Top 12 Task Planner Apps: Reviews & Comparison

Ultimate Planner offering a perfect blend of deep customization, aesthetic beauty, and practical productivity features. With over 40 ready-made thematic planners complete with hyperlinks for seamless navigation, users can instantly jump into beautifully designed templates tailored to goals, fitness, finance, travel, and more. You get full control over templates, sections, colors, fonts, stickers, and layouts, something most task managers lack.

Built-in habit tracking with visual progress, robust task management (subtasks, priorities, recurring, reminders), calendar sync across Apple/Google/Microsoft, offline mode, and Apple Pencil support make it truly all-in-one. Available on Web, iOS, Android, Mac, and Windows with reliable multi-device sync. If you want a planner that feels personal, inspiring, and powerful without complexity, Ultimate Planner leads the pack.

Notion is one of the most flexible all-in-one workspaces among task planner apps, turning databases, pages, and blocks into custom task systems. You can build anything: Kanban boards, calendars, habit trackers, wikis, or project dashboards. It excels at nested subtasks, custom properties (priorities, labels, status), recurring tasks via formulas, and powerful integrations through Zapier. Collaboration is top-tier for teams.

However, it has a steep learning curve and feels more like a blank canvas than a ready-to-use planner. Aesthetics are clean but not as visually inspiring as dedicated planner apps. Offline access works well, sync is reliable across all major platforms. Pricing is freemium with paid plans starting at $8–12/user/month. For power users who love building from scratch, Notion is excellent, but if you prefer beautiful ready-made templates and easier onboarding, some apps often feels more joyful and efficient for personal task planning.

Sunsama is a premium daily planning app focused on guided time-blocking and mindful productivity for people who want structure without chaos. Each day starts with a calm review: pull tasks from email, calendars, and tools, then drag them into time blocks on your calendar. It excels at realistic scheduling, focus protection, and end-of-day reflection. Integrations with Google/Apple/Outlook calendars, Todoist, Asana, Gmail, and more are seamless.

The interface is elegant and distraction-free. However, it lacks deep habit tracking, gamification, or heavy customization. Platforms are mainly Web + Desktop (mobile is limited). Pricing is subscription-based ($16–20/month). Sunsama suits professionals who need guided daily flow.

TickTick remains one of the strongest all-round task planner apps, especially for users who want habit tracking, Pomodoro, and calendar views in one place. It offers advanced task features (subtasks, priorities, recurring, smart lists), built-in habit tracker with streaks, Pomodoro timer, Eisenhower matrix, and calendar sync. Themes, tags, and custom smart lists add flexibility. Offline mode and cross-platform sync (Web, iOS, Android, Mac, Windows) are excellent. Collaboration is available in premium.

Todoist is the gold standard for simple yet powerful task management tools. Its natural language input (“Meeting tomorrow 3pm #work p1”) makes adding tasks lightning-fast. You get projects, labels, priorities, recurring tasks, reminders, subtasks, and karma points for motivation. Integrations are vast (calendars, Slack, email), sync is flawless across all platforms, and collaboration shines for teams. The interface is clean and minimalist. Free version is generous; Pro is $4–5/month. Todoist excels at speed and reliability but offers almost no visual customization, habit tracking, or thematic templates.

Things 3 is widely regarded as the most elegant task manager for Apple users. Its beautiful, gesture-driven interface makes planning feel effortless and satisfying. You get areas/projects, headings, checklists, tags, deadlines, recurring tasks, and seamless Apple Calendar sync. The “Today” and “Upcoming” views help focus without overwhelm. One-time purchase per platform (~$50 Mac, $10 iPhone, $20 iPad) means no subscriptions. Sync is fast via iCloud. However, it’s strictly Apple-only: no Android, Windows, or Web. No habit tracking, Pomodoro, or deep customization beyond basic themes. Things 3 is perfect for minimalists in the Apple ecosystem

Any.do delivers a clean, user-friendly experience for personal daily tasks and calendar integration. Voice entry, “My Day” view, grocery lists, location-based reminders, and calendar sync make it great for everyday life. Subtasks, recurring tasks, priorities, and WhatsApp-style chat for family sharing add convenience. Multi-platform support (iOS, Android, Web, desktop) and offline mode work well. Freemium with Premium ~$5–8/month. The app feels approachable and modern, but customization is basic, and there’s no habit tracking or advanced project views.

Microsoft To Do is the best free task management app for users in the Microsoft ecosystem. “My Day” suggestions, steps/subtasks, due dates, reminders, recurring tasks, lists, and seamless Outlook/Teams integration keep everything connected. Sync is reliable across Web, iOS, Android, Windows, Mac. The interface is simple and familiar. No premium upsell, everything is free. It lacks habit tracking, visual customization, Pomodoro, and thematic templates. Microsoft To Do is ideal if you want zero cost and Outlook sync, but for beautiful design, habits, cross-platform depth, and long-term premium value.

Akiflow is a powerful unified inbox and time-blocking app that stands out among the task planner apps busy professionals who juggle multiple tools. It pulls tasks, emails, and events from sources like Gmail, Slack, Asana, Todoist, Google Calendar, and more into one clean dashboard, allowing fast capture, scheduling, and time blocking directly on your calendar. Key strengths include command bar for quick actions, auto-rescheduling with lightweight AI, detailed statistics, and seamless integrations for calendar aggregation.

Offline access is limited, but sync is reliable across Web, Desktop (Mac/Windows), and mobile. Pricing starts at around $34/month (or lower with annual/Believer plans at ~$17–$15/month billed longer-term), with no free plan: it's premium-focused. Akiflow excels at reducing context-switching and enforcing focus time, but lacks deep visual customization, habit streaks, or thematic templates. For users needing calendar-first planning and tool consolidation, it's excellent.

Habitica transforms task management into a fun RPG adventure, making it one of the most engaging habit-focused task planner apps. Your real-life to-dos, dailies, and habits become quests: complete them to earn XP, gold, and rewards; fail and your character takes damage. Customize your avatar, join parties/guilds for social accountability, participate in challenges, and level up.

Core features are completely free forever, with optional subscription ($4.99/month or $47.99/year) unlocking gems, exclusive items, extra gems monthly, and perks like instant healing. Multi-platform support (Web, iOS, Android) with offline mode works well. It's highly motivating for gamification lovers building long-term habits, but task management is basic (limited subtasks/projects), and it lacks advanced calendar views or professional integrations. Habitica shines for fun habit building; for deeper task systems, beautiful designs, and thematic planners.

Pocket Informant is a robust all-in-one calendar and task app ideal for busy users who want everything: events, tasks, projects, contacts, notes in a single tool. It offers advanced views (week, 30-day, focus), smart prioritization, GTD workflows, location-based alerts, travel time/weather integration, and unified sync across iOS, Android, Web, and Desktop. The interface supports color-coding, custom fields, and daily/weekly planner modes.

Web version is free for basic access; premium unlocks full sync and advanced features (~$29.99/year or similar subscription/one-time options in some bundles). Offline mode is solid, and it's praised for power users handling complex schedules. However, it lacks built-in habit tracking, Pomodoro, or deep aesthetic customization like stickers/themes. Pocket Informant suits traditional calendar-first planning; for more visual inspiration, ready thematic templates, habits, and unbeatable pricing.