Microsoft To Do does exactly what it promises: simple task lists. Due dates, reminders, “My Day” planning, shared lists, and flagged-email-to-task conversion if you’re in Outlook. For a free app that comes bundled with your Microsoft account, it’s decent.
But “decent” has a ceiling. And most people hit it faster than they expect.
No labels. No tags. No custom filters. One level of hierarchy — lists and tasks, nothing deeper. No calendar view. No timeline. Integrations are limited to Microsoft’s own products. The moment you need to see your tasks across projects, or filter by context, or understand what’s behind schedule, Microsoft To Do offers a blank stare.
People don’t leave Microsoft To Do angry. They leave it outgrown. The app that worked fine with 15 tasks starts to crack at 50. The “My Day” view that felt simple starts to feel limiting when you need a “My Week” or “My Month.”
If you’re at that point, here’s where to go.
Quick Comparison
| Alternative | Price | Best For | Key Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Todoist | Free – $5/mo | Cross-platform power without complexity | Labels, filters, and natural language input |
| TickTick | Free – $35.99/yr | All-in-one with calendar and habits | Most features per dollar, built-in calendar |
| Things 3 | $49.99 Mac / $9.99 iPhone | Design perfection on Apple | Best UI in the category, one-time purchase |
| Google Tasks | Free | Gmail users who want basics | Lives inside Gmail and Google Calendar |
| Any.do | Free – $4.99/mo | Clean design with light calendar | Minimal friction, attractive UI |
Deep Dives
Todoist
Todoist is the natural graduation from Microsoft To Do. The conceptual model is similar — projects contain tasks, tasks have due dates and priorities — but Todoist adds every layer of structure Microsoft To Do is missing.
Labels let you tag tasks by context (@phone, @computer, @waiting). Filters let you build custom views (“all tasks due this week labeled @phone with priority 1”). Natural language input means you type “Review proposal Friday at 2pm p1 @work” and the task creates itself with the right date, priority, and label.
Pro costs $5/month ($4/month annual). The free tier limits you to five projects and basic features, but it’s still more capable than Microsoft To Do. The Business tier at $8/user/month adds team workspaces, admin controls, and team billing.
Todoist works everywhere: web, Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android, Apple Watch, browser extensions, and email plugins. If Microsoft To Do’s biggest limitation was “not enough structure,” Todoist is the obvious next step. It’s also worth noting that Todoist has a Microsoft To Do importer — migration takes minutes.
TickTick
If you’re leaving Microsoft To Do because it’s too basic, TickTick is the other extreme. Everything Microsoft To Do doesn’t have, TickTick includes: calendar view, habit tracker, Pomodoro timer, Kanban board, Eisenhower matrix, smart lists, tags, custom filters, and multiple sort options.
The free tier is shockingly complete. Premium at $35.99/year adds calendar integration, more smart lists, and higher limits. That annual price is less than what Todoist Pro costs for a full year.
TickTick’s risk is going from “too simple” to “too much.” If Microsoft To Do’s minimalism was a feature you appreciated but outgrew, TickTick’s density might feel like overcorrection. The solution is to start with TickTick’s default view and only enable additional features as you need them — but the UI will always surface more options than Microsoft To Do.
For the price, though, it’s hard to beat. Cross-platform, feature-rich, and cheap enough that it costs less per year than most apps charge per month.
Things 3
Things 3 is only relevant if you’re on Apple devices — Mac, iPhone, iPad. No Windows, no Android, no web. If that rules you out, skip this section.
If you’re still here: Things 3 is what Microsoft To Do would be if Microsoft employed world-class designers and gave them five years. The same basic concept — today view, upcoming view, projects, areas — executed with a level of visual and interaction craft that makes every other task app feel clunky.
Mac costs $49.99, iPhone costs $9.99, iPad costs $19.99 — all one-time purchases with free sync via Things Cloud. No subscription. Areas let you group projects by life domain (Work, Personal, Side Project). Headings inside projects give you structure without complexity.
The trade-off versus Microsoft To Do: it costs actual money, and you lose shared lists, Outlook integration, and cross-platform access. But if you’re on Apple and you’ve been settling for Microsoft To Do’s utilitarian design, Things 3 will feel like moving from a cubicle to a corner office.
Google Tasks
If you’re leaving Microsoft To Do but landing in Google’s ecosystem instead of staying in Microsoft’s, Google Tasks is the equivalent free option. It lives inside Gmail (as a sidebar panel) and Google Calendar (tasks appear on your calendar), and it handles the basics: lists, tasks, subtasks, due dates.
Google Tasks is roughly as limited as Microsoft To Do — maybe more so. No tags, no filters, no recurring task customization, no collaboration features. What it has is context: your tasks sit next to your emails and calendar events. See an email you need to act on, star it, and it becomes a task visible on your calendar.
This only makes sense if you’re migrating from Microsoft 365 to Google Workspace. Swapping Microsoft To Do for Google Tasks as a deliberate choice doesn’t gain you anything. But if the platform shift is happening anyway, Google Tasks comes along for free.
Any.do
Any.do splits the difference between Microsoft To Do’s simplicity and Todoist’s structure. The design is clean and modern — more visual polish than Microsoft To Do, less feature density than TickTick. It includes a calendar view that shows tasks alongside events, which is the single most common feature request from Microsoft To Do users.
The free tier handles basic tasks and lists. Premium at $4.99/month adds color tags, location-based reminders, advanced recurring options, and WhatsApp integration. The Family plan ($8.33/month) covers four people.
Any.do is best for people who want one or two specific features Microsoft To Do lacks — calendar view and tags, mainly — without completely changing their workflow. The daily planner view guides you through what’s due today, similar to Microsoft To Do’s “My Day” but with more context.
The risk: Any.do is a smaller company with a smaller team. Updates can be infrequent, and the feature set sometimes feels frozen for months. If long-term development momentum matters to you, Todoist or TickTick are safer bets.
Who Should Switch (and Who Shouldn’t)
Switch if:
- You’ve hit the ceiling on structure — you need tags, filters, or nested projects
- The lack of a calendar view means your tasks and schedule live in separate worlds
- You need to work across Microsoft and non-Microsoft platforms (only Todoist, TickTick, and Any.do work everywhere)
- You’ve outgrown “My Day” and need custom views of your tasks
Stay with Microsoft To Do if:
- Your task list rarely exceeds 20-30 items across a few simple lists
- The Outlook flagged-email integration is genuinely part of your workflow
- You share lists with family members who also use Microsoft accounts
- You’ve never thought “I wish I could filter my tasks by ___” — because if you haven’t needed filters, you don’t need a more complex tool
Microsoft To Do is right-sized for a certain type of user. If you’re reading this article, you’re probably not that type anymore.
FAQ
Can I transfer my Microsoft To Do tasks to Todoist?
Yes. Todoist has a direct Microsoft To Do importer that brings over your lists and tasks. Due dates, notes, and list structure transfer cleanly. Subtasks require manual recreation in some cases. The whole process takes under five minutes for most accounts.
Is TickTick’s free tier better than Microsoft To Do?
For features, unambiguously yes. TickTick’s free tier includes a calendar view, Pomodoro timer, habit tracker, tags, and multiple sort options — all things Microsoft To Do lacks entirely. For simplicity, no — Microsoft To Do’s UI is less cluttered and easier to learn. It depends on whether you value capability or simplicity more.
What about Notion for task management?
Notion can work as a task manager, but it’s like using a spreadsheet as a to-do list — technically possible, not purpose-built. You’d need to create your own database, views, and workflows from scratch. If you’re leaving Microsoft To Do because it’s too basic, building a custom system in Notion is the hardest possible upgrade path. Start with Todoist or TickTick. If those feel too constrained six months later, then consider Notion.
Does Any.do integrate with Outlook?
Any.do supports calendar integration with Outlook, so your events appear alongside tasks. However, it doesn’t have the deep flagged-email-to-task integration that Microsoft To Do offers within the Microsoft ecosystem. If that Outlook email integration is critical to your workflow, Todoist with its Outlook plugin is a better fit than Any.do.