Todoist vs TickTick vs Things 3: Best To-Do App in 2026

The best to-do app is the one you'll actually open every day — but between them, Todoist, TickTick, and Things 3 make very different trade-offs on features, platforms, and price. We used all three as our daily task manager to find which one fits which kind of person in 2026.

Quick Verdict

• Best all-round and cross-platform: Todoist
• Best value and most features: TickTick
• Best design, for Apple users: Things 3

Todoist is the polished, works-everywhere default. TickTick packs the most into the lowest price. Things 3 is the most beautiful and calming — but only if you live entirely in Apple's ecosystem.

Pricing Compared (Verified July 2026)

App	Free tier	Paid	Platforms
TickTick	Yes (generous)	Premium — ~$36/yr	All platforms
Todoist	Yes	Pro — $5/mo ($60/yr)	All platforms
Things 3	No	One-time ~$50 (Mac) + apps	Apple only

Verified July 2026. TickTick is the cheapest subscription; Things 3 is a one-time purchase per device but Apple-exclusive; Todoist sits in the middle after a recent price increase. Confirm current pricing before buying.

The pricing angle matters: Things 3 has no subscription — you buy the apps once (roughly $50 Mac, plus separate iPhone and iPad apps). If you stay on Apple forever and only need one or two platforms, that can be cheaper long-term than any subscription.

Features

TickTick is the feature champion. It bundles tasks, a built-in calendar, habit tracking, a Pomodoro timer, and natural-language input — things the others charge extra for or don't offer at all. For the price, nothing packs in more.

Todoist is the most refined task manager, with excellent natural-language scheduling ("every Monday at 9am"), powerful filters, and the widest range of integrations. It's the best at connecting to the rest of your tools.

Things 3 deliberately does less. There's no calendar, no habit tracker — just an exceptionally well-designed, focused task manager with the best interface in the category. Its restraint is the point.

Cross-Platform Support

This is often the deciding factor. Todoist and TickTick run everywhere — Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, web, and browser extensions. Things 3 is Apple-only, so it's a non-starter if you use Windows or Android on any of your devices.

Which Should You Choose?

• Choose Todoist if you want a polished, cross-platform app with the best integrations and natural-language input.
• Choose TickTick if you want the most features for the lowest price, including calendar and habit tracking built in.
• Choose Things 3 if you're all-in on Apple and value beautiful, focused design over extra features.

For bigger team projects rather than personal tasks, see our Notion vs ClickUp vs Monday comparison, and connect your to-do app to everything else with an automation platform.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which to-do app is best for free? TickTick has the most generous free tier, including basic task management across all platforms. Todoist's free plan is solid too. Things 3 has no free option.

Is Things 3 worth it if I have an iPhone but a Windows PC? No — Things 3 is Apple-only, so it can't sync to Windows. Choose Todoist or TickTick if any of your devices run Windows or Android.

Do I need a paid plan? For simple personal task lists, the free tiers of Todoist and TickTick are enough. Paid plans add reminders, more projects, calendar views, and productivity extras.

Bottom Line

Todoist is the best all-round to-do app in 2026, TickTick is the best value with the most features, and Things 3 is the most beautiful for Apple-only users. Match the app to your platforms and how much you value simplicity versus features. Explore more in our Productivity & Automation category.