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Free To Do List App For Mac And Iphone
Keeping track of your tasks is intensely personal. That’s why there are so many to-do list apps—because none of them feel “just right” to everyone. This is particularly true for Mac users.
If you’re using a Mac, that’s probably, at least in part, because you’re particular about the software you use. You’re pickier than the average computer user, and you expect things to look and work a certain way.
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Applications that don’t feel like they were designed for macOS are distracting because things like keyboard shortcuts, notifications, and menus don’t work the way they do in other applications. That disrupts your workflow, which defeats the entire point of productivity software.
I thought about all of these things while I tested every Mac to-do list app I could get my hands on, so here are the best to-do list apps you can find for macOS.
The best to-do list apps for Mac
Things for a blend of powerful features with elegant design
Todoist for Mac users who need to sync with other platforms
OmniFocus for power users and GTD fans
Reminders for a simple option for Apple-only users
GoodTask for making Reminders more powerful
2Do for a fully customizable to-do list with multiple syncing options
TaskPaper for a text-based list for managing tasks with only your keyboard
TickTick for a cross-platform option that feels native to the Mac
Microsoft To Do for the best free to-do list app for Mac
A few more options
What makes a great to-do list app for Mac?
How we evaluate and test apps
All of our best apps roundups are written by humans who’ve spent much of their careers using, testing, and writing about software. We spend dozens of hours researching and testing apps, using each app as it’s intended to be used and evaluating it against the criteria we set for the category. We’re never paid for placement in our articles from any app or for links to any site—we value the trust readers put in us to offer authentic evaluations of the categories and apps we review. For more details on our process, read the full rundown of how we select apps to feature on the Zapier blog.
There’s an incredible range of Mac to-do list apps out there, all looking to serve different kinds of users. Which one you prefer may well boil down to personal taste. In my opinion, the very best Mac to-do list apps need to do five key things:
Offer multiple ways to organize tasks, such as tags, lists, due dates, or projects
Make it fast to add new tasks without opening the app, ideally using a keyboard shortcut
Remind you about self-imposed deadlines
Offer a clean interface, with native macOS features like notifications, widgets, and integration with the menu bar
Sync tasks to your phone
All of our choices offer free trials of some sort, so try out anything that looks useful to you.
Best Mac to-do list app with a blend of powerful features and elegant design
Things (macOS, iPhone, iPad)
Things screenshot
To-do list apps tend to fall into two categories: the complex and the minimalist. Things is somehow both.
Open Things for Mac, and it looks simple: you’ve got an Inbox for your tasks and the option to add more lists. Dig a little, though, and there are all kinds of advanced tools here. There are nesting ways to organize your tasks: areas can contain tasks or projects; projects can contain tasks or headers that can also contain tasks; even tasks can contain sub-tasks if you want. It sounds confusing, but it isn’t, which really speaks to how well Things is designed. There’s no right way to use this system. Use as many or as few of the organizational options given to you, however you like, to make sense of your chaotic list of tasks; choose which things you want to do today; and then do those things.
Other applications offer features like this, sure, but Things manages to do so without feeling cluttered. And as a native application with no Windows or web equivalent, Things feels very much at home on the macOS desktop. Combine this blend of functionality and beauty with features like a system-wide tool for quickly adding tasks, integration with your calendar so you can see your appointments while planning your day, intuitive keyboard shortcuts, reminders with native notifications, and syncing to an iPhone and iPad app. It’s a powerful way to organize your tasks—and then accomplish them.
Zapier’s Things integrations let you quickly create Things tasks from Slack messages, emails, and even Trello cards.
Add saved Slack messages to Things as to-dos
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Slack, Things
Slack + Things
More details
Add new Trello cards to Things as to-dos
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Things, Trello
Things + Trello
More details
Create Things to-dos from starred emails in Gmail [Business Gmail Accounts Only]
Try it
Gmail, Things
Gmail + Things
More details
Things price: The macOS version costs $49.99 but offers a 15-day free trial. The iPad version costs $19.99, and the iPhone version costs $9.99.
Best Mac to-do list app for syncing with other platforms
Todoist (macOS, iPhone, iPad, Watch, Android, Windows, Web)
Todoist screenshot
Most Mac users stick to the Apple ecosystem…but not all of them. If you need to sync your tasks from macOS to Windows, Android, or basically any other non-Apple option, Todoist is one of the first apps you should check out. Like Things, it’s deceptively simple but has all kinds of advanced task management features hidden just below the surface, though Todoist does feel a little less at home on the Mac desktop.
That’s because the Mac app for Todoist is basically the web version in a dedicated window. There are a few native Mac features: notifications and a universal keyboard shortcut for quickly adding tasks. It’s enough to make the Mac app worth installing for Todoist users.
And Todoist is a solid application. You can arrange your tasks in all sorts of meaningful ways, including a Kanban board. Keyboard shortcuts work great inside the app. And you can sync your tasks to basically any device on earth.
Todoist integrates with Zapier, which means you can automatically create tasks in Todoist whenever something happens in one of your favorite apps. Here are some examples.
Add new Google Calendar events to Todoist as tasks
Try it
Google Calendar, Todoist
Google Calendar + Todoist
More details
Add new starred emails to Todoist as tasks [Business Gmail Accounts Only]
Try it
Gmail, Todoist
Gmail + Todoist
More details
Add new saved Slack messages to Todoist as tasks
Try it
Slack, Todoist
Slack + Todoist
More details
Todoist price: Free; some features, including labels and attachments, require a subscription that starts at $3/month.
Best Mac to-do list app for power users and GTD fans
OmniFocus (macOS, iPhone, iPad)
Omnifocus screenshot
If you’re particular about how your tasks are arranged, and I mean really particular, OmniFocus is right for you. This app is a power user’s dream, allowing you to organize your task in seemingly infinite variations. There are three different kinds of projects you can set up, for example. There are six main views by default, ranging from the Inbox for unsorted tasks, Forecast for seeing scheduled tasks in context with any of your macOS Calendar appointments, and Review for going over completed tasks at the end of the day or week. You can also create your own views if this isn’t enough for you.
OmniFocus isn’t quick to learn, and things can feel cluttered at times. Once you figure everything out, however, you’ll have an elaborate, GTD-style task list that works exactly the way you want. Combine this with a system-wide keyboard shortcut for quick task entry, and you’ve got no excuse when it comes to keeping things organized. OmniFocus for Mac syncs with iPhone and iPad, and there’s even a web version, so you can access your tasks while using Windows devices (sadly, this is occasionally necessary).
You can connect OmniFocus to your other favorite apps with OmniFocus’s Zapier integrations. Whenever something happens in another app that you want to keep track of in OmniFocus, Zapier will automatically send it there.
Create OmniFocus tasks from new saved Slack messages
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OmniFocus, Slack
OmniFocus + Slack
More details
Create OmniFocus tasks for new starred emails on Gmail
Try it
Gmail, OmniFocus
Gmail + OmniFocus
More details
Create OmniFocus tasks from new or moved Trello cards
Try it
OmniFocus, Trello
OmniFocus + Trello
More details
OmniFocus price: OmniFocus for Mac starts at $49.99 after a 14-day trial. The Pro version, which allows you to customize the sidebar with your own views among other features, costs $79.00. The iPhone and iPad version starts at $49.99 and also offers a 14-day free trial. Alternatively, you can subscribe to all versions starting at $9.99/month.
Best simple Mac to-do list app for Apple-only users
Reminders (Mac, iPhone, iPad, Web)
Reminders screenshot
The best to-do list is the one you have with you, right? If you own a Mac, you already have Reminders, which comes free with every Apple device.
Apple’s default app for managing tasks is a simple one, allowing you to create lists of tasks and schedule when you’ll do them. There are a few views: Today, Scheduled, All, and Flagged. Beyond that, though, you can see individual lists. It’s simple, sure, but this simplicity might be a big plus: you get in, add tasks, and then get to work.
There’s no universal keyboard shortcut for adding tasks, but there is integration with Siri for Mac, which is something no other app on this list can claim. And iCloud integration means you can sync tasks with your iPhone and iPad very easily. You’ve already got this application, so why not give it a shot?
Reminders price: Included with all Macs, iPhones, and iPads.
Best Mac to-do list app to make Apple Reminders more powerful
GoodTask (macOS, iPhone, iPad, Watch)
GoodTask screenshot
Reminders is great but not exactly feature-rich. GoodTask is unique in that it uses Reminders as a backend: add anything to GoodTask, and it will show up in Reminders and vice versa. So what’s the point? GoodTask offers features that Apple doesn’t in Reminders.
First, there’s Calendar integration, meaning you can see your calendar appointments and your tasks in one place. You can also create smart lists, allowing you to filter your tasks using things like tags, due dates, and locations. You’ll have to spend some time setting this up before it’s any better than Reminders, but if you’ve got a specific overview of tasks in mind, you can probably design it here.
Integration with Reminders means all your tasks sync to the iPhone and iPad without the need for any other software, though there are versions of GoodTask available for those devices if you want the same power on them. And there’s a universal keyboard shortcut for adding events—that alone might make this app worth using over Reminders. Pop-up panels for planning your day, or seeing only which task you need to work on now, are also nice touches. Overall, this is a nice upgrade over Apple’s default app, so check it out.
GoodTask for Mac price: $39.99 with a 14-day free trial. GoodTask is also available on Setapp, which is a $10/month subscription service with access to dozens of Mac apps. There’s also an iPhone and iPad version available for free, with an in-app purchase of $9.99 to unlock all features.
Best fully-customizable Mac to-do list app with multiple syncing options
2Do (Mac, iPhone, iPad, Android)
2Do screenshot
2Do fits right in on the Mac desktop. It looks a little cluttered at first glance, but it’s also really powerful. You can create lists, then put projects or checklists inside those lists. You can add tags and due dates. You can create smart lists, allowing you to view your tasks however you like. And there are way more options than that if you’re willing to put the time in. This is a power user’s to-do list, which you can bend to just about any workflow. It’s going to take you a while, but it’s going to be worth it.
There’s no calendar integration, which is unfortunate, but there are plenty of other integrations with the rest of your system. A universal keyboard shortcut makes it quick to add new tasks, notifications let you know about upcoming deadlines, and there’s even a handy Today widget for quickly checking off tasks.
Syncing is unique here because there are multiple options. You can sync to the iPhone or Android version of 2Do using iCloud, Dropbox, Yahoo Calendar, Fruux, Toodledo, or any CalDAV server. You can also access synced tasks on any of those services, albeit without the 2Do-specific features. It’s a wide range of syncing options, beyond what any other app here offers, so give it a spin and see how it all works for you.
2Do for Mac price: $49.99, and there’s a 21-day free trial. 2Do is also available on Setapp, which is a $10/month subscription service with access to dozens of Mac apps.
Best text-based Mac to-do list app for managing with only your keyboard
TaskPaper (macOS)
TaskPaper screenshot
Wondering why to-do lists have to be so complicated? TaskPaper isn’t. This text-based option means you can just start typing to create your to-do list. Projects end with colons; tasks begin with a hyphen; tags start with the @ symbol. It sounds simple, but it’s surprisingly powerful once you get used to it, especially with the filtering and search options.
There isn’t an iPhone version, but the third-party app Taskmator ($4.99) is compatible and syncs using Dropbox. Alternatively, you can set up TaskPaper to sync over items from Reminders.
TaskPaper price: $24.99 with a free trial. TaskPaper is also available on Setapp, which is a $10/month subscription service with access to dozens of Mac apps.
Best cross-platform to-do list app that feels native to the Mac
TickTick (Mac, iPhone, iPad, Watch, Android, Windows)
TickTick
TickTick is a straightforward to-do list app you can run on basically every platform on earth. Unlike other cross-platform apps, however, TickTick actually feels like a native Mac app. Some of this is good design choices, but there are also features that make TickTick stand out: a menu bar icon with a miniature version of your list, integration with appointments from Calendar, and native notifications. There’s also a keyboard shortcut for adding tasks from anywhere.
Organizing your tasks isn’t complicated: you have lists, tags, due dates, and a few advanced views, including a calendar view and an Eisenhower Matrix. And there are a few features here that other apps don’t offer, including a built-in Pomodoro timer. Try out TickTick if you’re looking for something straightforward yet powerful, particularly if you need to sync over to non-Apple devices.
With TickTick’s Zapier integrations, you can automatically create tasks in TickTick whenever you do things like save a message in Slack or star a new email.
Create TickTick tasks for labeled Gmail emails [Business Gmail Accounts Only]
Try it
Gmail, TickTick
Gmail + TickTick
More details
Create TickTick tasks from new Google Calendar events
Try it
Google Calendar, TickTick
Google Calendar + TickTick
More details
Create TickTick tasks from new saved Slack messages
Try it
Slack, TickTick
Slack + TickTick
More details
TickTick price: Free, but premium features like a monthly calendar view and custom smart lists require a $2.99/month subscription.
The best free to-do list app for Mac
Microsoft To Do (Android, Windows, macOS, iPhone and iPad, Web)
A screenshot of the Microsoft To Do Mac app
Is it weird for a Microsoft app to show up on a list of Mac apps? Sure. But for a long time, no list of Mac apps would exclude Wunderlist, and Microsoft To Do is that app’s spiritual successor. It’s also completely free and the prettiest to-do list app for Mac.
Users can add as many custom lists as they want, and even sort those lists into groups. Every list has a custom background, which is a nice touch—it looks good, sure, but you also always know which list you’re looking at. There’s also support for due dates and the ability to share lists with other To Do users. Mac users are less likely to care about this, but To Do is extremely integrated with the Microsoft ecosystem—tasks can sync with Outlook, for example.
There are downsides. One big one: there’s no universal keyboard shortcut for adding tasks. But it’s by far the nicest to-do list for Mac you can find for free.
Microsoft To Do integrates with Zapier, which means you can do things like create a task in To Do whenever important tasks pop up in your other apps. Here are some examples to get started.
Create tasks in Microsoft To-Do from new tasks in Google Tasks
Try it
Google Tasks, Microsoft To Do
Google Tasks + Microsoft To Do
More details
Create Microsoft To-Do tasks from new starred emails in Gmail
Try it
Gmail, Microsoft To Do
Gmail + Microsoft To Do
More details
Create tasks on Microsoft To-Do from new Google Calendar events
Try it
Google Calendar, Microsoft To Do
Google Calendar + Microsoft To Do
More details
Microsoft To Do price: Free.
Other options
I tried a bunch of different types of apps for this article, so here are a few more options for you to consider if you’re not concerned about keeping your tasks on a dedicated to-do list app:
Trello isn’t a to-do list per se but you can use it to organize your life, and there’s a Mac app with native notifications and system-wide keyboard shortcuts.
Evernote, OneNote, or any other note-taking app can work very well as a to-do list, and most offer a Mac app.
Taskheat allows you to organize your to-do list as a flowchart, which is neat, but it can’t sync with any other platform.
Todo.txt is an open-source standard for storing your to-do list in a plain text document. The command line app runs in the macOS Terminal, allowing you to add and manage tasks with commands. If that’s not your style, TodoTxtMac is a nice GUI for the same standard.
best to do list app for iphone
In today’s fast paced world, we often find ourselves overwhelmed with a lot of tasks. Be it your work assignments, projects, gym, diet plans, shopping lists, or even personal care habits. Do you often find yourself juggling among these everyday tasks? It’s time to organize your life and boost your productivity using some of the best to-do list mobile apps. In this post today, I will share the 10 best to-do list apps for iPhone to help you manage your time efficiently and boost your productivity. Don’t have an iPhone? Don’t worry. A majority of these apps are also available for the Android mobile OS.
Table of Contents hide
Benefits of using to-do list apps on your iPhone:
10 Best to-do list apps for iPhone [Reviewed]
- Any.Do
- Microsoft To-Do
- Todoist
- Apple Reminders
- Google Tasks
- Tappsk
- TickTick
- Google Keep
- Sorted
- MinimaList
What to-do list apps do you use on your iPhone?
Benefits of using to-do list apps on your iPhone:
Before I share the list of best to-do list apps for iPhone, I want to share some reasons – Why you must use to-do list apps on your mobile phone:
Better organization – To-do list apps help you stay organized. You can easily organize your everyday tasks into different categories such as Work, Personal, Health, Finance, etc.
Boosts your productivity – When you add your everyday tasks to your to-do list manager, it becomes easier to remember and manage your tasks.
Eliminates procrastination – With repeated reminders for incomplete tasks, to-do list apps help to a great extent in eliminating the habit of procrastination. When you see that persistent red bubble notification for incomplete tasks, a feeling of remorse takes over. We are compelled to finish all the pending tasks within the due date and time.
10 Best to-do list apps for iPhone [Reviewed]
You will find many to-do list apps on the app store. But these are my hand-picked and personal favorites:
- Any.Do
One of the most cleanest and polished to-do list app for iPhone is Any.do. Not only the eye candy, but this app also scores high on overall features and productivity.
Any.do screenshots
The free version offers pretty much everything that you will need from a to-do list and planner app. Here are some of the striking features that I love the most about Any.do:
Quickly add tasks
Add date and time to tasks with natural language (for example: Buy groceries today at 8pm)
Recurring tasks
Reorganize your to-do list with simple drag and drop
Share tasks and list with others – and work together!
Sync across a variety of operating systems
Integration with Siri
Ability to organize your tasks with lists and labels
Daily morning planner
Supports widgets in iOS 14 and above
Bubble icon notifications for pending tasks
The premium version includes more features like:
Location based reminders (when you need to be reminded for something, somewhere)
Color tags, labels, and themes
WhatsApp based reminders
Unlimited daily planner
I find Any.do a very attractive, yet productive app that helps me easily organize my days, weeks, and months in advance.
- Microsoft To-Do
Another good to-do list app for iPhone is Microsoft To-do. Since this app is developed by Microsoft, it will require your Outlook email credentials to login and start using the app.
Microsoft To-Do Screenshots
The interface of the app is not as user-friendly as that of Any.do, however, it offers almost all the necessary features that you would need in a basic to-do list app. Some of these features are:
Add tasks with due date, time, and reminders
Organize tasks across your customized lists and groups
Automatically add flagged emails to your to-do list
Add recurring tasks
Personalize your list with custom background photos and colors.
Bubble icon notifications for pending tasks
Supports widgets in iOS 14 and above
With apps supporting majority of OS, your to-do list and planner syncs seamlessly
- Todoist
Todoist is another very popular to-do list app for iPhone. For teams, it’s a very good app to plan, organize and collaborate together towards a common goal.
Following are some good features provided by Todoist that make it worth adding to this list:
Todoist iPhone app – screenshots
Quickly add tasks to your to-do list
Kanban style boards – to help you visualize the progress and collaborate together towards achievement of common goals
Add tasks using natural language (for example: Call Sarah today at 5pm)
Sub-tasks
List view
Priority levels
Recurring tasks with due date and reminders
Boost your productivity with Todoist templates – there is a ready to use template for many useful projects such as book writing, blog posts, podcast planning and content calendar.
Integration with Siri
Supports widgets for iOS 14 and above.
- Apple Reminders
The native to-do list and planner app that comes with your iPhone is also worth including in this list. I started using it only after it got a facelift following the iOS 14 update.
Apple Reminder App – Screenshots
The Apple Reminders app is pretty basic, but does most of the work that you would expect from a to-do list manager.
Let’s have a look at the top notch features:
Smart lists – Today, Scheduled, All, Flagged, and Assigned to Me
Create your own personalized lists
Personalize your to-do list with emoticons
Sub-tasks – to help you add more details to your primary tasks
Quick toolbar – to help you add alerts on set dates and times, locations, or add a flag or attachment to your reminder
Recurring reminders – daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly
Collaborate – Everyone you grant access to the shared list will be able to add, edit or mark it complete
Integrates with Siri
Supports widgets for iOS 14 and above
- Google Tasks
Google Tasks is a very basic to-do list manager. I included it in my list because it has been developed by Google, a trusted brand name.
This is how it works:
You quickly add your desired task, add due date and time in case you wish to be reminded. You can also add details and sub tasks to your primary tasks. Google tasks also allow you to add your own lists for better management of your daily tasks. That’s it. Nothing more fancy here 🙂
- Tappsk
Tappsk is not only an excellent to-do list manager, but also a habit tracker. Its iOS app has a very beautiful user-interface. I would say that it’s even better to look at when compared with Any.do!
Tappsk iphone app – screenshots
I loved using these features on Tappsk:
Integrated calendar to manage your tasks date, week, and month-wise!
An inbuilt habit tracker – Build good habits like workout, yoga, housekeeping, and gardening. If you are on medications, you can also use it as a pill reminder app.
Use your voice to add new tasks and habits
Create recurring tasks
Personalized lists
Priority levels
Tappsk Premium (one-time purchase of $30) comes with the following additional features:
iCloud sync
Unlimited reminders – task push notifications
Sync with Apple Calendar
Unlimited habits
Recurring events
- TickTick
Another to-do list app that’s worth trying on your iPhone is TickTick. What I found unique about using TickTick is that the app is quite light and quick. Also, the user-interface is very neat and straight-forward.
TickTick iPhone app – screenshots
I loved using the following features of TickTick to-do list manager on my iPhone:
Add tasks with due date and time using natural language (for example: buy coffee today at 5pm, yoga every mon/tue/wed)
Don’t feel like typing? Add tasks using your own voice
Personalize your to-do list and tasks using emojis (for example: Pick dad from airport ✈️, buy 🍉, etc)
Smart lists and tags
Habit tracker
Countdown mode
Personalize your app with colorful themes and backgrounds
Import your to-do list and tasks from Apple Reminders and Todoist
Integration with Siri, Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa
Build your focus with a countdown timer
Widget support for iOS 14 and above
- Google Keep
For the last 2 years, I have been using Google Keep as a simple note taking app. But it struck me recently that it can be also be used as a to-do list manager. A good note-taking app with abilities to manage your to-do list – Cool! However, there is one drawback – You can’t set reminders or add date and time for individual to-do list items. You can only use Google Keep as a basic app to note down your to-do list.
This is how you can use Google Keep as a to-do list manager:
Launch Google Keep and tap on that round shaped (+) button.
Now tap on the rectangular shaped (+) button, on the bottom left side of your screen
Select ‘Tick boxes’
That’s it. Now give your list a heading and start adding list items
You can also add labels and invite someone to collaborate together on the list
- Sorted
Sorted unifies all your notes, tasks and calendar events in one common timeline for enhanced focus and productivity. They introduce themselves as one place to hyper schedule your entire day for more focus and clarity. Here are some of the interesting features from their iPhone app:
Auto scheduling
Reorganize – split large projects into smaller sub-tasks
Attach photos and files to your tasks
Gestures (such as pinch out to add new tasks and increasing/decreasing due time of all tasks at once in one swipe)
Personalized lists and tags
Recurring tasks/events
Integration with the default iOS calendar app
Widgets for iOS 14 and above
I liked the productivity concept behind Sorted app. Scheduling your day by putting all events, tasks, reminders, and notes at one place is definitely smarter than scrambling over from one app to another.
- MinimaList
As its name suggests, MinimaList is a very simple to-do list app for iPhone. If you are overwhelmed by so many fancy features provided by the other task manager apps, you may want to give MinimaList app a try!
Minimalist app – screenshots
Here is how it works:
Swipe down to add a new task
Tap the small clock icon, on the lower right-hand side above your keyboard
Set the due date and time for your tasks. You can even set recurring tasks by selecting – daily, weekly, or monthly.
Swipe left across the task to edit/delete, and swipe right across to mark it as complete.
If you upgrade to MinimaList Premium (available at a very cheap price compared to other apps), the following additional features will be unlocked:
Sync list across devices
Location based reminders
Collaborate on your list with others
Multiple lists
FaceID lock
Custom theme, fonts, ringtone
Add tasks using your voice
Task priority
Auto-snooze
Conclusion
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