TL;DR
TickTick vs Todoist: For most Mac users in 2026, Todoist is the better choice for task management because it is the more widely adopted, better-maintained option in the task management space. Both install with a single Homebrew command, so the switching cost is low. Choose TickTick instead if tasks support is your priority.
Which is better: TickTick or Todoist?
Todoist is the top pick for most Mac users looking at task management — it is free and installs in one Homebrew command. TickTick is the stronger choice if you prefer its specific feature set. Both are worth trying.
TickTick vs Todoist
Which is the better task management for Mac in 2026?
We compared TickTick and Todoist across 6 key factors including price, open-source status, and community adoption. Read our full breakdown below.
TickTick
To-do & task list manager
Todoist
To-do list and task manager
Visual Comparison
Todoist
Todoist — Official Website
Our Verdict
For most Mac users in 2026, Todoist is the better choice for task management because it is the more widely adopted, better-maintained option in the task management space. Both install with a single Homebrew command, so the switching cost is low. Choose TickTick instead if tasks support is your priority.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | TickTick | Todoist |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Open Source | No | No |
| Replaces | Things 3 ($50) | Things 3 ($49.99) |
| Best for | tasks, to-do, reminders | tasks, todo, productivity |
| Install | brew install --cask ticktick | brew install --cask todoist |
| Category | Productivity | Productivity |
Quick Install
brew install --cask ticktickbrew install --cask todoistLearn More
In-Depth Overview
What is TickTick?
TickTick is a cross-platform freemium app that puts tasks, calendar views, habit tracking and a Pomodoro timer in one client for Mac, Windows, iOS, Android and web. In August 2026 it still sells a free tier and Premium. The upgrade page lists a limited-time annual price of US$35.99, 28 percent off the US$49.99 list, or about $3.99 monthly. Paying unlocks full calendar, filters, higher list and task caps, statistics, premium themes and deeper habit and Pomodoro tools. The idea is simple: one app instead of three. That makes TickTick busier than Todoist, and better value if you actually use habits and timers each week. Natural language input is solid, not magic, and sharing exists but does not match Todoist Business. For Mac users who want a single dock icon for personal productivity, it stays on the shortlist. This snapshot uses vendor pages checked 9 August 2026. Confirm regional App Store pricing at checkout. Premium also lifts the practical caps: more lists, more tasks per list and more filters to play with. Statistics turn completion history into charts, and habit streaks make the daily check feel tangible. Themes beyond the default are minor, yet the premium ones look cleaner on Tahoe in light mode. If you use the calendar view to time block, dragging a task onto a slot and seeing it alongside Google and Outlook events is the workflow that sells the upgrade.
What is Todoist?
Todoist by Doist is the cross-platform task manager built for fast capture and structured projects, from solo GTD to team workspaces. In August 2026 it remains freemium. Beginner is free with 5 personal projects, 3 filters, one week of history and limited Ramble. Pro is $60 a year and adds calendar layout, durations, custom reminders, 150 filters, full history and Task Assist with unlimited Ramble. Business adds shared workspaces and admin controls. The 2026 line leans into calendar planning, Insights on Pro, project and section descriptions, and helpers like Ramble, Task Assist and Email Assist, without dropping the filter query language power users rely on. Todoist feels calmer than TickTick because it does not try to be a habit tracker first. Integrations and Business features make it more ready for work teams. This view reflects Doist docs and pricing pages seen 9 August 2026. On Tahoe 26.x check minimum OS and Apple silicon requirements before you standardize. Beginner is genuinely limited on purpose. Three filters and a week of history let you taste the query language, but you will outgrow them if you build a real system. Pro moves the filter limit to 150 and keeps full history, which you notice during weekly reviews when you want to see what slipped. Calendar layout and durations help with time blocking, and custom reminders mean you do not have to fake a due date just to get a ping. Task Assist and Ramble get mentioned a lot in 2026 docs, but most people still live in Quick Add for capture.
Detailed Feature Comparison
Task Capture & Natural Language
CriticalQuick add with natural dates works for everyday tasks. On edge recurrence, Todoist's Quick Add still parses more consistently. You can type tomorrow or next Friday and TickTick usually nails it. For odd recurrences such as every third Tuesday you often need to open the task and tweak the rule.
Quick Add turns a sentence into project, priority, date and label. With Ramble on Pro, voice capture is a real strength in 2026. Quick Add handles labels and priority in the same line. Type @work p1 tomorrow and it files the task, sets priority and dates it without extra clicks.
Verdict: Todoist still wins capture elegance.
Calendar, Habits & Focus Tools
HighMultiple calendar views, a habit tracker with stats, and Pomodoro estimates live in one app. Premium unlocks the fuller calendar and advanced habit and Pomodoro set. The habit view shows streaks and completion rates, which some people glance at each morning. Pomodoro estimates sit next to the task so you can see if the plan fits the day.
Calendar layout on Pro handles time blocking and durations well, but habits and Pomodoro need separate apps or integrations. Todoist stays task-first by design. You can block time on the Pro calendar and see durations next to the task name. For habits you will pair Todoist with a tracker or keep a daily recurring task and mark it off.
Verdict: TickTick wins the all-in-one personal surface.
Filters, Labels & System Building
HighCustom filters and smart lists exist and improve on Premium. Capable for intermediate systems, though not as storied as Todoist's filter culture. Smart lists cover most personal setups without learning a query language. If you want heavy cross-cutting views you will eventually wish for Todoist's filter syntax.
Filter queries, labels and multi-view layouts support elaborate personal and team systems. Pro raises caps sharply over Beginner's three filters. The filter language rewards learning. Queries like overdue and @work and p1 give you a view that smart lists struggle to match at scale.
Verdict: Todoist remains the power system builder.
Collaboration
HighShared lists cover household and light team use. There is no Business-grade admin suite with roles and centralized billing. Sharing a grocery list or a household project works fine. For real team permissions and billing you will feel the ceiling quickly.
Shared projects plus Business workspaces, roles, guests, templates and activity logs scale to real teams. Business workspaces add roles, guests and central billing. Activity logs and templates make handoffs less messy when a team grows.
Verdict: Todoist wins serious collaboration.
Pricing & Value
HighPremium at about $36 a year on promo undercuts Todoist Pro at $60 a year while bundling habits, Pomodoro and calendar modules. Free tier is usable with caps. Promo pricing can shift versus the $49.99 list. At promo pricing the yearly cost is close to a single month of some other subscriptions. If you already pay for a habit app and a timer, the bundle can quietly save money.
Beginner is intentionally limited. Pro at $60 a year is fair for the feature set but costs more than TickTick Premium. Business is extra per seat. Sixty dollars a year is easy to justify if you use filters, calendar layout or shared projects weekly. If you only need a simple list it feels steep next to free.
Verdict: TickTick wins features per dollar for solo users.
Design & Focus
MediumFeature density means more tabs, modules and settings. Some love the control, others feel visual noise compared with Todoist's calmer task-first UI. The extra tabs mean more settings to learn. People who enjoy tuning their system like the control, people who want quiet focus notice the noise.
Cleaner default that stays out of the way if you ignore karma and AI extras. Preferred when you want a task manager, not a dashboard. The default list stays calm even with many projects. You can ignore karma and extra panels and the app stays out of your way.
Verdict: Todoist wins calm task-first design.
Integrations & Ecosystem
MediumCalendar subscriptions, widgets and common automation hooks cover personal use. Breadth trails Todoist's long catalog. Calendar feeds and widgets cover the basics on Mac and iPhone. Deeper automation usually runs through Zapier rather than native hooks.
Broad marketplace energy, API and third-party connections that support automated pipelines. The integration list is long, from calendar sync to Slack and automation platforms. For many teams that breadth decides the purchase.
Verdict: Todoist wins integration depth.
AI Assistance (2026)
MediumTickTick leans into productivity tooling rather than headline AI agent features. Automation exists, but Todoist's Assist and Ramble push is more visible in 2026 docs. You will find helpful automation but not a marketed AI assistant that drafts tasks for you. For most solo users that restraint is fine.
Ramble, Task Assist, Email Assist and related Pro features make Todoist the more explicitly AI-assisted of the pair, with free users limited on Ramble sessions. Ramble and Task Assist are visible in Pro docs and help when your inbox is messy. Free users get limited Ramble sessions, so test it before you rely on it.
Verdict: Todoist leads on explicit AI assist features.
Who Should Choose Which?
1University student juggling classes and habits
Premium is cheaper and habits/Pomo are built in. Revisit if platform mix or collaboration needs change.
2Freelance developer with client shared projects
Collaboration and filters justify Pro/Business. Revisit if platform mix or collaboration needs change.
3Minimalist who only wants tasks
Cleaner task-first product; or Things if Apple-only. Revisit if platform mix or collaboration needs change.
4Budget-conscious multipurpose planner
One Premium replaces several single-purpose subscriptions. Revisit if platform mix or collaboration needs change.
Migration Guide
Ticktick → Todoist
Export tasks and lists from TickTick, recreate lists as Todoist projects, shift habits into recurring tasks or a separate habit app, and budget for Pro if you need calendar layout and Assist. You will lose native Pomodoro and habit dashboards in the move. Export first and keep both apps for a week.
Todoist → Ticktick
Export Todoist data, simplify filter complexity into TickTick smart lists, then lean into calendar and habit modules. Rebuild sharing carefully since Todoist Business workflows do not map one to one. Export first and keep both apps for a week.
Pro Tips
Move for workflow fit, not for the $24 a year gap alone, unless you will actually use TickTick extras weekly. Keep that overlap week to catch missing tasks. If you switch, run both apps in parallel for a week. Check that recurring tasks, attachments and dates landed where you expect.
Final Verdict
Todoist
Winner
Runner-up
August 2026 keeps Todoist slightly ahead for task system quality, integrations, collaboration and AI-assisted capture, at a higher price. TickTick stays the smarter buy for solo users who will actually use habits, Pomodoro and multi-view calendars, especially near the $35.99 promo for Premium. The gap is narrow. The wrong choice is picking either app for a job it does not prioritize. Check live pricing before you commit, and confirm Tahoe 26.x support on your hardware. If you are on the fence, run both with your real tasks for a week. The app you open without thinking is usually the right system of record. Pay attention to whether you used the calendar, habits or filters this cycle before you renew.
Bottom Line: Choose Todoist for focused, collaborative, filter-driven task management. Choose TickTick for cheaper all-in-one personal productivity.
Video Tutorials
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Frequently Asked Questions
About the Author
Explore More on Bundl
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Expert Insights
People who buy TickTick and ignore habits/Pomo are often happier on Todoist's cleaner task surface, and vice versa.
Price gaps matter more for students than for billable professionals; choose workflow fit first.
Sources & References
Key Verified Facts
- TickTick advertises Premium annual pricing at US$35.99 promotional versus US$49.99 list on its upgrade page.[cite-1]
- Todoist Pro is $7/month or $60/year per the official plans FAQ.[cite-4]
- Todoist's 2026 changelog documents ongoing releases including Insights availability on Pro in July 2026.[cite-5]
- Doist develops Todoist as a cross-platform productivity product.[cite-6]
- 1TickTick Premium upgrade
Accessed Aug 9, 2026
"Premium promotional annual price US$35.99 vs US$49.99 list; feature list."
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7Things pricing (adjacent alternative)
Accessed Aug 9, 2026
"One-time Apple task manager pricing model often compared with freemium Todoist/TickTick."