To Do Machine vs TickTick (2026) — which to-do app fits you?
Updated . TickTick facts come from TickTick's own pages and its US App Store listing; see the sources at the bottom of this page.
TickTick packs a lot into one app: tasks, a calendar, habit tracking, a Pomodoro timer and an Eisenhower Matrix, on nearly every platform. To Do Machine takes a different approach. Instead of shipping every tool and letting you switch them on, it's a to-do app you redesign by chatting: tell To Do Machine how you work, and it builds the views, features, and layout to match.
AT A GLANCE
| Feature | TO DO MACHINE | TICKTICK |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Standard $69.99/year; Max $199.99/year. 7-day free trial (14 on Max). | Free plan; Premium $49.99/year. |
| Platforms | iPhone and Mac, plus the web | iOS/iPadOS, Android, Windows, macOS, Linux, web app, browser extension |
| AI | To Do Machine creates and edits tasks, projects, reminders, and repeats, and redesigns the app itself. | AI features on Premium (per its plan comparison): Voice Capture (speech to tasks), Audio Summary; natural-language dates on all plans; MCP/CLI connections. |
| Customization | The app redesigns itself around how you work, by chatting: custom views (list, kanban, calendar, focus, blueprint), custom fields, layouts and themes, plus brand-new custom features To Do Machine builds on request. | Ready-made list, Kanban, timeline, calendar views; Eisenhower Matrix; habits; Pomodoro; themes (Premium). You find and configure them in settings. |
| Calendar | Two-way sync with Google and Apple Calendar; time-blocking that respects meetings, focus blocks and breaks. | Calendar views (year to day; full set on Premium); calendar subscriptions. |
| Sharing | Personal app; no shared projects today. | Shared lists: 2 members free, 29 on Premium. |
THE SHORT VERSION
Pick TickTick if you want lots of ready-made tools (habits, Pomodoro, a matrix view, a calendar) on every platform and are happy to learn its settings. Pick To Do Machine if you'd rather describe the app you want and have it set up for you.
Where To Do Machine is the better choice
- The app redesigns itself around how you work. Custom views, custom fields, layouts and themes, plus custom features To Do Machine builds when you ask, all by chatting. You describe what you want instead of hunting through settings.
- You want fewer features, arranged your way. TickTick gives you lots of tools, and you decide which to use. To Do Machine starts small and builds only what you ask for, laid out how you describe it.
- You want something TickTick doesn’t have. A water tracker beside your tasks, a “how doomed am I” deadline countdown, a custom weekly review: To Do Machine writes it as a custom feature, and you can roll it back.
- Your calendar and your tasks work together. Two-way sync with Google and Apple Calendar and time-blocking around your meetings, focus blocks and breaks.
- You’d rather say it than set it. “Every other Tuesday until June, remind me the night before” becomes a repeating task with a reminder. “Make Today show only my three most important tasks” changes the screen.
- You want the app to change as you do. Switch systems, try a new layout for a week, go back. It’s a conversation, not an afternoon of settings.
Where TickTick is the better choice
- You want lots of ready-made tools and don’t mind learning them. Habits, focus timers, a matrix view and a full calendar are all there. Getting the most out of them means learning TickTick’s settings and flows; To Do Machine sets things up for you when you describe what you want.
- Every platform. Android, Windows and Linux users have TickTick; To Do Machine is iPhone and Mac, plus the web.
- Sharing a list with a partner or a small group.
Switching from TickTick
Bring your tasks over with screenshots. Take pictures of your TickTick lists and views, send them to To Do Machine, and it reads them and recreates your tasks. It can mirror your setup too: if you used TickTick’s habits or matrix view, show it or ask for a version of them, and To Do Machine builds one to fit. It works from the pictures, not a connection to your TickTick account.
TRY IT
Get To Do Machine on the App Store for iPhone and Mac, or open the web app. Start the free trial and describe the app you want.
GET THE APPSOURCES
Each company's own pages and App Store listings, checked on October 20, 2026.
