TickTick is a comprehensive productivity app with habit tracker and Pomodoro timer. Google Tasks is a minimalist task list that works seamlessly with Gmail and Google Calendar. The choice depends on your needs: do you want one app with all productivity tools, or a simple task list that disappears into your existing workflow?
TickTick in brief
TickTick combines task lists with a calendar, focus timer and habit tracker in one interface. The app offers different views like Kanban boards and the Eisenhower Matrix for prioritization. With natural language input you quickly create tasks by simply typing “meeting tomorrow 2:00 PM”. TickTick works on virtually all platforms, including Linux. The free plan has limitations: maximum 9 lists, 99 tasks per list and no calendar view. For full functionality you pay €3 per month with an annual subscription.
Google Tasks in brief
Google Tasks is a free task list that appears as a sidebar in Gmail, Google Calendar, and other Google apps. You drag emails directly to your task list and schedule tasks as time blocks in your calendar. The interface is deliberately minimalist: lists, tasks, subtasks, and due dates. Nothing more. There are no tags, no filters, and no advanced views. The app syncs between web, Android, and iOS, but has no native desktop application. Google Tasks is completely free with no limits on number of tasks or lists.
TickTick vs Google Tasks: the differences
The biggest difference is in the philosophy. TickTick wants to be a complete productivity system where you plan your day, track habits, and work focused with the Pomodoro timer. Google Tasks wants to be invisible: a digital notepad that’s always within reach when you’re already working in Gmail or Calendar.
You see that philosophy reflected in the features. TickTick has smart lists that automatically filter tasks by tags, priority, or context. You can give tasks a time duration and schedule them as blocks in your calendar. The Eisenhower Matrix helps you distinguish what’s urgent from what’s important. The built-in habit tracker monitors whether you’re meeting your daily goals, complete with streaks and heatmaps. And when you need to focus, you start the Pomodoro timer with optional background sounds.
Google Tasks doesn’t have any of this. No tags, no filters, no timers. What it does have is perfect integration with the Google ecosystem. Drag an email to Tasks? The link to that email is preserved. Schedule a task in Calendar? It appears directly as a time block. Use Google Assistant or Gemini? You create tasks with your voice or have AI generate them from other documents. This workflow is unbeatable fast if you’re already spending your whole day in Google apps.
Platform support differs too. TickTick has native apps for Windows, Mac, and Linux, plus mobile apps and a web app. Google Tasks only has mobile apps and a web app that you open through the sidebar in other Google services. Do you work a lot offline on your laptop? Then you’ll miss a full-fledged desktop app with Google Tasks.
The free versions differ enormously. With Google Tasks, everything is free with no limits. With TickTick, you’re limited to a maximum of 9 lists, 99 tasks per list, 19 subtasks per task, and only 1 attachment per day. More importantly: the calendar view, smart lists, and habit tracker are only available in the premium subscription. For many users, TickTick’s free plan is too limited for serious use.
Collaboration is limited with both tools. TickTick lets you share lists with others who can then add or check off tasks. Google Tasks has no direct sharing function, unless you have a paid Google Workspace account. For real team collaboration, both tools are too simple.
Price comparison
Google Tasks is completely free. No hidden costs, no premium tier, no limits on number of tasks or lists. The only paid features are in Google Workspace subscriptions for businesses, but you don’t need those as an individual.
TickTick has a free plan with strict limits. For full access to all features, you pay € 3 per month with an annual subscription, or € 3,99 per month if you pay monthly. That’s € 36 to € 48 per year for features you get for free with many competitors, like a calendar view. On the other hand, you do get a habit tracker, Pomodoro timer, and advanced filters that Google Tasks simply doesn’t have.
The question is whether you’re paying for functionality you need, or for functionality that’s nice to have. Do you really need a built-in focus timer, or do you use a separate app anyway? Do you need to track habits in the same app as your tasks, or does a dedicated habit tracker work better? For some, TickTick Premium is worth every euro. For others, it’s feature bloat you’re paying for.
Conclusion
Choose Google Tasks if you live in the Google ecosystem and want a simple, free task list that integrates perfectly with Gmail and Calendar. The tool does little, but what it does works flawlessly. Choose TickTick if you want one app for all your productivity needs: tasks, calendar, habits, and focus sessions. You pay for that all-in-one functionality, but you do get a complete system. For users who value simplicity and being free of cost, Google Tasks wins. For power users who are willing to pay for advanced features, TickTick wins.
