Best To-Do List Apps of 2026: 6 Compared and Ranked
The short answer: TickTick is our top pick: it combines tasks, a calendar, habits and a focus timer for $49.99 a year, with a usable free plan on every major platform.13 Microsoft To Do is the best completely free option, and Reclaim is the best free way to block time for tasks on the calendar you already use.511
At a glance
| # | Service | Best for | Paid plan | Free plan | Score /10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | TickTick | An all-in-one planner on a budget | $49.99 a year1 | Yes, with limits on reminders and habits2 | 8.9 |
| 2 | Microsoft To Do | A simple list that costs nothing | Free5 | Yes, everything5 | 8.8 |
| 3 | Todoist | Fast capture everywhere | $60 a year or $7 a month8 | Yes, up to 5 projects9 | 7.8 |
| 4 | Reclaim | Automatic time blocking on your calendar | $10 a month (Starter)12 | Yes: Lite for one user11 | 7.8 |
| 5 | Things 3 | Apple users who hate subscriptions | One-time: $49.99 Mac, $9.99 iPhone, $19.99 iPad14 | No | 5.8 |
| 6 | Motion | Busy professionals who want AI to plan the day | About $19 a month billed yearly, per reviewers17 | No; 7-day trial16 | 5.1 |
Time wealth is about directing your own hours. A to-do app helps in two ways: it gets commitments out of your head so they stop nagging you, and, used with a calendar, it makes you decide when each thing will happen instead of hoping it fits.
We compared six apps on value, the free plan, planning features such as calendar views and automatic time blocking, platforms, and how easy they are to keep using.
The 6 to-do and planning apps, ranked
TickTick
Best for an all-in-one planner on a budget
8.9/10
Tasks, a calendar, a habit tracker, a Pomodoro focus timer and an Eisenhower priority matrix in one app, syncing across iPhone, Android, Mac, Windows and the web.3 Premium unlocks full calendar views and task durations.2
- Students and teachers get 25% off a year of Premium.4
Pros
- The most features for the price
- Every major platform
Cons
- The free plan allows only 2 reminders per task and 5 habits2
- So many features can feel busy
Microsoft To Do
Best for a simple list that costs nothing
8.8/10
Free on Windows, Mac, iPhone, Android and the web, with shared lists, reminders, recurring tasks and subtasks.5 Its My Day list starts empty each morning and suggests tasks, a simple daily planning habit.6
- Works with personal Microsoft accounts and work or school Microsoft 365 accounts.7
Pros
- Completely free
- Easy to share lists with a household
Cons
- No time blocking or automatic scheduling
- Best if you already use Outlook or Microsoft 365
Todoist
Best for fast capture everywhere
7.8/10
The quickest app for getting tasks out of your head: type a task in plain language and it understands the date. Pro raises the limit from 5 to 300 projects and adds more filters.9
Pros
- Excellent, quick task entry
- Clean on every platform
Reclaim
Best for automatic time blocking on your calendar
7.8/10
Reclaim automatically finds time on your existing calendar for tasks, habits and focus time, and moves the blocks when your day changes.13 The free Lite plan is available to any single user.11
Pros
- Protects time for what matters, automatically
- Useful free plan
Cons
- Works on top of a Google or Outlook calendar rather than as a standalone list
- New users start on a Business trial that drops to Lite after 14 days12
Things 3
Best for apple users who hate subscriptions
5.8/10
- Paid plan
- One-time: $49.99 Mac, $9.99 iPhone, $19.99 iPad14
- Free plan
- No
A beautifully designed to-do app you buy once, with no subscription.14 Buying it for Mac, iPhone and iPad costs about $80 in total, and the Apple Watch app comes with the iPhone version.
Pros
- No subscription
- A calm, polished design
Cons
- Apple only: no Windows, Android or web
- No free plan
Motion
Best for busy professionals who want AI to plan the day
5.1/10
Uses AI to schedule your tasks onto your calendar automatically, and also handles projects and meeting booking.15 It is the most hands-off planner here and by far the most expensive.
Pros
- Plans your whole day for you
Cons
- Expensive, and prices have changed several times; reviewers report up to $49 a month on monthly billing for business plans18
- No free plan
How we ranked them
We rated each service from 1 (poor) to 5 (excellent) on 5 criteria, weighted by how much each matters for time wealth. The score is the weighted average, scaled to 10. Ratings come from each company’s own published prices and features and from the independent reviews in the sources list, checked on October 3, 2026.
- Value (30%). Yearly cost for an individual.
- Free plan (20%). Whether there is a lasting free plan and how limited it is.
- Planning features (20%). Calendar views, time blocking and automatic scheduling, beyond a plain list.
- Platforms (15%). Whether it runs on iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac and the web.
- Ease of use (15%). How quickly you can capture a task and how little upkeep the system needs.
| Service | Value | Free | Planning | Platforms | Ease | Score /10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TickTick | 5 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 8.9 |
| Microsoft To Do | 5 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 8.8 |
| Todoist | 4 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 7.8 |
| Reclaim | 4 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 7.8 |
| Things 3 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 5.8 |
| Motion | 1 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 5.1 |
A list is not a plan
Most to-do lists fail because they grow faster than the hours available. Whichever app you choose, give each important task a time on your calendar, and keep a short list for today rather than a long list for someday. TickTick, Reclaim and Motion can put tasks on the calendar for you; with Microsoft To Do or Todoist, do it by hand each morning.
How to choose
- Want one app for tasks, calendar and habits? TickTick.
- Want it free and simple? Microsoft To Do.
- Calendar always overflowing? Reclaim, free, or Motion if your time is expensive.
- All-Apple and allergic to subscriptions? Things 3.
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Common questions
What is the best to-do list app in 2026?
In our comparison, TickTick ranks first because it combines tasks, a calendar, a habit tracker and a focus timer for $49.99 a year, with a free plan on every major platform. Microsoft To Do ranks second as the best completely free option.
What is the best free to-do list app?
Microsoft To Do is completely free on Windows, Mac, iPhone, Android and the web. TickTick, Todoist and Reclaim also have free plans with limits, such as Todoist's cap of five projects.
What is time blocking?
Time blocking means giving each task a specific slot on your calendar instead of keeping it on an open-ended list. Apps such as Reclaim and Motion do it automatically and move the blocks when your schedule changes.
Is Things 3 a subscription?
No. Things 3 is a one-time purchase per platform: $49.99 for Mac, $9.99 for iPhone and Apple Watch, and $19.99 for iPad in the U.S. It is only available on Apple devices.
Is Motion worth the price?
Motion is worth it only if its automatic scheduling saves you several hours a month, because it costs far more than other to-do apps. Reclaim offers similar automatic time blocking with a free plan.
Sources
- TickTick: Upgrade — TickTick
- What are the differences between TickTick Free and TickTick Premium? — TickTick
- Beginner’s Guide — TickTick
- Educational Discount — TickTick
- To Do List and Task Management App — Microsoft
- Welcome to Microsoft To Do — Microsoft Support
- Which accounts can I use Microsoft To Do with? — Microsoft Support
- Todoist Pro pricing update in 2025 — Todoist
- Usage limits in Todoist — Todoist
- What happens when I downgrade my plan? — Todoist
- Reclaim Pricing — Reclaim.ai
- How Reclaim’s pricing and plans work — Reclaim.ai
- Reclaim — Reclaim.ai
- App Store Pricing — Cultured Code
- The AI Powered SuperApp for Work — Motion
- The Top 9 AI Tools for Startups — Motion
- Motion Pricing 2026: Pro $19, Business $29 — Alfred
- Motion App Pricing 2026: Is It Worth $49 a Month? — Lindy
This guide is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not financial, medical, legal, or tax advice, and it is not a recommendation to buy any product. Prices and features change; confirm them with the provider before you sign up.
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