TickTick alternatives for a calmer, more guided day
Three TickTick alternatives for people who want more guidance around their list, with honest trade-offs, official prices and a safe way to back up your TickTick data.
Free during early access · no card needed
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The short answer
TickTick packs a lot into one app, including lists, habits and calendar views, at a modest yearly price. People look elsewhere when the app has every tool but the day still feels unplanned, or when they want work tools and calendar in the same view. Here are three options that take different routes, and how to back up your data before you move.
1. Thendoo
Free during early access; paid plans come later
Best for: People who want a guided start and end to each day, with tasks, meetings, habits and money on one Today view.
Strengths
- Plan my day and Close the day walk you through choosing what fits and letting the rest roll forward.
- Today shows Google Calendar meetings, time blocks, a Top 3 card, habits and bills due soon on one page.
- When-then habits with a streak rule that allows one missed day a week, plus routines and a focus timer.
- ADHD mode trims the tray to three tasks and shows fewer things at once.
Trade-offs
- Imports a TickTick backup file, but habits and their streaks start fresh.
- No native phone or watch app yet, and reminders only pop up while a Thendoo tab is open.
- Single-user only, with no shared lists.
Best for: People who mainly want a fast, focused task list and do not need habits in the same app.
Strengths
- Quick capture with natural dates, on desktop, phone, watch, browser and email.
- A Google Calendar integration that puts dated tasks on your calendar.
Trade-offs
- The free plan allows 5 personal projects; the calendar layout needs Pro.
- No built-in habit tracker.
Best for: People who want a daily planning ritual on top of the work tools they already use.
Strengths
- A guided plan for each day and a shutdown at the end of it.
- Pulls tasks from tools such as Todoist, Asana, Notion, ClickUp, Gmail and Slack.
- Timebox tasks on Google, Outlook or Apple calendars.
Trade-offs
- No free plan after the trial.
- Costs more than TickTick or Todoist.
TickTick is a capable app. Lists, habits and calendar views all live in one place, and it syncs across phones, computers and watches. The yearly Premium plan costs less than many single-purpose apps. So people rarely leave because a feature is missing. They leave because the day still does not come together.
Common reasons people look around
- Every tool, no guide. Having lists, habits and a calendar in one app does not tell you what to do first this morning.
- The list keeps growing. Without a daily moment to choose, open tasks stack up and the app starts to feel heavy.
- Work happens elsewhere. If your team runs on another tool, your work tasks may never reach TickTick at all.
- Free plan limits. The free plan stops at 9 lists, 99 tasks per list and 5 habits.
If TickTick fits how you work, there is no need to change.
How to choose
Pick the sentence that sounds most like you:
- “I just want a faster, simpler list.” Try Todoist. It is focused on tasks and has a free plan to try it properly.
- “I want a planning ritual that pulls from my work tools.” Try Sunsama. It guides each day and shutdown, for a higher price.
- “I want one calm screen with tasks, meetings, habits and money, and a nudge to plan the day.” Try Thendoo, if a web app works for you. It has Plan my day, Close the day and an ADHD mode. It has no phone app yet, but it can import your TickTick backup.
Before you switch
Generate a TickTick backup before you change anything. Bring over only what is still open. Habits are worth rebuilding one at a time, so start with the one that matters most this week. Old streaks do not need to come with you. A new habit that sticks is worth more than a long history.
Moving from TickTick to Thendoo
- 1Back up first. On the TickTick website, open your avatar, then Settings, then Backup & Restore, and choose Generate Backup. Keep the file somewhere safe.
- 2In Thendoo, open Settings → Import, choose TickTick and upload the backup file. Folders, lists, tags and repeat rules come over after a preview, re-runs add no duplicates, you can undo it for 30 days, and old open dates arrive as Carried over.
- 3Rebuild habits as when-then habits, for example "After coffee, then take vitamins".
- 4Run both apps side by side for one week before you stop using TickTick.
Questions
Can Thendoo import a TickTick backup?
Yes. Upload the backup .csv in Settings → Import. Tasks, subtasks, tags, priorities, checklists and repeat rules come over; habits do not, so rebuild those by hand.
Does Thendoo have habits and a focus timer like TickTick?
Yes. Thendoo has when-then habits, routines and a focus timer that links to a task. It has no phone app yet, so habits are logged on the web.
Which alternative has a free plan?
Todoist has a free plan. Sunsama offers a trial and then a paid plan. Thendoo has a Free plan with no card and no time limit, and a paid Pro plan; current prices are on its pricing page.