Organize work and life
Todoist is a task management app for 50M+ users. Trustpilot: 3.4/5 from 76 reviews (52% 5-star). Complaints: login loops, 'unstoppable spam', 30K email loss. Popular but some frustrations.
Patterns extracted from real user feedback — not raw reviews.
Todoist raised the monthly Pro plan price from $5 to $7 (40% increase) effective December 10, 2025. This sudden price hike has users reevaluating their task management budget and considering alternatives. Legacy users are being moved to new pricing on their next renewal date.
The free plan limits users to only 5 active projects, which feels restrictive when trying to evaluate if the app works for your workflow. Many users find themselves forced to upgrade to premium quickly before fully testing the product. The 300 task limit per project adds another restriction that power users hit frequently.
Reminders, chronological views, and collaboration features are only available on paid plans. Users find it frustrating that basic features like setting reminders for tasks require a premium subscription. This creates a significant gap between free and paid experience.
Todoist lacks built-in start date and task duration features that many users consider essential for project planning. It functions more like a task manager than a project management app. Users needing to plan when to START working on tasks (not just when they're due) are left without native support.
Users express frustration with limited customization options. The interface feels too rigid with its kanban-style board layout that doesn't adapt well to different workflow needs. You cannot color-code tasks in the calendar view by yourself - you can only see tasks by priority color, not by project.
Todoist displays upgrade banners throughout the app that users find overwhelming and distracting, especially when using the app daily. The constant upselling pressure creates a negative user experience for free tier users.
Users have been reporting reliability issues in the past few years, including bugs, sync problems, and having to restart the app altogether. Some users report sync taking up to 50 minutes on WiFi, with cellular data not syncing at all. The 2-way Google Calendar sync doesn't always work correctly.
Users report missing important notifications frequently. Even after upgrading to the latest version, the notification reliability problem persists. This defeats the purpose of a task management app when reminders don't reliably fire.
Customer support becomes slow during peak times. Some users report tickets going unresolved for 2+ weeks when trying to fix minor bugs. There's no phone support available - only email-based support through the help center.
The new Google Calendar integration only allows using one calendar for all projects, whereas many users need separate calendars for each project. Advanced automation fails sometimes when connecting with customer tools. API rate limits can be restrictive for real-time data syncing.
Users report difficulty getting accounts deleted - receiving only data download options instead of actual deletion. After providing email addresses, users experience an 'unstoppable barrage of spam' with no easy unsubscribe option and no one to contact about the issue.
Intuitive and easy to use interface
Users consistently praise Todoist for its simple, clean interface that makes task management straightforward. The learning curve is minimal, and the app enhances productivity and organization in daily life without overwhelming complexity.
Extensive third-party integrations
Todoist connects to 60+ tools including Slack, Google Calendar, Outlook, and Zapier. The open and flexible tech infrastructure makes it team-friendly with an App Store-like catalog of integrations.
Excellent cross-platform sync
Works seamlessly across web, desktop, mobile, and email with real-time sync. Users can switch between personal and team workspaces easily across all devices.
Natural language task input
The natural language processing for task creation is powerful and saves significant time. Users can type 'Meeting with John tomorrow at 3pm' and Todoist automatically parses the date and time.
Bootstrapped company with long-term focus
Doist is a profitable, bootstrapped company that has never taken VC funding and has competed against tech giants for nearly two decades. They have a 97% employee retention rate, suggesting company stability.
Users: 1 user
Limitations: 5 project limit forces quick upgrade decision, No custom reminders, Limited activity history, No deadlines feature
Users: 1 user
Storage: 100MB per file
Limitations: No admin controls, No team billing, No SSO
Users: 1 user
Storage: 100MB per file
Limitations: No admin controls, No team billing, No SSO
Users: Unlimited
Storage: 100MB per file
Limitations: No SSO on this tier, Limited admin features compared to enterprise solutions
Users: Unlimited
Storage: 100MB per file
Limitations: No SSO on this tier, Limited admin features compared to enterprise solutions
Individual users wanting simple task lists
Todoist excels at personal task management with its intuitive interface, natural language input, and cross-platform sync. If you just need to track personal todos without complex project features, it works well.
Users already invested in the Todoist ecosystem
The extensive integrations (60+ tools) and polished cross-platform experience make it valuable for users who have built workflows around it. The learning curve for alternatives may not be worth it.
Sales professionals
Quick task capture, recurring tasks for follow-ups, and mobile app excellence. Sales reps love Todoist for personal CRM-like task management.
Small teams (2-5 people) with simple needs
Works for basic team task sharing but lacks robust collaboration features. The Business plan works for small teams, but evaluate if the per-seat cost is justified for your use case.
Engineering teams
Good for personal task management but lacks team collaboration features. Engineers need project context - Todoist is better for individual productivity.
Power users needing project management features
Todoist lacks built-in start dates, task duration, task dependencies, and Gantt charts. It's a task manager, not a project management app. Power users needing these features should look at alternatives like ClickUp, Asana, or Monday.com.
Budget-conscious users and students
The free tier is extremely limited (5 projects, no reminders) and the recent 40% price increase makes the Pro plan less competitive. Alternatives like TickTick or Microsoft To Do offer more features for free.
Users needing reliable offline access
You must be logged in before going offline, and there's risk of data loss if changes aren't synced before connectivity issues. Users frequently report sync problems across devices.
Large teams needing enterprise features
No SSO, limited admin controls, and per-seat pricing that adds up quickly. The collaboration features don't match dedicated team tools like Asana or Basecamp.
Project managers
Too simple for PM needs. No Gantt charts, resource management, or team workload views. PMs need Asana, Monday, or ClickUp.
Common buyer's remorse scenarios reported by users.
Users regret upgrading when they realize they primarily needed the reminder feature, which competitors offer for free. They feel locked into paying for a feature that should be basic.
Users trying to evaluate Todoist hit the restrictive 5-project limit before fully testing if it fits their workflow. They upgrade prematurely, only to realize the app doesn't match their needs.
Teams onboard to Todoist expecting project management capabilities, then discover it lacks task dependencies, start dates, Gantt views, and proper resource planning. Migration to another tool becomes painful.
Long-term users on legacy pricing are surprised when their annual subscription renews at the new, higher rates (up to 40% increase). The lack of advance warning about personal impact creates frustration.
Scenarios where this product tends to fail users.
When projects require task dependencies, start dates, duration tracking, or Gantt views, Todoist's limitations become apparent. Users find themselves using workarounds that defeat the purpose of a task manager.
Per-seat pricing becomes expensive quickly, and the lack of SSO, limited admin controls, and basic collaboration features make larger team management difficult. Most teams outgrow Todoist at this size.
When missing a task notification has real consequences, Todoist's documented notification reliability issues become a deal-breaker. Users needing bulletproof reminders often switch to alternatives.
The single calendar limitation for all projects and inconsistent 2-way sync breaks down for users who rely heavily on calendar-based planning and need project-specific calendars.
TickTick
Users switch for more features at similar price. Gain: calendar view, pomodoro timer, habit tracking. Trade-off: less polished design.
Microsoft To Do
Free alternative with no feature restrictions. Includes My Day planning, smart suggestions, and tight integration with Microsoft 365. Former Wunderlist users often prefer it.
ClickUp
Teams switch when they need actual project management features like Gantt charts, time tracking, goals, and docs all in one place. More features on the free plan.
Any.do
Users who found Todoist too complex switch to Any.do for its simpler interface and moment feature for daily planning. Better for personal task management without project overhead.
Things 3
Apple users switch for native macOS/iOS experience. Gain: beautiful design, no subscription. Trade-off: Apple-only, no collaboration.
Notion
Users wanting all-in-one switch to Notion. Gain: tasks + notes + databases together. Trade-off: slower, overkill for simple task management.
