If you have a lot of work to get done, keeping up with all the tasks can be a nightmare. How do you avoid forgetting things? How can you manage your time better? If these are questions you ask yourself on regular basis, this article is for you. Here is an overview of the best free task management app and 7 top task management apps to consider.
To-do lists don’t need to be complicated—plenty of people use a pen and paper for the job without any problem. And yet a new to-do list app seems to come out every day. Why? Because keeping track of your tasks is an intensely personal thing, and people will reject anything that doesn’t feel right pretty much instantly. That makes it hard to find the right app.
To that end, we’ve been hard at work researching the best to-do apps, trying to find the right ones for various use cases. Research for these pieces was exhaustive. We started by finding the best apps for every platform: Android, Windows, macOS, and iPhone/iPad. We then tried the top-rated apps in every respective app store, and spent way too much time migrating our personal to-do lists from one app to another.
And now we’re offering you what we feel is the cream of the crop. Whatever you’re looking for, one of these apps is going to be right for you. Click on any app to learn more about why we chose it, or keep reading for more context on to-do list apps.
Let’s face it. Looking for the “one” in the to-do list app and productivity apps arena can be overwhelming so we have done the homework for you. Here is a list of our top 52 best to-do list apps you can use today absolutely free or with minimum pricing plans.
1. nTask
nTask comes first on our list of best to-do list apps. nTask is one of the best task management tools created for individuals and teams. With its simplified, user-friendly GUI letting you navigate a powerful set of features, nTask stands out of the crowd when it comes to helping with task completion.
You can create tasks and subtasks and schedule them as single-time, or recurring tasks. Through checklists, you can list down the things to be done. Moreover, you can create projects and associate multiple tasks under them. You can organize, prioritize tasks and monitor task status.
Options such as progress reports, timelines, and Gantt Charts let you keep projects on track. nTask helps you to save time with powerful search and filter options. You can search for tasks, projects, meetings, and do lots more. In addition, there are pre-saved filters to save time and effort on the end-users part.
This app also helps you stay in sync with updates and keeps you and your team on track through reminders and alerts.
Key Features
Out of its vast feature set nTask has to offer, here is a glimpse of some of its core features:
- Create, assign, organize, prioritize and share tasks.
- Schedule recurring meetings.
- Create and schedule recurring tasks.
- Manage tasks and to do lists with Kanban Boards.
- Create and assign projects.
- Comment on and assign tasks to projects or structure them independently.
- Convert comments to tasks using Slack.
- Select from multiple statuses for a task.
- Alerts, notifications, and reminders to keep teams on track.
- Two-Factor Authentication for extensive security.
- A simple user interface with access to a wide range of modules.
- Team specific workspaces that can be managed and monitored simultaneously.
- Extensive project management resources including project reports, Gantt charts, and project timelines to manage and monitor project progress.
- A dedicated time tracking module with the option of creating and managing team-specific sections for employee task efforts and payroll.
- A detailed meeting management module to help teams stay in sync. You can arrange and schedule meetings, be it one time or recurring meetings. Plus, it lets you send invites to attendees, add meeting details and specify follow-up procedures.
- Issue management module to facilitate the identification and listing down of issues related to multiple tasks. You can list down the issue along with the Issue owner and relevant details to track issue maintenance.
- Risk management module helps you identify and keep track of potential risks. You can list down the risk and assign a risk owner in order to track risk management.
- Powerful search and filter tools that help you search for tasks, projects, meetings, issues, and risks. You can even save more frequently used filters.
- Third-party integration with Zapier, Zoom, Google Calendar, Slack, and more.
- iOS and Android mobile apps.
Pros
- Comprehensive task management solution.
- Timesheets management for time tracking.
- Extensive meeting management module.
- Free version available.
- Set repeat tasks.
- To-Do List progress bar.
- Assign to-do lists to team members with due dates
Cons
- No desktop app is available for now.
- Advanced reporting will be released soon.
Pricing
- Free – Unlimited tasks, unlimited to-do lists, unlimited meetings, unlimited workspaces, timesheets, and more.
- Premium – Starting at $2.99 per month to unlock Gantt Charts and Projects – Plus all of the advanced nTask features.
- Business – Starting at $7.99 per month to unlock risk management, risk matrix, and permissions.
- nTask is one of the perfect best to-do list apps:Use it for personal or team productivity. nTask is free and includes unlimited tasks and checklists.
- Get Started for Free
2. Todoist
Todoist grew in popularity over the years and has evolved significantly encompassing more powerful features. You can create, organize and prioritize tasks, create subtasks and dependencies as well as create projects and subprojects.
You can label tasks, customize through color codes, and add due dates to keep track of the tasks. A prominent feature that comes with Todoist is the AI-powered feature known as Smart Schedule.
Through Smart Schedule, the app suggests optimum dates for scheduling and rescheduling existing tasks.
Plus, with Todoist Karma, you get points for completing tasks, using advanced features, and meeting productivity goals on a weekly and monthly basis. You can monitor your progress through graphs with differently colored projects.
Download: iOS | Mac | Android | Windows | Desktop
Key Features
Todoist comes with some of the following notable features:
- Task creation (single and recurring) and labeling.
- Create tasks directly from your email inbox.
- Task comments for providing timely feedback on important matters.
- Set priority levels for your tasks to identify what needs to be done next.
- Built-in library of project templates to instantly gearing up for work.
- Project sharing to brainstorm ideas and make smarter decisions.
- Email notifications as well as SMS and email reminders.
- Contact list integration to keep track of all your contacts and interactions.
- Automatic backups to keep your data safe.
- Real-time synchronization for creating a unified workflow.
- Customizable filters to keep your concentration on critical things only.
- User management to have more control over user access and permissions.
- Productivity tracking through Karma points and streaks.
- Sharing controls.
- Open API.
- Powerful third-party application integrations.
Pros
- A vast library of project templates to get started.
- Powerful third-party application integrations.
- Free version available.
Cons
- Built-in time tracking is missing.
- No dedicated meeting management module.
- Lacks advanced project tracking features.
Pricing
- Free – for starters, up to 80 projects, and 5 people per project.
- Premium – at $3 per month (billed annually), 300 projects, 25 people per project, reminders, etc.
- Business – at $5 per user/month (billed annually), 500 projects, 50 people per project, team inbox, and much more.
3. Microsoft To-Do
Microsoft To-Do is another one of the best to-do list apps you can get your hands on. Developed by the team behind Wunderlist, Microsoft To-Do is cloud-based and integrates completely with Office 365. It lets you create tasks from scratch or even import tasks from other tools like Wunderlist and Outlook.
This is especially useful if you have to continue with pending tasks without having to rewrite the entire to do list again. You can customize task list presentations with themes and colors, organize and prioritize tasks, add notes and set reminders to keep the tasks in check.
With the My Day list, you get easy access to the tasks due for the day. This eliminates any confusion and streamlines your activities.
Key Features
Some of the significant options Microsoft To-Do provides you with are:
- Task management through to-do lists for the day.
- Task reminders to avoid missing important details.
- Daily task lists to get a heads up for what lies ahead in a day.
- Task prioritization to define the level of urgency for getting things done.
- Outlook tasks integration for managing tasks in one centralized location.
- Data sync across devices, so you take your work wherever you go.
- To-do suggestions, recommending your most important tasks of the day.
- Multiple task lists for categorizing to-dos according to their purpose.
- Due date tracking to stay ahead of deadlines.
- List sharing to streamline communication and collaborate on ideas.
- Custom task list themes & colors to match individual preferences.
Pros
- Synchronization across multiple devices and platforms.
- Simple user-interface with a short learning curve.
- It comes with Office 365 integration.
- Free for everyone.
Cons
- Lacks powerful task management features.
- No recurring tasks management.
- Needs improvements on the collaboration front.
Pricing
- Microsoft To-Do is free.
4. TeuxDeux
#5 on our list of the best to-do list apps is TeuxDeux (pronounced as “To Do”). Termed as the most beautiful to do list on the web, this to do list app allows you to have a visual idea of what’s to be done. You can create a list of things to do and rearrange them on the calendar.
The tasks can be written down anywhere and can be later dragged and dropped into other lists. If there is a task you can’t get done on a specific day, TeuxDeux automatically rolls it over to the next day list. Furthermore, you can also schedule tasks as recurring daily.
Another interesting feature is that it supports Markdown. For those of you that are particular about text formats and presentation styles, this is a great tool to make lists and share them with others.
TeuxDeux supports sharing the app between up to 6 family members. Plus, your lists are yours to keep. This means you can download your to-do lists at any time.
Key Features
Some of the features TeuxDeux has to offer include:
- Creating custom to-do lists according to your needs.
- Creating recurring tasks for repeating them at regular intervals.
- Create tasks as links to resources.
- Task switching between lists through easy drag and drop.
- Automated task roll-over to the next day or any other day if missed.
- Sync with the calendar to keep deadlines in check.
- Support for text formatting with Markdown.
- Sync on multiple devices to take your to-dos with you on the go.
- Family sharing enabled (6 people).
Pros
- A user-friendly interface makes the tool easy to use.
- Text formatting toolset available.
- Recurring to-dos management with task roll-over functionality.
Cons
- No free version available.
- Built-in time tracking module not available.
- Team collaboration features are limited.
Pricing
- The tool comes with a free trial of 30 days and after that, the upgrade is available at $3 per month (paid monthly) or $2 per month (paid annually).
Conclusion
Have you found that it’s difficult to manage your tasks? Do you use sticky notes or an old spreadsheet? The best task management apps will help you get more done by organizing all your work into one simple interface.