Todoist Review: Is It Still the Best Task Manager in 2025?

Todoist has powered task management for millions of users since 2007. With consistent updates, cross-platform support, and a clean interface, it remains one of the most recommended productivity apps. But competition has intensified — does Todoist still justify its position?

What Makes Todoist Stand Out From Other Task Managers?

Natural language input is Todoist's signature feature. Type "Submit report every Friday at 3pm p1 #Work" and the app parses the recurring date, sets priority 1, and assigns the Work project automatically. No menus or date pickers needed.

Cross-platform availability is unmatched. Todoist runs natively on iOS, Android, Windows, Mac, Linux, and web browsers with extensions for Gmail, Outlook, and Slack. Tasks sync instantly across every platform.

How Does the Free Plan Compare to Pro?

The free plan allows 5 personal projects, 5 collaborators per project, and basic features including priority levels and due dates. It handles individual task management adequately for users with simple needs.

Pro at $5 per month adds unlimited projects, reminders, filters, labels, calendar integration, and file uploads. The Business plan at $8 per user monthly includes team workspaces, admin controls, and priority support.

Does Todoist Support Subtasks and Dependencies?

Subtasks work through indentation — create a task, then add child tasks below it and indent them. Parent tasks show progress based on completed subtasks. The hierarchy is simple but limited to one level of nesting.

Task dependencies are not natively supported. You cannot block a task until another completes. This limitation matters for project management workflows where sequential task ordering is critical.

How Good Is the Natural Language Processing?

Todoist's parser handles impressive complexity. Phrases like "every other Wednesday," "last workday of the month," and "in 3 days" all parse correctly. It recognizes project names, label assignments, and priority flags inline.

The parser supports multiple languages including English, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, and Japanese. International users can input dates and recurrence patterns in their native language.

What Are Todoist Filters and How Useful Are They?

Filters create custom views using query syntax. "7 days & p1" shows all high-priority tasks due within a week. "@waiting & !#Personal" shows tasks with the waiting label excluding personal projects. Filters are a Pro feature.

Saved filters appear in the sidebar for one-click access. Power users create filters for daily reviews, weekly planning, and context-based task lists like errands or phone calls. Filters transform Todoist from a simple list into a flexible system.

How Does Todoist Handle Recurring Tasks?

Recurring tasks reset automatically after completion. Set patterns like "every Monday," "every 2 weeks," or "every 3rd of the month." Todoist also supports "after" recurrence — "every 5 days after completion" resets the due date from when you actually complete the task.

The distinction between "every" and "every!" (starting from due date vs. completion date) gives precise control over recurring schedules. This flexibility handles both fixed schedules and variable-frequency habits effectively.

What Integrations Does Todoist Offer?

Native integrations connect with Google Calendar, Slack, IFTTT, Zapier, Amazon Alexa, and Google Assistant. The Google Calendar sync displays tasks alongside events, providing a unified view of your commitments.

Email-to-task conversion forwards emails to a unique Todoist address to create tasks from messages. Browser extensions add tasks from any webpage. The API enables custom integrations for advanced automation needs.

Is Todoist's Karma System Motivating?

Todoist Karma tracks your productivity over time through points earned for completing tasks and maintaining streaks. Daily and weekly goals set target completion counts. The gamification aspect motivates some users while others find it gimmicky.

Karma levels progress from Beginner to Grandmaster based on accumulated points. The productivity visualization shows trends over weeks and months, helping identify patterns in your task completion habits.

How Does Todoist Compare to TickTick?

TickTick includes built-in calendar view, Pomodoro timer, and habit tracking that Todoist lacks. TickTick's free plan is more generous with unlimited tasks and projects. Its premium at $35.99 per year costs less than Todoist Pro.

Todoist counters with superior natural language input, a larger integration ecosystem, and a cleaner interface. Users who value minimalism and keyboard-driven workflows typically prefer Todoist's approach.

What Are Todoist's Main Limitations?

No built-in time tracking or calendar view on the free plan limits Todoist's usefulness as an all-in-one productivity tool. Start dates for tasks require workarounds since Todoist only supports due dates natively.

The 5-project limit on the free plan feels restrictive for anyone managing more than basic personal tasks. Competitors like TickTick and Microsoft To Do offer unlimited projects without payment.

Should You Choose Todoist in 2025?

Todoist remains excellent for users who value fast task capture, cross-platform consistency, and a polished interface. Its natural language input is still the best in the category. The Pro plan delivers strong value at $5 per month.

Consider TickTick if you want more features for less money, Things 3 if you live entirely in the Apple ecosystem, or Microsoft To Do if you need tight Outlook integration. Todoist's strength is doing the fundamentals extremely well everywhere.

• Best-in-class natural language task input
• Available on every major platform with instant sync
• Powerful filter system for custom task views (Pro)
• Flexible recurring task patterns with after-completion support
• No built-in calendar view, time tracking, or start dates
• Free plan limited to 5 projects