Todoist

Todoist is the flagship product of Doist, a company founded in 2007 by Amir Salihefendić. Amir, a Bosnian-born engineer who grew up in Denmark, started the project while he was a university student because he couldn't find a task manager that worked the way his brain did. What started as a solo project has grown into one of the most successful fully remote companies in the world, with employees spread across 35+ countries.

Amir and the Doist team are famous in the tech industry for their commitment to "slow growth" and independence. Unlike many of their competitors who took massive amounts of venture capital and were eventually sold or shut down, Doist has remained bootstrapped and profitable. This independence allows them to think in decades rather than quarters. Their mission isn't just to build a to-do list; it’s to build a more mindful, asynchronous way of working, which is also reflected in their secondary product, Twist (a calm alternative to Slack).

Todoist is for the Busy Professional who is juggling a career, family, and personal projects. It is for someone who needs a "second brain" to remember the small details so they can focus on the big picture. Because it is available on every platform imaginable—from your browser to your Apple Watch—it is the perfect fit for people who are always on the move and need to capture ideas the moment they strike.

It is also a favorite for Small Teams and Freelancers. If you don't need the heavy project management features of a tool like Monday.com or Jira, Todoist provides just enough structure to keep a team coordinated without the overhead. In 2026, it has become particularly popular with Remote Teams who value the clear "Today" and "Upcoming" views to keep themselves accountable without constant check-in meetings.

• • Students: Who need to manage complex assignment schedules across different courses.
• • GTD Enthusiasts: Who follow the 'Getting Things Done' method and need a reliable 'Inbox' for their brain.
• • Project Managers: Who want a simple way to delegate tasks to team members without a steep learning curve.

Todoist is a master of organization. Beyond simple lists, it offers Projects, Sections, and Sub-tasks to help you break down a massive goal into manageable bites. You can organize your tasks using Labels (for context, like @home or @computer) and Filters (to see specific combinations, like "Overdue tasks in the #Work project"). In 2026, the filter engine has been upgraded to be even more powerful, allowing you to create highly specific "dashboards" of your work.

The app also features Task Durations, allowing you to block out specific amounts of time for your to-dos, which then syncs perfectly with your calendar. This prevents the common trap of over-scheduling yourself. For team collaboration, Todoist allows for Comments and File Uploads directly on tasks, meaning you can have a full discussion about a specific deliverable right where the work is happening.

One of its most unique features is Todoist Karma. It tracks your productivity and rewards you with points for completing tasks on time, using advanced features, and reaching your daily/weekly goals. While it sounds simple, the visual feedback of a "Productivity Streak" is a powerful psychological tool that helps many users stay consistent. Combined with the Board View (a Kanban-style layout), it allows you to visualize your projects in the way that makes the most sense for your current mood or task type.

• • Recurring Due Dates: Set complex repeats like 'every last Friday of the month' or 'every 3 days starting Monday'.
• • Priority Levels: Use P1 (red) through P4 to highlight your most critical tasks immediately.
• • Location Reminders: Get a notification to 'Pick up milk' the moment you arrive at the grocery store.

Todoist’s pricing is very straightforward, which is a breath of fresh air in 2026. The Beginner Plan is $0 and is great for simple lists, though it has become more limited over the years, only allowing for 5 active projects. The Pro Plan is the "sweet spot" for most individuals, costing $5 per month** (or $4 per month if billed annually). This unlocks almost everything: reminders, 300 projects, task durations, and custom filters.

For teams, the Business Plan costs $8 per month (or **$6 per month billed annually) per user. This is a relatively new addition that provides a dedicated "Team Workspace," centralized billing, and shared team folders. It makes it much easier to separate your personal life from your team's responsibilities while still using the same app.

One of the best parts of Todoist is that it doesn't try to "nickle and dime" you. Once you are on the Pro plan, you have the full power of the tool at your fingertips. They also offer a 30-day money-back guarantee on their paid plans, so you can test out the Pro features like reminders and filters without any risk.

• • Beginner ($0): 5 active projects, 5MB file uploads, and 1 week of history.
• • Pro ($4/mo): 300 projects, reminders, 100MB file uploads, and unlimited activity history.
• • Business ($6/mo): Everything in Pro plus 500 projects per team member and admin/billing tools.

The most important thing to know about Todoist is that Reminders are NOT free. This is the biggest hurdle for new users. If you need a push notification to go off at a specific time, you must be on a paid plan. While many people find the natural language and clean interface worth the price, it’s a dealbreaker for some who are used to free reminder apps.

You should also pay attention to the Project Limits on the free tier. With only 5 active projects, you'll find that you grow out of the free version very quickly if you use Todoist for more than just a grocery list. Lastly, while Todoist is great for tasks, it is not a Note-taking App. You can add comments to tasks, but if you need a place to write long documents or brainstorm ideas, you will still need a tool like Notion or Obsidian. Todoist is for doing, not for storing.

If Todoist doesn't feel right for you, the 2026 market has several excellent alternatives. Microsoft To Do is the best free alternative—it’s completely free and includes reminders, though it lacks Todoist’s powerful natural language input and team features. If you are an Apple-only user, Things 3 is legendary for its beautiful design and 'once-off' payment model, though it lacks the cross-platform flexibility of Todoist.

For those who want more "all-in-one" power, TickTick is the closest competitor. TickTick includes a built-in calendar and a Pomodoro timer, which Todoist lacks. However, TickTick's interface can feel a bit more cluttered and less "refined" than Todoist's. If you need a heavy project management tool for a large company, you should look at Monday.com or Asana, which offer much more robust delegation and reporting features.

• • Notion: Great if you want your tasks and your notes in the same place, though it’s much slower to use than Todoist.
• • Google Tasks: Extremely basic, but if you live inside Gmail and just need a simple checklist, it's already built in.

• Can I use Todoist offline? Yes! All of Todoist's native apps support offline mode. You can add, complete, and organize tasks without an internet connection, and they will automatically sync the moment you are back online.

• Is my data secure with Todoist? Yes. In 2026, Todoist uses SOC2 Type II security standards and end-to-end encryption for team workspaces. They are also fully GDPR compliant.

• Does Todoist support Dark Mode? Absolutely. Todoist has a wide range of themes, including a very polished Dark Mode and their classic 'Todoist Red'.

• How many languages does it support? Todoist is truly global, supporting over 20 languages including English, Spanish, Chinese, Arabic, and Urdu.

• Can I attach files to tasks? Yes, you can upload PDFs, images, and spreadsheets directly to any task comment. On the Pro plan, you can upload files up to 100MB each.