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ProductivityAppsTask Management

What are the best task management apps for personal use?

30

Options
Considered

193

User
Recs.

Mar 25, 2020

Last
Updated

Here’s the Deal

24 Options Considered

Best task management apps for personal use	Price	Platforms	Collaborative
87 Trello	-	Android / iOS / Windows / Web	Yes
84 Informant	$49.99	iOS (iPad/iPhone), macOS, Android	No
-- Todoist	-	Android / iOS / OSX / Windows / Web / Gmail / Outlook / Thunderbird / Kindle / Chrome / Firefox	yes
-- Zenkit	Free / paid	Web, Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iPhone	Yes
-- Toodledo	-	Android / iOS / Web / WatchOS	yes

Trello

Top Pro

Works well for visual thinkers

The UI is based around Kanban, so you can see all your tasks and their status clearly. See More

Top Con

No desktop client

There is no Windows or Mac client now but you can still access all of the features through your web browser. See More

Yanis's Experience

Kanban, baby !! See More

Specs

Platforms:Android / iOS / Windows / Web

Collaborative:Yes

Top Pro

Simple and easy to use interface

There are two primary columns: the board is shown on the left and all the other controls on the right. The main means of interaction is dragging and dropping to-do cards into the various lists. The board structure is very customizable, and includes a variety of features that help along the way: color-coding, due dates, card images, checklists with a graphics bar that allows following progress easily, and card aging for cards that haven’t been touched in a long time. See More

Top Con

Not really a to do list

Trello is much more a workflow and project management program than a typical to-do app, which makes it overwhelmingly robust for those looking to jot down their shopping list. See More

Top Pro

Cross-platform and cross-sync

Trello works on all modern devices through the web application and has native apps for iOS, Android and Windows 8/10 devices. See More

Top Con

Subtasks lack features

Every task can have a list of subtasks which more closely resembles a standard to-do list. These lack the functions that cards offer you. You cannot comment on a sub-list, give the sub-tasks due dates, or provide additional information. You are limited to only checking them off once completed. See More

Top Pro

Attach files to cards

Keep all of your files (images, documents, etc.) organized on their relevant cards. See More

Top Con

Light on features

Trello is focused on simplicity and as such forgoes certain common features that may or may not be important to you. See More

Top Pro

Free for unlimited users

Trello offers a very generous free version that has no ads, no restrictions on the number of users, and very little restriction on how the program can be used. The paid features are generally cosmetic, such as the ability to change the background, add stickers, etc. See More

Top Con

Slow and requires a lot of mouse work to navigate

Top Pro

Great native app for Android and iOS

Top Con

No multi-board aggregation

If you have multiple boards with tasks on them there is no way to get all the tasks on one board in a way that changes on one board will update the other. See More

Top Pro

Good performance

Top Con

Managing large projects may be difficult

Trello works best with medium to small projects and with very high-level overviews. It is less effective for projects that require very granular management due to the fact that it becomes considerably more difficult to keep track of various cards and priorities as they are pushed off the screen. See More

Top Pro

Action history log allows you to rapidly follow changes

There is a global history system which allows to rapidly follow changes. There is also a notification system if another user updates the board while you're watching it. See More

Top Con

Can't get one view of cards across all boards

However, you can view all cards assigned to you. See More

Top Pro

Functionality can be extended via plug-ins

Voting, view, and calendar plug-ins further increase the functionality. See More

Top Con

Can't create dependencies between cards

Top Pro

Easy-to-use

Top Pro

Smooth media integration

Top Pro

Sub-tasks

Each card can have one or even multiple task lists. See More

Top Pro

Great real-time team collaboration features

Trello has permissions at the board level as well as the ability to assign multiple people to each card. There are a lot of sharing options available and boards can be made visible for the public. It's also possible to subscribe to a card to be notified of its progress. The simplicity of the UI makes collaboration easy because it’s very simple to see the progress of each card and who is responsible for it. It also updates constantly to reflect real-time changes in progress. The simplicity of the UI makes collaboration easy as it’s very simple to see the progress of each card and who is responsible for it. It also reflect changes on boards in real-time. See More

Top Pro

Markdown support with well-rendered images

Trello supports Markdown, meaning that HTML input is represented appropriately. Cards with attachments are also rendered well. For example, images are shown correctly on the card, bug links are detected etc. See More

Top Pro

Excellent for groups using agile software development

The responsiveness and layers of customization make it easy for team members of various disciplines to collaborate on the same task board. See More

Top Pro

Features to add voting on cards

Trello offers support for features to add voting on cards, often referred to as 'power-ups'. See More

Top Pro

Highly flexible workflow

Trello calls items used in the workflow “cards.” Cards are double-sided and can contain subtasks as well as notes and other details. Card columns can be used to simulate a workflow by moving cards from left to right as they are completed, or as a way of indicating task priority. The workflow is highly flexible as the columns are completely customizable to suit the task flow. For example, tasks can be put through a workflow "idea > approved > in-progress > pending review > released" or simply "ideas > released" depending on the granularity level needed. This makes Trello a great solution to feature management as it's possible to set up boards to handle everything from agile sprints to a more generic to-do list, all with status management. See More

Top Pro

Lots of API integrations

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Informant

Add Video or Image

Top Pro

iOS (iPhone/iPad) , macOS, and Android

Available on these platforms. See More

Top Con

No web-based version

Cannot be used from a web browser. See More

Specs

Platforms:iOS (iPad/iPhone), macOS, Android

Collaborative:No

Top Pro

Customization

Can set custom colours for priorities. See More

Top Con

No Windows support

Top Pro

Focus view

Has a single focus view that gives you all the information you need to know for your day. See More

Top Con

Not a multi-user tool

Top Pro

Can create checklist style tasks

Great for creating a grocery list or checkoff list within a task. See More

Top Con

Template settings lacking in v.5

Templates don't have configurable multiple alarm settings as in the previous version. See More

Top Pro

Subtasks

Supports subtasks. See More

Top Pro

Calendar and tasks in one view

Top Pro

Colours and Tags

Can set default colours and tags. See More

Top Pro

Support for GTD methodology

Tags, contexts, next action handling. Support for GTD is great. See More

Top Pro

Sync option

Todoist

Top Pro

Visual scheduling

By clicking on a task and then selecting “schedule,” a dialog box will pop up with shortcuts like "today," "tomorrow," or "postpone until tomorrow." A date can still be entered manually. See More

Top Con

Heavy premium advertisement

There is a screaming red "Upgrade and get more done" badge fixed in the bottom of the view, and additional features free users cannot access. See More

Specs

Platforms:Android / iOS / OSX / Windows / Web / Gmail / Outlook / Thunderbird / Kindle / Chrome / Firefox

Collaborative:yes

Top Pro

No ads in free version

The unpaid version contains no ads or popups encouraging you to upgrade. The only time you will be asked to upgrade is if you attempt to use a premium feature. See More

Top Con

No real Next Task capability

Lack of Next Task feature can be somewhat frustrating for GTDers. See More

Top Pro

Monitors productivity and rewards it with karma

Todoist monitors how many tasks are completed and gives karma points as rewards for accomplishing them. It can also display charts showing productivity trends, which are great for finding areas that need improvement and increasing your overall productivity. This feature is a great motivator and an effective way of tracking productivity. See More

Top Pro

Powerful search and filtering functionality

Todoist allows you to perform advanced queries to find tasks that are overdue, have a certain priority level or label, are within a certain project, are assigned to a certain person, or have a deadline set within a certain date range. It also allows combining different queries, removing certain results from the queries, and creating either/or statements. These queries can be saved as filters for easy access. Filters can be color-coded. See More

Top Pro

Allows sharing and collaborating on tasks

Anyone can be invited to collaborate on tasks and projects. Users can work alongside five people for free and 25 via the paid version. Collaboration includes the ability to assign tasks, comment on tasks, and receive instant updates. See More

Top Pro

Multiple ways to organize tasks

Tasks can be structured in nested lists. They can be moved around by dragging and dropping them or via keyboard shortcuts. Tasks can be assigned labels, color codes, priorities, and can also be grouped into projects. See More

Zenkit

Add Video or Image

Top Pro

The "Favorites" option view

Top Con

No sub-tasks yet

EnthusiasticMehetWeret's Experience

I love how easy it is to manage simple and more complex projects :) See More

Specs

Platforms:Web, Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iPhone

Collaborative:Yes

Offline access:Yes

Top Pro

Mindmap View

Love this one See More

Yanis's Experience

Side by side with Trello, I do prefer Zenkit flexibility ! See More

Top Pro

Powerful and simple to use tool with a clean design

Easy to use and easily understandable for everyone. See More

Top Pro

Many important data views

Data views include Mind-Map, Kanban-Board, Spreadsheet, List, and Calendar. Views can be switched easily. See More

Toodledo

Top Pro

Customizable saved searches

DetailedEndymion's Experience

sdfsdf See More

Specs

Platforms:Android / iOS / Web / WatchOS

Collaborative:yes

Top Pro

Can tag items

Top Pro

Functionality-rich

Top Pro

Space to add lengthy text

Notes area that can then be hidden. See More

Top Pro

Rich fuctionality of recuring task

Top Pro

Priority organizing

Top Pro

Great GTD implementation

The GTD principles are very perfectly supported by Toodledo. See More

Top Pro

Can create to-do items via email

It's possible to create a to-do item by sending or forwarding an email. See More

Top Pro

Sends a daily email reminder

Toodledo reminds you via email of the tasks on your plate for the day. See More

Remember the Milk

Top Pro

Has its own syntax for programming smart lists

Smart lists are configured using Remember the Milk's syntax, making it very customizable. See More

Top Con

Ugly icon

The goofy cow image does not fit well with a professsional office environment. See More

Specs

Platforms:Web / Mac / Linux / Windows / iOS / Android / Blackberry

Collaborative:Yes

Top Pro

Powerful query language

Query language can be used to build your own GTD-based system, with tags and lists and queries. Such as system can be used for private life and work alongside several simple lists without things getting mixed up. See More

Top Con

Subtasks only available in Pro version

Subtasks can break a longer to-do item into discrete tasks, helping you keep tabs on your progress. See More

Top Pro

Support of a "start" date

A start date can be set which can be used with smartlists or to set a reminder. See More

Top Pro

Tasks may have additional options

Extra options such as how often it repeats, the due date, and the location. See More

Top Pro

Quick adding of complex tasks with one line of text

Support for keywords to set due/start date, add to list etc. with one line of text. There are also special chars which opens a box so the user can select predefined values or a calendar picker. See More

Top Pro

Quickly add rich text

Remember The Milk offers Smart Add – shortcuts that allow you to quickly add advanced information to a task. For example, you can quickly add a due date, set the priority level, add a tag, set repeat times, add URLs, and add notes to your tasks. For the full list, check out How Do I Use Smart Add? See More

Top Pro

Manual sorting

Manual sorting is available on both the web app and android, allowing prioritization of tasks. This can be particularly useful for shopping lists, where you can put all the meat together, and all the cheese together etc. to make it easier to skim through when you're in the store. See More

Top Pro

Excellent cross platform support

Whether you depend on an iOS, Windows or Android phone; Google Calendar or Outlook; Evernote or Twitter: RTM has an app or extension for you. See More

TiddlyWiki

Top Pro

Free and Open Source

No commercial interests, no ads, no registration, no nonsense. You own your notes 100%. See More

Top Con

Relies on browser performance, online or offline

TiddlyWiki is a single HTML file. Thus, if you directly embed e. g large images or videos in it (instead of using the features to display externally stored images and videos) it would make the file big and performance slow. See More

RickZeeland's Experience

A non-linear personal notebook used as a single HTML file in the browser or as a powerful Node.js application. It can be used as a simple task management system. See More

Specs

Platforms:Windows, Linux, Mac, iOS, Android

Collaborative:No

Offline access:Yes

Top Pro

Single html file

It's a single file and all your notes will be "accessible even in 25 years" because they can be seen in plain html text. See More

Frank Strecker's Experience

It is extensible, so that you can always export your notes to any future data format needed by scripting, be the script written by you yourself or someone else who can. See More

Top Pro

Self-hosted and indefinitely accessible

All content is stored within the same html file as the interface. See More

Top Pro

Progressive user level, from ease of use to programming your own plugins

Basic users can start with simple note-taking, progressively discover predefined features and existing plugins, then start using more fancy features (like filters, widgets, macros), in order to adapt their wiki to their needs. See More

Top Pro

Lots of plugins

Top Pro

Extremely customizable

This is a major aim and point with TiddlyWiki; people can relatively easily modify it to fit their particular application needs. See More

Top Pro

Relational links

Allows for relational links and lists between notes to keep things organized. See More

Top Pro

10+ years mature

Mature software, active community with members from all over the world. See More

Top Pro

Multiple, user-defined usages

The list of possible usages is practically infinite in TW, and more importantly it lets the user define their own method of dealing with their content. See More

ClickUp

Add Video or Image

Top Pro

Free

Verolee's Experience

Abundant amount of features and many ways to share tasks into Clickup. However, UI isn’t intuitive so it seems way too complicated. Ironically, things get lost due to different areas/sections/workspaces you can organize in See More

Top Pro

Custom states for tasks

You can use standard states Open/Close for tasks or create your own. i.e for software dev task you can create states like Concept/Design/Dev/Test/Beta release/Released or whatever states you need. See More

Top Pro

All task posibilities

You can create any structure you want. Project/Tasks/Sub tasks... See More

Top Pro

Custom states for tasks

You can use standard states Open/Close for tasks or create your own. i.e for software dev task you can create states like Concept/Design/Dev/Test/Beta release/Released or whatever states you need. See More

Nozbe

Top Pro

Active development

Nozbe is actively being developed, and the devs listen to community requests. Within a month of requesting a feature, it usually appears in the beta app. See More

Top Con

Task dependencies missing

Nozbe is great, but one shortcoming relates to "task dependencies" in projects. You should be able to sequence your tasks so that, when you complete a task, the next one that needs to be done becomes the "priority" task for that project. This is a vital feature that will make the program dramatically more useful. The company claims to be working on this improvement. See More

Specs

Platforms:iOS / Android / Win / Linux / OSX / Web

Collaborative:yes

Top Pro

Time estimates

Time estimates for individual tasks roll up in the corresponding view (calendar, priority, inbox, specific project, etc.) to show an "estimated should-take time". See More

Top Con

Limited free plan

After the free trial you can choose to remain on a free plan, but you’ll be restricted to a max of 5 projects and will have limitations on collaboration. See More

Top Pro

Calendar view

You can view upcoming tasks by week or specific day in the calendar view. This is helpful for planning tasks and not overbooking. Repeat tasks show up with a ghost icon in the checkbox to signify that the task(s) are not generated/active yet but are due on that day. See More

Top Con

Project and global tags not shared

Projects can have tags (labels) applied, but they are independent of global tags (categories). For example neither a project "labeled" "work", nor its tasks would not appear if the tag/category filter for "work" is selected. Tasks in a project "labeled" "work" must be individually tagged/categorized as "work" to appear when filtering. See More

Top Pro

Mac/iOS/Windows/Android/Wearables/Web

Supports Apple, Windows, and Android distributions, and has a web app for systems that don't have a native app and are not executable. See More

Top Con

Only 5 projects for free users

If a user chooses to not pay after the trial period, they can only have up to 5 active projects. See More

Top Pro

Can add tasks via email

Email tasks to a user-defined email (with security pin) to add tasks to Nozbe inbox or a specific project. Also supports checklists, tags, time etc. through email submission. See More

Top Pro

Supports Siri and Google assistant

Has support for voice commands via Siri and 'OK Google'. See More

Top Pro

Color coding and visualization

Tags and projects can be color-coded according to users' preferences. Tags also have the option of choosing from a preset icon list in addition to color coding. See More

Top Pro

Free 30-day trial

The trial includes all features of a pro account. You can also email the support team if you choose to try out a business license . See More

BusyCal

Add Video or Image

Top Pro

Great support and development team

Top Con

Expensive

Specs

Compatibility:Mac, iOS

Top Pro

Integrated To Dos

To Dos can be displayed directly in your calendar and carry-forward until completed. To Dos in BusyCal are compatible and sync with the Reminders app on OS X and iOS. See More

Top Pro

Custom Alarms and Snoozes

Alarms may displayed in the BusyCal Alarm Window or the Notification Center. Snooze alarms for any duration, including x minutes before start, Set default alarm intervals for new Events, To Dos, All-Day Events, and Birthdays & Anniversaries. See More

Top Pro

Latteral bar

Top Pro

Smart Filters

Create Smart Filters to display Calendar Sets, a custom view, or events that match a certain criteria with a single click. See More

SmartSheet

Add Video or Image

Wunderlist

Top Pro

Easy task management

Allows for easy task management with due dates, reminders, star, and list groups (contexts). See More

Top Con

Limited customization and organization options

Wunderlist doesn't allow for much customization in list sorting or visual themes. It offers only a couple dozen background choices and has no option to add your own. See More

DevotedZislbog's Experience

No Firefox and no Windows 7 support. Disappointing! See More

Specs

Platforms:Android / iOS / WP / OSX / Windows / Web / Chrome

Collaborative:Yes

Top Pro

Beautiful backgrounds

Wunderlist comes with 20 free wallpapers and 10 paid wallpapers for users to customize the background image in the Wunderlist app. In addition, advanced users can also use their own image as background image with few tweaks, which is absent in main Wunderlist app. See More

Top Con

Subtasks hidden within task window

Wunderlist doesn't have true subtasks but rather a single task list with an entirely different user interface hidden within each task. Having separate interfaces for tasks and subtasks restricts flexibility in how one structures projects. See More

Top Pro

Cross-platform syncing

Wunderlist features cross platform syncing which insures your tasks are always updated across iOS, Android, Windows, OS X, Kindle and browser. See More

Top Pro

Simple & easy to use UI

Wunderlists' UI is very fast and easy to use. The features are easy to find and everything flows together smoothly. See More

Top Pro

Simple, useful task management features

Wunderlist features the standard ability to add tasks and organize them within lists, but one aspect in which it excels is the amount of detail you can add to each task. Rather than simple alerts, tasks incorporate a number of other options, including reminders, subtasks, notes, and recurring tasks. You can also star important tasks, which is simpler than the priority systems used in many other apps. See More

Top Pro

Has a free, adless version

Wunderlist is available both as a free app without ads or heavy restrictions, and in a pro version that enables you to add larger files and take advantage of additional customization options. See More

Things

Add Video or Image

Top Con

Doesn't support attachments

Referring to other files/apps is still possible via linking and URL schemes. See More

Top Pro

Absolutely robust sync

The beauty of Things' proprietary sync is that you set it once and then from that point on you simply work, no matter what platform, knowing that all your tasks are updated. Sounds simple, but another app has yet to rival this performance. See More

Specs

iPhone price:$9.99

iPad price:$19.99

Mac price:$49.99

Top Con

No possibility to show tasks in a calendar.

While there is the possibility to view the tasks in the context of events by displaying calendars events in today and upcoming perspectives, it would be nice to either have deadlines and today tasks in a separate calendars or make them available through reminders sync. See More

Top Con

Can't finish repeating tasks before they started

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