Your inbox is overflowing, your notepad is full of scribbles, and somewhere on your desk lies yet another post-it with something you mustn’t forget. Sound familiar? I used Todoist intensively for three months to see if it really helps tame that chaos. Spoiler: it works, but not for everyone.
Todoist: the company
Todoist has been around since 2007. That’s an eternity in app years. Founded by Amir Salihefendic, who was frustrated by the slow and redundant task managers of the time. He wanted something simple. Something fast. Something that just works.
The company is officially called Doist and has been fully remote – from the beginning. No office, no meeting rooms, just a team spread across the globe. You can see that philosophy reflected in the product: accessible everywhere, always synchronized.
What sets Todoist apart? The focus on speed and simplicity. Where other apps overwhelm you with features, Todoist keeps the core process simple: enter task, organize, check off. That philosophy has attracted millions of users, but also raises questions. Is simple not too simple?
Who is Todoist actually for?
Todoist is ideal for people who want to clear their minds. Freelancers who want to keep their projects organized. Students who need to track deadlines. Teams who want to delegate tasks without installing a project management monster.
But it’s not for everyone. Are you running complex projects with dependencies, Gantt charts and resource planning? Then you’ll quickly hit limitations. Do you want a completely visual overview with kanban boards and timelines? Then you really need to look at Asana or ClickUp.
Also important: Todoist works best if you have discipline. The app doesn’t force you to do anything. No pop-ups screaming for attention. No aggressive notifications. You have to build the habit yourself to check it daily. For some that’s liberating. For others it’s a recipe for forgotten tasks.
Todoist features
Let’s look at what you get. And what you don’t.
- Quick Add with Natural Language Processing – This is the crowning achievement. Type “tomorrow 2:00 PM call Jan #work !p1” and Todoist understands it. The task is automatically scheduled for tomorrow at 2:00 PM, gets the ‘work’ label and priority 1. It feels almost magical and saves a tremendous amount of time.
- Recurring tasks and reminders – Weekly groceries? Monthly invoice sending? Type “every Monday” or “every 1st of the month” and it automatically repeats. Reminders are also available, but only in the paid version. I still think that’s a strange choice.
- Projects, sections and subtasks – You can create projects (for example ‘Renovation’), divide them into sections (‘Kitchen’, ‘Bathroom’) and add subtasks per section. It stays organized, but you have to come up with the structure yourself. The app doesn’t help you with that.
- Priority levels and labels – Four priority levels (from red to no color) and unlimited labels. Useful for filtering. You can, for example, put all ‘urgent’ tasks with the ‘work’ label in one overview. But in the free version your filtering options are limited.
- Todoist Karma – Gamification. Every checked-off task earns points. Streaks motivate you to stay active daily. For some this is childish. For others (like me) it works surprisingly well. There’s something satisfying about those green checkmarks.
- Collaborating and delegating tasks – You can share projects with others and assign tasks. Useful for small teams or families. But don’t expect extensive collaboration tools like comments with mentions or file attachments. That’s included, but it feels basic.
That Natural Language Processing deserves some extra attention. It works in multiple languages, including Dutch. Type “day after tomorrow at half past two” and it understands. “Every Wednesday except in December” is also understood. It’s not perfect – sometimes it interprets something wrong – but 9 out of 10 times it’s correct immediately. For someone who wants to input quickly without clicking through menus, this is worth its weight in gold.
The synchronization also works excellently. Add a task on your phone while you’re in the supermarket? Seconds later it’s on your laptop. In three months I never once experienced tasks disappearing or appearing twice. That sounds obvious, but believe me: not all apps manage this.
Todoist pricing
Todoist has three plans. Free, Pro and Business. The free version gives you access to the basics: 5 active projects, unlimited tasks and subtasks, and the app on all platforms. Sounds reasonable, right?
But then you encounter the limitations. No reminders. No labels. No uploads. And that limit of 5 projects quickly feels tight. Work, personal, shopping, hobby, renovation – done. Want a sixth project? Pay up.
The Pro version costs $1 per month (or $1 per month with annual payment). For that you get 300 active projects, reminders, labels, filters, uploads and themes. For most people this is the plan they need. The question is: is it worth the $1 per year?
Honest answer: it depends. Do you use Todoist daily and does it really help you become more productive? Then $1 per month isn’t much. But there are alternatives. TickTick offers comparable features often for less money. Microsoft To Do is completely free and does 80% of what Todoist does.
The Business version costs $1 per month per user. That’s mainly interesting for teams who want to collaborate with shared projects, admin roles and team reports. For individual users this is overkill.
There’s no free trial period for Pro. There is a 30-day money-back guarantee. That’s something, but I find it strange that you first have to pay to test. Competitors often offer a free trial of 7 or 14 days.
What should you watch out for?
Let’s be honest: Todoist isn’t perfect. The free version increasingly feels like a demo. Five projects is simply too few for serious use. And placing reminders behind a paywall? That’s a basic function that should simply be free.
The calendar view is also only in the paid version. You can see a daily or weekly overview, but no real monthly calendar where you see tasks on dates. For visual thinkers that’s frustrating.
Then the upgrade notifications. You regularly get hints that you “could do more with Pro”. Not pushy, but present. After a while it starts to irritate.
For project management Todoist falls short. No Gantt charts. No dependencies between tasks. No resource management. No time tracking. It’s really a task list, not a project tool. If you’re running complex projects with multiple team members and deadlines that depend on each other, you need to look at something like Asana or Monday.
The collaboration features are also basic. You can assign tasks and place comments, but there’s no real-time collaboration like in Notion. No mentions that trigger notifications. No discussions per task. It works, but it feels 2015.
And while there are many integrations (Slack, Google Calendar, Zapier), some important apps are missing. No native Notion integration. No direct connection with WhatsApp. For power users who want to automate everything that can be a dealbreaker.
What do others think?
The general sentiment is positive. People especially appreciate the speed and reliability. That natural language recognition gets a lot of praise – it really saves time. The interface is praised for its clarity. No unnecessary buttons, no distractions.
The Karma gamification works for many people as motivation. That might sound weird, but that little dopamine kick from a checked-off task and rising points really helps maintain momentum.
But the criticism is consistent. The limited free version is often mentioned as a dealbreaker. People find it strange that reminders are paid – that’s often free with competitors. The limit of 5 projects feels artificial, as if you’re forced to upgrade.
The price is also a frequently heard point. $1 per year for a task list? Some find that fine, others find it too much. Especially when you can get TickTick for less money with more features (built-in calendar, Pomodoro timer, habit tracker).
YouTube reviews are nuanced. Tool Finder points out the value question: do you get enough for your money in 2024? Millie Pham emphasizes that Todoist is perfect for personal use, but not for complex projects. I see that conclusion in other reviews too.
Todoist alternatives
Doesn’t this fit quite right? These are the alternatives:
- TickTick – Offers extras like a built-in calendar, Pomodoro timer and habit tracker. Choose this if you’re looking for an all-in-one productivity app that’s often somewhat cheaper.
- Things 3 – One-time purchase without subscription, but exclusive to Apple devices. Choose this if you want beautiful, minimalist design and are fully in the Apple ecosystem.
- Microsoft To Do – Completely free and deeply integrated with Outlook and Microsoft 365. Choose this if you already work with Microsoft software and are looking for a simple, free solution.
Frequently asked questions
What are the main limitations of the free version?
In the free version you’re limited to 5 active projects and don’t have access to task reminders. Labels, filters and uploads are also behind the paywall. For short use or to test it’s fine, but for serious use you quickly run into limits.
Does Todoist work offline too?
Yes, you can add and manage tasks without an internet connection. The app stores everything locally and automatically synchronizes as soon as you’re online again. I tested this on the train and it works fine – no lost tasks.
Is there an official app for Linux?
Yes, Todoist offers official support for Linux via Snap and AppImage. That’s quite unique – many productivity apps completely ignore Linux. The app works just as well as on Windows or Mac.
Conclusion
Todoist does exactly what it promises: organize your tasks without hassle. That natural language recognition is really good. The synchronization is reliable. The interface is clean. For people who want to clear their minds and are looking for a simple system, it works excellently.
But the free version is too limited. Five projects and no reminders? That feels like an artificial limitation to push you toward Pro. And for $1 per year you often get more features with competitors.
My advice: first try Microsoft To Do if you want a free option. Are you in the Apple ecosystem? Consider Things 3. Want more features for less money? Look at TickTick. But if you specifically want that quick input and reliability of Todoist, and you use it daily, then Pro is worth it.
I still use Todoist. Not because it’s perfect, but because it simply works. And sometimes that’s enough.
