This is a comprehensive list of the 5 best to-do list apps and their features (or lack thereof) that will help you stop procrastinating faster than you scarf down ungodly amounts of pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving Day.
There Are 3 Categories:
- Simple & Easy to Use
- Intermediate
- Advanced (to-do list & project manager hybrid)
The Apps Are:
- Evernote (easiest to use)
- Three.do (fastest to use)
- Microsoft To Do (best overall)
- Todoist (popular choice)
- TickTick (most features)
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Related: The BEST Habit Tracking Apps
Why You Need To Use A To-Do List App
I have a very vivid memory of nearly facepalming my skull through the stratosphere during my first year of college because I forgot about (and thus failed) my very first accounting quiz.
I was always an “A student” but the complexity of semi-adulthood was too much for my puny brain to handle (and unfortunately full-adulthood isn’t any easier!)
So it was at this point that realized I needed a system to organize my life: I needed a to-do list system.
Since my trip to outer space I’ve tested a dozen different systems and twice as many apps.
And these are my 5 best recommendations for to-do list apps right now.
As the world’s foremost facepalm astronaut I can confidently tell you two things:
- You don’t want to be a facepalm astronaut.
- If you’re serious about being more productive, then a good to-do list app is a must have.
Evernote (easiest to use)
- Platform: Android, iPhone, Web, Applications
- Price: Free, Premium: $4 (per month), $36 (per year)
- Features:
- Easy to use
- Speedy to use
- Reminders
- Multi-Step Tasks
- View Completed Tasks
- Add Images / Files
- Social Share Features
- Darkmode
- Third-party Calendar Integration (directly to Outlook, use Zapier to integrate with Google calendar and others)
- Widgets
- Missing Features:
- View Tasks By Calendar (in-app)
- View Tasks By Due Date
- Repeating Tasks
Evernote is in the Simple & Easy to Use category and wins the award for Easiest To Use.
It wasn’t designed as a to-do list app, but by enabling the right settings you can turn it into one.
For a step-by-step tutorial on how to do this in less than 5 minutes (complete with pictures) see here: How to Turn Evernote into an Automatic Reminder or To-do List App.
This is the best system if you need a simple, bare-bones to-do list. But if you want advanced features like an in-app calendar view, due date view, or the ability to create recurring reminders then you should look elsewhere.
In other words, it gets the job done, but don’t expect to be wowed by features.
Three.do (fastest to use)
- Platform: Android, iPhone (in development)
- Price: Free, Premium: $12.99 (one time), $7.49 (per year)
- Features:
- Easy to use
- Speedy to use
- View Tasks By Due Date
- Reminders
- Repeating Tasks (premium feature)
- Third-party Calendar Integration (premium feature)
- Missing Features:
- View Tasks By Calendar (in-app)
- Multi-Step Tasks
- View Completed Tasks
- Add Images / Files
- Social Share Features
- Darkmode
- Widgets (only has “Reminders” shortcut)
- Download: Android
Three.do is in the Simple & Easy to Use category and wins the award for Fastest To Use.
If you want a to-do list app but don’t want to spend all day on the damn thing then Three.do was made for you.
Following the “who”, “what”, “when” format you can create a new reminder and exit the app in under 3 seconds. No joke. Check their website and you’ll see just how fast the process really is.
Three.do is a relatively new app so it’s still being developed for iPhone (sorry!) There are a host of standard to-do list features — like adding files or images to your reminders — that aren’t available yet.
But, still, the app is a worthy inclusion to the list because it’s the best at what it does (getting you in and out quickly.)
With a few more features it would be the app I use myself. Here’s hoping the developer continues working on it.
Microsoft To Do (best overall)
- Platform: Android, iPhone, Web
- Price: Free
- Features:
- Easy to use
- Speedy to use
- View Tasks By Due Date
- Reminders
- Repeating Tasks
- Multi-Step Tasks
- View Completed Tasks
- Add Images / Files
- Social Share Features
- Darkmode
- Widgets
- Organize Tasks Into “Lists”
- Organize “Lists” Into “Groups”
- Printable Task Lists
- Assign Tasks to People
- Missing Features:
- View Tasks By Calendar (in-app)
- Third-party Calendar Integration
Microsoft To Do is in the Intermediate category and wins the award for Best Overall To-Do List.
It’s the first app on this list that blurs the line between to-do list and personal project manager, meaning it has additional features like task lists and the ability to assign tasks to different people.
I personally use this app every day, and there are three main reason why:
- It’s simple
- You can view tasks by due date (via the “planned” smart list)
- And it’s completely free
But, be warned, if you’re looking for a project manager its features aren’t as robust as competitors Todoist and TickTick (the lack of calendar integration is particularly frustrating.)
Overall, Microsoft To Do is the perfect blend of simplicity and features.
Todoist (popular choice)
- Platform: Android, iPhone, Web, Applications
- Price: Free, Premium: $4 (per month), $36 (per year)
- Features:
- Speedy to use
- View Tasks By Due Date
- Reminders (premium feature)
- Repeating Tasks
- Multi-Step Tasks
- View Completed Tasks
- Add Images / Files (premium feature)
- Social Share Features
- Darkmode
- Third-party Calendar Integration (premium feature)
- Widgets
- Natural Language Processing Task Entry
- Advanced Task Organization (lists, priority level, etc.)
- Advanced Statistics and Streaks
- Drag and Drop Organizational Features
- Missing Features:
- View Tasks By Calendar (in-app)
- Easy to use (many features require premium)
Todoist is in the Advanced category and wins the award for Popular Choice because it’s a fan favorite for many a nerd in the productivity community.
It’s a very high quality app and is loaded with features.
But remember, additional features means there’s also a relatively large learning curve.
My biggest gripe is that $36 per year is quite expensive, and the free version is pretty much useless because necessary features (like reminders) are blocked by the paywall.
If you’re willing to fork out the dough though I doubt you’ll be disappointed.
Just keep in mind that there are comparable free alternatives (hint: Microsoft To Do.)
TickTick (most features)
- Platform: Android, iPhone, Web, Applications
- Price: Free, Premium: $2.99 (per month), $27.99 (per year)
- Features:
- Speedy to use
- View Tasks By Calendar (in-app) (limited in free)
- View Tasks By Due Date
- Reminders (limited in free)
- Repeating Tasks
- Multi-Step Tasks
- View Completed Tasks
- Add Images / Files (limited in free)
- Social Share Features
- Darkmode
- Third-party Calendar Integration (into TickTick but not outbound)
- Widgets
- Natural Language Processing Task Entry
- Advanced Task Organization (lists, priority level, etc.)
- Advanced Statistics and Streaks
- Habit Tracker
- Pomodoro Timer
- Missing Features:
- Easy to use (many features make first time use complicated)
TickTick is in the Advanced category and wins the award for Most Features.
The best way to describe TickTick is as a more feature rich version of Todoist (that costs less.)
Perhaps the most impressive features of TickTick are its in-app calendar views and its built in habit tracker (which is more advanced than some standalone habit tracker apps.)
Related: The BEST Habit Tracking Apps
But, once again, more features means a bigger learning curve.
So if you’re just looking for a simple to-do list app then stay very far away from TickTick. But if you’re looking for all in one productivity tool then this might just be the app for you.
If you made it this far… you’re awesome! Shoot me an email at alex@theproductiveyou.com and tell which app you plan to use. Happy working!