7 Best Microsoft To Do Alternatives in 2026
(More Features + AI)
Microsoft To Do is free and works across every platform. But it's basic: only a list view, weak third-party integrations outside Microsoft's ecosystem, and no AI features at all. If you've outgrown To Do and want something that does more — especially around email and meeting workflows — here are 7 better options.
What is the best Microsoft To Do alternative in 2026?
- alfred_ ($24.99/month): if you want tasks extracted automatically from your Outlook or Gmail inbox and meetings, with daily briefings included.
- Todoist (free-$8/month): best direct upgrade from To Do with projects, labels, filters, and 80+ integrations while staying cross-platform.
- TickTick (free-$2.79/month): best budget upgrade with habit tracking, Pomodoro timer, and Eisenhower matrix view included.
- Google Tasks (free): best alternative if you're primarily in Google Workspace and want a similar simplicity to To Do but integrated with Gmail and Calendar.
Why People Look for Microsoft To Do Alternatives
Microsoft To Do inherited the Wunderlist audience when Microsoft acquired and eventually sunset it. It's a capable basic task manager, and its price — free — is hard to beat. But its limitations become clear quickly for anyone who needs more than a checklist:
- •Only a list view: Microsoft To Do shows tasks as a list. There's no Kanban board, no timeline, no calendar view showing tasks alongside events, and no grid or matrix view. If you want to see your work differently than a vertical checklist, you need a different tool
- •Limited third-party integration outside Microsoft: To Do integrates well with Outlook, Teams, and Planner — but outside the Microsoft 365 ecosystem, its integrations are minimal. There's no native Zapier depth, no Gmail integration, and limited API access compared to Todoist or ClickUp
- •No time-blocking or calendar management: To Do lets you set due dates, but it doesn't help you decide when to do tasks, block time for focused work, or show your schedule alongside your task list in a unified view
- •No AI features: in 2026, Microsoft has added Copilot AI to many of its 365 products, but To Do remains largely AI-free. There's no task discovery from email content, no briefing generation, and no intelligent prioritization built in
- •No task extraction from meetings or email content: To Do can turn flagged Outlook emails into tasks, but it doesn't read email content to extract action items, and it has no integration with meeting notes or calendar events to automatically surface commitments
The alternatives below range from free upgrades to AI-powered workflow automation. Here are the 7 best options in 2026.
alfred_
Goes far beyond to-do lists — handles email, meetings, calendar, and follow-ups.
Microsoft To Do is a place to put tasks. alfred_ is a place where tasks appear automatically — from your email, from your meetings, from the commitments you make throughout the day. alfred_ connects to your Gmail or Outlook inbox, reads incoming emails, and extracts action items without you touching a task app. A client asks for a deliverable: alfred_ adds it. A meeting recap mentions next steps: they appear. An email you sent has gone unanswered for days: alfred_ flags it. Each morning, a daily briefing tells you exactly what needs attention: your meetings, pending replies, overdue tasks, and schedule conflicts. alfred_ replaces not just your to-do list but the entire manual overhead of staying on top of your professional workflow.
Pros
- Automatic task extraction from emails and meetings: no manual entry
- AI email triage: reads, prioritizes, and drafts responses to your inbox
- Follow-up tracking: surfaces email threads waiting for a reply
- Daily briefings: morning priority digest built from your email and calendar
- Works with both Outlook and Gmail
Cons
- Individual-focused: not a collaborative team task platform
- Significantly more expensive than free To Do at $24.99/month
Todoist
The natural step up from Microsoft To Do: more views, more integrations, same cross-platform reach.
Todoist is the most popular Microsoft To Do alternative for a straightforward reason: it keeps everything To Do offers and adds substantially more. Projects with nested sub-tasks, multiple priority levels (P1-P4), labels, saved filters, a Kanban-style board view, natural language date parsing, Karma productivity scoring, and integrations with Gmail, Slack, Zapier, and 80+ apps. The free plan is generous, and Pro at $4/month is a reasonable upgrade from free.
Pros
- Projects, nested sub-tasks, labels, filters, and priority levels
- Natural language date input: 'follow up Tuesday morning'
- Board view alongside list view for different task organization styles
- 80+ integrations: Gmail, Slack, Zapier, Google Calendar, and more
- Todoist Pro at $4/month is a minimal cost step up from free
Cons
- No habit tracking or Pomodoro (unlike TickTick)
- Still fully manual: every task entered by you
- No AI task discovery or email triage
TickTick
More features than To Do for $2.79/month: habits, Pomodoro, Eisenhower matrix, and calendar.
TickTick is the best budget upgrade from Microsoft To Do if you want more functionality without paying much. At $2.79/month Premium, TickTick adds built-in habit tracking with streaks, a Pomodoro focus timer, an Eisenhower matrix view for urgency-importance prioritization, and a calendar view that shows tasks and events together. It works on Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, and web — the same cross-platform reach as To Do but with substantially more functionality.
Pros
- Built-in habit tracker with streaks and daily check-ins
- Pomodoro timer integrated directly into the task view
- Eisenhower matrix view for urgency-importance sorting
- Calendar view combining tasks and events
- Premium at $2.79/month: minimal cost over Microsoft To Do's free tier
Cons
- China-based company: data privacy concerns for some professionals
- More cluttered interface than To Do's clean simplicity
- No email triage or AI task discovery
Things 3
Premium Apple-native task management with award-winning design and GTD structure.
Things 3 is the right Microsoft To Do alternative for Apple-only users who want a premium experience. It's built exclusively for macOS, iOS, iPadOS, and Apple Watch with native performance and an interface that's won design awards. It uses a GTD structure (Inbox, Today, Upcoming, Anytime, Someday, Logbook) that gives your tasks more context than To Do's simple list. A one-time purchase means no ongoing subscription.
Pros
- Award-winning design: the most refined task manager on Apple platforms
- GTD structure: Inbox, Today, Upcoming, Anytime, Someday, and Logbook
- Quick Entry via keyboard shortcut to capture tasks from any app instantly
- Seamless iCloud sync across Mac, iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch
- One-time purchase: no subscription fees
Cons
- Apple-only: no Windows or web — breaks cross-platform workflow
- Higher upfront cost: $49.99 Mac + $9.99 iPhone + $19.99 iPad
- No email integration or AI features
Notion
Tasks, notes, wikis, and databases in one flexible workspace — far more than a to-do list.
Notion is the right Microsoft To Do alternative if you want your tasks alongside your project documentation, meeting notes, and personal knowledge base. It lets you build custom task management using databases (with board, list, calendar, gallery, and timeline views), and those databases can be linked to your notes, wikis, and project pages. It works on every platform and offers more flexibility than any dedicated task manager — at the cost of requiring more setup.
Pros
- Cross-platform: web, Mac, Windows, iOS, and Android
- Multiple views: board, list, calendar, timeline, and gallery
- Tasks live alongside documents, wikis, and meeting notes
- Notion AI for summarizing, generating content, and Q&A about your pages
- Free plan for individual use with generous limits
Cons
- Requires significant setup to build a reliable task management system
- More complex than Microsoft To Do for simple task management
- No email integration or AI task discovery
Asana
Full project management for teams: Kanban, timeline, portfolio, and workload management.
Asana is the right Microsoft To Do alternative for teams that have outgrown shared To Do lists. It offers multiple project views (list, board, timeline, calendar), custom fields, workflow automation, workload management, and portfolio tracking for multiple projects. Where To Do is a personal task list that supports basic sharing, Asana is a team workspace built from the ground up for cross-functional project management.
Pros
- Multiple views: list, board, timeline, and calendar for any workflow
- Custom fields and workflow rules for team-specific processes
- Workload view to balance capacity across team members
- Project portfolios for tracking multiple initiatives at once
- Free plan for up to 10 users with core features
Cons
- Overkill for individual task management
- Starter plan at $10.99/user/month is significantly more than free To Do
- More complex setup and onboarding than To Do
Google Tasks
Free, simple task management integrated directly into Gmail and Google Calendar.
Google Tasks is the Google equivalent of Microsoft To Do: a free, simple task manager integrated directly into Gmail and Google Calendar. It appears in the right sidebar of both apps, lets you convert emails to tasks with one click, and shows tasks with due dates in Google Calendar. For users in Google Workspace rather than Microsoft 365, Google Tasks offers the same simplicity and ecosystem integration that To Do provides for Microsoft users.
Pros
- Completely free, included with any Google account
- Integrated into Gmail sidebar: convert emails to tasks with one click
- Tasks with due dates appear directly in Google Calendar
- Mobile apps for iOS and Android
- Zero setup required for Google Workspace users
Cons
- Very basic: no Kanban view, labels, priorities, or sub-tasks depth
- No third-party integrations beyond the Google ecosystem
- No AI features or task discovery from email content
| Feature | alfred_Best Overall | Todoist | TickTick | Things 3 | Notion | Asana | Google Tasks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Auto Task Discovery | Full (emails + meetings) | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Email Integration | Yes (triage + drafts) | Email-to-task | No | No | No | Email-to-task | Gmail sidebar |
| Multiple Views | Dashboard | List + Board | List + Calendar | GTD areas | Board + Timeline | Board + Timeline | List only |
| Collaboration | Individual | Shared projects | Shared lists | None | Full workspace | Full team platform | Shared lists |
| Price | $24.99/mo | Free-$8/mo | Free-$2.79/mo | $49.99 one-time | Free-$18/user | Free-$25/user | Free |
How to Choose the Right Microsoft To Do Alternative
The right alternative depends on what's missing from Microsoft To Do for your workflow:
- •Want tasks discovered automatically from email? alfred_ ($24.99/month) extracts action items from your Gmail or Outlook inbox and meeting notes without manual entry. Daily briefings included
- •Need better project organization and views? Todoist (free-$8/month) adds board view, nested projects, labels, filters, and 80+ integrations while staying fully cross-platform
- •Want more features for minimal cost? TickTick (free-$2.79/month) adds habits, Pomodoro, Eisenhower matrix, and a calendar view for $2.79/month
- •Fully on Apple devices? Things 3 ($49.99 one-time Mac) is a premium GTD-structured alternative with award-winning design and iCloud sync
- •Want tasks and documentation together? Notion (free-$18/user) combines task databases, notes, wikis, and Kanban boards in one workspace
- •Managing a team? Asana (free-$25/user) is a full project management platform with workload management, portfolios, and custom workflow automation
- •Google Workspace user wanting something similar but free? Google Tasks is the Google equivalent of To Do with Gmail and Calendar integration at no cost
The Bottom Line
Microsoft To Do is an honest, capable free tool. If you're in the Microsoft 365 ecosystem, the Outlook integration alone makes it worth keeping for its zero cost. But it was designed to be a replacement for Wunderlist, not a leap forward. It doesn't try to help you manage email, doesn't integrate well outside Microsoft's apps, and offers no views beyond a list.
The most significant gap across all the tools on this list — including the alternatives — is the disconnection between your inbox and your task list. Most professional commitments don't originate in a task app. They arrive as emails. alfred_ is the only tool here that bridges that gap by design: reading your inbox, extracting the commitments, and building your task list automatically. Everything else is still a list waiting for your manual input.
Our Verdict
alfred_ is the best Microsoft To Do alternative for professionals whose real work arrives via email, not via a task app.
Microsoft To Do is a fine free task manager for simple personal use. But the professionals who feel constrained by it usually aren't looking for a prettier list — they're drowning in email and missing commitments that never made it into any app. Todoist is the cleanest upgrade for people who need better organization and more integrations. TickTick is the best value if you want habits and focus timers added. Asana is the answer if you're managing a team. But if the root problem is that your inbox is the real task manager and you can't keep up with it manually, alfred_ addresses that directly: tasks extracted automatically, email triaged, follow-ups tracked, and a daily briefing generated every morning. No list required.
Best for
- Professionals who lose track of email commitments because they never make it into a to-do list
- Outlook and Gmail users who want their inbox connected to their task management
- Anyone who finds Microsoft To Do too basic but isn't sure what's missing
- Individual contributors who want email, calendar, and tasks managed together
- Professionals who spend too much time each morning figuring out what to work on
Not for
- Teams needing collaborative project management with assignments and portfolios (use Asana)
- Budget-first users who want free cross-platform task management (Microsoft To Do or Google Tasks remain the best free options)
- Apple-only users who want premium design (use Things 3)
Frequently Asked Questions
What happened to Wunderlist? Is Microsoft To Do a good replacement?
Microsoft acquired Wunderlist in 2015 and shut it down in 2020, replacing it with Microsoft To Do. To Do covers the core Wunderlist features — shared lists, reminders, sub-tasks, and cross-platform sync — but lost some of Wunderlist's polish and community-requested features. For basic task management it's a reasonable free replacement, but users who wanted more than Wunderlist offered (project views, AI, email integration) need to look elsewhere.
What is the best free Microsoft To Do alternative?
Google Tasks is the best free Microsoft To Do alternative for Google Workspace users — it integrates directly into Gmail and Google Calendar with a similar level of simplicity and zero cost. TickTick and Todoist both have solid free plans with more features than To Do. Apple Reminders is the best free option for Apple-only users. None of the free alternatives include AI task discovery or email triage — those require alfred_ ($24.99/month with a 30-day trial).
Is Microsoft To Do good enough for professional use?
Microsoft To Do is adequate for professionals with simple task management needs who are already in the Microsoft 365 ecosystem. Its Outlook integration (flagged emails become To Do tasks) is genuinely useful. But it lacks project management depth, has only a list view, integrates poorly outside Microsoft's apps, and has no AI capabilities. For professionals handling significant email volume or complex projects, it's a starting point rather than a long-term solution.
Does alfred_ work with Microsoft Outlook?
Yes. alfred_ connects to Outlook to read your emails, extract action items from email content, triage your inbox, draft replies, and track follow-ups — all automatically. It also integrates with your Outlook Calendar to surface meeting action items and generate daily briefings. This goes substantially further than To Do's Outlook integration, which only converts manually flagged emails to tasks without reading their content. $24.99/month with a 30-day free trial.
How does Microsoft To Do compare to Todoist?
Microsoft To Do is free and integrates natively with Outlook, Teams, and Planner. Todoist costs $4/month for Pro but adds projects with nested sub-tasks, multiple priority levels, labels, saved filters, a board view, natural language date parsing, and integrations with 80+ third-party apps. For Microsoft 365 users who don't need anything beyond a basic list, To Do is the better choice. For anyone who needs more organization, better integrations, or cross-ecosystem functionality, Todoist is the upgrade.
Can Microsoft To Do integrate with Gmail?
Microsoft To Do doesn't have a native Gmail integration. It connects well to Outlook (flagged emails become tasks), but Google Workspace users are largely outside its ecosystem. If you use Gmail and want basic task creation from email, Google Tasks is the natural fit — it's built into Gmail's sidebar. If you want your Gmail inbox to drive your entire task management workflow with AI triage and automatic task extraction, alfred_ is the tool designed for that.
Try alfred_
Your Inbox Is Already Your To-Do List. Let alfred_ Make It Official.
Microsoft To Do waits for you to type tasks in. alfred_ reads your Outlook or Gmail inbox, extracts your commitments automatically, tracks follow-ups, and generates a daily briefing every morning. Email triage, task management, and calendar — handled. $24.99/month with a 30-day free trial.
Try free for 30 days