Todoist alternative: tasks compared – tasks
Todoist is a mature task app with native apps for almost every device. tasks puts its weight elsewhere: separate workspaces for work and family with one shared overview, Jira and GitLab without a corporate token on the server, and hosting in Germany. Here they are side by side, every Todoist fact with its source.
tasks and Todoist side by side
| Feature | tasks | Todoist | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Free (CHF 0), every feature included | Beginner free; Pro USD 12 per user and month, billed monthly | todoist.com |
| Separate contexts | Workspaces as a privacy boundary, one overview across all of them | Personal projects in one account (Beginner 5, Pro 300); a shared team workspace only on Business | todoist.com |
| Sharing | Shared workspace, members see only that one; Up for grabs | Up to 5 people per personal project (Beginner and Pro) | todoist.com |
| Jira | Push issues from your own laptop with tsk, the corporate token stays there | Official integration, a task from a Jira issue in one click; a Jira admin installs it | todoist.com |
| MCP for AI assistants | Own MCP server, read-only grants possible, no delete tool | Official MCP server with OAuth sign-in, on all plans | todoist.com |
| Command line | tsk, a static binary for Linux, macOS and Windows, JSON output | Official open-source CLI via npm or Homebrew | todoist.com |
| Email to task | Personal address per workspace, senders checked with DMARC | A unique address per project, the subject becomes the task | todoist.com |
| Calendar feed | Several feeds, limited to chosen workspaces, titles can be hidden | Calendar subscription (iCal) for Apple, Google and Outlook | todoist.com |
| iPhone shortcut | Signed shortcut, with Siri and from the share sheet | Shortcuts actions on iOS 17 or later, on all plans | todoist.com |
| Platforms | Web app (installable) in any current browser, tsk, iPhone shortcut | Linux, Mac, Windows, iPhone, iPad, Android, Apple Watch, Wear OS; browser extensions | todoist.com |
| Data location | Servers at Hetzner in Germany; provider Squibble GmbH, Switzerland | Hosted on Amazon Web Services; the security page does not name the region | todoist.com |
When tasks fits
You run tasks for several lives: your job, client projects, your family. In tasks every workspace is its own privacy boundary, and you still see on one page what is due in the next few days. You push Jira and GitLab issues from your own laptop, and the corporate token stays there. Claude works along through MCP, read-only if you like and without a delete tool. And all of it is free.
When Todoist is the better choice
When you want native apps on every device, including Apple Watch and Wear OS, when you mostly plan alone or in small shared projects, and a Jira button that a Jira admin installs is enough for you. Todoist also has its own MCP server and an official command-line tool.
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.
How do Jira and GitLab issues show up in tasks?
Issues assigned to you appear next to your own tasks, with their key, their source and a link to the original. tsk sync gitlab and tsk sync jira read them on your laptop, GitLab through your logged-in glab, Jira with jira-cli’s stored login, and send them to tasks. From GitLab you also get the merge requests waiting for your review. They are as fresh as your last sync: run once, with --watch 10m or on a timer.
Which project lands in which workspace you set once with tsk sync gitlab setup or tsk sync jira setup. Projects without a mapping are not sent, and tsk names them after each sync.
Title, due date and status stay read-only and follow the original. Priority, tags, category, start date and a note are yours to set in tasks; they survive every sync. Recently closed issues show as done or cancelled and then move to the archive.
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.