TickTick alternatives, compared honestly
TickTick is a good product, and most people who go looking for a replacement are not unhappy with the app — they have run into a cap, a price, or a requirement they didn’t want. This page profiles seven alternatives on the things that decide the question: what costs money, what needs an account, what works with the connection off, and how much of GTD each one ships. Mindwtr is one of the seven, and it gets the same treatment as the rest, limitations included.
What you’ll give up leaving TickTick
Worth saying first, because almost nothing else on this list matches it. TickTick is not only a task manager — it bundles a habit tracker, a built-in pomodoro timer, an Eisenhower matrix, calendar and timeline views, and a wide set of hosted integrations from Google Calendar to browser and email plugins to a Telegram bot. If your day runs on all of that in one window, every app below will feel like a downgrade in breadth, and no amount of open source makes up for a missing habit streak. Of the seven alternatives here, none ships a habit tracker or a pomodoro timer. Switching means either giving those up or keeping a second, smaller app for them.
Why people look anyway
The free plan is where most of it starts. TickTick’s free tier is capped at 9 lists, 99 tasks per list, 19 checklist items per task, 2 task reminders, and 5 habits, and its plan table puts Filter, Timeline View, Task Duration, Integrations, and AI Features on Premium only — which is US$49.99 per year. A GTD system with an Inbox, Next, Waiting, Someday, a few Areas, and real projects hits nine lists early, and saved filters are the thing that makes such a system usable.
The rest is structural. TickTick’s terms describe an account as part of using the service, so your tasks live on its servers; its help center documents no offline mode; and the source is closed, so nobody outside the company can check what the app does with your data or keep it running if the company stops. None of that is unusual for a cloud task manager, and some people weigh it up and decide they would rather not accept it.
Seven alternatives, side by side
TickTick is included as the baseline you are comparing against. The habit-and-timer row is the one every alternative loses, which is the honest shape of this decision.
Yes Partial No
| Capability | Mindwtr | TickTick | Todoist | Things 3 | To Do | Everdo | Nirvana | OmniFocus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Completely free, no paid tier | ||||||||
| Open source | ||||||||
| Works offline | ||||||||
| No account required | ||||||||
| Habit tracker and pomodoro timer built in | ||||||||
| Full GTD method out of the box | ||||||||
| Native Linux app |
Method. Checked against each product’s official pricing, download, help, and terms pages. “Completely free” means no paid tier exists at all, not a capped free plan. “Full GTD” requires first-class Inbox, Next, Waiting, Someday, Review, and sequential projects; “Partial” means lists and tags you can arrange into GTD without a built-in review flow. “No” means official sources do not document the capability — TickTick’s help center documents no offline mode. Microsoft To Do is “Partial” on offline: Microsoft documents an offline mode but warns unsynced changes are lost on sign-out, and tasks sync through Exchange Online. Todoist works offline once you are signed in — its help page warns that “Without doing so, you can’t access or make changes to your tasks or projects” — and the account requirement has its own row. Things 3 and OmniFocus are “Partial” on accounts because the apps run locally but syncing needs a free Things Cloud account or an Omni Account; OmniFocus is “Partial” on offline because the native apps work offline while OmniFocus for the Web needs a connection. Nirvana and Microsoft To Do have no Linux app; both run in a browser there.
Price. Mindwtr is free software under AGPL-3.0 with no paid tier, funded by donations. TickTick Premium is US$49.99 per year. Todoist Pro is $7 per month or $60 per year and Business $10 per user per month or $96 per user per year, both effective December 10, 2025; the free Beginner plan caps you at 5 active personal projects and 3 filter views. Things 3 is a one-time purchase per device family — $49.99 on Mac, $9.99 on iPhone, $19.99 on iPad — with Things Cloud sync included. Microsoft To Do is free with a personal Microsoft account. Everdo’s free tier allows up to 5 projects and 2 areas, Pro is a one-time $99.99, and internet sync through its Encrypted Sync Service is a separate subscription listed at $1.66 per month. Nirvana’s free Basic plan includes up to 2 areas, and Pro is $3 per month billed annually at $36 per year. OmniFocus 4 is $74.99 (Standard) or $149.99 (Pro) one-time, or $99.99 per year by subscription, with web access at $4.99 per month or $49.99 per year. Sources: Mindwtr, TickTick plans, apps and terms, Todoist pricing, apps and offline mode, Things pricing, Things for Mac and Things Cloud, Microsoft To Do accounts and setup, Everdo pricing and Encrypted Sync Service, Nirvana pricing and areas, and the Omni Store with the OmniFocus for the Web manual.
Mindwtr
Free and open source under AGPL-3.0, with no paid tier and no account. Native apps cover Linux, macOS, Windows, iOS, and Android, and the whole GTD method is structure rather than something you assemble from lists: Inbox processing, Next, Waiting and Someday, Areas, sequential projects that surface only the action you can take, and a guided Weekly Review. Your tasks are a local SQLite database with JSON export built in; offline is the normal state, and sync happens only where you point it — iCloud, Dropbox, WebDAV, a folder watched by Syncthing, or a small server you host — with an optional passphrase that encrypts file-based targets before they leave the device. A TickTick backup imports in one step, and the head-to-head page covers that migration in detail.
The catch.
It is built for one person. There are no shared projects, no task assignment, and no team comments — if you share a grocery list with someone, Mindwtr cannot do that. There is no habit tracker and no pomodoro timer, so two of TickTick’s bundled tools have no equivalent here. Automation runs through a local API, a CLI, and MCP rather than a hosted integration marketplace, and there is no browser extension for quick capture. Sync is not turnkey: you have to choose and configure a route yourself, which is a few minutes of setup that a cloud account spares you. And it is a younger project than most apps on this list, with a shorter track record behind it.
Best for: someone who wants a complete GTD system on every platform including Linux, for free, with their data on their own disk, and is willing to trade the extras and a little setup for that.
Todoist
The closest thing to a like-for-like replacement in feel. Capture is excellent — natural-language dates, quick add from almost anywhere, browser and email plugins — and the integration catalogue is the largest of any app here. It runs on Linux, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android, and the web, supports shared projects and task assignment, and its free Beginner plan carries a small system without complaint.
The catch.
The free plan caps you at 5 active personal projects and 3 filter views with one week of activity history, so a GTD build-out pushes you toward Pro at $7 per month or $60 per year — more than TickTick Premium. Offline works, but Todoist’s help page is explicit that you must log in before you disconnect. An account is required, the source is closed, and GTD is something you construct from projects, labels, and filters rather than something the app hands you: there is no built-in Waiting list, no review flow, and no sequential projects. Like every alternative here, no habit tracker or pomodoro timer.
Best for: someone who wants the most polished capture and the widest integrations, works with other people, and doesn’t mind paying a subscription for it.
Things 3
The best-looking task manager on this list, and the calmest to use. It is a one-time purchase per device family — $49.99 on Mac, $9.99 on iPhone, $19.99 on iPad — with no subscription, no in-app purchases, and Things Cloud sync included at no cost. The structure is close to GTD: an Inbox, Today, Upcoming, Anytime and Someday, Areas, projects with headings, and a fast keyboard-driven capture box. Everything runs locally, so it works with the connection off.
The catch.
Apple only. There is no Linux, Windows, or Android version, and none is planned — buy into Things and you buy into Apple hardware for as long as you use it. The per-device pricing means a Mac-plus-iPhone setup is $59.98 before you add an iPad, and a future major version is a new purchase. GTD is partial: there is no built-in Waiting-for list, no guided review, and no sequential projects, so those are conventions you maintain with tags. Syncing to a second device needs a free Things Cloud account, the source is closed, and there is no habit tracker or pomodoro timer.
Best for: someone entirely inside the Apple ecosystem who wants to pay once for a beautiful, quiet app and never think about billing again.
Microsoft To Do
The only other app here that is completely free with no paid tier: Microsoft documents it as free with a personal Microsoft account. Apps cover Android, iOS, Mac, Windows, and the web, lists can be shared with other people, tasks break into steps, My Day gives you a daily short list, and it connects to Outlook tasks — which, if you already live in Outlook, is a real advantage no other app on this list has.
The catch.
It is a list app, not a GTD system. There is no Waiting list, no Someday horizon, no Areas, no sequential projects, and no review — building GTD on top of it means bending flat lists a long way. A Microsoft account is mandatory, and with a work or school account your tasks need an Exchange Online mailbox to sync at all. Offline use works, but unsynced changes are lost if you sign out. There is no Linux app, the source is closed, and your data sits inside the Microsoft cloud on Microsoft’s terms. No habit tracker, no pomodoro timer.
Best for: someone who wants something simple and free, already has a Microsoft account, and doesn’t need GTD structure under it.
Everdo
A serious GTD tool with the method built in rather than bolted on: Inbox, Next, Waiting, Someday, Areas of responsibility, sequential projects, contexts and tags, and a proper review. It is local-first, works offline, needs no account to use, ships desktop apps for Linux, macOS, and Windows alongside mobile, and includes a “Send to Everdo” browser extension for capture. Free local-network sync between your own machines is included.
The catch.
The free tier is capped at 5 projects and 2 areas, which a real GTD system passes quickly; lifting the caps is a one-time $99.99, the highest entry price here apart from OmniFocus. Syncing over the internet rather than your local network means the Encrypted Sync Service, which needs an account and a separate subscription listed at $1.66 per month — so “buy once” isn’t quite the whole story if your phone is away from home. The source is not published. No habit tracker, no pomodoro timer.
Best for: someone who wants a strict, mature GTD app on desktop, will pay once for it, and mostly syncs on their own network. The full comparison matrix puts it next to Mindwtr row by row if you are weighing the two.
Nirvana
One of the oldest GTD-native task managers still running, and it shows in the shape of the app: Inbox, Next, Waiting, Scheduled and Someday lists, areas of focus, contexts and tags, notes and checklists, and email capture, all on the free Basic plan. It runs on the web plus iOS, Android, Mac, and Windows, and its energy and time filters — “what can I do in ten minutes with low energy” — are a neat expression of the method that few competitors bother with.
The catch.
The free plan gives you “basic projects & areas of focus” with up to 2 areas; unlimited projects and areas, plus recurring to-dos, are Pro at $3 per month billed annually as $36 per year. Recurring tasks being a paid feature is unusual and worth knowing before you commit. It is a cloud service: an account is required, the official pages describe it as always in sync without documenting an offline mode, and there is no Linux app — Linux users work in the browser. The source is closed, and the interface is dated next to Things or TickTick. No habit tracker, no pomodoro timer.
Best for: someone who wants a proven, GTD-shaped system in a browser on any machine and is fine with a small subscription and a cloud account.
OmniFocus
The most powerful GTD implementation available, and the one that rewards people who want to build exactly their own system: custom perspectives, sequential and parallel projects, deferred dates, a formal review interface with per-project review intervals, tags, and deep automation through its own scripting. Omni is a stable, long-established company, the native apps work offline, and OmniFocus can sync to your own WebDAV server instead of Omni’s.
The catch.
It is Apple-first and expensive. OmniFocus 4 runs on Mac, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Vision Pro; Android and PC users are directed to OmniFocus for the Web, which is a subscription add-on, requires a connection, and by Omni’s own manual doesn’t support review, notifications, or repeat editing. A one-time license is $74.99 Standard or $149.99 Pro, or $99.99 per year by subscription, with web access at $4.99 per month or $49.99 per year. Custom perspectives — the reason many people buy it — are Pro only. Sync and the web app need an Omni Account, and if you sync with your own server Omni documents that you can’t use the web app at all. The source is closed, the learning curve is the steepest here, and there is no habit tracker or pomodoro timer.
Best for: the committed GTD practitioner on Apple hardware who wants maximum control and will pay for it. If the hardware is the problem rather than the price, see OmniFocus for Linux.
How to choose
Six short descriptions. Find the one that sounds like you; the answer is Mindwtr in only one of them.
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The bundle is the point
If the habit streaks, the pomodoro timer, and the Eisenhower matrix are load-bearing parts of your day, stay on TickTick. Nothing here replaces all three, and running two apps to escape one subscription is usually a bad trade.
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Capture everywhere, integrations, teams
Todoist. The quick-add is the best in the category, it plugs into more services than anything else here, and it handles shared projects. Budget for Pro at $60 a year once your system outgrows 5 projects.
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Apple only, pay once
Things 3. One-time purchases, free sync, and the calmest interface of the seven. Accept that it is a lifetime commitment to Apple hardware and that you’ll maintain the Waiting list and reviews by convention.
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Simple, free, already in Microsoft
Microsoft To Do. Free with the account you already have, shares lists, and connects to Outlook. Choose it when you want a better list — not when you want a GTD system underneath.
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Strict GTD, and you’ll pay once for it
Everdo on desktop if you sync mostly at home; OmniFocus if you are on Apple hardware and want perspectives and a real review interface. Both are genuine GTD tools with a real price tag attached.
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Free, open source, offline, everywhere
Mindwtr. Full GTD with no caps and no account, on Linux too, with your data in a local file. The trade is the extras, the single-person scope, and choosing a sync route yourself.
Common questions
Which TickTick alternative is actually free?
Two of the seven have no paid tier at all: Mindwtr, which is free software under AGPL-3.0 funded by donations, and Microsoft To Do, which Microsoft documents as free with a personal Microsoft account. The others — Todoist, Everdo, Nirvana — have free tiers with caps, and Things 3 and OmniFocus are paid up front. A capped free plan is a free tier rather than a free app, and the difference shows up on the day you hit the cap.
Is there an open-source alternative to TickTick?
Mindwtr is the open-source option among the seven profiled here — the source is public under AGPL-3.0, so you can read what handles your data, build it yourself, and keep using it whether or not the project continues. Other free and open-source task managers exist; this is the one on the list that is also a complete GTD system across all five platforms.
Do any of these work without an account?
Mindwtr and Everdo both run without signing up for anything. Things 3 and OmniFocus work locally but need an account to sync between devices. Todoist, Nirvana, and Microsoft To Do require an account to use at all, because your tasks live on their servers.
Can I take my TickTick data with me?
TickTick can generate a backup from Settings → Account → Backup & Import → Generate Backup, and most alternatives will import some form of CSV. How much survives varies: Mindwtr reads a TickTick backup directly, mapping folders to Areas, lists to projects, and keeping tags, priorities, dates, recurrence, checklists, and notes — the TickTick import guide documents what does and doesn’t carry across. Export your backup before you cancel anything, whichever app you choose.
Keep reading
If Mindwtr is the one you want to look at closely, the Mindwtr and TickTick head-to-head goes row by row and walks through the import. The wider sourced matrix across seven apps is on how Mindwtr compares. And if price is the part that brought you here, the roundup of the best free task managers takes the same honest look at what “free” means in each one.