TL;DR
OmniFocus vs Todoist: On Apple-centric personal productivity, OmniFocus 4 still defines GTD rigour: defer semantics, sequential projects, perspectives and Review build trusted high-stakes systems. On cross-platform and team work, Todoist's capture speed, filter language, shared projects and integration breadth make team throughput cheaper and more visible. Pricing reveals the trade: one-time OmniFocus ownership versus Todoist's low Pro seat and per-user Business. The defensible choice is not a universal crown but a workflow split: personal GTD depth versus shared execution breadth.
Which is better: OmniFocus or Todoist?
OmniFocus and Todoist are both Task managers on a Mac, so the pick depends on workflow. Choose OmniFocus when your system is personal, Apple-native and review-driven; choose Todoist when it is collaborative, cross-platform and integration-driven. As of September 2026, both install with brew install --cask omnifocus and brew install --cask todoist.
OmniFocus vs Todoist
Which is the better Task managers for Mac in 2026?
We compared OmniFocus and Todoist across 6 key factors including price, open-source status, and community adoption. Read our full breakdown below.
OmniFocus
Scheduling application focusing on organisation
Todoist
To-do list and task manager
Visual Comparison
Todoist
Todoist — Official Website
Our Verdict
On Apple-centric personal productivity, OmniFocus 4 still defines GTD rigour: defer semantics, sequential projects, perspectives and Review build trusted high-stakes systems. On cross-platform and team work, Todoist's capture speed, filter language, shared projects and integration breadth make team throughput cheaper and more visible. Pricing reveals the trade: one-time OmniFocus ownership versus Todoist's low Pro seat and per-user Business. The defensible choice is not a universal crown but a workflow split: personal GTD depth versus shared execution breadth.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | OmniFocus | Todoist |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Paid | Free |
| Open Source | No | No |
| Replaces | — | Things 3 ($49.99) |
| Best for | tasks, gtd, project management | tasks, todo, productivity |
| Install | brew install --cask omnifocus | brew install --cask todoist |
| Category | Productivity | Productivity |
Quick Install
brew install --cask omnifocusbrew install --cask todoistLearn More
In-Depth Overview
What is OmniFocus?
OmniFocus 4 from The Omni Group is a mature Getting Things Done task manager native to macOS, iOS, iPadOS and watchOS, with a complementary OmniFocus for the Web service. The Mac app is Swift-native, Apple Silicon-optimised, notarised for Tahoe 26.x, and supports widgets, Shortcuts, AppleScript and automation. Core concepts include Inbox for capture, Projects with sequential/parallel/stalled states, contexts via Tags, defer and due dates, estimated duration, custom Perspectives that slice projects and tags into durable views, Forecast (today/soon with calendar integration), Flagged and Review cycles for weekly GTD reviews, and end-to-end encrypted sync via Omni Sync Server or WebDAV. Pricing in August 2026 keeps choice: Standard $74.99 one-time, Pro $149.99 one-time, or OmniFocus subscription $9.99 per month or $99.99 per year that unlocks Pro on all platforms plus web access and always-current upgrades. Web companion access alone can be added for $4.99 per month. Data lives natively in a local database with optional encrypted cloud sync; offline is absolute and revisions are reliable.
What is Todoist?
Todoist from Doist is a cloud-native task manager reaching 30-million-plus users, prized for friction-free capture and cross-platform reach. It runs on macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android, web, wearables and browser extensions with real-time sync and offline caching. Natural-language input parses dates, times, priorities (P1-P4), projects, labels and assignees in one line ('Submit draft every Friday at 4pm p1 #Writing'). Structure includes projects with Sections, labels, priorities, filters with Boolean query syntax, Boards/Kanban, reminders, comments and file uploads, plus Karma gamification and productivity trends. Integrations exceed 60 native options and hundreds via Zapier/IFTTT: Google Calendar two-way sync, Slack, Microsoft Teams, Gmail and more. Pricing as of August 2026 remains Free (5 active projects), Pro $4 per month billed annually ($48/year, $5 month-to-month) with reminders, filters, AI Assistant and activity history, and Business $6 per user per month billed annually with team workspaces, roles and admin. On Tahoe the Mac app is Electron-based but updated, fast and consistent across OSes; updates ship automatically and search is cloud-powered with a solid offline queue.
Detailed Feature Comparison
Capture Speed
CriticalQuick Entry panel and Quick Open with keyboard shortcuts; defer/due and tags add rigour but require more fields than Todoist.
Industry-leading natural-language parsing in one keystroke; Quick Add on desktop and system-wide entry keeps latency lowest.
Verdict: Todoist wins pure capture velocity for high-volume triage.
GTD Depth & Review Discipline
CriticalDefer vs due, sequential projects, flagged, custom perspectives and Review mode enshrine weekly reviews and stalled-project hygiene.
Filters. Boards, priorities and upcoming views approximate GTD but without native Review rituals or true defer semantics.
Verdict: OmniFocus is still the GTD reference implementation.
Perspectives vs Filters
HighCustom perspectives slice by project, tag, status, availability and date into persistent. Pro-grade dashboards.
Filter query language supports Boolean logic (today & #Work | overdue & !@Waiting) and shareable custom views.
Verdict: Both excel; OmniFocus perspectives integrate defer logic more deeply. Todoist filters are faster to author.
Apple-Native Experience
HighSwift-native Mac/iPad/iPhone/watch apps with Shortcuts, widgets. Focus integration and local automation.
Solid Mac/iOS clients and Apple integrations, but Electron/web core never feels as Tahoe-native as OmniFocus.
Verdict: On an all-Apple kit. OmniFocus feels more at home.
Collaboration & Sharing
HighSingle-owner tool with no native multi-user tasks or role permissions; collaboration relies on separate lists or external web sharing.
Shared projects with assignees, comments, roles and Business workspaces make team task ownership explicit.
Verdict: Todoist wins for teams; OmniFocus is intentionally single-player.
Calendar & Timeline Views
HighForecast combines due tasks and calendar events; calendar integration is improved in OmniFocus 4 but not a full board/calendar suite.
Upcoming and Board views plus Calendar layout on Pro/Business, with two-way Google Calendar sync keeping schedule adjacent.
Verdict: Different takes: Forecast is canonical for GTD. Todoist Boards/Calendar for lightweight planning.
Automation & Integrals
MediumURL schemes. Shortcuts. AppleScript. Omni Automation plug-ins and local Focus automation; cloud API surface is small.
Broad API and Zapier-powered integrations spanning email, calendar. Slack and dev tools; AI Assistant on Pro adds summarisation.
Verdict: Todoist's cloud mesh outweighs OmniFocus's local automation for cross-tool work.
Pricing & Ownership
MediumOne-time Standard $74.99/Pro $149.99 keeps TCO flat if you prefer to own; subscription $9.99/mo wraps Pro + web and future upgrades.
Free up to 5 projects. Pro $4/mo annual. Business $6/user/mo annual, lower ceiling for individuals, metered for teams.
Verdict: Head-to-head for solo yearly spend is close; teams find Todoist more flexible.
Who Should Choose Which?
1Solo Consultant (Mac/iPhone only)
Reviews, defer dates and perspectives keep a high-trust solo system without team overhead.
2Distributed Team of 8
Shared projects, assignments and Business admin beat single-player OmniFocus.
3PhD Juggling Defer/Due Complexity
Sequential dissertation steps with true defer logic fit OmniFocus semantics.
4Marketer Living in Gmail and Calendar
Gmail and Calendar integrations plus filters keep tasks beside comms.
5Privacy-Conscious Mac User
Local database plus optional Omni Sync encryption keeps tasks on device.
6Mixed-OS Household
Linux companion. Android tablet and Windows work device all run the same Todoist everywhere.
Migration Guide
Omnifocus → Todoist
Export OmniFocus as TaskPaper or CSV, import into Todoist via CSV, then rebuild perspectives as Filters and split defer logic into scheduled tasks and labels.
Todoist → Omnifocus
Export Todoist CSV/JSON, import into OmniFocus, then re-apply defer vs due, sequential project types and Review cadence.
Pro Tips
Many Apple users keep OmniFocus for personal GTD and Todoist Business for shared team projects; route personal vs shared at capture and avoid double-booking Review times.
Final Verdict
tie
Score
OmniFocus
Score
Todoist
Scores are Bundl.run editorial ratings out of 10 across 8 criteria (the feature comparison above), last reviewed August 2026.
On Apple-centric personal productivity, OmniFocus 4 still defines GTD rigour: defer semantics, sequential projects, perspectives and Review build trusted high-stakes systems. On cross-platform and team work, Todoist's capture speed, filter language, shared projects and integration breadth make team throughput cheaper and more visible. Pricing reveals the trade: one-time OmniFocus ownership versus Todoist's low Pro seat and per-user Business. The defensible choice is not a universal crown but a workflow split: personal GTD depth versus shared execution breadth.
Bottom Line: Choose OmniFocus when your system is personal, Apple-native and review-driven; choose Todoist when it is collaborative, cross-platform and integration-driven. Many Mac users reasonably run both, routing personal versus shared at capture.
Video Tutorials
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Sources & References
Key Verified Facts
- OmniFocus Standard is $74.99 one-time and Pro is $149.99 one-time, with an optional $9.99 per month subscription including Pro and web.[cite-omnifocus-pricing]
- OmniFocus 4 ships Apple Silicon-native with Tahoe 26.x support and sync via Omni Sync Server.[cite-omnifocus4]
- Todoist Free allows 5 active projects and Pro is $4 per month billed annually while Business is $6 per user per month billed annually.[cite-todoist-pricing]
- Todoist's natural-language input parses dates, priorities, projects and labels in a single entry.[cite-todoist-vs-ticktick]
- Todoist Business team workspaces provide roles, shared projects and admin controls.[cite-g2-todoist]
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- 2Introducing Optional OmniFocus Subscriptions. The Omni Group
Accessed Aug 9, 2026
"Introducing Optional OmniFocus Subscriptions. The Omni Group"
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- 5
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- 7Introducing OmniFocus 4. The Omni Group
Accessed Aug 9, 2026
"Introducing OmniFocus 4. The Omni Group"
Related Technologies & Concepts
Related Topics
GTD task management
How defer logic, perspectives, filters and review rituals shape high-trust systems.