You’ve already tried three different to-do apps this year. And yet you feel it’s not quite clicking. Too simple, too complex, or just not complete enough. I’ve used TickTick daily for six months now and can tell you exactly what it’s good at – and where it falls short.
TickTick: the company
TickTick is developed by Appest Inc., a software company from China that started in 2013. It began as a simple task list app but grew into a full-fledged productivity tool.
What makes TickTick different? They take the ‘all-in-one’ concept seriously. Where other apps force you to use five different tools (one for tasks, one for habits, one for focus), TickTick puts everything in one package. Whether that’s an advantage? That depends on what you’re looking for.
The company now has millions of users worldwide and continues to actively develop. They listen to feedback, though sometimes that goes slowly. The app is available on virtually every platform: web, iOS, Android, Windows, macOS and even Linux. You don’t see that often.
Who is TickTick actually for?
TickTick is ideal for people who want to manage their entire productivity system in one app. Think of freelancers who want to track their projects, daily tasks and personal habits without having to switch between apps.
Students also find what they’re looking for. The combination of task lists for assignments, a calendar view for deadlines and the Pomodoro timer for focus sessions during exam weeks? That works well.
Who is it less suitable for? If you like minimalist, beautifully designed apps, you’ll probably frown. TickTick’s design feels dated. Not ugly, but not exactly inspiring either. Things 3 users will shudder.
And if you mainly collaborate in teams? Then there are better options. The collaboration features are there, but feel like an afterthought. Asana or ClickUp are much stronger in that area.
TickTick features
Let’s look at what you actually get when you open TickTick:
- Voice Input – Je kunt taken insprekken in plaats van typen. Handig als je onderweg bent of je handen vol hebt. De herkenning werkt redelijk, al moet je soms even corrigeren. Niet zo geavanceerd als Siri of Google Assistant, maar wel bruikbaar.
- Pomodoro Timer – Dit is waar TickTick echt uitblinkt. De timer zit geïntegreerd in elke taak. Start een sessie van 25 minuten, werk gefocust, neem een pauze. De app houdt bij hoeveel Pomodoro’s je per dag doet. Voor mensen die worstelen met focussen is dit goud waard.
- Habit Tracker – Wil je dagelijks sporten, meer water drinken of een uur lezen? Maak er een gewoonte van en vink af wanneer je het doet. Je ziet streaks, statistieken en patronen. Het motiveert om die streak niet te breken. Simpel maar effectief.
- Calendar View – Hier zie je je taken op een tijdlijn. Je kunt taken naar specifieke tijdslots slepen en zo je dag plannen. Time blocking in de praktijk. Dit is een van de meest gewaardeerde features, vooral voor mensen die hun dag minutieus willen inplannen.
- Smart Lists – Automatische lijsten op basis van filters. Alle taken met hoge prioriteit, of alles wat vandaag af moet, of taken die je hebt toegewezen aan een specifiek project. Je hoeft niet handmatig te sorteren, de app doet het voor je.
- Kanban View – Voor de visuele denkers. Sleep taken van ‘Te doen’ naar ‘Bezig’ naar ‘Klaar’. Werkt vooral goed voor projecten met meerdere fases. Denk aan het schrijven van een artikel: research, eerste versie, revisie, publiceren.
- Eisenhower Matrix – Deel je taken in op basis van urgentie en belangrijkheid. Urgent én belangrijk? Doe het nu. Belangrijk maar niet urgent? Plan het in. Dit helpt om te focussen op wat ertoe doet in plaats van alleen maar te reageren op wat dringend lijkt.
- White Noise – Achtergrondgeluiden om je te helpen concentreren. Regen, koffiebar, natuurgeluiden. Niet uniek, maar wel handig dat het geïntegreerd is. Je hoeft niet naar een aparte app te switchen.
The calendar view deserves extra attention. This is where TickTick distinguishes itself from competitors like Todoist. You don’t just see when something is due, but you can also plan exactly when you’re going to work on it. So not just “this needs to be done Friday”, but “Friday from 2:00 PM to 3:30 PM I’ll work on this”. That difference is bigger than you think.
The Pomodoro timer is also exceptionally well implemented. You can set how long your focus sessions and breaks last, how many sessions you want to do before taking a longer break, and the app tracks everything. After a week you see patterns: when are you most productive? How many Pomodoros do you average per day? Those insights are valuable.
TickTick pricing
The free version is surprisingly generous. You get up to 9 lists, 99 tasks per list, and 19 subtasks per task. For many people, that’s enough to get started. You can also use the Pomodoro timer and track habits, albeit with limited statistics.
But the limitations feel arbitrary. One attachment per day? That’s just annoying. And no access to calendar views in the free version is a missed opportunity, because that’s exactly where TickTick excels.
Premium costs $1.99 per month if you pay monthly. If you go for an annual subscription, you pay $1.99 per year, which comes down to $1 per month. So you save about $1 per year with an annual subscription.
Is it worth it? Compared to Todoist (which costs $1 per month with an annual subscription), TickTick is slightly cheaper and offers more features. The calendar view, Pomodoro timer, and habit tracker come free with it. With Todoist, you have to turn to external integrations for some of those features.
There’s a 7-day free trial. Enough to test if it fits you, but not so long that you really get used to all the premium features. Smart of them, less convenient for you.
For Dutch users: $1 per month is about €2.80. Not much, but it adds up if you have multiple subscriptions. And you can’t share the subscription with your family, so everyone pays separately.
What should you watch out for?
The interface design is dated. Not broken, but not beautiful either. If you’re used to the sleek, minimalist designs of Things 3 or Notion, TickTick feels cluttered. There are many buttons, many options, many menus. Functional? Yes. Inspiring? No.
Synchronization with external calendars is slow. Connect your Google Calendar? Expect delays of up to 15 minutes before changes come through. That’s frustrating when you want to work in real-time. You make an appointment in Google Calendar and only see it in TickTick fifteen minutes later. Not ideal.
The collaboration tools are basic. You can share lists with others and assign tasks, but it feels like a feature that was tacked on later. No comments, no discussions, no real project management capabilities. For personal use that’s not a problem, but for teams it’s too limited.
Natural Language Processing works poorly. With Todoist you can type “call Jan next Tuesday at 2:00 PM” and the app understands it. With TickTick you have to manually set the date and time. That takes time and breaks your flow. Small frustration, but if you add dozens of tasks daily, you notice it.
And then the limited integrations. Yes, there are some connections with other apps, but don’t expect a list of 50 options like with Zapier or Make. The integrations that exist do work, but the selection is limited. Do you use many different tools in your workflow? Then it becomes a puzzle.
What do others think?
The general sentiment is positive. People especially appreciate the all-in-one approach. Finally one app for tasks, habits and focus instead of three different subscriptions. The calendar view is mentioned time and again as a favorite. Time blocking just works well.
The free version gets a lot of praise. Compared to competitors, TickTick offers more functionality without paying. That makes the barrier to start low.
But that dated interface keeps coming back in reviews. People don’t necessarily find it ugly, but they do find it outdated. It feels like an app from 2015 that hasn’t really been refreshed since. Functionality over form, but sometimes you just want something to look good.
The slow calendar synchronization irritates many users. If you want to use TickTick as a central hub and import everything from other calendars, you’ll run into delays. That breaks the idea of one central place for everything.
And the natural language processing? People switching from Todoist really miss that. It feels like a step backward to have to set everything up manually. Small things make the difference in daily use.
TickTick alternatives
Doesn’t this fit quite right? These are the alternatives:
- Todoist – Betere natural language processing en veel meer integraties met andere apps. Kies hiervoor als je snel taken wilt toevoegen met tekstherkenning en veel andere apps in je workflow gebruikt.
- Microsoft To Do – Volledig gratis en eenvoudiger, maar met minder functies dan TickTick. Kies hiervoor als je al in het Microsoft-ecosysteem zit en een simpele, gratis oplossing zoekt zonder gedoe.
- Things 3 – Eenmalige aankoop en superieur design, maar alleen beschikbaar voor Apple-apparaten. Kies hiervoor als je een Apple-gebruiker bent die houdt van minimalistisch design en geen abonnement wilt betalen.
Frequently asked questions
What’s the difference between the free and Premium version?
With Premium you get full calendar views, unlimited lists and tasks, extensive statistics for your habits, and you can collaborate with more people. The free version is limited to 9 lists, 99 tasks per list, and 1 attachment per day. For serious use, you need Premium.
Does TickTick work offline too?
Yes, you can add, edit, and check off tasks offline. As soon as you have connection again, everything syncs automatically. Handy when you’re on the go or working in areas with poor connection.
Can I share my subscription with my family?
No, a Premium subscription is tied to one account. You can share lists with others for collaboration, but everyone who wants to use premium features must have their own subscription. Too bad, because family subscriptions would make the price more attractive.
Conclusion
TickTick is the Swiss Army knife among productivity apps. Everything is included, it works on every platform, and the price is fair. For $1 per month you get more than with most competitors.
But it’s not a perfect tool. The design is dated, synchronization can be slow, and the natural language processing feels outdated. If you love beautifully designed apps, this won’t make you happy.
Choose TickTick if you want one app for all your productivity needs and functionality is more important to you than aesthetics. The combination of tasks, calendar, habits, and focus timer in one package is powerful. Especially the calendar view and Pomodoro timer make it worthwhile.
Choose against TickTick if you’re looking for a minimalistic, beautifully designed app, or if you collaborate a lot in teams. There are better options then.
Personally? I still use it daily. Not because it’s the prettiest app, but because it works. And ultimately, that’s what matters.
