Todoist alternatives
Todoist is fast, runs everywhere and has a generous free plan. People leave it because the subscription adds up, because big projects turn into long lists, or because they want an app that feels at home on Apple devices. Here’s what fits each.
Free for two projects · Works on iPhone, iPad, and Mac. By Yassine Zeriouh. Prices and features checked on October 26, 2026.
Milestones is the app this site belongs to, so it’s listed first and held to a harder standard below. The others are where Todoist users most often go, each for a different reason.
Projects with stages and a progress bar for each one
A calm, polished to-do list on Apple devices, paid once
The closest match on every platform, plus habits and a focus timer
A free list on every platform, tied to Outlook
Free, built in, with shared lists, tags and smart lists
Filters grown into a full GTD system with perspectives and reviews
Prices from each app’s own site or the App Store, checked on October 26, 2026.
Feature comparison
Todoist is a to-do list that scales to every platform; Milestones is a project planner built around stages. Where each one is ahead, row by row.
Built for
Milestones
Projects split into milestones, each with its own tasks
Todoist
A fast to-do list for everything, with projects, sections, labels and filters
Structure
Milestones
Project, milestone, task, plus tags
Todoist
Projects with sections and subtasks, plus labels
Progress
Milestones
A progress bar for every milestone and every project
Todoist
Activity history and productivity stats (Karma)
Platforms
Milestones
iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch
Todoist
iPhone, iPad, Mac, Android, Windows, Linux, web and watches
Quick entry
Milestones
Dates, repeats, #tags and !1 to !3 typed in plain words
Todoist
Quick Add with dates, labels and priorities, the original of the idea
Repeating tasks
Milestones
Pro
Todoist
On every plan, including free
Custom views
Milestones
Today, Upcoming, Inbox and a list per tag
Todoist
Filters with their own query language (3 free, 150 on Pro)
Boards
Milestones
Kanban for projects and smart lists (Pro)
Todoist
Board layout on every plan
Calendar
Milestones
No calendar view and no calendar sync
Todoist
Calendar layout (Pro) and calendar integrations
Sharing
Milestones
None; every project belongs to one person
Todoist
Share a project with up to 5 people free; team workspace on Business
Integrations
Milestones
Siri, Shortcuts, widgets, and a local MCP server for AI agents on Mac (Pro)
Todoist
A public API, Zapier and many ready-made integrations
Free plan
Milestones
Two projects at a time, with unlimited milestones and tasks
Todoist
Five personal projects, three filters, a week of activity history
Price
Milestones
$5.99 a month, $29.99 a year or $79.99 once
Todoist
Pro $5 a month billed yearly ($60), or $7 month to month
Account and sync
Milestones
Your own iCloud, no Milestones account
Todoist
A Todoist account; data on Todoist’s servers
Why switch
Todoist handles a project as a list with sections. That’s perfect for errands and weekly chores, but a renovation, a thesis or an app launch becomes a scroll of tasks where nothing shows which stage you’re in or how far along it is. Milestones splits a project into stages with a progress bar each.
Todoist runs everywhere, which is its strength. If you only use an iPhone, iPad and Mac, an app built just for them gets more from each: the Mac menu bar and keyboard shortcuts, the iPad’s three columns, widgets and the Apple Watch, all native.
Todoist Pro costs $60 a year, every year. Things 3 is a one-time purchase, Milestones Pro can be bought once for $79.99, and Apple Reminders and Microsoft To Do are free. Over a few years, the difference is real.
Todoist keeps your tasks on its own servers under a Todoist account. Milestones syncs through the iCloud you already have, with no sign-up and no extra password, and works fully offline in between.
Honest trade-offs
Leaving Todoist isn’t always the right call. Stay if one of these matters most to you.
Compare
Milestones vs Todoist
A native Apple project planner vs the most-used cross-platform to-do app. They overlap on tasks but diverge on structure, privacy, and where they live.
Head to head
Notion vs Todoist
Notion is a workspace you shape into almost anything, tasks included; Todoist is a task manager that’s ready the moment you open it. Plenty of people end up using both.
Head to head
Things 3 vs Todoist
Two of the best-loved to-do apps, built on opposite bets: Things 3 is a one-time purchase that lives only on Apple devices, Todoist is a subscription that runs everywhere and starts free.
Head to head
Trello vs Todoist
Two apps that start free and come at the same job from opposite ends: Trello is a board of cards built for teams, Todoist is a task list built for one person that you can share.
Use case · Client project tracking
How to set project milestones for client work.
Milestones gives freelancers and consultants the structure clients ask for (projects per client, milestones for deliverables, tasks for the work) without the overhead of Asana or the chaos of a notes file.
Use case · Dissertation planning
Make a dissertation feel finishable.
A dissertation is a multi-year project pretending to be a document. Milestones gives you the structure your supervisor assumes you have: chapters as milestones, work sessions as tasks, deadlines that stick.
More alternatives: Linear alternatives · OmniFocus alternatives · Things 3 alternatives
FAQ
It depends on your devices. On Apple devices, Apple Reminders is free and built in, with shared lists, tags and smart lists. On every platform, Microsoft To Do is free with a Microsoft account, and TickTick has a free plan with up to 9 lists. Milestones is free for two projects at a time, on Apple devices only.
Yes. The Beginner plan is free, with 5 personal projects, 3 filters, reminders, the board layout, 5 MB file uploads and a week of activity history. Pro costs $5 a month billed yearly ($60) or $7 month to month, and Business costs $8 per person a month billed yearly.
Not automatically. Milestones has no importer for Todoist, Things or CSV files. Most people recreate the few projects they’re actively working on, split into milestones, and leave the rest in Todoist until they’re finished or no longer needed. Running both apps side by side for a few weeks makes the switch easier.
TickTick and Microsoft To Do run on Windows, Android, iPhone, Mac and the web. TickTick is the closest match feature for feature; Microsoft To Do is free. Things 3, Apple Reminders and Milestones run only on Apple devices. If you move between a Windows PC and an iPhone, pick one of the first two.
Not quite. It has Today, Upcoming and an Inbox like a to-do list, but it’s built around projects split into milestones, each with its own tasks and progress. If you mostly need a fast daily list across many areas of life, Todoist or Things 3 is the better fit.
Yes. Things 3 is paid once per device ($49.99 Mac, $9.99 iPhone, $19.99 iPad). OmniFocus 4 Standard is $74.99 once. Milestones Pro can be bought once for $79.99 and covers iPhone, iPad and Mac. Apple Reminders and Microsoft To Do are free.
Milestones is free for two projects. Move your biggest Todoist project over, split it into milestones, and see if the stages help.
