Best 11 task management software & tools in 2026 compared: Features, pricing, & best use case!

Effective task management relies on the simple facts of a task: what needs to be done, when it needs to be done, who is responsible for doing it, and how much of it is completed. This is a simple act that most teams, project managers, and individuals are not able to perform properly. Task management software is a centralized platform that helps you execute these aspects of a task effectively by bringing tasks, individuals, and collaboration together to work with clarity and ease. 

A task management tool allows users to create tasks, define the start and due dates of a task, assign a task owner, add details of a task, share files, and communicate with team members directly on a task. This documentation of tasks at a shared, transparent, centralized place helps track progress, ensure accountability, and facilitate smooth operations.    

But the most important question is, which task management system is right for me? Task management apps vary across a wide range of breadths and lengths. For example, a simple to-do list, a shared collaboration space, or a full-fledged project management system all qualify as task management software. However, the potential use cases, target audiences, and nuances of each category of app vary vastly. For ease of understanding, in this guide, I have categorized all the task management apps into three primary categories: for individuals, for teams, and for project managers working with a project team, and explained the expectations of each section of users from task management apps (explained later in detail). 

We have created a detailed comparison of the shortlisted task management apps, explaining what each tool does, its key features, pros, cons, and pricing, and for whom it is best for. 

My team and I have followed the strict criteria covering multiple aspects to review each tool. Being in the industry for more than a decade, I firsthand understand the common pain points, complaints, and points of appreciation of users, and know the offerings of the top task management apps in the industry. We have reviewed each app strictly on our well-established criteria that include factors like core task management and collaboration features, ease of use and learning curve, and pricing. 

I hope this in-depth comparison and review of the top 11 task management software helps you make an informed decision based on your needs.  

Quick summary table of the top 7 task management software

What is task management software, and what are its benefits?

Task management software is a centralized platform that brings people, tasks, and documents together in one place. It allows you to create a task, delegate tasks to the task owner, add the details of a task required to complete a task, share files to review completed work, and collaborate with team members on tasks to complete the task. By creating the task at a shared, centralized place, the task management system documents/records every activity on the task. This documentation creates accountability, helps track the progress of tasks, creates reports to analyze performance, and provides insights to reallocate resources to manage tasks to be completed on time.

Key benefits of task management software 

A task management system offers a wide range of benefits to users in the management of tasks: 

• Brings clarity: A task management software organizes all the tasks in a structured and organized system and creates a structured workflow. This streamlines operations and collaboration, resulting in enhanced clarity and improved efficiency and productivity.                            
• Improves accountability: A task management app centralizes and creates a record of data at a transparent, shared, and accessible place. This improves accountability, creates a shared space for transparent collaboration, helps in tracking progress, and documents every activity to help resolve conflicts.
• Enhances operational efficiency: A task management tool provides a structured and centralized place for collaboration. This streamlines collaboration and makes it easy to collaborate with a team. It prevents information gaps and the hassle of finding information on multiple platforms, avoids conflicts, and improves operational efficiency.
• Track progress, evaluate performance, and make data-driven decisions: By documenting all the tasks and activities, a task management system makes it easy to track progress by viewing all tasks and details at a glance. One can monitor the progress and performance by analyzing and evaluating data. Based on that data, one can reallocate resources to complete a task within a budget and time.        

As defined earlier, task management software comes in a wide range of breadths and lengths. For example, a simple to-do list app can be qualified as a task management app as well as a full-fledged project management system. 

Based on the primary user of a task management software, we categorized the task management apps into three primary categories:

• Task management software for project managers and teams working on interdependent tasks  
• Task management software for teams working on standalone tasks 
• Task management software for individuals 

The expectations of each section of users from a task management system vary vastly.

However, despite the diversity of task management apps, there are some essential capabilities every task management software should have to be qualified as a task management app.

• Ability to create tasks
• Ability to collaborate
• Create a workflow to visualize and track progress
• Calendar integration, reminder, and notification
• Miscellaneous features

What to look for in a task management software, and how we evaluated the task management software in this article?

A good task management app provides core capabilities required for task management and team collaboration. In addition to that, a task management app should be easy to use, inexpensive, and scalable.        

Look for the following characteristics in a task management app:

• Core task management features and collaboration capabilities: A task management software must have the core task management features and team collaboration capabilities so that it can facilitate task collaboration, such as creating tasks, adding details to tasks, tracking progress, custom workflow, task comments, file sharing, integration with a calendar, and notifications and reminders.
• Ease of use and learning: A task management app should be easy to use because most first-time users and small businesses use emails, spreadsheets, simple to-do lists, or pen and paper for task management. Therefore, it is important that a task management tool should not be too complex to learn and understand.        
• Should be inexpensive: Most users use free methods of task management, but due to the limited offerings of the free task management software, they decide to choose paid software to get more capabilities. Essentially, they are looking for an inexpensive and budget-friendly task management system. Therefore, it is an important task to ensure that a task management system is not overly expensive and provides high value for money.            

Comparison of the top 7 task management software 

Task management software for project managers and teams working on interdependent tasks  

If you are looking for task management software with robust project management capabilities to manage the work of a team working on independent tasks of a project, you can consider the following software:     

1. ProofHub: Best for project task management with ease of use and learning 

ProofHub is an all-in-one project management and team collaboration software that helps users manage tasks, team collaboration, and document management from a centralized place. It allows users to create tasks, add details of the tasks, assign owners, create tasks and subtasks, design a custom workflow, set dependencies between tasks, and visualize the progress.

ProofHub is an ideal task management software for project managers and teams who need advanced task management capabilities with core project management and team collaboration capabilities without the complexity and learning curve of project management software. Because, most PM software comes with a decent complexity and learning curve due to the complexity of project management features. ProofHub provides the perfect balance between features and ease of use.

ProofHub is at the top of the list of task management software due to three primary reasons: organized task collaboration, ease of use and learning curve, and inexpensive pricing.

• Organized task collaboration: ProofHub has a clear hierarchy to break down work into smaller parts that makes it easy to organize and group tasks. You can create a task category, add tasks to it, and further define the subtasks of a task. Each task has its own space and unique task ID, where you can collaborate with the team members using task comments and sharing files from local and cloud storage solutions. This clear hierarchical structure and organization bring clarity and streamline collaboration even for a large number of tasks.
• Ease of use and learning: The majority of project management software in the industry has a more or less the same tool architecture and design. ProofHub excels over other platforms in ease of use and navigation due to a simple interface, a clear structure, and a simple navigation flow. This makes ProofHub easier to use, learn, and adopt than other project management software.
• Inexpensive software: ProofHub has a flat fee pricing structure. It allows organizations to onboard unlimited users for one flat fee. For $45 per month, users get all the core task management features for teams of any size from 5 to 500. No other platform in the list offers this type of pricing model. 

Review of ProofHub based on selected criteria             

• Core task management and collaboration features: ProofHub provides all the core task management and team collaboration features. Key features include task ID, task description, start and due date, subtasks, estimated cost and budget, multiple assignments, task timer, task comments, file sharing, chat, group discussion, collaborative notes, and online proofing. However, ProofHub’s collaborative notes capabilities can be improved.                                
• Ease of use & minimal learning curve: ProofHub is exceptionally easy to use and learn as compared to other project management software in the industry. It has a flat and minimal learning curve. The platform comes with a simple interface that does not overwhelm users.           
• Pricing and value for money: ProofHub is the most affordable platform on the list. It has a flat fee pricing structure that allows organizations to onboard unlimited users for a flat fee. In addition to that, ProofHub offers most of the features out of the box. It does not rely on integrations. This makes it a high-value-for-money solution for task management.           
• Multi-platform support: ProofHub offers multi-platform support. You can access ProofHub over a web browser on any device: tablet, laptop, or mobile. ProofHub has mobile apps available for Android and iOS. This makes task management on the go easy. ProofHub does not have a native desktop application for Windows or macOS. 
• Customer Reviews: ProofHub has a consistent user rating of more than 4.5 out of 5 over the years. 

Review:

Key features

• Hierarchical breakdown of a project to implement the work breakdown structure (WBS)
• Task management to add key details of tasks such as assignee, start and due dates, estimated resources, description     
• Custom workflow to define the flow of tasks in a project
• Gantt chart to set dependencies, add milestones, visualize project plan, create a baseline, and highlight critical path 
• Task comments and file sharing directly on tasks to streamline collaboration
• Built-in chat to facilitate real-time communication
• Time tracking to track the time spent on tasks and create timesheets
• Project reporting to overview the project progress and performance
• Multiple project views, including Board and Table, and custom filters to track the status progress at a glance
• Calendar to visualize resource schedule
• Custom roles to manage access and permissions 

Pros and cons

Pricing

ProofHub offers two flat-fee paid plans with a 14-day free trial:

• Essential: $45 per month for unlimited users, up to 40 projects, and 15GB storage, billed annually
• Ultimate Control: $89 per month for unlimited users, unlimited projects, and 100GB storage, billed annually

Ratings

• G2: 4.6/5
• Capterra: 4.6/5     

Use ProofHub if:

• You prefer ease of use and a minimal learning curve without compromising on the task management and team collaboration capabilities
• Your team is using the task management software for the first time and switching from emails, spreadsheets, or a task management software that is not easy to use for beginners            
• You are looking for a solution that scales cost-effectively with the growth in team and offers high value for money

Try ProofHub for free. Start your 14-day trial!

2. Asana: Best for project task management with advanced project planning features

Asana is work management software that helps you manage projects, people, and collaboration from a unified space. It allows you to create tasks, assign owners, collaborate with a team, and track progress. 

Asana is an ideal task management software for project managers who are looking for robust task scheduling, resource planning, project reporting, portfolio management, workload balancing, goal management, workflow automation, and resource management capabilities. But it is important to keep in mind that these advanced capabilities come at the cost of ease of use, learning curve, and price. ProofHub is an ideal solution for teams who are looking for simple task management capabilities with core project management features at ease of use and affordable pricing.  

Review of Asana on the selected criteria                            

• Core task management and collaboration features: Asana provides all the core task management capabilities with advanced project planning, resource management, workload balancing, and portfolio management capabilities. However, Asana’s team collaboration capabilities are limited. It does not have co-editing, chat, or whiteboarding capabilities.
• Ease of use & minimal learning curve: Asana has an initial learning curve, but after that, it is easy to use with one of the best user experiences of project management software in the industry.  
• Pricing and value for money: Asana is an expensive platform. Its paid plans start from $10 per user per month. Also, many core project management features are reserved for top-tier paid plans. Thus, it is an expensive platform.      
• Multi-platform support: Asana is accessible via all major browsers on a laptop, tablet, and phone. It has a desktop app for dedicated applications available for Windows and macOS. And the platform offers native mobile applications for iOS and Android devices, allowing for on-the-go project tracking, task management, and team updates.
• Customer Reviews and Ratings: Asana has a consistent user rating of more than 4.5 out of 5 over the years.

Key features

• Create tasks, add subtasks, share files, and add comments     
• Multiple views to visualize progress
• Advanced project resource planning, workload balancing, and portfolio management capabilities
• Workflow automation to automate repetitive tasks 

Pros and cons

Pricing

Asana offers three plans:

• Personal: Free up to 10 team members
• Starter: $10.99 per user per month, billed annually
• Advanced: $24.99 per user per month, billed annually

Ratings

• G2: 4.4/5
• Capterra: 4.5/5

Use Asana if:

• You are looking for task management software with robust project management capabilities
• You have a decent budget and time to train team members
• You need a tool that is easy to use and adopt after an initial learning curve  

3. ClickUp: Best for project task management with advanced document collaboration capabilities

ClickUp is a feature-rich work collaboration platform that has made its name for its extensive range of features. It allows users to create tasks, break tasks into subtasks, collaborate with team members directly on tasks, and track progress.

ClickUp is an ideal task management software for teams that need advanced collaboration capabilities rather than advanced project management features to perform project management activities like resource planning, budget planning, and dependency management. Even ClickUp refers to itself as a productivity app rather than project management software. 

ClickUp provides AI-powered co-editing docs, digital whiteboarding, chat, email inbox, advanced document management, and a range of integrations with third-party collaboration apps.           

Review of ClickUp on the selected criteria

• Core task management and collaboration features: ClickUp provides all the core task management features required to support task management. ClickUp excels in collaboration capabilities. ClickUp provides AI-powered co-editing docs, digital whiteboarding, chat, email inbox, advanced document management, and a range of integrations with third-party collaboration apps.
• Ease of use & minimal learning curve: ClickUp is not a tool that is easy to use and learn. Its interface is cluttered with all the features crammed into a small space. It gets overwhelming for beginners to learn and use ClickUp.                
• Pricing and value for money: ClickUp is not as expensive software as Asana. Its paid plans start from $7 per user per month. Also, ClickUp offers a more extensive feature set. However, when compared with ProofHub, ClickUp is more expensive than ProofHub as the latter offers a flat fee pricing model with a comparable core task management feature set.          
• Multi-platform support: ClickUp provides robust multi-platform support, operating as a cloud-based application accessible via desktop (Windows, Mac, Linux), web browsers, and mobile devices (iOS, Android). Click
• Customer Reviews and Ratings: ClickUp has a consistent user rating of more than 4.0 out of 5 over the years. However, there are hundreds of instances reported of poor customer support, bugs, and predatory pricing practices.         

Key features

• Organized task hierarchy (Space, Folder, List, Tasks, Subtasks, and Checklists) to organize tasks    
• More than 15 project views to view progress from different angles  
• ClickUp AI-powered docs to help you create, analyze, and summarize content
• A suite of collaboration tools such as Chat, Whiteboard, Docs, and Proofing

Pros and cons

Pricing

ClickUp offers four plans:

• Free: Free for small teams, with basic features and limited storage
• Unlimited: $7 per user per month, billed annually
• Business: $12 per user per month, billed annually
• Enterprise: Custom pricing

Ratings

• G2: 4.7/5
• Capterra: 4.6/5

Use ClickUp if:

• You are looking for task management software with advanced collaboration capabilities. 
• You prefer a high value for money and need a comprehensive feature set out of the box, ready to use  

Which one to choose? ProofHub vs Asana vs ClickUp!

ProofHub is my best pick for project managers and teams over Asana and ClickUp because ProofHub strikes the perfect balance between core task management features and ease of use. Users get all the capabilities required to manage a task of a project, along with ease of use and a minimal learning curve. Like Asana, ProofHub does not complicate the ease of learning. I agree that some of the project management features of Asana are more comprehensive than ProofHub, but generally, task management of a simple project does not need such advanced resource management, workload balancing, and analytics capabilities. These are required for complex projects. ProofHub keeps things simple with all the core task management and collaboration features required to manage tasks of a project, making it ideal for beginners, whereas Asana has a decent learning curve and requires extensive onboarding training.  

In addition to that, Asana pricing starts from $10 per user per month, whereas ProofHub offers a flat fee pricing structure. This makes ProofHub highly affordable and cost-effective for growing organizations that may scale from time to time.  

Keep in mind that advanced project management capabilities come at the cost of a lack of ease of use, significant training requirements, and a higher price point. One needs to understand one’s trade-offs and requirements before making a decision.   

Similarly, ClickUp’s feature set is similar and more extensive than ProofHub, but ClickUp’s user interface and learning curve make it unsuitable for beginners. ClickUp’s interface is overwhelming and cluttered. Many users reported that they are not able to learn to use ClickUp, even after months. ClickUp has a significantly large and steep learning curve. Whereas users can learn ProofHub within a few hours of training and onboarding.

Considering these factors, ProofHub is the best choice of software for task management for project managers and teams.       

Try ProofHub for free!

Task management software for teams working on standalone tasks 

If you need simple task management and team collaboration beyond the complexity of project management features, you can consider these task collaboration-oriented task management apps.      

4. Trello: Best for task visualization

Trello is a task management app that helps users create a shared board for task management of the entire team. It uses a simple system of cards (tasks) which are displayed on a Kanban board (a task board), allowing a task to move from one stage to another in a workflow, using simple drag and drop. Each card in a board is an individual space for a task where you can add the task details, share files, and tag team members. This centralization of all the tasks of a team and shared visibility makes task management easy for a team. 

Trello does not offer time tracking, workload management, or a real-time dashboard. Instead, it offers a simple collaboration platform for individuals to work together. Trello is an ideal solution for users who want clear task ownership, transparency, and accountability on a shared space to work with a team of freelancers and remote workers in order to collaborate effectively on a simple list of tasks. It is not a solution for setting advanced-level dependencies between tasks, projects, and shared resources, and robust project management. 

Review of Trello on the selected criteria                            

• Core task management and collaboration features: Trello provides all the core task management features. However, it does not provide advanced project management capabilities such as a Gantt chart, time tracking, workload management, and a real-time dashboard. For team communication, Trello relies on integrations with third-party apps.       
• Ease of use & learning curve: Trello is super easy to use. One can get started to make basic use of the tool within an hour. However, learning advanced features like automation and power-ups takes time to learn.                 
• Pricing and value for money: Trello is an inexpensive platform for teams that just need shared space for task collaboration. If you need advanced task management capabilities, it gets expensive as it relies on integration with third-party apps for core features like chat, time tracking, and online proofing. For those apps, you need to pay monthly subscription fees. These core capabilities come out of the box with software like ProofHub.                   
• Multi-platform support: Trello is Accessible on all major web browsers, offers desktop apps for macOS and Windows, and mobile apps for iOS and Android.
• Customer Reviews and Ratings: Trello has a consistent user rating of more than 4.0 out of 5 over the years.

Key features 

• Cards to capture all the important information related to a task   
• Drag and drop Kanban boards to move a task from one stage to another   
• Advanced filters to sort cards and find information quickly
• Butler automation to automate the tasks in a workflow   

Pros and cons

Pricing 

Trello offers four different plans:

• Free: Ideal for individuals 
• Standard: $5 per user per month, billed annually  
• Premium: $10 per user per month, billed annually 
• Enterprise: $17.50 per user per month, billed annually

User ratings

• G2: 4.4/5
• Capterra: 4.6/5

Use Trello if:

• You are looking for an easy-to-use, centralized, transparent, and shared space for the task management of teams
• You want a platform that can expand its capabilities through integration with other apps

5. Basecamp: Best for collaboration-oriented workflow

Basecamp is a team collaboration platform that provides a set of collaboration tools to streamline, transform, and facilitate productive collaboration among teams. Just like Trello, Basecamp also does not offer Gantt charts, extensive reports and dashboards, and time tracking, but it definitely offers a quick collaboration space, which is super easy and efficient to use. 

Basecamp creates a project page for each project and adds tools like Message Board, To-Dos, Docs & Files, Chat, and Schedule for each project to simplify and streamline collaboration. Thus, all the data, discussions, and documents of the project are stored in one unified place. 

Review of Basecamp on the selected criteria

• Core task management and collaboration features: Basecamp offers most of the core task management features required to manage tasks and a strong suite of collaboration tools.                  
• Ease of use & learning curve: Basecamp is an easy-to-use software with a normal learning curve. However, when compared with similar solutions like Trello and ProofHub, it has a higher learning curve and requires training.                     
• Pricing and value for money: Basecamp offers decent value for money. Like ProofHub, it also offers a flat fee pricing plan, costing  $299 per month for unlimited users. Thus, organizations with a large number of users find Basecamp affordable. Basecamp also offers a per-user per-month plan that provides the flexibility to use the platform for individuals, but it is highly expensive ($15 per user per month) and does not offer great value for money. If we compare Basecamp vs ProofHub, as they are the only tools with a flat fee pricing model, ProofHub offers a better price deal and set of features.              
• Multi-platform support: Basecamp offers comprehensive multi-platform support, ensuring seamless project management across web browsers, desktop applications (macOS and Windows), and mobile devices (iOS and Android)
• Customer Reviews and Ratings: Basecamp has a consistent user rating of more than 4.0 out of 5 over the years.

Key features 

• Message boards to collaborate with the team and share project plans & updates 
• Calendar to plan the project’s timelines, milestones, and deadlines 
• Chat for one-on-one or small group chats
• Docs & files to share, access, and collaborate on documents. 
• Basic reports to track progress

Pros and cons 

Pricing 

Basecamp has three plans:  

• Free: Run one project at a time 
• Plus: $15 per user per month, unlimited projects, billed annually 
• Pro Unlimited: $299 per month for unlimited users, billed annually  

Ratings 

• G2: 4.4/5
• Capterra: 4.5/5    

Use Basecamp if

• You need a task management platform designed around team collaboration   
• You need a platform that is easy to use and adopt across all levels of technical experience of users
• You need a tool that does not scale costs with the number of users

Which one to choose? Basecamp vs Trello!

Basecamp is the best solution for teams who are looking for task management solutions with advanced collaboration spaces for standalone task management. It does not provide you with a Gantt chart or reports, but definitely a quick, easy-to-use, and competent collaboration space where you can communicate, create tasks, and see everything in real-time.           

I prefer Basecamp over Trello in task management because of its architecture and out-of-the-box collaboration capabilities. Basecamp creates a project page for each project and adds tools like Message Board, To-Dos, Docs & Files, Chat, and Schedule for each project to simplify and streamline collaboration. Whereas in Trello, when the number of projects, teams, and collaborators increases, collaboration gets cluttered and becomes slow, inefficient, and difficult to organize. Also, in Trello, you need to pay for the Slack subscription for the team, which was a deal breaker for me. On top of that, Basecamp offers a flat fee pricing model that makes it a more affordable solution than Trello.

Despite catering to a similar target audience with comparable capabilities, I have chosen Basecamp over Trello 

However, if you are looking for project management capabilities, you can choose ProofHub. It offers both the collaboration of Basecamp and project management of PM software.

Task management software for individuals 

A certain section of users needs task management apps for personal productivity, improvement, and task organization and management. Todoist and TickTick are to-do list-based apps for task management. TickTick supports productivity methods, whereas Todoist supports to-do list-based task management.    

6. Todoist: Best for ease of use and intuitive interface

Todoist is a to-do list app that has evolved from a simple to-do list app to a task management app. It allows users to create a list of tasks, add details to each task, add comments to mention team members, and attach files. The ease of use is at the core of the todoist. The platform provides you with multiple options to create, organize, and manage tasks. 

A user can simply create a task if they want to work individually. All the tasks are visible in the Inbox. 

To manage the tasks of a team, Todoist allows you to create a workspace where you can invite your team members. Within the workspace, you can create projects, and for each project, you can create a list of tasks. 

To manage your own personal projects, Todoist has My projects where you can plan personal projects and tasks     

Based on the due date of the task, tasks are organized in clear categories: upcoming, today, and completed in the left bar section.   

This enhanced organization keeps things simple and streamlined. 

Review of Todoist on the selected criteria

• Core task management and collaboration features: Todoist allows users to capture all the details of the task, add labels, set reminders, visualize the schedule on the calendar, and set custom team roles. The platform offers strong collaboration tools and integrations with apps like Slack, Gmail, Trello, etc.        
• Ease of use & learning curve: Todoist is fairly easy to use. You can learn to use it within 30 minutes of onboarding. When compared with similar tools like TickTick, Todoist has an edge in terms of interface. Todoist is easier to use, more intuitive, and easier to navigate than TickTick.                  
• Multi-platform support: Todoist offers comprehensive, real-time synchronization across 10+ platforms, including Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, web browsers, and wearables like the Apple Watch. Designed for consistent functionality, it allows users to manage tasks, projects, and deadlines seamlessly on any device. Key aspects of Todoist’s multi-platform support include: Native Apps & Extensions: Dedicated applications for desktop and mobile, plus extensions for Chrome, Outlook, and other email platforms.  
• Customer Reviews and Ratings: Todoist has a consistent user rating of more than 4.0 out of 5 over the years.

Key features

• Project organization with nested projects and sections
• Priority levels, labels/tags, and filters for custom views
• Recurring tasks, reminders, and notifications
• Integrations with calendar services, Slack, Zapier, and many third-party tools

Pros and cons

Pricing

Todoist offers three plans:  

• Free: Run 5 personal projects
• Pro: $5 per user per month, billed annually
• Business: $8 per user per month, billed annually 

Ratings

• G2: 4.5/5
• Capterra: 4.6/5 

Use Todoist if:

• You are looking for a simple to-do list-based task management app with the ability to share and collaborate with other people    

7. TickTick: Best for personal time management and habit tracking 

If Todoist seems more like a task management system to you rather than an individual to-do list management app, you can try TickTick. TickTick looks similar to Todoist on the surface, especially if you have tried Todoist first, but it is different. It offers built-in features like Pomodoro Timer, Habit Tracker, and Eisenhower Matrix to support the productivity techniques, which Todoist does not have directly.  

As far as task management is concerned, TickTick allows you to create a workspace, add projects to it, and create a list of tasks in each project. Just like Todoist, each task in TickTick captures details of a task and allows users to collaborate on tasks. 

Review of TickTick on selected criteria

• Core task management and collaboration features: TickTick offers basic task management and team collaboration features, but it is more limited than Todoist. TickTick offers more customization in views and workflows with smart lists and filters.
• Ease of use & learning curve: TickTick is easy to use and comes with a minimal learning curve, but its interface is not intuitive. Todoist offers a better user experience than TickTick. 
• Pricing and value for money:   
• Multi-platform support: TickTick offers comprehensive multi-platform support with real-time, seamless synchronization across more than ten platforms, including iOS, Android, Windows, Mac, web browsers, and wearables like Apple Watch. This allows users to access and manage tasks, lists, and reminders from any device 
• Customer reviews and ratings: TickTick has a consistent user rating of more than 4.0 out of 5 over the years.

Key features

• Built-in Pomodoro timer 
• Habit tracking and analytics 
• The Eisenhower matrix to categorize tasks by urgency/importance
• Recurring tasks, reminders, and location reminders
• Built-in calendar view to see tasks in day/week/month layouts without external sync

Pros and cons

Pricing

Ticktick offers two plans: 

• Free: Free for everyone, with limited features   
• Premium: $35.99 billed annually for one user

Ratings

• G2: 4.5/5
• Capeterra: 4.7/5

Use TickTick if:

• You are looking for simple task management software with features such as time management, productivity techniques, and habit tracking.   

Which one to choose? Todoist vs TickTick!

Todoist is my best pick for individuals looking for personal task management over TickTick because Todoist has the potential to work both as a personal to-do list app as well as a task management app to work with a team. TickTick does have task collaboration capabilities, but not extensive. It is a good personal productivity and habit tracking app, but not a personal task management app. In addition to that, Todoist has an edge in terms of the intuitiveness of the interface and the comprehensiveness of its collaboration features. It works as well as a personal productivity app, a to-do list app, and a task management app. 

Other task management software

8. Microsoft To Do: Microsoft To Do is a cloud-based task management tool designed to work tightly with Microsoft’s ecosystem (including Outlook and Microsoft 365).

9. Google Tasks: Google Tasks is a simple, minimalist task management app that integrates deeply with Gmail, Google Calendar, and other Google Workspace services. It is often chosen by users who want basic task capture without distraction.  

10. Any.do: Any.do is a task management and productivity platform that combines to-dos with a calendar, reminders, and collaboration tools. It has grown from a minimalist task list to include features aiming at organizing both personal life and shared tasks 

11. Notion: Notion is an advanced note-taking app that supports task management. It allows you to create pages, collaborate with team members on pages, and create tasks using advanced content blocks

Key expectations of different users from task management software

Task management software comes in a wide range of breadths and lengths. For enhanced understanding, we categorized the task management apps into three primary categories and defined the expectations of each section of users from a task management app. 

• Task management software for project managers and teams
• Task management software for teams
• Task management software for individuals

This categorization is based on who the primary user of the task management app is and what kind of features and capabilities the user might be looking for.

To make an informed decision, it is important to understand the context or the requirements of the task to be completed because it determines the depth one needs in the software. Hereby, we mean, if you work alone on a list of tasks, you know you need a simple to-do list where you can prioritize and organize tasks to manage them, and at most, move from one stage to another. You do not need a full-fledged project management system with extensive project planning, resource management, dependencies management, workload balancing, and analytic capabilities. You need a simple system that captures all of your tasks and the details of a task, helps you organize and prioritize tasks, and tracks the progress of tasks as these move from start to completion through various stages. 

Similarly, the needs of a project manager managing a project team vary from one individual to another. A project manager of a project team needs a task management app that helps the manager plan tasks in a project, set dependencies, collaborate with team members on tasks, and track the progress of tasks. A project manager needs a full-fledged project management system with robust task scheduling, resource planning, and reporting capabilities.      

Similarly, there are teams that have an entirely different set of needs from task management software. They neither need a to-do-list app nor a full-fledged project management system. Instead, they need a simple, shared, transparent collaboration space.

Key features of task management software 

There are some essential capabilities every task management software should have to be qualified as a task management app.

• Ability to create tasks: A task management software should allow you to create a task, add key details of a task such as start and due date, task owner, and description required to complete a task, and create a unique task ID and space to make it easy to manage tasks.   
• Ability to collaborate: A task management software should provide the capability to share and collaborate with others. This can be manifested or can take various forms, such as task comments, file sharing, chat, project discussions, and co-editing notes. In essence, you should be able to share files and communicate with team members. 
• Create a workflow to visualize and track progress: A key aspect of task management is to track the task from start to completion. A task management software should allow you to visualize all the tasks on a centralized board, moving from one stage to another in a workflow. Here is an example of the simplest workflow: To-do, In-progress, and Completion.
• Calendar integration, reminder, and notification: This is one of the most desired features by users in a task management app. It should integrate with the calendar, send reminders of a task, and alert of any changes happening to the task. This makes it easy to plan the calendar and ensures a user is aware of every update on a task.
• Miscellaneous features: Task management software can be used in many ways across various depths and use cases. Considering the subjectivity of the meaning of the task management apps, it can have features like task dependencies, resource management, reports, budgeting and planning, task hierarchy, permissions, activity tracking, and automation.  

How to choose the right task management software? 

Choosing a task management tool isn’t one-size-fits-all. The “right” tool depends on your goals, workflow, team size, and how you like to work. Below are the major factors you should systematically consider.

• Define your primary use case: Ask, am I using it for personal tasks or team projects, is it for simple to-dos or complex, multi-phase project work, and do I need collaboration with others, such as assigning tasks and shared boards. It is important because tools that work for personal lists may not scale for team projects or task management of a complex project, and vice versa.
• Core task management features and additional features: These are the fundamental capabilities every good task management tool should offer, such as task creation, due dates & reminders, recurring tasks, priority or importance labels, attachments, task comments, and integrations with a calendar. List out any special features you need applicable to your primary use case. For example, two-way sync with external calendars such as Google Calendar and Outlook, or a built-in proofing.     
• Cross-platform support & sync: A task management software should sync across devices to help you work across devices. Look for a tool that supports the majority of the web browsers in order to be accessed on any device, such as a laptop, mobile, and table. Make sure the platform has mobile apps for iOS and Android. If you need a desktop app, check whether the platform has a desktop app. To prevent sync issues, ask questions like: is syncing fast and reliable, does the mobile app have full functionality or is it limited, and can I use the tool offline and sync later? 
• Ease of use & learning curve: Make sure the platform you choose is easy to use. Look for a platform with a simple setup, a clean UI, and a minimal learning curve.   
• Pricing & value: Consider both cost and return on investment. Evaluate free tier limitations, pricing structure per-user or flat fee pricing, whether essential features require a paid plan, long-term costs for growing teams, and budget considerations. Enroll in a free trial before finalizing the platform.  

What is the best task management software for you? 

There is no one best task management software for everyone. The choice of the best task management software depends on the use case. As we discussed throughout the article, the best software varies depending on the specific needs and primary use case. 

• Choose ProofHub if you are looking for ease of use and a minimal learning curve with core task management and team collaboration features 
• Choose Asana if you are looking for advanced task planning features with a good user interface experience, but are willing to compromise ease of learning, accepts learning curve, and have a decent budget
• Choose ClickUp if you are looking for advanced document and team collaboration capabilities, but are fine with the cluttered interface, lack of priority customer support, and steep initial learning curve                    
• Choose Trello if you are looking for a simple task collaboration and visualization solution for a  team and prefer ease of use, but can compromise on the value for money
• Choose Basecamp if you are  looking for a simple task collaboration solution for a team with a great value for money, but are willing to use a solution that might not fit in the ecosystem of other tools     
• Choose Todoist if you are looking for a personal task management app that can be scaled to work together with a team
• Choose TickTick if you are looking for a personal time management, habit tracking, and task management app, but it cannot be used with the team for easy collaboration 

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What’s the difference between task management and project management?

Task management focuses on tracking individual to-dos: what needs to be done, by whom, and by when. It emphasizes task lists, priorities, reminders, and completion status. It’s ideal for personal productivity or simple team coordination.

Project management, on the other hand, deals with planning and executing larger initiatives made up of many interdependent tasks. It includes timelines, milestones, dependencies, resource allocation, budgets, and progress reporting.

In short, tasks are the building blocks, while projects are the structured frameworks that organize those tasks toward a larger goal. Task management tools prioritize simplicity and execution; project management tools prioritize planning, coordination, and delivery.

How do task management tools handle recurring tasks?

Most task management tools allow users to create recurring tasks based on defined rules daily, weekly, monthly, or at custom intervals. Recurrence can be date-based (e.g., every Monday) or completion-based (e.g., repeat 3 days after completion).

When a recurring task is completed, the software automatically generates the next instance, preserving consistency without manual re-entry. Advanced tools also support exceptions, end dates, or variable schedules.

This functionality is especially useful for routines such as meetings, reporting, maintenance, or personal habits, helping users maintain consistency while reducing cognitive load and administrative effort.

Can task management software be customized to fit different workflows?

Yes. Most modern task management tools offer customization options to adapt to different workflows and working styles. Common customizations include task views (lists, boards, calendars), tags or labels, priority levels, custom fields, and filters.

More advanced tools allow users to create templates, automation rules, and workflow stages, enabling alignment with methodologies like GTD, Kanban, or agile workflows. Teams can often configure permissions, roles, and shared structures to match how they collaborate.

The degree of customization varies by tool simpler apps prioritize ease of use, while advanced tools trade simplicity for flexibility. Choosing the right level depends on how complex your workflow is.

How does task management software improve accountability within teams?

Task management software improves accountability by making ownership, deadlines, and progress visible. Each task is clearly assigned to an individual, with due dates, priorities, and status updates that everyone can see.

Activity logs, comments, and notifications create a transparent record of who did what and when. This reduces ambiguity, prevents work from falling through the cracks, and encourages timely follow-through.

Managers gain oversight through dashboards and progress views, while team members gain clarity on expectations. By replacing informal tracking with shared systems, task management tools promote responsibility, alignment, and trust without relying on constant manual follow-ups.