Todoist price hike: Here are the best alternatives to switch to if you want to save money

I’ve been a Todoist user for years and am not happy about the upcoming price hike. While I get that prices of most products and services go up eventually, I feel like this increase is too big for a task management app.

Monthly pricing is going up by 40%, increasing from $5 to $7. The yearly plan price increase is a bit more manageable at 25%. So instead of $48, users will now have to pay $60 annually.

Then there are the so-called Pro Legacy plans — plans users signed up for before June 2022, when pricing was even lower at $36 per year. I’m one of those users, and thankfully, the company won’t charge me more, so the price hike doesn’t affect me financially. I’m still taking a hit, though, because if I keep my current plan, I won’t get access to any new features released after December 10, the date on which the new pricing kicks in.

I’m not happy about this, and looking through places like Reddit, I see a lot of other people aren’t either. I’m honestly thinking of switching to an alternative, and since I know a lot of people feel the same, I prepared a list of the best options you should consider. The first option on the list is my favorite, although they all have their pros.

This is a direct competitor to Todoist and has a lot of the same features. I’ve tried it out extensively and can easily replicate my system with custom lists, filters, and tags. The app also supports natural language input, so I can just write something like “Go to the gym every Monday and Wednesday at 6 PM” instead of manually selecting the date and time — something you still have to do in apps like Google Tasks.

There’s also a built-in calendar and a few other nifty tools I see myself using. The Pomodoro timer is one of them, which could help me stay more focused throughout the workday. Then there’s a habit tracker that I’d be willing to try again after a failed attempt years ago. Of course, I have to mention the pricing as well: it costs $35.99 per year, which comes out to $3 per month — although a proper monthly plan isn’t available, at least in my region. There is a free trial you can take advantage of before parting with your money, though.

This one is a bit of an outlier. Notion technically isn’t a to-do list app per se. It’s basically an all-in-one workspace that can replace a multitude of apps. You can definitely use it as a task management app, but you’ll have to set it up yourself or download a template.

I’ll be honest: you likely won’t be able to set up a Notion to-do page in a way that completely replicates your Todoist workflow. For example, there’s no natural language input support, so adding tasks takes longer. However, the app is free, and if you’re already using it, you’ll be able to use one less app on your phone. That’s the part I like, since I want to minimize the number of apps I use regularly and try to replicate them in Notion. It’s also available across platforms, so you can check your to-do list regardless of the device you’re on.

Don’t like Notion because it’s too complex but don’t want to pay for TickTick despite it being cheaper than Todoist? I hear you. Paying for a relatively simple app isn’t always the best use of your money, which is where Microsoft’s To Do app comes in.

The app is completely free. Not free as in a free trial or a free plan that hides certain features behind a paywall — it’s truly free, with no option to upgrade to a premium plan. It’s also very simple and intuitive, and on top of that, it supports natural language input. However, the app’s design is a bit old-school for me personally, but overall, I can’t complain in terms of features and usability, considering it’s free and owned by a major tech company.

Not only is this Todoist alternative free and ad-free, but it’s also open-source and highly privacy-focused. Its offline-first approach means all your data stays on your device, so no one else can see it. If you don’t like sharing your data with Big Tech, this is the app for you.

It does the basics right: you can create tasks, set due dates, set reminders, add tags, and everything else you’d expect from an app like this. However, it doesn’t support natural language input, and coming from Todoist, you’ll have to get used to a new design that’s best described as old-school. A few features are locked behind a paywall, but you have the option to set your own price based on what you think they’re worth.

These are the best Todoist alternatives for those wanting to make the switch now that the pricing has increased. There are plenty of other options as well, so let me know which ones I missed.