The best to-do list apps for Mac in 2026, compared

By Basil, maker of Alcove · Updated 28 October 2026 · 11 min read

I make Alcove, so read this knowing that. Each of these apps is good at something, and the right one depends on how you work, so they're ordered by what you need, and Alcove has its own labelled section after them.

How I compared. I checked each app's App Store listing, pricing page and help documentation on 8 October 2026, rather than testing them side by side. The versions then were Things 3.24, Todoist 9.31 for Mac, TickTick 8.2, OmniFocus 4.9, Microsoft To Do 2.177 and Alcove 1.0. Prices are US, and the sources are at the end.

A good Mac to-do app does three things well: it lets you capture a task in a second from wherever you are, it shows you today without hunting for it, and it stays in step with your iPhone. Beyond that, the apps below split on price, on whether you work alone or with others, and on how much structure you want.

The short version

How they compare on what matters day to day

Which one should you choose?

For a polished planner on Apple devices: Things 3. It's mature and beautifully designed, especially good at projects with headings, has an Apple Watch app and, from version 3.24, works with the new Siri AI. You buy it for each device. See Alcove vs Things 3.

If you also use Windows or Android: Todoist or TickTick. Todoist suits people who work with others or rely on integrations, and its free plan covers up to five projects. See Alcove vs Todoist. TickTick puts habits, a Pomodoro timer and an Eisenhower matrix in the same app. See Alcove vs TickTick.

For Getting Things Done in depth: OmniFocus 4. Contexts, defer dates, perspectives and weekly reviews make it the most powerful app here, with the steepest learning curve. See Alcove vs OmniFocus.

For free: Apple Reminders or Microsoft To Do. Reminders is already on your devices, with shared family lists, location reminders, a column view, urgent reminders that ring from iOS 26.2 and, in iOS 27, plain-language entry on recent iPhones. See Alcove vs Apple Reminders. Microsoft To Do also runs on a Windows PC or an Android phone, and suits people who use Outlook. See Alcove vs Microsoft To Do.

To tune everything: 2Do or GoodTask. Both offer many views, filters and settings. GoodTask works on top of your Apple Reminders, so your lists stay in Reminders.

For your day in the Mac menu bar, with notes and one price for every device: that's what I built Alcove for. See the next section.

Where Alcove fits (I make it)

Alcove suits people whose day happens on the Mac and who want the list in the menu bar, one click from any app. It suits people who keep notes and tasks together, plan in notes with numbers in them, and want one purchase for their Mac, iPhone and iPad. Boards, a calendar with an hour grid, widgets, Siri phrases and an alarm-style reminder are all included.

• The menu bar is the app. The popup shows today with its count, every list, the month and your notes. Lists and notes can float above your other apps, even full-screen ones. Boards have their own tab in the popup and can float too. See keeping your to-do list in the menu bar.
• Notes do the maths. End a line with = for the answer. Tables total their columns and rows, and a budget row shows what's left. See notes that do the maths.
• One price covers everything. Mac, iPhone and iPad for $29.99 once, with no subscription, and Family Sharing included. See what to-do apps cost.
• Private by design. No account and no analytics. Your tasks, notes and attachments stay on your devices and in your own iCloud.
• Built for AI assistants. A local MCP server lets assistants like Claude read and update your tasks, notes and boards, only with your approval. See connecting an AI assistant and to-do apps that work with Claude.

Where Alcove isn't the right fit

• You need Windows, Android or the web. Alcove is only for Mac, iPhone and iPad.
• You share lists with other people. Alcove is built for one person.
• You want habits, a focus timer or an Apple Watch app. Alcove doesn't have them.
• You want the new Siri AI. Alcove's Siri phrases and Shortcuts actions work, but it hasn't added Siri AI support. Things 3 and OmniFocus have.

What changed in 2026

Apple's macOS 27 and iOS 27 arrived in September, and several of these apps changed with them. Prices moved too. Checked on 8 October 2026:

• Things 3.24 (14 September 2026) added full integration with Siri AI and Spotlight, and an extra-tall widget for longer lists.
• OmniFocus 4.9 added Siri AI support and optional Apple Intelligence date parsing. Version 4.8, a year earlier, had let Omni Automation plug-ins use Apple's on-device model.
• Apple Reminders in iOS 27 turns a description in your own words into a reminder with its date, time and location, using Apple Intelligence on iPhone 15 Pro and later, and puts Time, Urgent and Repeat in a new details editor.
• Todoist launched Ramble in January 2026: talk through what you need to do, and its AI turns it into tasks with dates, priorities and labels. It's on every plan, with a monthly limit on the free one.
• TickTick Premium has been $49.99 a year since late August 2026, up from $35.99.
• Alcove 1.1 (October 2026) added attachment sync through your iCloud, more themes and a Boards tab in the menu bar.

Head-to-head comparisons

• Alcove vs Things 3
• Alcove vs Todoist
• Alcove vs TickTick
• Alcove vs OmniFocus
• Alcove vs Apple Reminders
• Alcove vs Microsoft To Do

Comparisons between other apps

• Things 3 vs Todoist: which to choose on Mac and iPhone
• Things 3 vs Apple Reminders: is Things worth paying for?
• OmniFocus alternatives for Mac and iPhone
• What to-do apps cost: Things 3, Todoist, TickTick and OmniFocus prices
• To-do apps that work with Claude and other AI assistants
• Daily planner apps for Mac and iPhone, compared

Alternatives and round-ups

• Things 3 alternatives for Mac and iPhone
• Todoist alternatives for Mac and iPhone
• TickTick alternatives for Mac and iPhone
• Apple Reminders alternatives for iPhone and Mac
• To-do list apps without a subscription
• The best menu bar to-do list apps for Mac
• The best personal kanban apps for Mac and iPhone
• The best to-do list apps for iPhone

Sources

Checked on 8 October 2026:

• Things 3 for Mac on the App Store, for iPhone and for iPad, and Things for Mac release notes
• Todoist pricing, Todoist Pro pricing update and Todoist Ramble, with its launch note of 21 January 2026
• Todoist changelog entries from 2025, for the menu bar menu
• TickTick Premium, and the Wayback Machine copy from 23 July 2026 showing $35.99
• OmniFocus 4 pricing and OmniFocus adds Siri AI support, 9to5Mac
• Reminders on Mac: lists and columns, iOS 26.2 reminder alarms, TidBITS and Everything new in Calendar and Reminders in iOS 27, MacRumors
• Microsoft To Do on the Mac App Store
• Todoist urgent reminders on iOS and TickTick constant reminders
• 2Do licensing explained and 2Do store
• GoodTask introduction, GoodTask for Mac and GoodTask for iPhone and iPad on the App Store
• MenuToDo on the App Store

Questions people ask