Google Tasks vs Todoist: Which Task Manager Should You Use in 2026?

Google Tasks and Todoist are two of the most popular task managers available today. One is free and baked into the Google ecosystem. The other is a feature-rich standalone app used by millions of professionals and students worldwide.

If you are already deep in Gmail and Google Calendar, Google Tasks is already waiting in your sidebar. If you want priority levels, filters, and a polished mobile experience, Todoist is hard to beat.

This guide breaks down Google Tasks vs Todoist across every dimension that matters so you can make the right call for your workflow in 2026.

Google Tasks vs Todoist at a Glance

Feature	Google Tasks	Todoist
Price	Free	Free (limited) / Pro $4/mo
Platform	Web, iOS, Android	Web, iOS, Android, Windows, Mac
Gmail integration	Native sidebar	Via extension
Google Calendar sync	Automatic	Limited (via iCal export)
Recurring tasks	Yes	Yes (more flexible)
Subtasks	One level	Multiple levels
Priority levels	No	Yes (4 levels)
Labels / Tags	No	Yes (labels, filters)
Reminders	Via Calendar	Time-based push alerts
Collaboration	No native sharing	Shared projects (Pro)
Kanban view	No	Yes (Board view on Pro)
Offline access	Limited	Yes
API	Yes	Yes

Both apps solve the same core problem: keeping track of what you need to do. The differences show up in depth, flexibility, and which ecosystem they fit into.

Google Tasks: Free, Minimal, and Built for Google Users

Google Tasks is intentionally simple. You get lists, tasks, subtasks (one level deep), due dates, and notes. That is it. No clutter, no pricing tiers, no learning curve.

The biggest advantage is deep Google Workspace integration. Tasks with due dates appear on your Google Calendar automatically. You can create a task from any Gmail message in one click. The Google Tasks panel is available as a sidebar in Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Docs, and other Workspace apps. For anyone already living in Google, the setup time is zero.

Google Tasks: Zero Setup Required

✓ Free for every Google account

✓ Due dates appear in Google Calendar automatically

✓ Create tasks from Gmail with one click

✓ Available in the sidebar of every Google app

The downside is also obvious: Google Tasks is minimal by design. There are no priority labels, no time-based reminders, no file attachments, no way to share lists with others, and no kanban or board view. For a personal task list tied to your calendar, it does the job well. For structured project work or any kind of team coordination, it quickly hits its ceiling.

Todoist: More Features, More Structure

Todoist is a dedicated task manager built by Doist, a remote-first company. It has been around since 2007 and has accumulated a deep feature set that goes well beyond a basic to-do list.

The free tier is genuinely useful. You get unlimited tasks, 5 projects, and basic recurring tasks. The paid Pro plan ($4/month billed annually) unlocks reminders, labels, filters, and calendar sync.

What makes Todoist stand out:

Natural language input. Type “every Monday at 9am” and Todoist automatically sets a recurring reminder. Google Tasks requires manual date selection.
Priority levels. Flag tasks as P1, P2, P3, or P4. This alone is a major feature for anyone managing a busy workload.
Filters and labels. Build custom views like “all P1 tasks due this week” or “everything tagged @client.”
Multiple subtask levels. Nest tasks as deep as you need for complex projects.
Board view. Kanban-style columns are available on the Pro plan for visual project tracking.
Todoist Karma. A built-in productivity score that gamifies task completion.

Todoist works well on every platform. Native desktop apps exist for Windows and Mac. Offline access is built in. The mobile apps are polished and fast.

The tradeoff is cost and complexity. Todoist’s best features are behind the paid tier. And if you use Google Calendar as your primary schedule, syncing with Todoist requires extra steps (iCal feed or a third-party automation tool like Zapier).

Feature-by-Feature Comparison

Recurring tasks

Both apps support recurring tasks, but Todoist is more flexible. You can enter phrases like “every other Tuesday” or “on the last day of the month” and Todoist parses them correctly. Google Tasks supports daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly recurrence with fixed intervals. For most use cases, Google Tasks is sufficient. For complex schedules, Todoist has the edge.

See our full guide on setting up recurring tasks in Google Tasks for step-by-step instructions.

Reminders and alerts

This is where Google Tasks falls short most noticeably. Google Tasks does not send push notifications for due tasks. Instead, tasks with due dates appear on your Google Calendar, and Google Calendar handles any notification behavior. If you rely on your calendar for alerts, this can work fine. If you expect the task app itself to remind you, it will not.

Todoist sends push notifications on mobile and desktop, with time-based alerts available on the Pro plan. For users who depend on direct reminders to stay on track, Todoist is more reliable out of the box.

Team collaboration

Google Tasks has no native sharing. You cannot share a task list with another person without a third-party tool. Todoist offers shared projects on the Pro plan, with basic task assignment and comment threads.

Neither app is a full team coordination platform. For Google Workspace teams that need real-time shared task lists and a kanban board built on top of Google Tasks, tools like TasksBoard fill that gap without requiring any migration.

Integrations

Google Tasks has a public API and connects natively with every Google app. Todoist integrates with over 80 tools including Slack, GitHub, Google Calendar (via iCal), and Zapier.

If your workflow depends on a rich third-party integration (connecting tasks to Slack messages, GitHub issues, or Notion pages), Todoist has a broader ecosystem. If you live in Google Workspace, Google Tasks is already connected to everything you need.

When to Choose Google Tasks

Google Tasks is the right choice if you:

Already use Gmail, Google Calendar, and Google Workspace apps daily
Want your tasks to appear on your calendar automatically without any setup
Turn Gmail emails into tasks frequently
Prefer a simple, minimal tool with no learning curve
Plan to extend Google Tasks with a tool like TasksBoard for kanban views or team sharing

Google Tasks is not ideal if you:

Need time-based push reminders directly from your task app
Work on complex projects that require multiple subtask levels or filters
Collaborate with teammates who are not on Google Workspace
Want priority levels and custom views

When to Choose Todoist

Todoist is the right choice if you:

Want priority levels, labels, and powerful filter views
Need time-based reminders from within the task app itself
Work on multiple projects with nested subtasks
Want a native desktop app with full offline access
Use apps beyond Google (Slack, GitHub, Notion) and want tasks connected to all of them

Todoist is not ideal if you:

Are fully in Google Workspace and want tasks in your Calendar sidebar
Are cost-sensitive (the most useful features require the paid plan)
Prefer a task list that feels like a natural extension of Gmail

Choosing Between Google Tasks and Todoist

Google Workspace user

Gmail, Calendar, Drive. Google Tasks lives in your sidebar. Tasks appear on your calendar. Zero cost, zero setup.

Power user or non-Google stack

Todoist's priority labels, filters, push reminders, and 80+ integrations make it the stronger standalone tool.

Adding Power Features to Google Tasks

One common objection to Google Tasks is its lack of collaboration and visual organization tools. The good news: you do not have to choose between Google’s ecosystem and a more powerful task experience.

TasksBoard is a kanban board for Google Tasks. It reads your existing Google Tasks lists and displays them as a full-screen board with draggable columns, labels, and real-time sharing. Your tasks stay in Google Tasks (and still show up in Gmail and Google Calendar). TasksBoard adds the planning layer on top.

This means you get:

A full kanban board across all your Google Tasks lists
Real-time collaboration when you share a board with teammates
Task labels for visual organization
A desktop-focused full-screen view built for focused work
All Google Tasks integrations (Gmail, Calendar) still intact

For Google Workspace teams who want Todoist-style organization without leaving Google, this is the practical path forward.

Try TasksBoard

Get a full kanban board and team sharing on top of your Google Tasks. No migration needed. Free to start.

Get Started →

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Google Tasks completely free compared to Todoist?

Yes. Google Tasks is 100% free for any Google account, with no premium version. Todoist has a useful free tier (5 projects, unlimited tasks), but features like reminders, labels, and calendar sync require the Pro plan at $4/month billed annually.

Can I sync Google Tasks with Todoist?

There is no official sync between Google Tasks and Todoist. You can connect them through automation platforms like Zapier or Make, but that requires a paid subscription to those services and ongoing maintenance. Most users choose one platform and commit to it rather than keeping two task managers in sync.

Does Todoist work with Google Calendar?

Todoist offers a two-way Google Calendar sync on the Pro plan. Tasks with due dates appear as events in Google Calendar, and changes sync back. The integration works, but it is not as seamless as Google Tasks, which is built directly into Google Calendar. If deep Google Calendar integration is a priority, Google Tasks is the more natural fit.

Which app is better for teams?

Todoist supports shared projects and task comments on the Pro plan, making it more capable for team use than Google Tasks out of the box. Google Tasks has no native sharing at all. That said, Google Workspace teams can pair Google Tasks with a tool like TasksBoard to get a full shared kanban board with real-time collaboration, all within the Google ecosystem.

Can Google Tasks replace Todoist for daily use?

For simple personal task lists tied to a Google Calendar schedule, yes. If you rely on Todoist's priority levels, time-based reminders, deep filters, or multi-level subtasks, Google Tasks will feel limited in comparison. The gap narrows significantly if you add TasksBoard on top for visual organization and board views.

Conclusion

The Google Tasks vs Todoist question comes down to two different philosophies.

Google Tasks is minimal, free, and perfectly woven into Google Workspace. If Gmail and Google Calendar define your workday, Google Tasks fits without friction. You get tasks in your sidebar, due dates on your calendar, and email-to-task conversion without switching apps.

Todoist is more powerful, more flexible, and built for users who want priority levels, natural language input, time-based alerts, and rich integrations across many platforms. The Pro plan is reasonably priced, and the free tier covers a lot of ground.

If you are on Google Workspace and find Google Tasks too bare but do not want to leave the ecosystem, TasksBoard is worth exploring. It gives you a kanban board, team sharing, and visual organization on top of your existing Google Tasks data.

For a broader look at your options beyond both tools, read our guide to the best Google Tasks alternatives in 2026. If you decide to stay with Google Tasks and want to get more out of it, the guide to sharing Google Tasks with your team is a good next step.