Todoist vs. Google Tasks: which one should you use in 2026?

Google Tasks covers a flat checklist for free inside Gmail and Google Calendar. Todoist adds projects, priorities, labels, and AI task creation for a fee. Below, each area gets a verdict, with prices and plan limits checked against Todoist's and Google's own pages on 1 Oct 2026.

Todoist vs. Google Tasks at a glance

Bottom line: Todoist wins 4 of 8 categories, Google Tasks wins 2, and 2 are tied. Todoist is the more capable tool overall, but Google Tasks delivers remarkable value at zero cost.

Interface and user experience

🥇 Verdict: Todoist for structure, Google Tasks for speed. If you open your task app ten times a day to jot one line, Google Tasks has less in the way.

Todoist: your command center for getting things done

Todoist presents a feature-rich interface from the start. Its design is both functional and visually appealing, adhering to modern Material Design principles.

Creating tasks in Todoist is straightforward, but it offers additional options like adding labels, subtasks, deadlines, reminders, setting priorities, and sharing projects. This makes Todoist a more versatile tool for users who need a detailed and structured approach to task management.

The sidebar categorizes tasks into Inbox, Today, and Upcoming, helping you focus on immediate work while keeping an eye on what comes next. This level of organization is beneficial for managing a large number of tasks across different projects.

Google Tasks: simplicity at its finest

Google Tasks greets you with a minimalist interface that prioritizes ease of use. The design offers a straightforward approach to managing tasks divided into lists.

Creating a new task is as simple as tapping "Add a task" and filling in the details, date, and time. The primary interface is a simple list view where tasks can be added, checked off, and organized with minimal effort.

Google Tasks' minimalist design makes it an excellent choice for users who need a basic, easy-to-use task manager without extra complexity.

Mobile apps

🥇 Verdict: a tie. Both apps sync across devices, so the choice comes down to how many features you want on your phone.

Todoist: a pocket-sized productivity hub

Todoist's mobile app extends its user-friendly design to smaller screens, maintaining a consistent look with its desktop counterpart. Despite its compact size, the mobile version does not compromise on functionality. You can create tasks, assign priorities, and organize with labels just as you would on desktop.

Google Tasks: a lightweight task companion

The Google Tasks mobile app adheres to a minimalist approach, focusing on task management without the complexity of additional features.

The app integrates smoothly with other Google services like Gmail and Google Calendar, letting you manage tasks within the familiar Google ecosystem. Google Tasks for mobile is an excellent option for those who need a basic and efficient tool and want everything synced between devices.

Advanced features

🥇 Verdict: Todoist has the richer feature set. Google Tasks now covers the basics of scheduling, which used to be its weak spot.

Todoist: project management and gamification

Todoist allows detailed organization of tasks into projects and sections, which you can color-code for differentiation. When setting up a new project, you can choose between a "List" project or a "Board" project, allowing for planning and managing projects using the Kanban method. You can easily switch between list, board, and calendar views.

One standout feature is Todoist's natural language input. This simplifies task creation by letting you type plain English right in the task title (for example, email George every Tuesday at 5 pm). It is especially handy for on-the-go task entry and creating recurring tasks.

Todoist also offers productivity reports with insights into task completion trends, activity logs, and a Karma system that tracks productivity. The Karma system awards points for completing tasks and maintaining streaks, adding a sense of achievement that encourages consistent engagement. It is a unique approach to motivation and habit tracking.

If you are not sure where to start, Todoist has templates for all sorts of projects, like managing a content calendar or planning a meeting.

Google Tasks: leveraging the Google ecosystem

Google Tasks is more than enough for essential task management. Its primary function revolves around creating tasks and subtasks and organizing them into lists.

The integration with the broader Google ecosystem is the biggest strength. You can convert emails into tasks directly from Gmail and view them in Google Calendar, giving you a unified view of schedules and to-dos.

Google Tasks also supports recurring tasks (a task with subtasks cannot repeat) and detailed notes. It has a search tool for finding tasks across lists and dates.

Time blocking in Google Calendar

🥇 Verdict: Google Tasks if colleagues must see your focus time. Todoist if you plan inside the task app and only mirror the blocks outward.

Google began rolling out time blocking for tasks in Google Calendar on 6 Nov 2025. You reserve a slot for a task with customizable visibility, and the task stays in your Tasks list with its reminders. Personal and Workspace accounts can both block time for tasks, but the do-not-disturb option needs a work or school account, per Google's help page.

Todoist does time blocking too, but differently. On Pro and Business, the calendar layout lets you drag a task onto a day to set its date, time, and duration. The Calendar integration, on all plans, syncs those blocks to a separate "Todoist" calendar in Google Calendar.

That separate calendar is the catch. Todoist's help center says people checking your availability see those times as free and can book over them. Google's own task blocks sit on your main calendar with the visibility you choose.

Deadline field

Google Tasks also gained a deadline field separate from the due date. It shows in the "All day" section of Calendar and sends a notification at 9 AM local time on the deadline day. Deadlines are date-only, with no time of day, and you can set one when you create or edit a task.

AI features

🥇 Verdict: Todoist. Todoist Assist is built into task creation and filtering, while Gemini handles basic task operations inside the Google ecosystem.

Todoist Assist

Todoist's AI suite, called Todoist Assist, includes four features:

Todoist states that Ramble input is not shared with third parties or used for training AI models.

Gemini and Google Tasks

Google Tasks integrates with Gemini, Google's AI assistant. You can use Gemini to:

• Create tasks via voice or text prompts
• Edit and display existing tasks
• Set reminders with dates and times
• Convert photos of handwritten notes into tasks
• Use @Google Tasks in prompts for explicit targeting

Limitation: Gemini can only add tasks to the default task list, not custom lists. Google is also adding agents to Gemini: Gemini Spark, still experimental and limited to Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers (not in the EEA, Switzerland, or the UK), can run multi-step workflows across Gmail and other Google apps.

Pricing comparison

🥇 Verdict: Google Tasks on price. Todoist Pro costs $60 a year when billed annually, or $7/month billed monthly.

Todoist raised prices on December 10, 2025: Pro went from $5 to $7/month on monthly billing, and Business from $8 to $10/user/month. Limits and prices checked against Todoist's help center on 1 Oct 2026.

Google Tasks has no premium tier and no feature gating. Google caps it at 100,000 tasks per account and 20,000 uncompleted tasks per list.

Teamwork and collaboration

🥇 Verdict: Todoist. Task assignment, comments, and team workspaces are built in, while Google Tasks needs a third-party board for anything beyond a shared list.

Todoist: collaborative task management for teams

Todoist is tailored for collaborative work:

1. Creating and managing teams: Todoist allows the creation of a team of any size, serving as a shared home for tasks and projects. Every team member can browse, preview, or join active or archived projects.
2. Project sharing and task assignment: Teams can share projects and assign tasks to specific members. Each task can only be assigned to one person, eliminating ambiguity about responsibility.
3. Communication and reporting: Todoist facilitates in-task communication by allowing discussions and file uploads in comments. It also offers an activity log and customizable project reports with its Google Sheets extension.

Google Tasks: basic sharing with workarounds

Google Tasks does not offer extensive built-in collaboration features like Todoist. However, it provides some functionality:

1. Task list sharing: Click the three-dot menu next to a task list, select "Share List," and share via link. Recipients can view and edit the task list.
2. Google Workspace context: Within a team already using Google Workspace, shared task lists combined with Google Calendar provide a basic collaborative workflow.
3. Integration with TasksBoard: TasksBoard is a third-party tool that adds shared boards and Google Sheets export to Google Tasks. The free version allows five shared lists.

Limitations and drawbacks

Todoist limitations

1. Free plan is restrictive: Beginner caps you at 5 personal projects and 3 filters, and custom, time-based, and location reminders need Pro.
2. Price increase: The December 2025 hike took Pro from $5 to $7/month on monthly billing, and from $4 to $5/month billed annually.
3. Complexity for simple needs: The number of features can feel overwhelming if you just need a basic to-do list.
4. Time blocks read as free: Todoist's calendar layout needs Pro, and its synced blocks show you as free to anyone checking your availability.

Google Tasks limitations

1. No priorities or labels: There is no way to flag urgency or categorize tasks beyond lists.
2. List view only: No board, calendar, or timeline views.
3. Limited collaboration: Sharing a list is the extent of teamwork. No task assignment, no comments, no team features.
4. Dependent on Google ecosystem: Full utility requires Gmail, Google Calendar, and a Google account. Less useful outside of Google's orbit.
5. No advanced reporting: No activity history, productivity tracking, or analytics.

Which should you choose?

The right tool depends on your workflow and priorities. Here is a quick guide by user type.

Conclusion

Todoist and Google Tasks each serve a clear purpose:

• Todoist (by Doist) is the more complete task manager, with project organization, AI features, gamification, and team collaboration. It is ideal for anyone who needs structure and control.
• Google Tasks is a free, no-frills tool that shines inside the Google ecosystem. The 2025 additions of time blocking and Gemini integration have made it significantly more useful than before.

To go deeper, see:

• Notion vs. Todoist
• TickTick vs. Todoist
• Microsoft To Do vs. Todoist
• Microsoft To Do vs. Google Tasks
• Google Keep vs. Google Tasks
• Best to-do list apps and best planner apps

Want to use both tools with Notion? 2sync runs Todoist and Google Tasks as separate two-way automations, both writing into the same Notion database if you want them to. A Source field in Notion shows which app each task came from. If your work tasks are in Microsoft To Do, the Microsoft To Do integration can feed the same database as a third automation.

The setup walkthroughs are how to sync Notion with Todoist and how to sync Notion with Google Tasks. For the product pages, see the Todoist Notion integration and the Notion Google Tasks integration.

Two-way sync, field mapping, and filters are included, and the free trial lasts 14 days. For the Todoist-to-Notion case, Pleexy is the other dedicated connector; 2sync vs Pleexy compares them on direction control and field depth.

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