Here is a number that should make any productivity app shopper pause: the global task management software market was already worth several billion dollars in the mid-2020s and is projected to keep climbing at a double-digit annual rate through the early 2030s. That is a lot of people paying to remember what they have to do. But spend five minutes in any productivity forum and you will notice something odd. The three apps that come up most often in “best to-do app” threads, Todoist, TickTick, and Things, are not really competing for the same person. They solve different problems, and the choice usually comes down to your devices, your tolerance for subscriptions, and whether you work alone or with other people.
This comparison breaks down each app on the factors that actually matter: platform support, pricing model, natural-language input, calendar features, collaboration, and the small daily annoyances that only show up after months of use.
The Short Version: Three Apps, Three Personalities
Before the details, it helps to think of each app as a personality type.
| App | Personality | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Todoist | The well-connected collaborator | People who work across devices and share tasks with others |
| TickTick | The all-in-one multitasker | Users who want calendar, Pomodoro, and habits in one place |
| Things | The focused Apple craftsman | Apple-only users who want a beautiful, private, one-time-purchase app |
None of these is “best” in a vacuum. The right pick depends on constraints you already have, whether you have noticed them or not.
Platform Support: The First Filter
This is the simplest and most decisive difference. Things is made by Cultured Code, a German studio, and it runs only on Apple platforms: macOS, iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, and visionOS. There is no web app, no Windows version, and no Android version. If you carry an Android phone or work on a Windows laptop even occasionally, Things is off the table. Full stop.
Todoist and TickTick both cover the full spread: web, Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, and browser extensions. That cross-platform reach is not a nice-to-have for most people. It is the whole ballgame. A to-do list that lives on only one device becomes a place tasks go to be forgotten, especially if your work machine and your personal phone run different operating systems.
Practical tip: Before you compare features, list every device you touch in a normal week, including the work laptop you only open on Mondays. If that list includes anything non-Apple, your shortlist just got shorter.
Pricing: Subscription vs One-Time Purchase
The pricing models differ as much as the platforms.
Todoist (made by Doist, a fully remote company founded in 2007) has long offered a free tier alongside Pro and Business plans. The free tier is genuinely usable for personal task management, though it caps some features. TickTick (by Appest) follows a similar structure: a capable free tier plus a Premium plan that adds calendar views, more lists, and additional integrations. Exact prices for both change over time, so check each vendor’s official pricing page on the day you sign up rather than trusting a comparison article, including this one.
Things does something increasingly rare: it sells one-time licenses per platform rather than a subscription. You buy the Mac version, you buy the iPhone version, and you own them. For a single user who keeps a device for years, that math often beats a subscription. For someone who upgrades devices often or wants a family sharing arrangement, it can flip the other way.
Common mistake: People compare the sticker price of Things against one year of a subscription and stop there. Run the numbers over three to five years instead. That is the horizon where one-time purchases and subscriptions actually diverge.
Capturing Tasks Fast: Natural Language Input
The feature that quietly determines whether you stick with an app is how fast it accepts a task. Every second of friction at capture time is a reason to skip writing the task down.
Todoist built its reputation on natural-language input. Type “pay rent tomorrow 5pm #home” and it parses the date, time, and project automatically. TickTick supports similar parsing, so you can type a task with a date embedded and watch it get sorted. Things leans more on Quick Find and its date pickers. It is fast once you know the keyboard shortcuts, but it asks for a bit more structure up front.
In practice, the difference shows up in the “in-between” moments: standing in line, walking to a meeting, half-listening on a call. Apps that accept messy, spoken-style input win those moments. Apps that require tapping through a date picker lose them.
The best capture tool is the one you will actually use when you are distracted, not the one with the prettiest screenshots.
Calendar, Habits, and Pomodoro: How Much Do You Want in One App?
TickTick is the clear winner on built-in extras. It bundles a calendar view, a Pomodoro timer, and habit tracking into the same app. If your current setup is a to-do app plus a separate calendar app plus a habit tracker plus a focus timer, TickTick can collapse four subscriptions into one.
Todoist has added calendar layout features over time, and it integrates with external calendars, but it remains fundamentally a task manager rather than a calendar replacement. Things integrates with Apple Calendar rather than offering its own calendar view, which suits people already deep in the Apple ecosystem.
There is a real trade-off hiding here. All-in-one apps reduce app-switching, which is good. But they also tend to do each individual job slightly less well than a dedicated tool. A Pomodoro timer inside a to-do app is convenient; a dedicated focus app may still be better. Decide whether you want consolidation or best-in-class per function, because TickTick optimizes hard for the former.
Collaboration: Where Things Falls Behind
If you share tasks with a partner, a team, or a household, this section decides everything.
Todoist supports shared projects, task assignment, and comments, and its Business plan targets teams. TickTick offers shared lists and some collaboration features, though sharing is more limited on certain plans than Todoist’s. Things has no built-in shared-list collaboration. That is a long-standing limitation, not a temporary gap.
For solo users, this does not matter at all. For anyone coordinating a household move, a wedding, or a small team, it matters enormously. A shared grocery list sounds trivial until you are the person who buys duplicate milk because two people kept separate lists.
Design, Speed, and the Daily Feel
Specs aside, these apps feel different, and feel is what keeps you opening an app on a Tuesday when motivation is low.
Things is widely admired for its clean, calm interface and its careful attention to typography and animation. It feels like a well-made object. Todoist is more utilitarian: fast, plain, and built to disappear behind your work. TickTick sits somewhere between, denser because it holds more features.
Here is the honest practical advice: trial all three for a week each with real tasks, not sample projects. Import your actual backlog. The app that survives contact with your messy real life is the one to keep. And resist the urge to migrate your system every few months. App-hopping is itself a form of procrastination, and it is a common one among productivity enthusiasts.
A Quick Decision Guide
Still torn? Work through these questions in order.
- Do you use any non-Apple device regularly? If yes, eliminate Things.
- Do you need to share tasks with another person? If yes, favor Todoist, or check TickTick’s current sharing limits.
- Do you want calendar, habits, and Pomodoro in one app? If yes, TickTick is the natural fit.
- Do you prefer paying once over subscribing? If yes, and you are Apple-only, Things wins.
- Do you capture tasks in messy, spoken-style phrases? If yes, Todoist’s natural-language input is the strongest fit.
Most people land on Todoist or TickTick after step two, and the Apple-only crowd often lands on Things after step four. That is not a coincidence. It reflects how each company positioned its product from the start.
Conclusion
There is no universal winner in the Todoist vs TickTick vs Things debate, and anyone who tells you otherwise is selling something. Todoist is the safest pick for cross-platform users who collaborate. TickTick rewards people who want one app to handle tasks, calendar, habits, and focus sessions. Things is the best answer for Apple-only users who value design, privacy, and a one-time purchase over a subscription.
The deeper point is that these apps are tools for a system, and the system matters more than the tool. A simple list you review daily will outperform an elaborate setup you abandon in three weeks. Pick the app that matches your devices and your sharing needs, give it a real trial with real tasks, and then stop shopping. The hours spent comparing to-do apps are hours not spent doing the things on them.
The best productivity app is the boring one you stop thinking about.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Todoist better than TickTick?
Neither is objectively better. Todoist has stronger collaboration features and a more polished natural-language input system. TickTick bundles more tools, including a calendar view, Pomodoro timer, and habit tracker. Choose Todoist if you share tasks with others; choose TickTick if you want consolidation. (Todoist)
Does Things work on Android or Windows?
No. Things is developed by Cultured Code and runs exclusively on Apple platforms: macOS, iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, and visionOS. There is no web app, Android version, or Windows version. If you need cross-platform access, Todoist or TickTick is the right category.
Is Things a subscription?
No. Things uses a one-time purchase model per platform, so you buy the Mac version and the iPhone version separately rather than paying monthly. Todoist and TickTick both offer free tiers plus paid subscription plans. Over several years, the one-time model can work out cheaper for a single user.
Which app is best for sharing tasks with other people?
Todoist has the most developed collaboration features, including shared projects, task assignment, and comments, plus a Business plan for teams. TickTick supports shared lists with some limits depending on plan. Things has no built-in shared-list collaboration, so it suits solo users. (Protecting Personal Information: A Guide for Business)
Can TickTick replace my calendar app?
For many people, partly. TickTick includes a built-in calendar view alongside its task lists, which reduces the need to switch between apps. Todoist integrates with external calendars and has added calendar layouts, while Things connects to Apple Calendar rather than offering its own. Heavy calendar users may still want a dedicated calendar app.
How long should I trial a to-do app before committing?
A week with your real task backlog is a reasonable minimum, and two weeks is better. Import actual projects rather than sample data, and test capture speed in distracted moments, since that is where apps succeed or fail. Avoid switching apps repeatedly; frequent migration is a common form of procrastination.
Why do people switch away from these apps? Usually not because of missing features. The most common reasons are overcomplicated setups, abandoned review habits, and app-hopping itself. If you leave Todoist for TickTick, ask what specifically failed: the capture flow, the sharing, or your own routine. If the answer is your routine, a new app will not fix it, and you will be comparing tools again in six months. The apps covered here are mature and well maintained; the gap between them is smaller than the gap between a system you review daily and one you do not.
