What is Todoist?
Todoist has been around forever, so it's stable and does exactly what you expect a to-do list to do which is why it's our top pick.
When we tested it, the most noticeable thing was how quick it was to get things from brain to app. You type something like "submit report Friday at 5pm," hit enter, and move on. No friction, no overthinking, which is honestly what most people need. Or even better, their Ramble feature allows you to just list off everything on your mind and it uses AI to intelligently separately them into different tasks. I have Todoist on my phone and can't help but use Ramble when my brain is overloaded.
It's best for individuals managing their personal life who want a bit more structure than Apple Notes or pen and paper. Just about anyone could download Todoist and get the hang of it within 5 minutes, even your mom or grandma! But with that said, once you start expecting more, like planning your day visually or managing collaborative projects, you start to feel its limits pretty quick.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Easy to learn
- Reliable and stable
- Lots of integrations
- Strong organization with projects, labels, and priorities
- Extremely fast task capture with natural language input via Ramble
Cons
- Basic. If you want something more proactive and handles off, it may feel too simple
- Time blocking and calendar features feel secondary
Key Features
Task Management
You can set due dates, reminders, and recurring tasks easily, which makes it great for routines. I’ve used it for things like weekly check-ins or simple habits, and it’s dependable.
Organization + Time Blocking
A big part of staying organized is having a structure that doesn't overwhelm you. Being able to organize tasks into projects, add labels, set priorities, and switch between list, board, or calendar views (on paid plans) is simple enough to keep you on track without adding to your cognitive load.
Time blocking is a feature many people who are looking for a task manager love to see, and over the years, Todoist has received some pushback from its customers to build a calendar view that allows for task time blocking.
Right now, you're only able to carve out time/tasks with time blocking through the paid plans, but even if you do that, the feature is still subpar. So if you want to enjoy increased productivity, we'd recommend looking elsewhere, and we'd point you toward newer daily planner apps that do task management and time management really well.
Ramble
Honestly, I love this feature. You can add tasks quickly by just speaking out things like "buy Oatly, honey, do laundry, call mom, get dress for June wedding". It separates out each task for you.
This feature helps me most before bed when my brain is still overloaded. I turn on ramble and brain dump, and then it creates tasks for me. This is the only thing that makes my brain relax (I also do this in ChatGPT at times when I'm more so circling thoughts rather than tasks).
Pricing
- Beginner: Free. Best for individuals looking to manage and organize their personal lives.
- Pro: $7 monthly ($60 yearly). Best for project-oriented individuals trying to find their work-life balance within task management.
- Business: $10 monthly ($96 yearly). Best for small teams who need a dedicated workspace to assign projects and unify team billing.