminder. Everything else can wait in the list. Mixing the two buries the urgent items.
Keep today's list short
Pick three to five tasks for today. A long list for one day guarantees you finish feeling behind.
Review once a week
Spend ten minutes deleting what no longer matters and moving the rest. A list that is never cleaned becomes a list you avoid.
Questions, answered
- What is the best to-do list app?
- Todoist is the best for most people: it is fast to add tasks, works on every major platform and scales from simple lists to projects. Pokobot is our second pick for adding to-dos from WhatsApp. TickTick is the best value, Things 3 is best on Apple devices and Microsoft To Do is the best completely free option.
- What is the best free to-do list app?
- Microsoft To Do is the best completely free app across iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac and the web. Apple Reminders is free and built into Apple devices, and Google Tasks is free for Google users. Todoist and TickTick also have useful free plans.
- What is the best to-do list app for iPhone?
- Apple Reminders is the best free choice because it is built in and supports subtasks, tags and shared lists. Things 3 is the best paid choice, with a one-time $9.99 price for iPhone. Todoist is best if you also use Android or Windows.
- Is Todoist better than TickTick?
- Todoist is better if you want a clean, focused list that scales into projects and works well with other people. TickTick is better value if you want habits, a Pomodoro timer and calendar views in the same app.
- What is the difference between a to-do list app and a reminder app?
- A to-do list app is built to organize many tasks: projects, priorities, tags and sharing. A reminder app is built to make sure you notice something at the right moment. Many apps do both, but if alerts are your main problem, compare reminder apps instead.
- Can I keep a to-do list in WhatsApp?
- Yes, with Pokobot. Text “todo” followed by the task to add it, “todo list” to see everything and “tick off” plus the task or its number to remove it. The list holds up to 50 items and has no due dates; tasks with a time should be reminders instead.
- Is a paper to-do list better than an app?
- Paper is quick and distraction-free, but it can't remind you or travel with you everywhere. An app syncs across devices and can alert you. Many people use both: a paper list for today, and an app or reminders for anything with a date.