Free picks · Mac
Best free to-do list apps for Mac (2026)
Every pick is listed under Task Management in our directory, runs on a Mac and is completely free or has a free plan. We rank them by our rating and popularity, then favour tools made mainly for task management and apps built for Mac.
Short answer
The best free to-do list apps for Mac are Taskwarrior, TickTick and Todoist, the top three of 20 matches in our directory. 5 of the 10 picks are completely free and the other 5 have a free plan; 4 are open source.
Updated
Built with love by Shushant Lakhyani. Building bestproductivityresources.com
At a glance
Counted from the top 10 picks, except the total.
- Matching tools
- 20
- Completely free
- 5
- Open source
- 4
- Work offline
- 4
- Native apps
- 4
Comparison table
“Free plan” means a free tier with paid upgrades. A dash in Licence means our directory does not list the tool as open source.
| # | Name | Pricing | Platforms | Licence | Why pick it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Taskwarrior | Free | macOS, Linux | Open source | A fast, flexible to-do list you run from the command line. |
| 2 | TickTick | Free plan | Web, iOS, Android, macOS, Windows, Linux | — | Achieve more, every day. |
| 3 | Todoist | Free plan | Web, iOS, Android, macOS, Windows | — | A fast, reliable task manager that stays out of your way. |
| 4 | Super Productivity | Free | Linux, macOS, Windows, Android, iOS, Web | Open source | Free, open-source to-do list with timeboxing, time tracking and Jira or GitHub imports. |
| 5 | Microsoft To Do | Free | Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Web | — | A free to-do list with a daily My Day planner that syncs with Outlook. |
| 6 | Taskade | Free plan | Web, iOS, Android, macOS, Windows, Linux | — | Where ideas meet action: AI powered team productivity. |
| 7 | Kanri | Free | Windows, macOS, Linux, Offline | Open source | An offline Kanban board app with no account or internet needed. |
| 8 | pueue | Free | macOS, Windows, Linux | Open source | Queue up long-running commands and let them run in the background. |
| 9 | MeisterTask | Free plan | Web, iOS, Android, macOS, Windows | — | A Kanban-style task manager for teams with a generous free plan. |
| 10 | Ellie | Free plan | Web, iOS, macOS, Windows | — | A simple daily planner with a brain dump and a free forever plan. |
Why each pick made the list
Every reason is taken from the tool's own listing: its categories, platforms, features, rating and pricing.
Our top Mac pick, rated 4.6/5. A desktop app that runs on a Mac, and also on Linux. Its listing says it works offline (4 of 10 here) and is privacy-focused (3 of 10 here). It is not in the iPhone top 10 (not listed for iPhone).
Watch out for: Works only in the terminal
Number 2 of 10 for Mac, rated 4.7/5, the highest here. Runs on a Mac, and also on Web, iOS, Android, Windows and 1 more platform. Its listing says it syncs through the cloud (4 of 10 here) and is easy to pick up (6 of 10 here). On our iPhone list it is number 3.
Watch out for: Some advanced features are locked behind a paid subscription.
Number 3 of 10 for Mac, rated 4.6/5. Runs on a Mac, and also on Web, iOS, Android and Windows. Its listing says it syncs through the cloud (4 of 10 here) and is easy to pick up (6 of 10 here). On our iPhone list it is number 1.
Watch out for: Free tier limits reminders
Number 4 of 10 for Mac, rated 4.5/5. A desktop app that runs on a Mac, and also on Linux, Windows, Android, iOS and 1 more platform. Its listing says it works offline (4 of 10 here) and is privacy-focused (3 of 10 here). On our iPhone list it is number 6.
Watch out for: Many options can feel busy at first
Number 5 of 10 for Mac, rated 4.4/5. Runs on a Mac, and also on Windows, iOS, Android and Web. Its listing says it syncs through the cloud (4 of 10 here) and is easy to pick up (6 of 10 here). On our iPhone list it is number 2.
Watch out for: Fewer filters and labels than Todoist
Number 6 of 10 for Mac, rated 4.4/5. Runs on a Mac, and also on Web, iOS, Android, Windows and 1 more platform. Its listing says it has AI features (2 of 10 here). On our iPhone list it is number 5.
Watch out for: Can be overwhelming for new users due to feature richness
Number 7 of 10 for Mac, rated 4.5/5. A desktop app that runs on a Mac, and also on Windows, Linux and Offline. Its listing says it works offline (4 of 10 here), is privacy-focused (3 of 10 here) and is easy to pick up (6 of 10 here). It is not in the iPhone top 10 (not listed for iPhone).
Watch out for: No sync or team sharing
Number 8 of 10 for Mac, rated 4.5/5. A desktop app that runs on a Mac, and also on Windows and Linux. Its listing says it works offline (4 of 10 here). It is not in the iPhone top 10 (not listed for iPhone).
Watch out for: Terminal only
Number 9 of 10 for Mac, rated 4.5/5. Runs on a Mac, and also on Web, iOS, Android and Windows. Its listing says it is easy to pick up (6 of 10 here). On our iPhone list it is number 7.
Watch out for: Free plan limited to three projects
Number 10 of 10 for Mac, rated 4.4/5. Runs on a Mac, and also on Web, iOS and Windows. Its listing says it syncs through the cloud (4 of 10 here), has AI features (2 of 10 here) and is easy to pick up (6 of 10 here). On our iPhone list it is number 8.
Watch out for: Calendar integration and timeboxing need Pro
Running these on Mac
Counted from each pick's listing type and platforms.
- By listing type, the 10 Mac picks are 4 desktop apps (Taskwarrior, Super Productivity, Kanri and pueue), 4 web apps (TickTick, Taskade, MeisterTask and Ellie) and 2 mobile apps (Todoist and Microsoft To Do).
- 4 of 10 are apps you install on a Mac; the other 6 are web or cloud tools listed for Mac.
- Every Mac pick here also runs somewhere else. Super Productivity reaches furthest, on 5 other platforms besides Mac.
- 7 of 10 also run on iPhone and iPad, so the same tool can follow you between Mac and iPhone; Taskwarrior, Kanri and pueue do not.
How this list compares
The same search on other platforms. Only the differences are named.
- Free to-do list apps for iPhone
7 of these 10 Mac picks also make the iPhone top 10. 3 are on this list only: Taskwarrior (not listed for iPhone), Kanri (not listed for iPhone) and pueue (not listed for iPhone). In their place the iPhone list has Goblin Tools, KanbanFlow and Tweek; none of them is listed for Mac.
More matches
10 more free to-do list apps for Mac in our directory, in ranked order.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the best free to-do list app for Mac?
- Taskwarrior is our first pick. A fast, flexible to-do list you run from the command line. Yes. Taskwarrior is free to use.
- Are these to-do list apps really free?
- Yes, every pick is free to start. Taskwarrior, Super Productivity, Microsoft To Do, Kanri and 1 other are completely free. TickTick, Todoist, Taskade, MeisterTask and 1 other have free plans with paid upgrades.
- Which of these to-do list apps are open source?
- Taskwarrior, Super Productivity, Kanri and pueue are tagged open source in our directory, so you can read the code of each and, depending on the licence, self-host or modify it.
- Which ones work offline on a Mac?
- Taskwarrior, Super Productivity, Kanri and pueue are listed as working offline. The others need an internet connection for at least some features.
- Which are easiest for beginners?
- TickTick, Todoist and Microsoft To Do are rated beginner-friendly, along with 3 other picks. 4 picks take more time to learn.
- How many free to-do list apps for Mac are in the directory?
- 20 match: listed under Task Management, available on a Mac and free to start. This page ranks the top 10 and names up to 20 more under More matches. The Task Management category page has every listing, paid ones included.
Keep exploring
Wider lists
- All Task Management tools
- Every free list for Mac
- Best free to-do list and task apps
- Best free Mac apps
Related free lists
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