TickTick
To-do & task list manager
Install with Homebrew
brew install --cask ticktickQuick Take: TickTick
TickTick is still one of the best value picks among freemium task managers in August 2026. Premium at about $36 per year costs less than Todoist Pro and bundles habits, Pomodoro and calendar tools you would otherwise buy separately. The interface is busier than Things or Todoist and capture is solid rather than magic, but for students and anyone who wants one plan for tasks and routines the trade is worth it.
Best For
- •All-in-one productivity seekers
- •Cross-platform users (Mac + Windows/Android)
- •Budget-conscious productivity enthusiasts
- •Habit builders and focus timer users
What is TickTick?
TickTick is a cross-platform task manager that puts to-dos, calendar, habit tracking and Pomodoro timing in one freemium app. It runs on Mac, Windows and on iOS, Android and the web which puts it head to head with Todoist. The difference is that TickTick bundles more built-in modules so you can skip extra apps. As of August 2026 TickTick is still actively developed with a free tier that does not expire and a single Premium plan. Public pricing most often shows Premium at about $35.99 per year, usually framed as a limited offer against a $49.99 annual list price, or $3.99 per month. Premium lifts list and task caps and unlocks extra calendar views, calendar subscriptions, task duration, themes, statistics, advanced habit features and other power tools. The free plan remains fine for light personal lists but it caps lists and tasks and holds back the more advanced views. On macOS Tahoe 26.x and Apple Silicon, TickTick installs from the Mac App Store or direct download and stays in sync with its mobile apps. Next to Things 3 it trades native calm for density and reach across platforms. Next to Todoist it usually wins on habits, Pomodoro and Eisenhower support while trailing a bit on natural-language capture. It has not been discontinued or acquired and remains a mainstream pick for students and professionals who want one subscription for tasks and routines.
Under the Hood Analysis: TickTick Architecture and Development Philosophy
A look at where TickTick came from and how it is built.
Key Features
All-in-One Task & Calendar Management
TickTick pairs task lists with calendar tools that cover year, month, week, day and agenda views. On Premium you can set start and end dates for a task, subscribe to Google, Apple or Outlook calendars, and see tasks next to events on the same grid. Tasks show up as calendar items and calendar events can show up as tasks, so you do not have to jump between two apps. You can drag a task on the calendar to reschedule it and the layout stays responsive while you move things around. What you get is a single planning surface where commitments and next actions sit together.
Built-in Pomodoro Timer
Most task managers make you open a separate timer. TickTick builds the Pomodoro Technique right into the task. You start a 25-minute focus block with one click, log interruptions as you go and review total focus time later. Premium adds extra white noise choices such as rain, coffee shop or forest sound and lets you set how many Pomodoros a task should take. Start a session on your Mac and you can watch it on your iPhone as it runs. It keeps focus inside one app instead of scattering it across two.
Smart Lists & Advanced Filtering
Premium unlocks Smart Lists which work like saved searches. You build a view from criteria such as due date, tag, priority, list and completion state, and you can combine them with AND and OR to surface exactly what you need. For example you could show high-priority work tasks due this week or personal errands tagged shopping. The lists are dynamic and refresh as tasks change, so they act like custom perspectives without scrolling through one long master list. This helps when you manage hundreds of tasks across projects and need to filter by context.
Habit Tracker with Statistics
Beyond single tasks, TickTick tracks habits. You can set a habit to repeat daily, weekly or on a custom schedule, then log it with a tap and watch the streak build on a calendar heat map. The app keeps stats for completion rate, longest streak and consistency over time. Premium removes the habit limit and opens a template library with options like meditation, reading or exercise. Because habit data lives next to task data you can review project progress and personal routines in one dashboard. It suits people who want routines not just to-do lists.
Kanban, Timeline & Multiple Views
You are not limited to a list. TickTick also offers Kanban, Timeline and Grid. Kanban shows tasks as cards you drag between columns such as To Do, In Progress and Done. Timeline puts tasks on a horizontal axis so you can see schedules and spot overlaps. Grid gives a dense scan for large projects. Every view stays interactive. Drag a card to change status or drag a bar on the timeline to reschedule. That lets TickTick cover software sprints and content calendars alike without pulling in Trello or Asana.
Quick Input & Natural Language Parsing
TickTick supports quick natural-language input. Type something like Submit report tomorrow at 9am #Work p1 and it will pull out the date, time, project and priority. It understands repeats such as every Monday or every 3 days and relative dates like next week or in 2 hours. On macOS a global hotkey and menu bar quick-add let you capture from anywhere without leaving the current app. It is not quite as polished as Todoist on tricky phrasing but it covers the common patterns and keeps entry fast.
Task Activity & Collaboration
Premium keeps an activity log for tasks and lists. You can see who completed what, when a description changed and what was said in comments. Shared lists let you assign tasks, mention people and attach files. The tools are light compared with Asana so they fit small teams, families or a freelancer and client rather than a large enterprise. Changes push over WebSocket and appear on all devices straight away.
Who Should Use TickTick?
1The Productivity System Builder
Jordan tried separate apps for tasks, calendar, habits and focus and found the switching tiring. With TickTick everything lives in one place. The morning starts in Today where calendar events and due tasks sit side by side. Deep work runs on the built-in Pomodoro timer with rain sound on Premium and focus stats add up over time. Evening habits such as reading and meditation get logged on the heat map and streaks become visible. A Smart List called Deep Work filters high-priority creative tasks and Kanban handles the content pipeline. By month end the data for completed tasks, focus hours and habit consistency is in one dashboard, which makes patterns obvious in a way disconnected apps never did.
2The Busy Parent & Household Manager
Alex manages a household of four and works remotely. A shared Family list keeps groceries, chores and reminders in sync. During video calls Alex uses the macOS menu bar quick-add and types Pick up dry cleaning Friday 5pm @errands without switching windows. Premium location reminders fire near the grocery store. Habit Tracker keeps family routines on track for daily reading and weekly meal prep. Calendar integration pulls school events and work meetings into the same view as personal tasks so double-booking drops. Alex works on macOS and iOS while a partner uses Android and the sync keeps everyone aligned. The Pomodoro timer carves out focus blocks during nap times with the countdown visible in the menu bar.
3The Freelance Project Manager
Maya juggles several client projects as a freelance designer. Folders hold clients, each with project lists and subtasks inside. Timeline shows deadlines across clients and flags clashes early. Kanban tracks stages from Discovery to Design to Review to Delivery. Pomodoro estimates help quote realistic timelines because Maya can look back at what similar tasks actually took. Smart Lists filter by client and priority to keep billable work separate from admin. Activity logs keep a record of when deliverables were marked done. A habit for daily client contact builds a streak that keeps communication steady. Data exports to CSV for quarterly reviews, so TickTick works as both operations and reporting tool.
How to Install TickTick on Mac
TickTick installs on Mac through Homebrew, direct download or the Mac App Store. It needs macOS 11.0 or later and runs on Apple Silicon with Sonoma, Sequoia and Tahoe 26.x.
Install via Homebrew
Open Terminal and run brew install --cask ticktick. The app lands in Applications and Homebrew can keep it updated.
Launch and Sign In
Open TickTick from Applications or with Spotlight (Cmd+Space). Sign in with your TickTick account, Google or Apple ID, or create a new account. The first sync pulls your lists and tasks from the cloud.
Set Up System Access
Allow Notifications for reminders, Calendar access for sync and Shortcuts for Siri if you want them. Turn on the menu bar icon in Preferences for quick entry without opening the main window.
Pro Tips
- • Turn on Launch at Login in Preferences > General so the menu bar helper and notifications are ready after restart.
- • Allow Accessibility access if you plan to use the global hotkey for quick add.
- • Enable the Share Sheet extension in System Settings so you can create tasks from Safari, Mail and other apps.
Configuration Tips
Set Up Smart Lists for Context Filtering
Build Smart Lists by context rather than by project. Try Work Focus for high-priority work tagged for this week, Quick Wins for tasks under 15 minutes, and Waiting On for items tagged @waiting. These surface the right tasks for a given time block.
Configure the Pomodoro Presets
Open Preferences > Focus Timer and set your preferred work length, break interval and white noise. Turn on the menu bar countdown so you can track the session without switching back to the app.
Integrate with Calendar Feeds
Under Settings > Calendar Integration subscribe to Google Calendar, iCloud Calendar or Outlook. You can let calendar events become tasks and let task due dates appear on the calendar, which creates the unified planning surface people buy TickTick for.
Alternatives to TickTick
TickTick works as an all-in-one suite. These options suit people who prefer a narrower tool or a different ecosystem.
Todoist
Cleaner capture and stronger NLP; Pro ~$5/mo yearly. Weaker native habits/Pomodoro. Choose Todoist for pure task infrastructure; TickTick for all-in-one modules.
Things 3
Apple-only one-time purchase (Mac ~$49.99). Superior calm UX; no Android/Windows. Choose Things inside Apple; TickTick for mixed devices + habits.
Microsoft To Do
Free with Microsoft accounts, good Outlook integration. Fewer advanced views. Choose To Do for Microsoft 365 shops.
Apple Reminders
Free system app. Choose Reminders for simple Apple lists; TickTick when you need habits, Pomodoro and cross-platform Premium features.
Pricing
TickTick has a free plan plus Premium. As of mid to late 2026 U.S. pages show Premium at $3.99 per month or $35.99 per year, often framed as a promotional annual price against a $49.99 list. Free covers core tasks and basic calendar and habit features with caps often around 9 lists and limited tasks or habits depending on the current matrix. Premium lifts limits to hundreds of lists and high per-list task caps and unlocks extra calendar views, calendar subscription, task duration, premium themes, statistics and advanced habit and Pomodoro features. There is no separate Business SKU like Todoist Business. Teams usually share through Premium collaboration features. Check ticktick.com/upgrade for the live matrix before you buy.
Pros
- ✓One subscription covers tasks, calendar, habits and Pomodoro so you can drop extra apps
- ✓Free tier handles light personal lists without paying
- ✓Same features on macOS, iOS, Windows, Android and the web
- ✓Built-in focus timer with white noise cuts the need for a separate timer
- ✓Several view modes including List, Kanban, Timeline and Calendar suit different projects
- ✓Premium at about $36 per year costs less than Todoist Pro at $60
- ✓Habit tracking with stats and streak heat maps
- ✓Regular updates and responsive support
Cons
- ✗Natural language parsing is less sharp than Todoist Quick Add
- ✗Interface can feel crowded compared with Things 3
- ✗Sync is reliable but can lag slightly behind Todoist instant sync
- ✗Habit features miss some detail found in dedicated apps such as Streaks
- ✗Team features are light next to Asana or Monday
- ✗Mac app feels native but lacks the polish of pure Swift and AppKit builds
Community & Support
TickTick users gather in several places. The subreddit r/ticktick hosts workflow posts and feature requests with a large active base. The Help Center holds step-by-step guides for every feature. You can file a support ticket through the app or website and Premium users often hear back within 24 to 48 hours. The team ships updates regularly and often addresses requests from the community. You will also find YouTube walkthroughs and Reddit threads that share Smart List setups.
Frequently Asked Questions about TickTick
About the Author
Productivity & Workflow Analyst
Expert Tips for TickTick
Comparison content in 2026 still frames TickTick as the value alternative to Todoist when users want habits and timers without paying Todoist Pro rates.
Mac users evaluating TickTick often accept a denser UI in exchange for fewer companion apps, Pomodoro and habits living beside tasks is the recurring justification.
Related Technologies & Concepts
Related Topics
Mac Productivity Apps
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Task Management Tools
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All-in-One Productivity Suites
All-in-One Productivity Suites , related to TickTick
Sources & References
Fact-CheckedLast verified: Aug 9, 2026
Key Verified Facts
- TickTick Premium is commonly priced at about $35.99 per year or $3.99 per month in 2026 U.S. references.[cite-1, cite-3]
- TickTick’s website has presented $35.99 annual Premium as a limited-time offer against a $49.99 list price.[cite-1]
- TickTick remains a freemium cross-platform task manager with free and Premium tiers.[cite-2, cite-4]
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Research queries: TickTick Premium price 2026; TickTick vs Todoist Mac; TickTick upgrade $35.99