App, paper or both
A to-do list only helps if you look at it, so pick the form you will open every day:
| Kind | Examples | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Phone and desktop app with sync | Todoist, TickTick, Any.do, Microsoft To Do, Google Tasks | Tasks you add on the go and finish at the desk |
| Built into the system | Apple Reminders, Google Tasks | No extra account, works with the calendar and the voice assistant |
| Open source, no account | Super Productivity, Tasks.org, Taskwarrior | Data stays on your device; sync through your own storage |
| Self-hosted | Vikunja, Nextcloud Tasks | Tasks on your own server, shared with a team |
| Paper | Printable to-do list, daily planner, weekly planner | One sheet for today, no notifications |
Many people use both: a sheet on the desk for today and an app for everything with a date. Our printable to-do list, daily planner and weekly planner are free PDFs in US Letter and A4.
Free limits compared
The free plans differ most in how many lists, tasks and people they allow. From the official pages:
| App | Free plan limits as stated |
|---|---|
| Todoist | 5 personal projects, 3 filter views, 5 MB per file, 1 week activity history, up to 5 people per project |
| TickTick | 9 lists, 99 tasks per list, 2 task reminders, 1 attachment a day, 19 checklist items per task, 2 members |
| Any.do | Unlimited tasks, subtasks and grocery lists; recurring tasks, location reminders and color tags need Premium |
| Remember The Milk | Share lists with up to 2 others, completed tasks kept for the last 7 days; subtasks are a Pro feature |
| Microsoft To Do | Free; files up to 25 MB per task, no list or task cap stated |
| Google Tasks | Free; no usage limits stated |
| Tasks.org | Unlimited tasks, lists, tags and reminders for free; cloud sync and some in-app features are a subscription |
| Super Productivity, Vikunja, Nextcloud Tasks, Taskwarrior | Open source, no plan limits; Vikunja Cloud is a paid hosted option |
If you keep more than a handful of lists, start with an app whose free plan has no list cap rather than moving everything later.
Keeping your data
Tasks are easy to type in and tedious to type in again. Before you commit, check how you get them out:
- Open standards. Nextcloud Tasks syncs over CalDAV, so Apple Reminders, Thunderbird, DAVx5 and other CalDAV clients can read the same lists. Tasks.org connects to Google Tasks, DAVx5, CalDAV, EteSync and DecSync.
- Your own storage. Super Productivity backs up and syncs through SuperSync, Dropbox or WebDAV, with no account required.
- Importers. Vikunja imports from Todoist, Trello and Microsoft To-Do, which is one way to move a list to your own server.
- Sharing on the free plan. Remember The Milk's Basic account shares a list with up to 2 others, Todoist's Beginner plan allows up to 5 people per project, and TickTick's free plan lists 2 members.
Whatever app you use, a plain text copy is the safest backup. Paste the list into the online notepad and download it as a text file once in a while.
A simple method that works in every app
You do not need a system with twenty rules. This one fits every app in the table and a sheet of paper:
- One inbox. Write every task into one list the moment you think of it, without sorting. Sorting is a separate step.
- Three for today. Each morning pick the three tasks that matter most and give them today's date. Everything else keeps its date or has none.
- Verbs, not topics. "Call the dentist" can be done; "dentist" cannot. If a task takes more than one step, make the next step the task.
- A weekly sweep. Once a week go through the whole list, delete what no longer matters, date what does, and move big items to a project.
- Time boxes. For tasks you keep postponing, set the focus timer or the online timer for 25 minutes and start. For a deadline, the countdown timer shows how long is left.
Frequently asked questions
Which to-do apps are free without a task limit?
Any.do's Personal plan is free forever with unlimited tasks, subtasks and grocery lists. Tasks.org is free on Android with unlimited tasks, lists, tags and reminders. Microsoft To Do and Google Tasks are free apps with no task cap stated on their pages. The open source apps Super Productivity, Vikunja, Nextcloud Tasks and Taskwarrior have no plan limits.
What are the free limits of Todoist and TickTick?
Todoist's Beginner plan includes 5 personal projects, 3 filter views, 5 MB per file upload, 1 week of activity history and up to 5 people per project. TickTick's free plan includes 9 lists with 99 tasks per list, 2 task reminders, 1 attachment a day and cross-platform sync.
Which to-do apps are open source?
Super Productivity (MIT), Taskwarrior (MIT), Tasks.org (GPLv3), Vikunja (AGPL-3.0-or-later) and Nextcloud Tasks (AGPL-3.0) publish their code under a named license.
Can I host a to-do app on my own server?
Yes. Vikunja says self-hosting is completely free, with Docker and native binaries, and offers list, Kanban, Gantt and table views; Vikunja Cloud is its paid hosted option. Nextcloud Tasks runs on a Nextcloud server and syncs over CalDAV with apps on iOS, Android, macOS, Windows and Linux.
Which to-do app works without an account?
Super Productivity says no account or registration is required and syncs through SuperSync, Dropbox or WebDAV. Tasks.org says no account or internet connection is required on Android. Taskwarrior is a command-line tool that stores tasks on your computer.
Is there a printable to-do list?
Yes. Our free printable to-do list, daily planner and weekly planner are PDFs in US Letter and A4, without signup.