Best TickTick Alternatives in 2026 (Free & Paid)

Evergreen summary: Best TickTick alternatives

TickTick is strong as a combined to-do list, calendar, and Pomodoro timer. People leave because Premium gates the pieces they actually use, the app feels busy, or they only needed a focus session with a task list.

Here are the alternatives that come up most often — and which problem each one actually solves.

Why people look for TickTick alternatives

• Premium paywall — extra lists, calendar views, and timer options sit behind a subscription
• Calendar-first UI — noisy if you just wanted today’s tasks and a timer
• Habits you do not use — you wanted focus, not another tracker
• Web as a second-class client — you work in the browser all day

If any of those are the reason, pick the alternative that matches the leftover job.

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1. Foci — Best overall free alternative

Price: Free
Platform: Web (any device), installable as PWA
Best for: Tasks + timer + ambient sound in one tab

Foci is the closest free substitute when you opened TickTick to work, not to manage a calendar. Projects, due dates, Pomodoro/Flowtime presets, Smart Plan, and offline brown noise.

Why it replaces TickTick for many people:

• No Premium wall for timer, lists, or streaks
• Start at usefoci.com/app without an account
• Smart Plan when the list will not fit today
• Sharing with viewer/editor roles if you collaborate

Skip it if: you need TickTick’s habit grid or a week-agenda home screen.

See the side-by-side: Foci vs TickTick.

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2. Todoist — Best task manager (no timer)

Price: Free tier; Pro paid
Best for: Capture, filters, and GTD-style organization

If you outgrew TickTick’s lists and never used the Pomodoro, Todoist is the usual landing place. It does not include a focus timer or ambient sound. Pair it with Foci if you still want sessions.

Import path if you switch to Foci: Migrate from Todoist.

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3. Microsoft To Do — Best if you live in Outlook

Price: Free with a Microsoft account
Best for: My Day + Outlook/365

Simple lists, My Day, and Outlook tasks. No serious Pomodoro, no Smart Plan, no built-in brown noise. Fine if Microsoft 365 is already the OS of your work.

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4. Stay on TickTick

Keep TickTick if the calendar + habits + lists combo is how you run the week and Premium is cheap relative to that workflow. Alternatives are worse at being TickTick.

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Quick pick

| You want… | Pick | |-----------|------| | Free tasks + timer + sound | Foci | | Best standalone lists | Todoist | | Outlook/Microsoft 365 | Microsoft To Do | | Calendar + habits as one app | TickTick Premium |

Open Foci without signup: usefoci.com/app.

Related: Foci vs TickTick · Foci vs Todoist · Best free Pomodoro apps