Picking a task manager sounds simple until you’re knee-deep in productivity forums arguing whether free is better than powerful, or whether integrations matter more than a clean interface. If you’re choosing between Google Tasks vs Todoist, this guide cuts through the noise with a direct feature comparison — and shows you a third option worth considering.
The short answer: Google Tasks wins on price and Google Workspace integration, Todoist wins on advanced features and cross-platform polish, and TasksBoard bridges the gap for anyone who wants the best of both worlds.
Quick Comparison: Google Tasks vs Todoist at a Glance
| Feature | Google Tasks | Todoist | TasksBoard |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free / $5–$8/mo | Free / Pro |
| Kanban view | No | Yes (paid) | Yes (free) |
| Subtasks | Yes (1 level) | Yes (multiple levels) | Yes |
| Due dates & reminders | Basic | Advanced | Yes |
| Google Workspace integration | Native | Limited | Native |
| Team collaboration | No | Yes (paid) | Yes |
| Natural language input | No | Yes | No |
| Mobile apps | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Offline access | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Labels / filters | No | Yes | No |
Google Tasks: Free, Simple, and Already in Your Google Account
Google Tasks is a lightweight task manager built directly into Google Workspace. It lives in the Gmail sidebar, syncs with Google Calendar, and is accessible at tasks.google.com — no signup, no new account, no subscription.
What Google Tasks Does Well
It’s genuinely free. There’s no free tier with artificial limits. Every feature available in Google Tasks is free for every Google account holder — personal Gmail or Google Workspace.
Deep Google integration. Drag an email from Gmail onto the Tasks panel and it becomes a task with a link back to the original message. Set a due date and your task appears automatically on Google Calendar. This native integration is something no third-party tool can fully replicate.
Low friction. Google Tasks has almost no learning curve. If you can use a grocery list app, you can use Google Tasks. There are no filters, labels, priority levels, or project templates to configure. You just write down what needs to be done.
Works across devices. The Google Tasks mobile app (Android and iOS) syncs seamlessly and supports offline access. Your tasks are the same whether you’re in Gmail on desktop or the app on your phone.
Where Google Tasks Falls Short
No kanban view. Google Tasks only shows tasks as a list. If you manage multiple projects simultaneously, seeing everything as a flat list with no visual grouping makes it hard to spot what’s truly in progress versus what’s been forgotten.
No team features. Google Tasks was built for individual use. You cannot assign a task to a colleague, share a list, or see a teammate’s progress in the native Google Tasks interface.
Shallow task structure. You get parent tasks and one level of subtasks — that’s it. There are no labels, tags, filters, or views. For simple to-do lists this is fine; for complex projects it becomes limiting.
No reminders by time. You can set a due date, but Google Tasks doesn’t send you a push notification or email reminder when a task is due. It just shows up on your calendar.
Todoist: More Powerful, More Polished — at a Price
Todoist is a dedicated task management app available on every platform: web, desktop, iOS, Android, and as a browser extension. It has been refined over 15+ years and shows in the product quality.
What Todoist Does Well
Natural language input. Type “Call Sarah tomorrow at 3pm #work p1” and Todoist parses the date, time, project, and priority automatically. This single feature dramatically speeds up task capture compared to filling in separate fields.
Advanced filtering and labels. Todoist lets you create custom views using filters like “today & @work & p1” — meaning “show me all high-priority work tasks due today.” For users juggling complex personal and professional workflows, this is genuinely powerful.
Multiple subtask levels. Unlike Google Tasks, Todoist supports nested subtasks several levels deep, which matters for project planning with real hierarchies.
Kanban board view. Todoist has a board view (Kanban) available on the Pro plan. You can drag tasks between columns, which helps for project workflows that follow stages.
Integrations. Todoist connects with Slack, GitHub, Google Calendar (via third-party), Zapier, and dozens of other services. Its ecosystem is broader than Google Tasks.
Todoist’s Limitations
Free tier is surprisingly limited. The free plan allows only 5 active projects, no reminders, no file attachments, and limited filters. Most of the features that make Todoist worth using require the Pro or Business plan ($5–$8/month per user).
Not native to Google Workspace. If your organization lives in Google Workspace, Todoist requires a separate login, a separate billing account, and a third-party integration to sync with Google Calendar. It adds friction where Google Tasks adds none.
Overkill for simple use cases. Todoist’s power comes with complexity. New users often spend more time configuring the system than actually doing work. The learning curve is steeper than Google Tasks.
Google Tasks vs Todoist: Feature-by-Feature Breakdown
Pricing
Google Tasks is completely free. Todoist has a limited free tier; the features that make it competitive — reminders, labels, filters, kanban boards, and calendar sync — are locked behind the Pro plan ($5/month billed annually) or Business plan ($8/user/month).
If budget is a constraint, Google Tasks + TasksBoard is the stronger free combination.
Google Workspace Integration
This is where Google Tasks wins decisively. Google Tasks is literally built into Gmail — it appears in the sidebar without any setup. The Google Calendar sync is native: tasks appear as calendar items automatically when you set a due date.
Todoist can connect to Google Calendar, but only through third-party sync services or Zapier flows. It’s not seamless, and it requires maintenance.
Task Organization
Todoist has a clear edge in raw organizational power. Its labels, filters, priority levels (P1–P4), and natural language date parsing make it more flexible for complex personal workflows.
Google Tasks keeps things simple: multiple task lists, subtasks, due dates, and starred tasks. That simplicity is both its strength (low friction) and its weakness (limited visibility across projects).
Collaboration and Team Use
Todoist supports collaboration on the Pro and Business plans: you can assign tasks to team members, comment on tasks, and share projects. This makes it viable for small teams working on shared projects.
Google Tasks has zero native collaboration features. You cannot share a task list or assign tasks to other people within Google Tasks itself.
However, TasksBoard adds full collaboration to Google Tasks — shared boards, team member access, and real-time sync — without requiring any migration or new tool.
Mobile Experience
Both apps have solid mobile experiences. Google Tasks is simpler and faster to load. Todoist’s mobile app is more feature-rich, with natural language input and filter support.
For Google Workspace users, Google Tasks’ mobile app has the advantage of using the same Google account — no additional login.
Who Should Use Google Tasks?
Google Tasks is the right choice if you:
- Live in Google Workspace: Gmail, Calendar, and Google Docs are your daily tools
- Prefer simplicity: You want a fast, no-configuration task list
- Don’t need team features: Your task management is personal, not collaborative
- Have a tight budget: You want powerful productivity tools at zero cost
- Manage simple projects: Your work doesn’t require deep hierarchies or custom views
Upgrade Google Tasks with TasksBoard
Get a full-screen kanban board, team sharing, and a distraction-free workspace for your Google Tasks — all synced with your existing Google account. No migration, no new tool to learn.
Try TasksBoard Free →
Who Should Use Todoist?
Todoist is the better choice if you:
- Use multiple platforms outside Google: Windows, macOS, iOS, Android — Todoist works everywhere with equal quality
- Need advanced filtering: Complex personal systems with labels, priority levels, and custom views
- Require natural language input: You want to type “Submit report next Friday 10am p1” and have it parsed automatically
- Run a small team outside Google Workspace: Todoist’s collaboration features work well for small groups
The Best Option for Google Workspace Users: Google Tasks + TasksBoard
For most people who live and work in Google Workspace, neither Google Tasks nor Todoist is the complete answer on its own. Google Tasks is free and native but lacks visual project management and collaboration. Todoist solves those problems but takes you out of the Google ecosystem and adds cost.
TasksBoard is a dedicated interface for Google Tasks that adds everything Google Tasks is missing — without replacing it. Your tasks stay in Google Tasks (still visible in Gmail and Calendar). TasksBoard just gives you:
- A full-screen kanban board that visualizes your task lists as columns
- Team sharing so you can share Google Tasks with teammates
- A desktop app experience without the distractions of a browser tab
- Drag-and-drop between columns to move tasks through stages
This combination — Google Tasks as the data layer, TasksBoard as the interface — gives you the core of what makes Todoist compelling (visual boards, collaboration) while keeping everything inside the Google ecosystem you already use.
For a deeper look at visualizing your work, see our guide on setting up a Google Tasks kanban board.
TasksBoard
The kanban board and collaboration layer for Google Tasks. Works with your existing Google account — no data migration, no extra login.
Get Started Free →
Frequently Asked Questions
Conclusion
The Google Tasks vs Todoist debate comes down to ecosystem fit and feature requirements. Google Tasks is the right choice for Google Workspace users who want a free, integrated, no-friction task list. Todoist earns its place for power users who need advanced organization, cross-platform consistency, and natural language input.
For the majority of Google Workspace users, the most practical path is to start with Google Tasks — which is already free and waiting in your Gmail sidebar — and add TasksBoard for kanban boards and team collaboration. You get the core of what Todoist offers without leaving the Google ecosystem or spending a dollar.
If you’re already using Google Tasks and want to see what a kanban view changes about your workflow, try TasksBoard and compare. It takes about two minutes to set up.
