Compare
Tickbase vs TickTick, Todoist and Things
If you like the shape of these apps but not their direction, Tickbase is the same idea with a flat price and no AI. Here's the honest comparison, including what we haven't built yet.
| Tickbase | TickTick | Todoist | Things 3 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price and platforms | ||||
| Paid plan, per year | $12, flat | $49.99 | $60 ($5 a month, billed yearly) | No subscription; one-time, about $80 across Mac, iPhone and iPad |
| Free version | Every device, encrypted sync on sign-in; unlimited tasks, 5 lists | Free tier: 9 lists | Free tier: 5 projects | None; a free trial on the Mac |
| Free tier tasks | Unlimited | 99 per list | 300 active tasks per project, on every plan | n/a |
| Platforms | Web, Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android | Web, Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android | Web, Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android | Mac, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Vision Pro only |
| AI features | None | ✓ Premium | ✓ Some free; Task Assist in Pro | None |
| Sign in with | Google, Apple, or an e-mail code. No passwords. | Email and password, Google, Apple and others | Email and password, Google, Apple, Facebook | Things Cloud account (email and password) |
| Tasks and lists | ||||
| Natural-language quick add | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ Dates only |
| Folders for lists | ✓ | ✓ Folders | ✓ Sub-projects | ✓ Areas |
| Sections and a board (Kanban) view | ✓ Free; drag between columns on the web and desktop | ✓ Kanban view, free | ✓ Board layout, free | Headings; no board |
| Formatted notes (Markdown) | ✓ Headings, lists, checklists you can tick, links | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Saved filters (a search kept as a list) | ✓ One free; unlimited in Premium. Tags, priority, lists, date window, words | ✓ Premium | ✓ 3 free, 150 in Pro | — |
| Attachments on tasks | ✓ 10 per task, 20 MB each, 10 GB per account, encrypted · Premium | ✓ 1 a day free, 199 a day in Premium | ✓ 5 MB free, 100 MB in Pro | — Links only |
| Targets (progress towards a number, with pace against the due date) | ✓ Free | — | — | — |
| Calendar and planning | ||||
| Calendar view | ✓ Month free; week and day with time blocking in Premium | ✓ Basic free; more views in Premium | ✓ Calendar layout in Pro | Upcoming list; no calendar grid |
| Work sessions (one task in several calendar blocks) | ✓ Premium: book as many blocks as a task needs, and it stays open until you finish it. A reminder before each block, and the time worked is recorded | — | — | — |
| Eisenhower matrix | ✓ Premium | ✓ Basic free; full in Premium | — | — |
| Your calendar's events beside your tasks | ✓ One calendar free; unlimited in Premium. Phone calendars, and any iCal link on every platform | ✓ Premium | ✓ Google and Outlook | ✓ Shows calendar events inside Things |
| Your tasks in Google or Apple Calendar | ✓ Free: the phone writes them into a calendar you choose, which your Google or iCloud account carries everywhere; a one-off .ics on the web and desktop | ✓ Premium | ✓ Calendar feed | — |
| Habits and focus | ||||
| Habit tracker | ✓ 3 free; unlimited in Premium | ✓ 5 free, 299 in Premium | — | — |
| Resolutions (yearly goals with automatic weekly milestones) | ✓ 3 free; unlimited in Premium | — | — | — |
| Countdown | ✓ 3 free; unlimited in Premium. Your own photo behind it, encrypted like your notes | ✓ 5 free, 299 in Premium | — | — |
| Pomodoro / focus timer | ✓ Free with today's stats; full history in Premium. White, pink and brown noise, strict mode, and time broken down by list and tag | ✓ | — | — |
| Reviews | ||||
| Weekly review | ✓ Guided, scheduled, synced across devices. The latest is free; past reviews with Premium | — | — | — |
| Export a review | ✓ Markdown or PDF, from any device (Premium) | — | — | — |
| Year in review | ✓ Every December, every platform; past years with Premium | Yearly report | — | — |
| Sharing | ||||
| Shared lists | ✓ Encrypted end to end. Sharing your lists is Premium, with 4 free members each; anyone can join | ✓ 2 members free, 29 in Premium | ✓ Up to 5 people per project | — |
| Comments and assignees | ✓ With an activity feed per list | ✓ Free | ✓ Free | — |
| Email-to-task | ✓ Premium. Sealed for your devices the moment it arrives; attachments come along | ✓ Free | ✓ Free | ✓ Mail to Things |
| Slack and browser extensions | Coming soon | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | — |
| On your phone | ||||
| Home-screen widgets | ✓ Free: today's tasks and habits you can tick, a resolution's ring and a countdown; the lock screen on iPhone | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| App icon badge (choose what it counts) | ✓ Today, overdue, Inbox or all open | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Privacy and your data | ||||
| Encrypted at rest with per-user keys | ✓ Encrypted on your device; optional Strict mode | — | — | — |
| App lock (Face ID or a passcode) | ✓ Free, on every platform: Face ID or fingerprint on phones, a passcode on the web and desktop | ✓ Passcode | — | — |
| Lock a single list | ✓ Free. With the app lock or a passcode of its own; its tasks stay out of search, widgets and calendars until opened | — | — | — |
| Keep a list on one device, never synced | ✓ Free. Chosen when the list is made; it never reaches our server | — | — | Everything stays on the device until you turn on Things Cloud; not per list |
| Import from other apps | TickTick, Todoist, Things, Apple Reminders, Microsoft To Do, Any.do | Todoist, Microsoft To Do, Any.do and others | CSV files | Apple Reminders |
| Export your data | JSON, CSV, any time, one click | Backup file | CSV per project; full backups in Pro | Copy as text |
| Ads and third-party tracking | None | See TickTick's privacy policy | See Todoist's privacy policy | See Cultured Code's privacy policy |
| Who makes it, and where | Caesoose Studios, United Kingdom | Appest Limited, Hong Kong | Doist, a fully remote company; registered in the US | Cultured Code, Stuttgart, Germany |
| Independently built | Yes, Caesoose Studios (UK) | — | — | ✓ Cultured Code (Germany) |
Competitor details were checked in September 2026 against their public pricing pages and may have changed since; check ticktick.com, todoist.com and culturedcode.com for current information. All three are fine apps with more integrations than Tickbase has today. Tickbase is for people who want everything in one private list at a flat price, and the rows marked “coming soon” are on the roadmap.