# Todoist vs TickTick

Pick Todoist if you want the list on its own: projects, labels and filters. Pick TickTick if you want a calendar, habit tracker and Pomodoro timer beside your list. Both publish plan limits and offer an API, a CLI and an MCP server. Done Bear is a local-first task manager that keeps GTD structure on every platform.

Last updated September 23, 2026 · Matthew Blode

## Key takeaways

- Todoist and TickTick both ship apps for Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS and Android.
- TickTick bundles a calendar, habit tracker, Pomodoro timer and Eisenhower matrix beside the list.
- Todoist’s free Beginner plan allows 5 active personal projects, 3 filters and one week of history.
- TickTick generates a backup from the web app only, never from iOS or Android.
- Every Todoist plan caps a project at 300 active tasks and 20 sections.

## How Todoist and TickTick compare

Every cell comes from Todoist’s or TickTick’s own documentation, listed under sources. Where a number is not published by the vendor, the cell says so rather than guessing.

| Criterion | Todoist | TickTick |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Apps | Linux, Mac, Windows, iPhone, iPad, Android, Apple Watch, WearOS, browser extensions and email add-ons | iOS and iPadOS, Android, Windows, macOS, Linux, a browser extension and the web app |
| What sits next to the list | Projects, labels and filters, with capture through browser extensions and email add-ons | A calendar, habit tracker, Pomodoro timer and Eisenhower matrix, plus Kanban and timeline views |
| Published free-plan limits | 5 active personal projects, 3 filters, one week of activity history, 5 people per personal project | 9 lists, 99 tasks per list, 2 members, 5 habits |
| Caps on the paid plan | Every plan: 300 active tasks and 20 sections per project | Premium: 299 lists, 999 tasks per list, 29 members |
| Price | Beginner free, Pro $7 a month or $60 a year, Business $10 per user per month or $8 billed yearly | Free, or Premium at US$49.99 a year |
| Getting your data out | One project as CSV on any plan; Pro and Business download a ZIP of one CSV per active project | Generate Backup, from the web app only, under avatar, Settings, Account, Backup and Import |
| What an export leaves behind | Completed tasks and archived projects are in neither export route | A backup is a point-in-time file with no link back to the account |
| Moving between the two | Imports a CSV per project, formatted to Todoist’s column spec | Imports Todoist under Settings, Integrations and Import, on web, iOS and Android |
| API, CLI and MCP | API v1 for tasks and projects, plus an official CLI and hosted MCP | Open API for tasks, lists, tags, habits and focus records, plus an official CLI and hosted MCP |

Last updated 23 September 2026.

## Who should pick which

### Choose Todoist for a focused list

Todoist is the pick when the task list has to stay a task list: projects, labels and filters, with nothing else beside them. The free Beginner plan allows 5 active personal projects, 3 filters and one week of activity history, against 300 projects, 150 filters and full history on Pro.

### Choose TickTick for a calendar, habits and a timer in one app

TickTick is the pick when you would rather run one app than four. Its features page lists a calendar with multiple view modes, a habit tracker, a Pomodoro timer and an Eisenhower matrix beside the list, along with Kanban and timeline views. If you already pay for a habit tracker and a timer, folding them into the task manager is a real saving in money and in attention.

### Choose neither if these are your constraints

Neither app is the answer if your constraint is offline speed, GTD views you never configure, or shared projects that leave a personal Today list personal. Todoist’s free tier runs out at 5 projects, and TickTick can only produce a backup from the web app, so an account you use on a phone has no export route on the phone. Those are the gaps the next section covers.

## Where Done Bear fits in this comparison

Done Bear is a local-first GTD task manager, with no habit tracker or timer. It is for the reader who wants Things-style structure without an Apple-only app or a bundle of tools.

- Five views (Inbox, Today, Upcoming, Anytime, Someday) plus a Logbook, on web, macOS, Windows, Linux and iOS.
- Tasks live on device and render without a network round trip, with sync running in the background.
- Shared workspaces on every plan, Free included, while personal views stay personal.
- A CLI, a GraphQL API and a hosted MCP server, so an assistant can capture and triage with scoped permission.

Done Bear is free to start, up to 250 tasks with unlimited workspace members, then from $7 per month per member billed yearly. See [pricing](/pricing) for the rest.

### Export and import guides

- [How to export your Todoist data](/guides/how-to-export-your-todoist-data)
- [How to export your TickTick data](/guides/how-to-export-your-ticktick-data)
- [How a Todoist migration runs](/migrate/todoist)

## When you might not need this

You might not need this. If the habit tracker and the Pomodoro timer are why you open TickTick every morning, Done Bear does not replace them. If your team runs on Todoist projects with assignees and years of integrations, the migration is real work. Stay where you are until the constraint bites.

## Frequently asked questions

### Is Todoist better than TickTick?

Neither wins outright. Todoist is better if you want the list to stay a list. TickTick is better if a calendar, a habit tracker and a Pomodoro timer belong in the same app as your tasks. Both run on the same desktop and mobile platforms.

### How many projects does the free Todoist plan allow?

Five. Todoist’s usage limits article puts the free Beginner plan at 5 active personal projects, 3 filters, one week of activity history and 5 people per personal project, against 300 projects, 150 filters and full history on Pro. Two caps apply on every plan: 300 active tasks and 20 sections per project.

### How do I export my data from TickTick?

From the web app only. TickTick documents backup generation behind your avatar in the top left, under Settings, then Account, then Backup and Import, then Generate Backup. Neither the iOS app nor the Android app can produce a backup file, so a phone-only TickTick account needs a browser to get its data out.

### Can TickTick import my Todoist projects?

Yes, in that direction. TickTick documents Todoist imports under Settings, then Integrations and Import, and lists Todoist among the services it accepts on the web, on iOS and on Android. Going the other way, Todoist imports a CSV per project formatted to its own column spec.

### Which one has a documented API and published limits?

Both. Todoist publishes an API v1 reference for tasks and projects and states its plan limits in a help article. TickTick publishes an open API, an official CLI and a hosted MCP server, and its pricing page lists the limits: 9 lists and 99 tasks per list on Free, 299 lists and 999 tasks per list on Premium.

## Where this information comes from

1. [Todoist, Download Todoist (Todoist ships apps for Linux, Mac, Windows, iPhone, iPad, Android, Apple Watch and WearOS, plus browser extensions and email add-ons)](https://www.todoist.com/downloads)
2. [Todoist, Todoist plans, pricing, and billing FAQ (Beginner is free, Pro is $7 a month or $60 a year, and Business is $10 per user per month or $8 per user per month billed yearly)](https://www.todoist.com/help/articles/todoist-plans-pricing-and-billing-faq-Vq2z0HWL6)
3. [Todoist, Usage limits in Todoist (Beginner allows 5 active personal projects, 3 filters, one week of activity history and 5 people per personal project, and every plan caps a project at 300 active tasks and 20 sections)](https://www.todoist.com/help/articles/usage-limits-in-todoist-e5rcSY)
4. [Todoist, Import or export a project as a CSV file in Todoist (CSV export and import run one project at a time and leave out completed tasks)](https://www.todoist.com/help/articles/import-or-export-a-project-as-a-csv-file-in-todoist-YC8YvN)
5. [Todoist, Download or restore backups in Todoist (Pro and Business backups are ZIP files of active-project CSVs, excluding completed tasks and archived projects)](https://www.todoist.com/help/articles/download-or-restore-backups-in-todoist-ywaJeQbN)
6. [Todoist, Todoist API v1 reference (a public HTTP API covering tasks and projects)](https://developer.todoist.com/api/v1/)
7. [Doist, todoist-cli (the official td command line for Todoist)](https://github.com/Doist/todoist-cli)
8. [Todoist, Connect Todoist to an AI assistant (hosted MCP at ai.todoist.net/mcp)](https://www.todoist.com/help/todoist/todoist-and-ai/connect-todoist-to-an-ai-assistant-xMSzFfHng)
9. [TickTick, Download TickTick (TickTick ships apps for iOS and iPadOS, Android, Windows, macOS and Linux, plus a browser extension and the web app)](https://ticktick.com/about/download)
10. [TickTick, Features (TickTick lists a calendar with multiple view modes, a habit tracker, a Pomodoro timer and an Eisenhower matrix, plus Kanban and timeline views)](https://ticktick.com/features)
11. [TickTick, Backup and Import (backups are generated on the web version via avatar, Settings, Account, Backup and Import, where you can also import an existing backup)](https://help.ticktick.com/articles/7055781405648748544)
12. [TickTick, Import from other apps (third-party imports sit under Settings, Integrations and Import, and Todoist is accepted on the web, on iOS and on Android)](https://help.ticktick.com/articles/7055781474263367680)
13. [TickTick, Pricing (Free allows 9 lists, 99 tasks per list, 2 members and 5 habits; Premium is US$49.99 a year with 299 lists, 999 tasks per list and 29 members)](https://ticktick.com/about/upgrade)
14. [TickTick, TickTick Developer (an open API with endpoints for tasks, lists, tags, habits and focus records)](https://developer.ticktick.com/)
15. [TickTick, TickTick MCP (hosted MCP at mcp.ticktick.com for tasks, lists, habits, focus records and countdowns)](https://help.ticktick.com/articles/7438129581631995904)
16. [TickTick, TickTick CLI (an official CLI, installed from npm as @ticktick/ticktick-cli)](https://help.ticktick.com/articles/7465251130025443328)

## Related pages

- [Migrate from Todoist to Done Bear](/migrate/todoist)
- [Done Bear vs Todoist](/todoist-alternative)
- [Todoist for Windows](/blog/todoist-for-windows)
- [Done Bear vs TickTick](/ticktick-alternative)
- [Todoist vs Things 3 vs Done Bear](/todoist-vs-things)
- [Todoist vs Things 3 (editorial)](/blog/todoist-vs-things-3)
- [How to export your Todoist data](/guides/how-to-export-your-todoist-data)
- [How to export your TickTick data](/guides/how-to-export-your-ticktick-data)

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