TickTick alternative: tasks compared – tasks
TickTick is a versatile task app with native apps for desktop and phone, a calendar and its own MCP server. tasks focuses on separate workspaces, shared workspaces for the family and hosting in Germany, for free. Here they are side by side, every TickTick fact with its source.
tasks and TickTick side by side
| Feature | tasks | TickTick | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Free (CHF 0), every feature included | Free plan USD 0; Premium USD 49.99 per year | ticktick.com |
| Free plan limits | Planned are 10 owned workspaces with 10,000 tasks each | 9 lists, 99 tasks per list (Premium 299 lists, 999 tasks per list) | ticktick.com |
| Sharing | Shared workspace, members see only that one; Up for grabs | Shared lists; free users add 1 member per list, Premium users up to 29 | help.ticktick.com |
| MCP for AI assistants | Own MCP server, read-only grants possible, no delete tool | Official MCP server, sign-in with OAuth or a bearer token | help.ticktick.com |
| Command line | tsk, a static binary for Linux, macOS and Windows | Official CLI via npm, needs Node.js | help.ticktick.com |
| Email to task | Personal address per workspace, senders checked with DMARC | A shared address for mail from your account address, plus one personal address for any sender | help.ticktick.com |
| Calendar feed | Several feeds, limited to chosen workspaces, titles can be hidden | A subscription URL per chosen list for Google, Outlook and other calendars | help.ticktick.com |
| iPhone and Siri | Signed shortcut, with Siri and from the share sheet | Add tasks via Siri and Siri Shortcuts | help.ticktick.com |
| Platforms | Web app (installable) in any current browser, tsk, iPhone shortcut | iOS and iPadOS, Android, Windows, macOS, Linux, web, browser extension | ticktick.com |
| Data location | Servers at Hetzner in Germany; provider Squibble GmbH, Switzerland | The privacy policy names no country or hosting provider, only "GDPR-compliant" partners | ticktick.com |
When tasks fits
You want to share tasks with several people without a subscription. TickTick’s free plan allows one member per shared list. You want to know which country your data lives in: with tasks, on servers in Germany. And you want to give an AI assistant access that can be read-only and can never delete anything. On top comes tsk, a single binary with no runtime to install.
When TickTick is the better choice
When you want a native app on every desktop and phone system, including Linux, and a calendar view inside the app. TickTick has its own MCP server and an official command-line tool; if those are enough and you plan alone, it serves you well.
Frequently asked questions
Is tasks really free?
Yes. The account costs nothing, with no trial period and no credit card. Every feature is included: workspaces and sharing, tsk, MCP, the iPhone shortcut, calendar feeds, email to task, push and the daily digest. There are no ads, and we do not sell data.
Which AI assistants work with tasks?
Claude Code, Claude Desktop, Cursor and any other client that speaks the Model Context Protocol (MCP). tasks is an MCP server itself: the assistant lists workspaces and tasks, reads single tasks, adds new ones through quick add, updates them and sets their status. You connect it with an access token or through sign-in (OAuth).
A read-only token hides the write tools. There is no delete tool, and every token can be restricted to single workspaces.
Where is my data stored?
In the EU, on servers in Germany. The website, the application and the database run on servers that Squibble GmbH rents from Hetzner Online GmbH and operates itself. The database is backed up every six hours, and an encrypted copy goes to another Squibble backup system every day.
All connections are encrypted with TLS. Access tokens and calendar feed addresses are stored only as digests. The details are in the privacy policy.