Best AI Task Managers (2026): Todoist and More

Last updated: 2026-07-06

Todoist Pro at $5/month is the best all-around task manager for most people — fast, cross-platform, and its AI features (Assist, Ramble voice input) actually help. Things 3 wins on design if you’re all-Apple and want to pay once instead of subscribing. TickTick is the budget pick, Notion suits teams who want tasks alongside docs, and Akiflow is for power users who time-block their whole day.

Quick Verdict

• Todoist Pro ($5/mo) is the best all-around pick for most people.
• Things 3 wins for Apple users who want one-time pricing and no subscription.
• TickTick is the budget pick; Notion suits teams; Akiflow suits power users who time-block.

Try Todoist

What You Need to Know

How I Evaluated This

I judged each tool on how it fits a specific way of working — list-based, time-blocked, workspace-based, or budget-first — rather than trying to crown one universal winner. Every price below was re-verified in July 2026, and two of them (TickTick and Akiflow) changed since this piece first published.

How I Think About Task Managers

Before I get into each tool, here’s the framework I use. Not every task manager is right for every workflow. The “best” one depends on how you work.

If you’re a list person (you work through tasks one by one, checking things off): Todoist or Things.

If you’re a time-blocker (you assign tasks to specific hours on your calendar): Akiflow.

If you’re a workspace person (your tasks live alongside your notes, docs, and databases): Notion.

If you’re price-sensitive (you want the most features for the least money): TickTick.

I also think about tasks in terms of energy. High-energy tasks like strategy, writing, and complex problem-solving need to go in your morning deep work block. Medium-energy tasks like outlining and review go in the afternoon. Low-energy tasks like email and admin fill the gaps. The right task manager should help you see which tasks need what energy… even if it doesn’t explicitly call it that.

Todoist (My Daily Pick)

I’ve used Todoist for years. It’s what I recommend on my podcast, what I set up for clients, and where my own task list lives.

What makes Todoist stand out in 2026 is the AI. Todoist Assist can break a vague task like “prepare for workshop” into specific subtasks: create slides, review attendee list, test equipment, prepare handouts. It also suggests scheduling based on your patterns and builds smart filters when you describe what you want to see in plain English.

The newest feature is Ramble… voice-to-task in 38 languages. You talk into your phone, and it creates properly formatted tasks with dates, projects, and labels extracted from what you said. I use it in the car after meetings. “Create a task to follow up with Sarah about the proposal, due Friday, in the Arena Hall project.” Done.

What I like:

• $5/month for Pro is hard to beat. That’s a cup of coffee.
• Natural language input. “Send report to client every Friday” creates a recurring task automatically.
• AI task breakdown turns fuzzy projects into actionable steps.
• 80+ native integrations. Works with everything I use… Zapier, Google Calendar, Slack, Gmail.
• Ramble voice input is a genuine time-saver.

What I don’t like:

• No built-in calendar view in the free plan. You need Pro.
• No time-blocking. Tasks and calendar are separate concepts in Todoist.
• The AI features are good but not mind-blowing. Still feels like suggestions, not automation.
• Getting complex with projects and filters can get overwhelming for beginners.

Pricing: Free (basic), Pro $5/mo annual ($60/yr), Business $8/user/mo annual.

Best for: Most people. Individuals who want a clean, fast task manager with solid AI features at a low price.

Try Todoist

Things 3 (The Apple Purist’s Choice)

Things 3 has zero AI features. I’m putting it on this list anyway because it’s still one of the best task managers ever made, and a big chunk of the AE audience uses it.

Things is Apple-only. Mac, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Vision Pro. No Windows, no Android, no web app. If you’re not in the Apple ecosystem, stop reading this section.

What Things does better than anyone is get out of your way. There’s no feature bloat. No AI assistant. No 47 different view options. You open it, you see your tasks, you do your tasks. The design is genuinely beautiful. It’s the kind of app that makes you want to use it, which matters more than people think for a to-do app.

The pricing model is also unique: $80 one-time for the full suite (Mac + iPhone + iPad). No subscription. No recurring charges. In a world where everything is $10/month, that’s refreshing.

What I like:

• Beautiful, intuitive design. Best UX in the category.
• One-time purchase. $80 and you’re done forever.
• Deep Apple integration: Shortcuts, widgets, quick entry from anywhere.
• Fast. It never lags. Tasks appear instantly.
• Simple enough that you’ll actually use it consistently.

What I don’t like:

• No AI whatsoever. If you want AI task features, look elsewhere.
• Apple only. If you have even one Android device or Windows machine, Things is out.
• No collaboration features. This is a solo tool.
• No web app. If your laptop dies, you can’t access your tasks from a friend’s computer.
• Fewer integrations than Todoist. Works with Shortcuts but not natively with Zapier, Slack, or most third-party tools.

Pricing: $49.99 Mac, $9.99 iPhone, $19.99 iPad ($80 total). One-time purchase.

Best for: Apple users who value design and simplicity over features. People who are tired of subscriptions.

Try Things

TickTick (The Budget Pick)

TickTick is what I recommend when someone says “I want Todoist but cheaper.” At $35.99/year for Premium, it’s still one of the most affordable paid task managers out there. And the free plan is more generous than Todoist’s too.

The standout features are things nobody else bundles in: a built-in Pomodoro timer and a habit tracker. You can track your water intake, meditation streak, or exercise routine right alongside your tasks. Most people use a separate app for habits. TickTick puts it all in one place.

What I like:

• $35.99/year is about $3/month. Still one of the cheapest premium plans in the category.
• Built-in Pomodoro timer. No need for a separate focus app.
• Habit tracking included. Track habits alongside tasks.
• Cross-platform everything. iOS, Android, Mac, Windows, web, browser extensions.
• Free plan gives you 9 lists and 99 tasks per list. That’s plenty for most people.

What I don’t like:

• AI features are minimal. Natural language date parsing works, but there’s no AI assistant, no smart scheduling, no task breakdown.
• The design is functional but not beautiful. It’s fine. It’s just not Things.
• Can feel cluttered with Pomodoro, habits, calendar, and tasks all in one app.
• Some features (custom smart lists, calendar view) are paywalled, but the paywall is cheap enough that it barely matters.

Pricing: Free (generous), Premium $35.99/year or $3.99/month.

Best for: Budget-conscious users who want a capable task manager with habit tracking and Pomodoro built in. People who need cross-platform support.

Try TickTick

Notion (The Team Workspace)

Notion isn’t really a task manager. It’s a workspace that can be a task manager, and a docs tool, and a database, and a wiki, and a project tracker, all at once. The question is whether that flexibility is a strength or a weakness for you.

For individuals, Notion is often overkill. You spend more time setting up your system than using it. But for teams that need meeting notes, project plans, task lists, and documentation in one place, nothing else comes close.

The AI features are genuinely good. Notion AI can summarize pages, generate action items from meeting notes, autofill database properties, and now build custom AI agents (launched February 2026). But here’s the catch: full AI access requires the Business plan at $20/user/month. The free and Plus plans only give you a one-time 20-response trial. No monthly reset.

What I like:

• Everything in one workspace. Tasks, docs, databases, wiki. No context-switching between apps.
• Custom databases mean you can build exactly the task management system you want.
• AI Agents can automate workflows within your workspace.
• Flexible views: Kanban boards, timelines, calendars, tables. Pick your style.
• Strong for team collaboration. Shared pages, comments, mentions.

What I don’t like:

• Setup tax is real. You need to build your databases, set properties, create views. Todoist works in 30 seconds. Notion takes an afternoon.
• AI is locked behind the $20/user/month Business plan. The free/Plus trial is a tease.
• Can feel slow compared to dedicated task managers. Opening a Notion page takes longer than opening Todoist.
• The flexibility is a trap for some people. You end up reorganizing your system instead of doing your tasks.
• Mobile app is decent but not as fast as Todoist or Things for quick capture.

Pricing: Free (limited), Plus $10/user/mo, Business $20/user/mo (full AI), Enterprise custom.

Best for: Teams that want tasks, docs, and databases in one place. Not ideal for individuals who just want a simple to-do list.

Try Notion

Akiflow (The Power User’s Command Center)

Akiflow is the tool nobody’s heard of that the people who use it swear by. It’s built for one specific workflow: pulling tasks from everywhere into one inbox, then time-blocking them on your calendar.

The universal inbox pulls tasks from Gmail, Slack, Trello, Notion, Todoist, Asana, and 20+ other apps. Instead of checking five different tools for what you need to do, everything shows up in Akiflow. Then you drag each task onto your calendar to schedule when you’ll do it.

The AI assistant, Aki, is the most interesting AI in this roundup. You can talk to it conversationally: “Show me only high-priority tasks from this week” or “Reschedule everything after 2pm to tomorrow.” It filters, sorts, and adjusts your schedule in real-time.

What I like:

• Universal inbox. One place for every task from every tool. This is the killer feature.
• Time-blocking is built into the core experience. Tasks and calendar are the same thing.
• Aki (AI assistant) is conversational and useful. Best AI in this category.
• Designed for people who are serious about planning their day.

What I don’t like:

• $34/month if you pay month-to-month, or $19/month ($228/year) billed annually — the most expensive option on this list either way.
• No team features. This is a solo tool.
• No free plan. Just a 7-day trial.
• You’re adding another tool on top of your existing tools. Akiflow doesn’t replace Todoist… it sits on top of it.
• Learning curve is steeper than Todoist or Things.

Pricing: $19/mo billed annually ($228/yr), $34/mo billed monthly. 7-day free trial. “Believer Plan” $14.90/mo billed every 2 years (about $357.60 per 2-year term).

Best for: Power users who time-block their days and use multiple tools. Consultants, executives, or anyone who needs a command center for a busy schedule.

Try Akiflow

Comparison Table

My Pick

For most people reading this: Todoist Pro at $5/month. It’s simple enough to start using in 30 seconds, powerful enough to grow with you, and the AI features (especially Ramble voice input and task breakdown) actually help. The price is right. The integrations are there. It works on every device.

If you’re deep in Apple and want something beautiful that just works without any subscriptions: Things 3.

If you want the most features for the least money: TickTick Premium at $35.99/year.

If your team needs a workspace, not just a task list: Notion Business. But budget for the $20/user/month if you want the AI.

If you’re a power user who time-blocks and uses multiple tools: Akiflow. It’s expensive, but if the universal inbox clicks for your workflow, nothing else does the same thing.

FAQ

Do I really need AI in my task manager?

Honestly? Not yet. The AI features in current task managers are helpful but not life-changing. They save minutes, not hours. The basics still matter more: capture everything, review regularly, do the work. If you’re not doing a weekly review, no AI feature is going to fix your productivity. But the AI is getting better fast, and having it built in means you’re ready when it gets really good.

Can I use Todoist with AI from Claude or ChatGPT?

Yes. I do this through Zapier. Meeting summaries flow into Claude for action item extraction, then Zapier creates tasks in Todoist. You don’t need the task manager’s built-in AI if you build the pipeline externally.

Why isn’t your favorite task manager on this list?

I focused on tools I’ve used or evaluated extensively. If your favorite task manager isn’t here, it doesn’t mean it’s bad. It means I haven’t tested it enough to write about it honestly.

Does Akiflow replace Todoist or Notion, or do I still need both?

You need both. Akiflow is a universal inbox and time-blocking layer that pulls tasks in from Todoist, Notion, and 20+ other apps — it doesn’t hold your tasks natively. Cancel your underlying task manager and Akiflow has nothing to pull from.

Next Step

Try Todoist