The best AI to-do list apps in 2026, honestly compared
Nine AI-powered to-do and planning apps compared by what their AI actually does, who each is for, price, and platforms, including our own app, To Do Machine.
By To Do Machine · Updated · 5 min read
We make one of the apps on this list, To Do Machine, so weigh our view accordingly. Every price and feature below comes from each company’s own website or App Store listing (sources are linked), and we’ve tried to say plainly where another app is the better pick.
“AI to-do app” now covers very different things. Some apps use AI to capture tasks (turn speech or an email into a list). Some use it to schedule (put tasks into your calendar automatically). A few use it to change the app itself. Knowing which one you want narrows the list fast.
Quick comparison
| App | What its AI does | Best for | Price per year (USD) | Platforms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| To Do Machine | Builds and rebuilds the app’s layout and features from conversation; manages tasks, reminders, repeats; time-blocks around your calendar | People whose brain doesn’t fit a standard to-do layout | Standard $69.99/yr; Max $199.99/yr; free trial | iPhone and Mac, plus the web |
| Todoist | Capture (voice, photos, email), task breakdown, filter writing; Claude and ChatGPT connectors | A dependable, cross-platform task manager | Free; Pro $60/yr | Android, iOS, Mac, Windows, Linux, watches, web |
| TickTick | Voice capture, audio summaries (Premium); natural-language dates | Lots of ready-made tools, if you’re happy to learn its settings | Free; Premium $49.99/yr | iOS, Android, Mac, Windows, Linux, web |
| Motion | Auto-schedules tasks into your calendar; AI project manager, notetaker | Teams who want projects, docs and scheduling in one tool | Pro AI $348/yr for individuals; team seats from $228/person/yr | iOS, Android, desktop |
| Reclaim.ai | Schedules focus time, habits, and tasks around meetings | Google or Outlook Calendar users who want to protect time | Free Lite; from $120/person/yr | Web, works with Google and Outlook calendars |
| Akiflow | Aki assistant; pulls tasks from many tools into one inbox and calendar | People juggling tasks across many work tools | From $228/yr | Web, Mac, Windows, iOS, Android |
| Sunsama | Light AI (summaries) inside a guided daily-planning flow | A calm, guided daily ritual for work | $204/yr | iOS, Android, Mac, Windows, Linux, web |
| Notion | Notion Agent works across pages and databases; meeting notes; search | Tasks that live next to docs, with a team | Free; Plus $120, Business $240 per person/yr (AI on Business) | Web, Mac, Windows, iOS, Android |
| Things 3 | No AI, and that’s the point | A beautiful, fixed design with no subscription | One-time, no yearly fee: Mac $49.99, iPhone $9.99, iPad $19.99 | Apple devices only |
The apps
1. To Do Machine: the app that redesigns itself
To Do Machine is a to-do app for iPhone and Mac, plus the web, that you redesign by chatting: tell To Do Machine how you work, and it builds the views, features, and layout to match. It learns how your brain works, starting with a short quiz, and recommends a productivity system that fits you. Ask for “overdue at the top, hide projects, add a habit row”, or a feature no app ships, like a countdown to your three biggest deadlines, and it’s built while you watch. Custom fields, layouts and themes change the same way. It also handles everyday tasks, reminders and repeating tasks, and syncs both ways with Google and Apple Calendar, time-blocking around your meetings, focus blocks and breaks. Pick it if standard to-do layouts never quite fit you. Skip it if you need Android or Windows, or shared projects. To Do Machine vs Todoist · vs Things
2. Todoist: the dependable all-rounder
A mature task manager with apps on nearly every device, a free plan, and a big integration ecosystem. Todoist Assist adds task breakdown, filter writing and email-to-task on paid plans, Ramble turns speech into tasks, and official connectors let you manage Todoist from Claude or ChatGPT. Pick it if you want something proven that works everywhere. todoist.com
3. TickTick: the most ready-made tools
Tasks, calendar views, habit tracking, a Pomodoro timer and an Eisenhower Matrix in one app, configured through its settings. AI features, on Premium, focus on capture: voice to tasks and audio summaries. Pick it if you want lots of tools in one app, on every platform, and don’t mind learning its settings. ticktick.com
4. Motion: let the calendar plan itself
Motion time-blocks your tasks into your calendar and re-plans as things change, and it has grown into a work platform with AI projects, docs and meeting notes. It’s priced per seat and aimed at professionals and teams. Pick it if you run projects with a team and want scheduling, docs and meeting notes in one place. usemotion.com
5. Reclaim.ai: protect your time on Google or Outlook
Reclaim works with your existing Google or Outlook calendar to schedule focus time, habits, buffer time and tasks around meetings. Pick it if your calendar is the problem, you use Outlook, and you’re happy keeping tasks elsewhere. reclaim.ai
6. Akiflow: one inbox for every tool
Akiflow collects tasks from your work tools into one inbox, lets you time-block them, and includes the Aki assistant on Pro. The 7-day trial needs a card. Pick it if your tasks are scattered across a dozen apps. akiflow.com
7. Sunsama: a guided daily ritual
Sunsama leads you through planning each morning and shutting down each evening, with timeboxing and two-way calendar sync with Google, Outlook and Apple. AI plays a small role. The ritual is the product. Pick it if structure and calm matter more than features. sunsama.com
8. Notion: tasks inside a workspace
Notion is a docs-and-databases workspace where tasks are one thing among many. Notion AI’s agent and meeting notes come with the Business plan; Free and Plus get a limited trial. Pick it if your tasks belong next to documents and a team. notion.com
9. Things 3: the no-AI option
Not an AI app at all, and that’s why it’s here. Things has won two Apple Design Awards, is a one-time purchase per device, and syncs free across Apple devices. Pick it if you want a fixed design you never have to think about. culturedcode.com/things
How to choose
- You want the app itself to fit you → To Do Machine.
- You want AI to capture for you → To Do Machine, Todoist or TickTick.
- You want AI to schedule for you → Motion, Reclaim, Akiflow, or To Do Machine.
- You want a guided routine → To Do Machine, Sunsama.
- You want docs and tasks together → Notion.
- You don’t want AI → Things.
How we made this list
We picked apps that come up most often when people search for AI to-do or planning apps, plus one no-AI choice for contrast. We checked prices and features on each company’s own pages on October 20, 2026, and will recheck every quarter. Prices are yearly, in US dollars, for individuals unless noted; taxes and regional prices vary. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.
