Notion vs Todoist: Which One Fits How You Work?

In Notion vs Todoist, the choice comes down to what you want the app to hold. Pick Todoist if you want a fast to-do list that turns a line like "pay rent every 1st" into a dated, repeating task. Pick Notion if you want one place for notes, docs and your own task boards, and you don't mind setting it up. If you only use Apple devices and want to pay once, Things 3 is a calm third option.

Notion vs Todoist: the short version

Notion and Todoist both run on iPhone, iPad, Android, Mac and the web. Neither shows ads, and both have a free plan. People compare them because both can hold your to-dos. But they are built for different jobs.

• Todoist is a to-do list. It does one thing, and it does it fast. You type a task, it figures out the date, and it reminds you when it's due on the paid plan.
• Notion is a workspace. It holds notes, docs, lists and simple databases. Tasks are one of many things you can build in it, but you build them yourself.

So the real question isn't which app is better. It's whether you want a ready-made task list, or a blank space you shape into your own system. The rest of this page helps you decide.

Who each app suits

Todoist suits you if you want to get tasks out of your head quickly. It's a strong fit if you juggle work and home tasks, if you have lots of things that repeat, like bills or chores, or if you share tasks with a family or a small team.

Notion suits you if your tasks live next to lots of notes. It's a strong fit if you plan projects or trips, keep class notes or recipes, or like the idea of designing your own setup.

Skip Todoist if you mostly need a place to write and organize notes. Skip Notion if you just want a list that works the moment you open it.

What Notion is good at

Notion · Free or $119.99/yrView app ›

Notion gives you blank pages that can become almost anything. One page can be a note. Another can be a checklist. Another can be a simple database, like a list of trips with dates, places and packing lists for each one.

For tasks, Notion lets you build your own task boards. You decide the columns, the labels and how things move from "to do" to "done". If you like things exactly your way, that freedom is the best part.

It works for one person or a whole team. A family could keep a shared page of chores and plans. A small group could keep project notes and task boards in one place, so nobody has to hunt across different apps.

The catch is that it takes time to set up. A blank page is powerful, but it's also a blank page. Many people spend more time arranging Notion than using it at first. If that sounds fun, great. If it sounds like a chore, keep reading.

What Todoist is good at

Todoist · Free or $60/yrView app ›

Todoist keeps all your tasks for work and life in one place, and it's quick about it. You can type something like "pay rent every 1st" and it sets the date and the repeat for you. You can also just say a task out loud instead of typing.

You can group tasks into projects, like "Home", "Work" or "Birthday party". You can share a project and assign tasks to other people, which helps with family errands or team work.

The catch is the free plan. Reminders and more projects need Pro. Without reminders, a to-do app is easier to forget about, so many people who rely on Todoist end up paying.

Todoist free plan vs Notion free plan

Both apps are free to start, and both free plans are useful. They're limited in different ways.

Todoist's free plan, called Beginner, includes 5 personal projects and 3 filter views. Filter views are saved lists, like "everything due this week". Five projects is enough for a simple life, like home, work and errands. It gets tight if you want a project for every goal.

Notion's free plan is for individuals, and file uploads are capped at 5 MB each. For notes, lists and task boards, that cap rarely matters. It matters more if you want to store large files, like long videos or big photo collections, inside your pages.

If you only want to try both before deciding, the free plans are enough to get a real feel for each one.

Price when you pay

When you want more than the free plan, both apps use a subscription.

• Todoist costs $60 a year for everything, including reminders and more projects.
• Notion costs $119.99 a year for everything.

So Todoist is the cheaper of the two if you pay. But price alone shouldn't decide this. Paying for the app that fits you is a better deal than saving on one you stop opening.

Setup and learning curve

Todoist is easier to start. Open it, add a task, and you're done. The quick typing for dates and repeats feels natural within a day or two.

Notion takes longer. You can start with a simple page, but getting a task system you like means building it. Give yourself a few evenings, and start small. One page for tasks and one for notes is plenty at first.

A good test: if you've tried to-do apps before and dropped them because they felt like work, start with Todoist. If you've dropped them because they felt too limited, try Notion.

Sharing and working with others

Both apps let you work with other people, in different ways.

Todoist lets you share projects and assign tasks to others. It's built around the simple question, "who's doing what, and when?" That makes it good for a household or a small team that just needs to split up jobs.

Notion works for one person or a whole team. Shared pages can hold the plan, the notes and the task board together. It suits groups who need to write things down, not just tick things off.

Offline, accounts and devices

Both apps need an account, and both work offline only partly. If you often lose signal, keep that in mind.

Both run on iPhone, iPad, Android, Mac and the web, so you can switch between your phone and a computer at work, even if it isn't a Mac.

Notion and Todoist side by side

Where Things 3 fits in

Things 3 · $9.99 onceView app ›

If you only use Apple devices, Things 3 is worth a look. It's a calm, beautifully designed to-do app. You add to-dos, group them into projects and areas of your life, and see what's due today in one clean list.

It costs $9.99 once, with no subscription. It needs no account, and it works offline. The catch is that it's Apple devices only, and the Mac version is sold separately. There's also no free version, so you pay before you try.

If you're tired of subscriptions, our guide to apps without a subscription has more pay-once picks.

Our verdict: which one to pick

There's no single winner. Pick by your situation:

• You want a list that works the moment you open it: choose Todoist.
• You have lots of repeating tasks, like bills and chores: choose Todoist.
• Your tasks live next to notes, docs or plans: choose Notion.
• You enjoy building your own system: choose Notion.
• You want to pay less per year: choose Todoist.
• You only use Apple devices and want to pay once: choose Things 3.

Some people use both: Todoist for the daily list, and Notion for notes and bigger plans. That's fine too. If you want more options, see our list of to-do list apps for iPhone, or search Squapp for a task app that fits how you work.

Keep deciding: Best to-do list apps for iPhone, iPhone apps without a subscription, Find a to-do app that fits you.