Todoist

Todoist is a task management app that has been around since 2007 and still keeps its promise simple: put everything you have to do in one place, and let the app worry about keeping it organized. It is made by Doist, the remote-first company behind Twist, and it runs on pretty much everything: web, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, plus browser extensions and email add-ins. On Linux, the official client is distributed straight from Todoist's download page at todoist.com/downloads, alongside the Windows and macOS apps.

Getting tasks into Todoist is its signature strength. The quick-add field understands natural language, so typing "send the report every Friday at 4pm" creates a recurring task with the right schedule, and "#work p1" files it under a project with top priority. Projects can be nested, tasks can hold sub-tasks, labels, priorities and reminders, and any view can be rebuilt with custom filters, such as "tasks due this week, assigned to me, in the work project."

The free plan covers the basics well: five personal projects, three filter views and reminders. It is enough for a personal to-do list, but anyone who leans on filters, the calendar layout, or a full activity history will hit the limits. Pro (from $5 per month billed yearly) raises project and filter counts, adds the calendar layout and unlimited activity history. Business (from $8 per user per month billed yearly) targets teams, with up to 500 team projects, shared roles and centralized billing.

Day to day, Todoist feels fast. Sync between devices is near-instant, offline mode works properly, and each app follows its platform's conventions instead of shipping one web wrapper everywhere. Karma, a light points system that rewards completed tasks and streaks, nudges you to keep the habit, and you can switch it off if points are not your thing.

Integrations are a strength: Todoist connects to Google Calendar, Slack, Gmail, Outlook, Zapier, IFTTT and more than a hundred other services, and a public API lets you script your own workflows on top.

Where Todoist is less convincing is at the edges. It has no real calendar of its own (the calendar layout is a Pro feature and stays basic next to dedicated calendar apps), no time tracking, and no notes beyond task comments; Doist deliberately keeps the app focused on tasks. The free tier has also shrunk over the years, as filters, reminders and activity history moved into paid plans, which long-time users have not always welcomed.

Still, as a pure to-do list, Todoist remains a reference: quick to capture, reliable to sync, available everywhere. If your needs stop at task lists, projects and deadlines, the free plan may be all you need; if you live in filters and calendar views, Pro is where the app really opens up.