The Best To-Do List Apps for 2021 | PCMag

The Best To-Do List Apps for 2021 ; Best for Productivity Enthusiasts. Todoist · Todoist ; Best for Workflow Management. Asana Logo · Asana ; Best for GTD on Apple ... PCMageditorsselectandreviewproductsindependently.Ifyoubuythroughaffiliatelinks,wemayearncommissions,whichhelpsupportourtesting.Learnmore. Home BestProducts Productivity To-DoListApps By JillDuffy Updated June4,2021 facebook twitter flipboard socialshare Flipboard Pinterest Reddit LinkedIn Email Copied Error! CopyLink https://www.pcmag.com/picks/the-best-to-do-list-apps Comments Our10TopPicks BestforProductivityEnthusiasts 5.0 Exemplary Todoist $3PerMonth  atTodoist SeeIt WithasuperbUI,appsforeverymainstreamplatform,andcollaborationsupport,Todoististhenumberoneto-dolistappandaclearEditors'Choicewinner. Pros Cross-platformsupportwitheffortless,reliablesyncing Excellentfeatures,suchasnaturallanguageinputandproductivityreports Efficientinterface Collaborationfeatures Worksoffline Cons Afewimportantfeaturesnotavailabletofreeusers ReadOurTodoistReview Pros&Cons BestforWorkflowManagement 4.5 Outstanding Asana Available  atAsana CheckPrice Asanaisanexcellentcollaborationtoolthathelpsteamsmanageallkindsoftasks.Althoughitmaybeconfusingatfirst,itsflexibilityandvastcapabilitiesarewellworththeeffortittakestogetstarted. Pros Flexible,fast,andmoderndesign Capablefreeversion Feature-rich Timelineviewmakesiteasiertomanagedependencies Cons Notidealforgraphics-intensivework Pricesslightlyhigherthancompetitors' ReadOurAsanaReview Pros&Cons BestforGTDonAppleDevices 3.5 Good OmniFocus3 $49.99  atApple.com SeeIt Nowinversion3,OmniFocusisapowerful,albeitpricey,to-doappforMacandiOS,andagoodoptionaslongasyou'reworkingsolo.It'swellsuitedforpeoplewhofollowGTD,too. Pros DesignedforGTD. Greatfeatures. Canaddalotofdetailtotasks. Cons Nocollaboration. Highprice. NotavailableforWindowsorAndroid. ReadOurOmniFocus3Review Pros&Cons BestforInuitiveDesign 3.5 Good RemembertheMilk Free;OffersIn-AppPurchases  atApple.com SeeIt RemembertheMilkisacapableto-do-listappwithsomesharingoptionsincludedatnocost,makingitgoodforhouseholduse.TheProversionunlocksextrafeaturesbutisontheexpensiveside. Pros Includessomecollaborationoptionsinfreeversion. Goodarrayoffeatures,someunique. Worksoffline. Supportedonmanyplatforms. Cons Requiresmoremanualinputthanotherto-do-listapps. Proversioncomparativelyexpensive. Nolocation-basedreminders. ReadOurRemembertheMilkReview Pros&Cons BestforPomodoroTechnique 3.5 Good TickTick Free;OffersIn-AppPurchases  atApple.com SeeIt Thefeature-richTickTickisagoodto-doappwithsomeneatfeaturesthatwillappealtoGTDadherents.Thefreeversionhastightrestrictions,sobepreparedtopayforthepremiumupgrade. Pros Collaborative. Richwithfeatures. Supportswiderangeofplatforms. IncludesfeaturesusefulforGTD. Cons Unusualrestrictionsonbothfreeandpaidaccounts. Nofreetrial. Somefeaturesdon'tworkasexpected. ReadOurTickTickReview Pros&Cons BestforAppleUsers 3.5 Good Things3 $9.99  atApple.com SeeIt Canasuperblydesignedinterfacefortaskmanagementmakeupforthelackofkeyfeatures?Withto-dolistappThings3,it'salegitimatepossibility. Pros Well-designedapp. Cleaninterface. One-timepurchaseratherthansubscription. Cons Nocollaborationfeatures,location-basedreminders,orwebapp. OnlycompatiblewithAppleproducts. Nofreeversion. ReadOurThings3Review Pros&Cons BestforGTD 3.5 Good Toodledo Free;OffersIn-AppPurchases  atApple.com SeeIt There'snodenyingToodledo'spower,oritslonglistoffeatures.Butittakesalotofcustomizationandlearningtogettheapptoworkthewayyouwant. Pros Strongfeatureset. IncludessomefeaturesforGTDfollowers. Treatsnotes,habits,lists,andoutlinesasseparatefromtasks. Cons Paidtiersofservicehavemanylimitations. Collaborationonlypossibleamongpayingmembers. Uglyinterface. ReadOurToodledoReview Pros&Cons BestforSimpleStreamsofList 3.5 Good Workflowy $0.00  atApple.com SeeIt ListmakerswillloveWorkFlowyforitssimpleelegance,andwhileithassomecapabilitiestoserveasacollaborativeto-doapp,itcomesupshort. Pros Simpleandelegantlist-makingapp. Excellentimplementationofnestedlists. Easytorearrangeitems. Cons Noduedates,reminders,recurringsettings,orcalendarintegration. RequiresProaccountforDropboxbackupandpasswordprotection. ReadOurWorkflowyReview Pros&Cons BestforBuildingHabits 3.0 Average Any.do Free  atChromeWebStore SeeIt Any.do'suniquefeaturesandsupportformanyplatformsmaydrawyouin,buttheuserexperienceisn'tbutterysmooth. Pros Appsforallmajorplatforms. Lightandairydesign. Interestingspecialfeatures. Cons Highlyvariablequalityinfeaturesanduserexperienceacrossapps. Restrictivefreeversion. Discrepanciesinadvertisedpricing. Nonaturallanguageinput. ReadOurAny.doReview Pros&Cons BestforOutlookTasksIntegration 3.0 Average MicrosoftToDo Free  atMicrosoftStore SeeIt MicrosofthasaddedmorefeaturestoToDosinceitsinitialrelease,buttheproductivitytoolstilllagsbehindthecompetition.Betteralternativesabound. Pros SyncswithOutlookTasks Somesolid,basicto-dolistfeatures Free Cons Nonaturallanguageinput,priorityratings,customviews,oradvancedsearch Can'tadddetailstosubtasks ReadOurMicrosoftToDoReview Pros&Cons Pros&Cons CompareSpecs WhyUseaTo-DoListAppandNotPenandPaper?There'snothingwrongwithapaperto-dolist,butgoingdigitalhasbenefits.Paperisfineifyouenjoywritingbyhand,crossingofftasksininkorpencil,anddrawingarrowstoshowwhenprioritiesanddeadlineschange.Ato-dolistappletsyouwrite,organize,andreprioritizeyourtasksmoreefficiently.Theyalsoletyouattachnotes,links,andfilestoatask,andmanyletyouseewhensomeoneelsehascompletedatask.Inmanyways,agoodto-doappistheultimateproductivityapp.HowWeChoosetheBestTo-DoListAppsTo-dolistappsareadimeadozen,andfewofthemstandoutasbeingmuchbetterthanothers.Forexample,thereareplentyofappsthatareexcellentforAndroidoriPhone,buttheydoyounogoodwhenyou'reworkingonalaptopandneedtojotdownathoughtquicklywithoutpickingupyourphoneandlosingyourplace. YouCanTrustOurReviews Since1982,PCMaghastestedandratedthousandsofproductstohelpyoumakebetterbuyingdecisions. (Readoureditorialmission.) Todoist'smobileapp That'swhyforthislist,weonlyincludeappsthatyoucanaccessonbothdesktopandmobiledevices.Afterevaluatingaround25possiblecontenders,wetestedandevaluatedthemandselectedthehighest-scoringappstolisthere.Oneofthemajorpointsofconsiderationwhentestingandscoringishowwelltheseappshelpyouorganizeandstayontopofyourtasks.Wealsoconsidercollaboration,meaningtheabilitytoshareato-dolistwithotherpeople,thoughweseeitasabonusfeatureandnotarequirementtobeincluded. Wealsolookedforappsthatfitdifferentuserprofiles,suchaspeoplewhofollowtheGettingThingsDone(GTD)methodoforganization(OmniFocus3andToodledoaregoodchoices),orthosewhopreferwritingdowntasksusingastreamofconsciousness(Workflowyistheappthatfitsthebillthere).Oneofthemostpopularto-dolistapps,Wunderlist,wasacquiredbyMicrosoftin2015andtakenoutofcommissionfiveyearslater.Microsoft'sstatedambitionwastobuildareplacementappforWunderlistfromthegroundup,cloningallitsbestfeaturesintheprocess.Thenewapp,MicrosoftToDo,franklytooktoolongtocometomarketandarrivedhalfbaked,butithasimprovednoticeablysinceitsdebutandmaybeagoodoptionforpeoplewhouseotherMicrosoftapps. MicrosoftToDo WhattoLookforinaTo-DoListAppThereareafewqualitiestolookforinato-doapp.Thetopthreeare:design,toolsformanagingandorganizingyourtasks,andcollaborationoption.sDesignisextraimportantinthiscategoryofappsbecauseyouenduplookingatyourto-dolistappoften.Howareyougoingtogetanythingdoneifyoucan'tstandlookingatyouruglyapp?Agooddesignalsoallowstheapptofeelintuitivesoyoucanwritedownthingsthatcometomindquickly.Everyto-dolistappcomeswithtoolsandfeaturesfororganizingyourtasksandlists,andinanidealworld,thesefeaturesmatchupwiththewayyouthink.Forexample,ifyouareahighlyvisualperson,youmightfindthatcolor-codingyourlistsortaskstoshowpriorityisimportant.Ifyouareadeadline-orientedperson,you'llwantanappthatsortsyourtasksbyduedateandorshowstheminacalendarview.Ifyou'reforgetful,youmightwantanappthatsendsyouremindersondifferentdevices.Asforcollaboration,it'salwayshandytohavetheoptiontoshareato-dolist.Forhomeuse,acollaborativeto-dolistmeansyoucanassignchorestootherpeopleortrackwhensomeonehaspurchaseditemsoffasharedshoppinglist.Inbusinesssettings,collaborativetask-managementmakesworkingtogethereasierandmoretransparent.TheBestFreeTo-DoListAppSeveralofthebestto-dolistappshavearobustfreetierofservice.Ofthem,ourfavoritesareAsanaandTodoist.Asanamaybetoofree-formforsomepeople'stastes.Todoisthasmoreinherentstructure.AnotherverygoodfreeappisRemembertheMilk.It'salittlemoreold-schoolinsomerespectscomparedwiththeotherappsonthislist,butit'sverycapableandreliable.It'salsohighlyintuitive.Youcanfigureoutalltheinsandoutsofthisappinminutes.Manyoftheotherto-doappsonthislistareexcellent,buttheirfreeversionsarequitelimitedcomparedwiththepoweroftheirpaidversions. Asana'scollaborationfeatures TheBestTo-DoListAppForTeamsItshouldcomeasnosurprisethatourtoppicksforteamsarealsotheEditors'Choices:TodoistPremium(meaningthepaidversion)andAsanaPremium,Business,orEnterprise.Todoistworksbestamongsmallgroupsofpeopleorganizingrelativelyuncomplicatedtasks,whereasAsanaisbetterformanagingmorein-depthteamwork,thekindofworkthatchangesbetweenmanyhandsandpassesthroughalotofphasesbeforeit'scomplete. OmniFocus3 To-DoListsvs.ProjectManagementAnongoingchallengeintheworldofsoftwareisdecidingwhatgetsclassifiedasaprojectmanagementappandwhatfitsintoothercategories,suchasto-dolistappsandwork-managementapps.Wetaketheviewthatprojectmanagementappsmustbedesignedtospecificallymanageproject-basedworkandofferGanttcharts.Project-basedworkmeansaseriesoftasksthathasastartdate,enddate,anddeliverable.Buildingahouseisaproject.Sendingarockettothemoonisaproject.Answeringsupportemails,however,isaseriesofongoingtasksandnotaproject. Occasionally,weencounteranappthatstraddlesmorethanonecategory.Here,Asanaisthatapp.Itnowincludestoolsfortraditionalprojectmanagement,butitalsoworksperfectlywellasato-dolistapp.Overall,projectmanagementappsandcollaborativeto-doappsservethesamegeneralpurposebutatamuchdifferentscale.Theybothkeeptrackofwhatneedstogetdone,when,andbywhom.Theyhelppeoplemanagetimemoreefficientlyandregulatehowmanytasksareassignedtoeachpersononateam.Projectmanagementappshelplargegroupsofpeoplejuggleschedules,resources,andbudgetsinawaythatto-dolistappscan't.To-doappsaresimplerandcostlessthanprojectmanagementsoftware.Formanytypesofworkto-doappsareabetterfit.UseYourTo-DoListtoGetOrganizedHavingagreatto-dolistappcanhelpyougetorganizedandgetmoredone,whetheryouwanttomanagepersonaltasksorthoseofafamilyorsmallteam.Ato-doappisonlyasusefulastheinformationyouputintoit,soinadditiontopickingtherightapp,youmightalsowanttoperusethesetipsforcreatingbetterto-dolists.Ifyou'relookingtoshareto-dos,youmightalsowanttolookatourstoryonhowtomakeafamilyto-dolistandcalendar. Advertisement CompareSpecsTheBestTo-DoListAppsfor2021 OurPicks Todoist SeeIt $3PerMonth atTodoist Asana CheckPrice OmniFocus3 SeeIt $49.99 atApple.com RemembertheMilk SeeIt Free;OffersIn-AppPurchases atApple.com TickTick SeeIt Free;OffersIn-AppPurchases atApple.com Things3 SeeIt $9.99 atApple.com Toodledo SeeIt Free;OffersIn-AppPurchases atApple.com Workflowy SeeIt $0.00 atApple.com Any.do SeeIt Free atChromeWebStore MicrosoftToDo SeeIt Free atMicrosoftStore Editors'Rating Editors'Choice 5.0 EditorReview Editors'Choice 4.5 EditorReview 3.5 EditorReview 3.5 EditorReview 3.5 EditorReview 3.5 EditorReview 3.5 EditorReview 3.5 EditorReview 3.0 EditorReview 3.0 EditorReview FreeVersionAvailable RecurringTasks CollaborationFeatures CollaborationinFreeVersion Location-BasedReminders WheretoBuy $3PerMonth atTodoist   Free atAsana   VisitSite atAsana   $49.99 atApple.com   Free;OffersIn-AppPurchases atApple.com   Free;OffersIn-AppPurchases atApple.com   $9.99 atApple.com   Free;OffersIn-AppPurchases atApple.com   $0.00 atApple.com   Free atChromeWebStore   Free atMicrosoftStore   LikeWhatYou'reReading? 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Signupforothernewsletters DigDeeperWithRelatedStories TodoistReview 5.0 Editors'Choice TeamworkReview 4.5 Editors'Choice GetMoreDone:TryThese10SimpleTipsforBetterTo-DoLists By JillDuffy SwappingMicrosoftWordforGoogleDocs?8SimpleTipstoHelpYouGetStarted By JasonCohen PCMagStoriesYou’llLike Editors'Choice AboutJillDuffy JillDuffyisthedeputymanagingeditoroftheSoftwareteamatPCMag.Shehasbeenwritingforandcontributingtothesitesince2011,coveringproductivityappsandsoftware,aswellastechnologiesforhealthandfitness.ShewritestheGetOrganizedcolumn,withtipsonhowtoleadabetterdigitallife.HerlatestbookisTheEverythingGuidetoRemoteWork.FollowheronTwitterorgetintouchontheJillDuffycontactpage. ReadthelatestfromJillDuffy TheBestOnlineCollaborationSoftwarefor2022 TheBestWritingAppsfor2022 TheBestBusinessMessagingAppsfor2022 TheBestProjectManagementSoftwarefor2022 TheBestMeal-KitDeliveryServicesfor2022 MorefromJillDuffy CompareSpecsTheBestTo-DoListAppsfor2021