Five of the Best To-Do Apps for iOS

[MacRumors]

People lead busy lives, and keeping track of everything that needs to be done in a day can be tough, which is why there are an endless number of to-do and productivity apps on the App Store.

Apple offers a built-in Reminders app and a built-in Notes app, both of which can be useful, but most people who need a robust task tracking solution will want to look to a third-party app. In our latest YouTube video, we rounded up some of our favorite to-do options with a range of capabilities.

Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos.​

Notion (Free)

Notion is an all-in-one productivity app that's perfect if you need an app that combines note taking and wiki creation with to-do list making. It has a simple color coordinated design, but it can actually be used to create neatly organized notes and lists with a hierarchy as complex or as simple as you need it to be.

Notion is cross platform so it works on Mac and iOS, plus it has robust search tools, supports real-time collaboration, offers easy editing and list rearranging, and works offline.

The app is free to use, but unlocking the full range of capabilities, including unlimited "Blocks" of data and more than 5MB in file uploads costs $4 per month.

TeuxDeux ($2.99/Month)

Despite the cringeworthy name, TeuxDeux is a solid to-do app if you need something that's simple, straightforward, and free from confusing bells and whistles. It is the most barebones of the to-do apps that we've tried out, and it's an ideal choice if you want a design that's close to writing down tasks on a piece of paper.

Though simple, TeuxDeux offers several features that are must haves for a to-do app, such as recurring tasks, tasks that roll over to the next day if unfinished, Markdown support, easy drag and drop gesture support, and the ability to use it on both the iPhone and the desktop.

TeuxDeux is a subscription-based app and it costs $2.99 per month or $24 for a year.

Things 3 ($9.99)

Things 3 is one of the most robust to-do apps on our list, and it's also one of the more popular to-do list options. There's a good reason for that - Cultured Code has included every feature you could ever possibly want in a task management app.

The design of the app is ultimately easy to use, but it can be overwhelming at first and it does take some time to get used to the full feature set. Luckily, there's a built-in tutorial to get you acquainted with Things 3.

You can create Projects to organize different tasks, Areas to split things between work and family responsibilities, or just add a simple to-do. An inbox with sections like Today, Upcoming, Anytime, and Someday helps you keep track of what tasks need completing and when. Things 3 is the app to choose if you want to organize all aspects of your life.

Things 3 is one of the few to-do apps that's not subscription based, and it costs $9.99 to purchase. Things 3 is also available for Mac and iPad, though each app must be purchased individually.

Todoist (Free)

Todoist, like Things 3, is a well-known to-do and list making app. Different tasks can be organized into sections as needed, spitting up everything from work tasks to grocery lists. There's an inbox that shows you everything that needs to be done at a glance, plus sections for things that need to be done immediately and over the next week.

Todoist makes it easy to jot down a quick to-do using natural language in the app so you can get it out of your head, and it supports recurring dates and the option to assign tasks to others for collaborative projects. Personalized productivity trends are included, so you can make sure you're staying on task.

Todoist is free to download, but the premium feature that unlocks all functionality (such as reminders) costs $3.99 per month or $35.99 per year.

Any.Do (Free)

Any.do is another popular task management app that's been around for years. It has a simple interface that belies its complexity, with deep organizational options for managing daily to-dos, calendar tasks, projects, lists, and more.

It offers scheduled reminders, note taking capabilities, collaborative features, calendar integration, adding to-dos from email messages, simple drag and drop gestures, and more. Using the app requires an account, but it does support Sign in with Apple to make it easy, and with an account, the app can be used across all of your devices.

Any.do is free to use, but unlocking all features requires a premium plan priced at $9.99 per month for a one month subscription, $27 for a six month subscription, or $60 for a 12 month subscription.

A premium subscription unlocks color tags, location-based reminders, advanced recurring reminders, bigger file uploads, sharing capabilities, and more.

Conclusion

There are dozens if not hundreds of to-do apps on the App Store, and it's impossible to test them all out. If you're looking for a new to-do app, it's worth checking out the options on our list, as these are apps that we've tried and found useful.

If we missed your favorite to-do app, make sure to let us know what it is in the comments.

Article Link: Five of the Best To-Do Apps for iOS

 

[SDJim]

Compared to the other premium offerings, Things 3 becomes free after two months. Yikes.

 

[saw1980]

I have used Wunderlist since it was first released. For a basic, free todo app, it’s awesome. Cloud sync, shareable/collaborative lists, reminders, etc. I’ll have to check these out too.

 

[cj31016]

Really shocked to not see Omnifocus on this list.

 

[chris4565]

I use Things almost daily and I absolutely love it. On the one hand it’s incredibly fast to just quickly write down a todo but on the other it also gives you plenty of advanced options. Plus the design is beautiful.

 

[KevinGrabher]

OmniFocus

Once you have your system properly set up in that app there's no going back.
The desktop app especially is noticeably native.

I used Things 2 before that but eventually got forced to switch since it was missing key features like Subtasks and Things 3 literally took years to be released.
OmniFocus had a bit of a learning curve and it takes a bit to get your perfect system set up, but once you do there are just so many more ways to organise stuff and keep you motivated. Also, the review feature is the missing feature in a lot of apps, and an absolute necessity to make sure no tasks gets forgotten in a big library.

 

[CafeNevosa]

I gather it’s likely still the same in iOS 13 where getting persistent reminder notifications until something is marked completed isn’t possible for third party apps? Super handy as it sticks to your lock screen until completed.
After I switched from android and was using a third party app Gtasks, on iOS I couldn’t match the always present notifications until marked completed.

I’ve just used the iOS reminders app, I’m light to medium user for personal tasks.

 

[mulraven]

I gather it’s likely still the same in iOS 13 where getting persistent reminder notifications until something is marked completed isn’t possible for third party apps? Super handy as it sticks to your lock screen until completed.
After I switched from android and was using a third party app Gtasks, on iOS I couldn’t match the always present notifications until marked completed.

I’ve just used the iOS reminders app, I’m light to medium user for personal tasks.

2Do has nagging feature that keeps reminding upto 5 times with user-defined time intervals.

 

[AlexMagik]

Quite surprise to don't see Microsoft TODO (as Wunderlist is getting retired in May), and OmniFocus.

 

[PlayUltimate]

Been using 2Do for a long time. . . I've looked at others and keep coming back.

 

[CarlJ]

Really shocked to not see Omnifocus on this list.

Yes, this. You don’t have to say it’s number 1, but if it isn’t in a list of the five best, then the list is fundamentally flawed.

 

[idiiamots]

Quite surprise to don't see Microsoft TODO (as Wunderlist is getting retired in May)

+1. Surprised that Microsoft To Do wasn't considered

 

[ian87w]

Been using 2Do for a long time. . . I've looked at others and keep coming back.

Same here. Interesting it's not mentioned.
Been using 2Do for a long time. Even better, it's available on both iOS and Android, and can sync through Dropbox, making it platform agnostic.

 

[johnscully]

Every third-party to do app has one major flaw - the notafications don‘t remain on the lock screen. Just the notifications from Apples reminders app do so. I really like Things (and spend money for the app), but without permanent notifications in the lockscreen for me the app is useless.

 

[ZUser_7]

I've been using 2Do for the past 4+ years and haven't been able to find a better task manager (even after having used Things, ToDo, and Wunderlist among others). The best thing about 2Do is just how much you want out of your task manager. I find it extremely customizable but even if you don't want it to be complicated, like when I started using it, all of the extra features don't get in your way. Would definitely recommend.

 

[TheDailyApple]

I used to use Things 3, but after it stopped working on my Watch, I ended up switching back to Apple's reminders. Apple's reminders app has pretty much caught up since iOS 13, and is more full featured on Watch. I recommend anyone who hasn't tried it giving it a chance.

 

[VictorTango777]

To this day, Apple's Reminders for iOS still does not have options for automatic sorting by name, due date, priority, etc. Apparently, Apple engineers never bothered to test the application with more than one item in a list.

 

[PlayUltimate]

I used to use Things 3, but after it stopped working on my Watch, I ended up switching back to Apple's reminders. Apple's reminders app has pretty much caught up since iOS 13, and is more full featured on Watch. I recommend anyone who hasn't tried it giving it a chance.

I did try it it and liked it. But it was just a bit limiting for my needs. So I went back to 2Do.

 

[prometheus12]

I've tried them all and TickTick is bar far my favorite.

 

[acctman]

Microsoft To Do is the best in my opinion... simple clean and go the point.

 

[Westside guy]

While it does a lot more than just "To Do" functionality... I settled on Trello after trying most of these other apps. It can be as simple or as complicated as you want.

Once you've moved past a simple linear "to do" list, you're really in the realm of project management.

 

[luccalabs]

Seems like its missing a number of popular ones:

- Microsoft To Do (formerly wunderlist)
- 2Do
- OmniFocus
- Todo.txt

How is TeuxDeux, a $2.99 per month super basic app on here but the others arent.

 

[DinkThifferent]

The app is free to use, but unlocking the full range of capabilities, including unlimited "Blocks" of data and more than 5MB in file uploads costs $4 per month.

TeuxDeux is a subscription-based app and it costs $2.99 per month or $24 for a year.

Things 3 is one of the few to-do apps that's not subscription based, and it costs $9.99 to purchase.

Todoist is free to download, but the premium feature that unlocks all functionality (such as reminders) costs $3.99 per month or $35.99 per year.

Any.do is free to use, but unlocking all features requires a premium plan priced at $9.99 per month for a one month subscription, $27 for a six month subscription, or $60 for a 12 month subscription.

Hey Siri, remind me why on earth i should pay up to $60 dollars for something that you can do for free. Or otherwise a piece of paper and a magnet on the refrigerator.

 

[Silvano Ricci]

not mentioning Omnifocus in this list is like writing about spreadsheets and not mentioning excel.
these apps are ok as long as you don’t really use them as a task planning tool.

 

[bivalvegruff]

I tried Things 3 on the Mac and I liked it, but their terms privacy policy combined with the fact that the only available sync is through their service puts me off.

When using Things Cloud to update your to-dos, we collect the content you provided
[...]
We also use the personal information we collect to help us create, develop, deliver, protect, and improve our products, services, content

we may delete accounts (and all associated Content) that haven’t been used for an extended period of time.
[...]
Cultured Code may also stop providing the Service to you at any time, with or without cause, and with or without notice.
[...]
You agree that you will not use the Service to upload, transmit, store, or otherwise make available any unlawful Content; engage in any copyright infringement or other intellectual copyright infringement; [...] and/or plan or engage in any illegal activity

Will I pay to have my to do list analyzed and my account terminated if I have a list of movies I plan to download (which was legal where I'm at until a few years ago), or even without reason?