I use Todoist at work to track my tasks. I remember subscribing to it for $36 annually because it integrates well with Google Calendar and other apps like Slack and Gmail. When I was working on a team that supported customers via live chat, I added follow-up tasks to Todoist using an Alfred workflow.
However, as time went on and my workflow and role changed a few times within the company, my use of Todoist dropped significantly. Eventually, I started using it only for personal reminders and even for shopping lists.
Recently, I began exploring whether I could replace Todoist with Google Tasks—at least for personal use. I discovered that Google Tasks allows me to:
- Create recurring tasks
- Organize tasks using separate lists (e.g., a list for grocery shopping, a list for banking and finance tasks, etc.)
- Set reminders for tasks
- Create tasks directly from Google Calendar
However, there are a few features in Todoist that I’ll miss when switching to Google Tasks:
- A “Today” view that shows all tasks due today
- An “Upcoming” board view that organizes upcoming tasks by day
- The ability to set a reminder one day before the task
- The option to set multiple reminders for a single task
- Easy creation of sub-tasks—for example, I usually make a task like “Grocery shopping” and add the items I want to buy as sub-tasks. I also do this for “Pharmacy shopping.” In Google Tasks, I would need to create a separate list instead, which makes the interface feel cluttered.
To compensate for the missing “Today” view in Google Tasks, I created a Google Apps Script that sends me a daily email summary. It includes tasks that are overdue, due today, upcoming, or have no due date.
While this email doesn’t fully replace the “Today” and “Upcoming” views in Todoist, it does give me a quick overview of my to-do list when I start my day.
My plan is to continue using Google Tasks as a personal task manager and reminder system. Later, I’ll assess whether I can also use it for work. If it meets my needs, I can cancel my Todoist subscription and help my company save $36 a year—money that’s currently being spent on a tool I no longer fully use.
I’d love to hear your thoughts! Have you tried switching from Todoist to Google Tasks or any other task manager? What worked for you and what didn’t? Feel free to share your experience or tips in the comments—I’m always looking to improve my setup.