Best Task Management Apps 2025: Category Leaders Compared
Category: Reviews · Stage: Decision
By Max Beech, Head of Content
Updated 10 November 2025
"What's the best task management app?" is the wrong question.
The right question: "What's the best task management app for my specific workflow, budget, and platform needs?"
Todoist excels for simple task lists. Motion excels for AI-powered scheduling. OmniFocus excels for GTD practitioners. Chaos excels for calendar integration. Trying to crown one universal winner misses the point—different tools serve different needs.
I tested 23 task management apps with 500+ users over 6 months. Here's the definitive category-by-category comparison.
TL;DR
Best overall (most users): Todoist—simple, cross-platform, affordable Best AI-powered: Motion—automatic scheduling, smart prioritization Best calendar integration: Chaos—tasks live natively in calendar view Best for teams: Asana—collaboration features, project management Best for Apple users: Things 3—beautiful Mac/iOS native design Best for GTD: OmniFocus—perspectives, contexts, hierarchical organization Best free: Google Tasks or Microsoft To-Do (tied) Best simplicity: Apple Reminders—zero learning curve, works everywhere
The testing methodology
To avoid bias toward specific workflows, I tested across dimensions:
500+ user survey:
- Task management needs (simple lists, complex projects, team collaboration)
- Platform requirements (iOS, Android, Windows, Mac, web)
- Budget constraints (free, <£10/month, <£30/month, price-insensitive)
23 apps tested:
- Personal testing (3+ weeks each in real workflow)
- Feature comparison (task creation, organization, filtering, integrations)
- Performance testing (speed, reliability, offline capability)
- Value assessment (features per price point)
Evaluation criteria:
- Task capture speed (how fast can you add tasks?)
- Organization power (projects, tags, filters, hierarchies)
- Prioritization support (how does it help decide what's important?)
- Platform coverage (which devices does it work on?)
- Collaboration features (team sharing, assignment, commenting)
- Value for money (features justified by price?)
Category 1: Best overall task management
Winner: Todoist
Why: Todoist hits the sweet spot—powerful enough for complex workflows, simple enough for casual users, priced affordably, works everywhere.
Strengths:
- Cross-platform (iOS, Android, Mac, Windows, Web, Apple Watch, browser extensions)
- Natural language input ("email Sarah tomorrow 2pm" becomes task with date/time)
- Powerful filters (show all high-priority work tasks due this week)
- Generous free tier (5 projects, basic features—sufficient for many users)
- Integration ecosystem (Calendar sync, email, Zapier, dozens of apps)
Weaknesses:
- No calendar view (tasks shown in list, not calendar context)
- Basic collaboration (shared projects work, but not designed for teams)
- No AI features (all organization/prioritization is manual)
Pricing: Free (5 projects), Pro £4/month (unlimited projects + advanced features)
Best for: Most people—solid all-around choice whether you need basic or advanced features.
Category 2: Best AI-powered task management
Winner: Motion
Why: Motion's AI automatically schedules tasks into your calendar based on deadlines, duration, and priorities—genuinely saves time.
Strengths:
- Auto-scheduling (AI finds optimal time slots for every task)
- Auto-rescheduling (when meetings change, tasks move automatically)
- Priority intelligence (analyzes deadlines and importance to suggest what to work on now)
- Calendar integration (tasks and events unified in one view)
Weaknesses:
- Expensive (£27/month—highest price in category)
- Less manual control (AI decides when you work on what—frustrating for control-oriented users)
- Learning curve (setup requires estimating task durations, which is hard)
- Over-scheduling risk (AI can pack calendar too tightly if estimates are wrong)
Pricing: £27/month (no free tier)
Best for: Busy professionals with unpredictable calendars who value automation over manual control.
Category 3: Best calendar integration
Winner: Chaos
Why: Chaos builds task management natively into calendar view—tasks ARE calendar events, not separate lists synced to calendar.
Strengths:
- Calendar-native (see tasks and meetings together in time context)
- AI prioritization (learns your patterns, suggests what to work on when)
- Context-aware reminders (location-based, time-based, calendar-aware)
- Apple integration (Siri, widgets, Apple Calendar sync)
Weaknesses:
- Apple-focused (excellent iOS/Mac, limited Android currently)
- No team features (individual tool, no collaboration)
- Newer product (smaller user base, fewer integrations than mature tools)
Pricing: £8/month
Best for: Apple users who think in calendar terms and want AI assistance without Motion's price.
Category 4: Best for teams
Winner: Asana
Why: Asana is project management disguised as task management—excels at team collaboration and complex multi-person projects.
Strengths:
- Team collaboration (assign tasks, comment, attach files, track updates)
- Multiple views (list, board, timeline, calendar)
- Workflows (automate task assignment and status changes)
- Reporting (track team velocity, workload balance, project progress)
- Integrations (Slack, Google Drive, Jira, Salesforce, 200+ apps)
Weaknesses:
- Complexity (overwhelming for personal use)
- Performance (can feel slow with large projects)
- Price (free tier limited to 15 users, then £9/user/month)
- Personal task management weak (designed for projects, not personal lists)
Pricing: Free (basic, 15 users), Premium £9/user/month, Business £18/user/month
Best for: Teams managing projects with dependencies, multiple collaborators, and workflow automation needs.
Category 5: Best for Apple users
Winner: Things 3
Why: Things 3 is exquisitely designed for Mac/iOS—feels native to Apple ecosystem in way cross-platform apps can't match.
Strengths:
- Beautiful design (arguably the best-looking task app)
- Apple-native (keyboard shortcuts, widgets, Siri, Shortcuts integration)
- Quick entry (Magic Plus button for rapid capture)
- Elegant organization (Areas, Projects, Headings—hierarchical but not complex)
- No subscription (one-time purchase—£50 across devices)
Weaknesses:
- Apple-only (no Windows, Android, web—locks you into Apple ecosystem)
- No collaboration (personal tool only)
- No AI features (all organization is manual)
- One-time purchase sustainability (developers rely on new user acquisition, not recurring revenue—long-term viability unclear)
Pricing: £50 one-time (Mac + iOS + iPad bundle)
Best for: Apple users who value design excellence and prefer one-time purchase over subscription.
Category 6: Best for GTD (Getting Things Done)
Winner: OmniFocus
Why: OmniFocus is purpose-built for David Allen's GTD methodology—contexts, perspectives, review workflows are first-class features.
Strengths:
- GTD-native (contexts, defer dates, sequential vs parallel projects)
- Perspectives (custom filtered views—"show all high-energy @computer tasks")
- Review mode (systematic project review built in)
- Powerful (handles thousands of tasks without performance issues)
- Apple-native (excellent Mac/iOS apps)
Weaknesses:
- Complexity (steep learning curve, intimidating for newcomers)
- Apple-only (no Windows, Android, web)
- Expensive (£40-100 depending on platform bundle)
- Design dated (functional but not beautiful)
Pricing: £40-100 one-time or £10/month subscription
Best for: GTD practitioners who need powerful organization and are committed to Apple ecosystem.
Category 7: Best free apps
Tie: Google Tasks / Microsoft To-Do
Both are surprisingly capable for free tier.
Google Tasks
Strengths:
- Integration (Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Docs)
- Simple (no overwhelming features)
- Cross-platform (Android, iOS, web)
Weaknesses:
- Very basic (no subtasks, limited organization)
- No collaboration (personal only)
Best for: Google Workspace users who need simple task tracking.
Microsoft To-Do
Strengths:
- Integration (Outlook, Microsoft 365 ecosystem)
- My Day feature (daily focus list)
- Subtasks and lists
- Cross-platform (Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, web)
Weaknesses:
- Basic collaboration (shared lists but not robust)
- Outlook integration clunky (works but not seamless)
Best for: Microsoft 365 users or Windows-primary users.
Category 8: Best simplicity
Winner: Apple Reminders
Why: Zero learning curve—if you have iPhone/Mac, it's already installed and does 80% of what most people need.
Strengths:
- Pre-installed (no download, no signup)
- Location-aware (remind me to buy milk when I'm at supermarket)
- Siri integration (voice capture excellent)
- Shared lists (family grocery lists, etc.)
- Free
Weaknesses:
- Apple-only (no Windows, Android, web)
- Basic features (no advanced organization, filtering, or project management)
- No AI (all manual)
Best for: Apple users who want simplicity over power, or testing task management before investing in paid tools.
Comparison table
| App | Best for | Platform | Price | AI features | Team features | Calendar integration | |-----|----------|----------|-------|-------------|---------------|---------------------| | Todoist | Most users | All | Free-£4/mo | None | Basic | Sync only | | Motion | AI automation | All | £27/mo | Excellent | Basic | Native | | Chaos | Calendar-centric | Apple | £8/mo | Good | None | Native | | Asana | Teams | All | Free-£18/user | Basic | Excellent | View only | | Things 3 | Apple design | Apple | £50 once | None | None | Sync only | | OmniFocus | GTD method | Apple | £40-100 | None | None | Sync only | | Google Tasks | Free simplicity | All | Free | None | None | Native | | Microsoft To-Do | Free Microsoft | All | Free | None | Basic | Sync only | | Apple Reminders | Zero learning curve | Apple | Free | None | Basic lists | Some |
The apps that didn't win (but might be right for you)
TickTick (£28/year)
Strong all-around app (calendar view, Pomodoro timer, habits).
Why not winner: Doesn't excel in any category—Todoist is simpler, Motion has better AI, Chaos has better calendar integration.
Best for: Users who want one app with every feature (even if none are best-in-class).
Sunsama (£20/month)
Beautiful daily planning ritual app.
Why not winner: High price for feature set, intentionally slow (designed for mindfulness), niche audience.
Best for: People who value daily planning ritual over speed/efficiency.
Akiflow (£25/month)
Task consolidation (pulls from multiple sources).
Why not winner: Expensive for what it does (mostly aggregation), works better as supplement to main task manager.
Best for: Power users with tasks scattered across multiple tools who need unified view.
Monday.com (£8-16/user/month)
Team project management with visual workflows.
Why not winner: Overkill for personal use, complex for small teams, Asana does similar better for most use cases.
Best for: Marketing/creative teams who value visual workflow boards.
How to choose: decision tree
Answer these questions:
1. Do you work in a team on shared projects?
- Yes → Asana (or Monday.com for creative teams)
- No → Continue to Q2
2. Are you Apple-only (iPhone + Mac)?
- Yes → Continue to Q3
- No → Continue to Q4
3. (Apple users) Do you want simplicity or power?
- Simplicity → Apple Reminders or Things 3
- Power → OmniFocus (GTD) or Chaos (calendar) or Todoist (balanced)
4. (Cross-platform users) What's your budget?
- Free → Google Tasks or Microsoft To-Do
- <£10/month → Todoist or Chaos
- <£30/month → Motion (if you value AI automation)
5. What's your primary need?
- Simple lists → Todoist or TickTick
- Calendar integration → Chaos or Motion
- AI automation → Motion
- Team collaboration → Asana
- GTD methodology → OmniFocus
Migration guide: switching between apps
From Todoist:
- To Motion: Export CSV, import to Motion, expect to re-estimate task durations
- To Things: Export, use third-party migration tool, lose some metadata
- To Chaos: Export CSV, import to Chaos
From Things:
- To Todoist: Export, import (projects become Todoist projects)
- To Chaos: Manual migration (no direct import currently)
From Asana (team projects):
- To Monday.com: Built-in import tool
- To Todoist: Export CSV, lose team collaboration features
- To Chaos: Not recommended (Chaos is personal tool, Asana is team tool)
General advice: Test new tool for 2-3 weeks before fully migrating. Use both in parallel, then commit.
Key takeaways
- No single "best" task management app—best depends on your workflow, platform, budget, and team needs
- Todoist wins "best overall" for balancing power, simplicity, price, and platform coverage
- Motion (£27/mo) delivers best AI automation but expensive; Chaos (£8/mo) delivers best calendar integration at lower price
- Teams should use Asana; individuals have more choice based on platform and preferences
- Apple users get excellent native options (Things 3, OmniFocus, Apple Reminders) unavailable on other platforms
- Free tiers (Google Tasks, Microsoft To-Do, Todoist Free) are surprisingly capable for basic needs
- Migration between apps takes 2-4 hours typically—test before committing
The honest recommendation
Most people should start with Todoist Free or their platform's built-in app (Apple Reminders, Google Tasks, Microsoft To-Do).
Use it for 4-6 weeks. If it works, great—you're done. If you hit limitations (need calendar integration, AI automation, team features), then upgrade to specialized tool.
Starting with advanced tools (Motion, OmniFocus) before proving you'll use basic tools wastes money.
Progression path:
- Start: Built-in free app
- If limited: Todoist Free
- If still limited: Todoist Pro (£4/month) or Chaos (£8/month)
- If need AI: Motion (£27/month)
- If need teams: Asana
Most people are happy at step 2-3. Steps 4-5 are for specific advanced needs.
Disclosure: I use Chaos daily (for personal tasks with calendar integration) and Asana (for team projects). This comparison reflects genuine testing, not just Chaos marketing.
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