The 6 best to-do list apps for iPhone in 2025

I couldn’t function without my to-do list. If a co-worker, client, or loved one tells me about something that needs to happen, I will take my phone out of my pocket and immediately jot it down—otherwise the thing will never get done. 

I’ve used a lot of iPhone to-do list apps over the years. Part of this is because trying out new apps is literally my job, but part of it is that I’ve never quite found the perfect app. And, honestly? I don’t think the perfect app exists—only the app that works best for you right now. Some people don’t need much beyond the basics, while others are going to want to dig down and tweak everything to work exactly the way they want.

With that in mind, here’s a list of what I feel are the best iPhone to-do apps for most people right now. It’s the result of multiple years of various people, myself included, trying out apps and checking every year to see if they’re still the best.

All of these apps are a little different—one of them is right for you.

The best to-do list apps for iPhone

• Things 3 for making complex tasks feel simple

• Reminders for getting started quickly

• TickTick for prioritization

• Todoist for a robust but affordable option

• Microsoft To Do for Microsoft users

• Sorted for time blocking

What makes the best iPhone to-do list app? 

Above everything else, a to-do list app for iPhone needs to be easy to use. Capturing, managing, and ticking off tasks should take seconds. If your to-do list stresses you out, it’s not the right one for you.

Beyond ease of use, here’s what I was looking for as I tested each iPhone to-do list app:

• Streamlined. Phones don’t have room for clutter. These apps aren’t light on features, but they also don’t let those features get in the way.

• Syncing. For when you’re at your desk, you want to be sure the tasks you added to your phone are easily accessible everywhere—and vice versa.

• Established. To-do lists aren’t all that hard to build. I wanted to be sure I was recommending apps that had been around the block, so you know they’re going to stick around and continue under active development.

• iOS-friendly. All the apps here are true iPhone apps—not web apps in an iPhone wrapper. You’ll find features like widgets, Siri shortcuts, and easy syncing with Apple Watch.

I spent a few days testing the apps—adding my daily tasks, syncing the app with other devices, and reviewing how the reminders came in. In the end, some of the apps I chose made the list because they take a unique approach to to-do lists, while others just did everything they should really well.

The best iPhone to-do list apps at a glance

Best iPhone to-do list app for managing complex goals and projects

Things 3 

Things 3 pros:

• Simple interface

• Good task prioritization 

• Easy syncing with other apps and devices

Things 3 cons:

• No free plan

• No monthly calendar view

• Task organization takes a while to figure out

Things is exclusive to Apple devices and made by respected Apple developers, so it’s no surprise that the clean and uncluttered design works really well on iPhones. Things manages to be powerful without ever cluttering the screen, which is remarkable. It makes the days and weeks ahead feel manageable, no matter how many tasks are on your list or how complex a project is.

You can organize your app into areas, and create projects that live within those areas (or on their own if they don’t fit into any of your defined categories). Within a project, you add tasks, and within those tasks, add subtasks. Even within subtasks, you can add a load of detail with rich text headers using Markdown. There’s lots to play with.

Projects are like bigger to-do tasks that you chip away at over time, and a pie chart icon tells you how much you have left before it’s complete. It takes a little time to get your head around how to organize your lists and tasks in Things, but once you’ve laid that groundwork, the app works really well. 

And while the task organization can be a bit fiddly initially (because it’s designed to help you manage complex projects as well as the simple to-dos), the way you use the app daily is really straightforward. All tasks are automatically prioritized at the top of the screen by how urgent they are: if they need to be completed today, on an upcoming date, anytime, or someday. Looking for a task that you can’t see in your list for the day? Use the quick search function at the top of the screen.

You can sync your system calendars in just a few clicks, allowing you to see appointments in line with your tasks. You can also easily import your to-dos from Apple Reminders. And you can easily sync your data across all your devices in seconds using Things Cloud.

Things integrates with Zapier, so you’re able to automate a ton of different actions between Things and the other apps you use most. For example, you can automatically create tasks in Things from Trello cards or from Notion database items. Learn more about how to automate Things, or try one of these templates to get started.

Things 3 price: $9.99 one-time

The best iPhone to-do list app for getting started quickly

Apple Reminders

Apple Reminders pros:

• It’s already on your phone

• Syncs easily with all Apple products

• Great system integrations

• Easy to use but fairly flexible

Apple Reminders cons:

• Missing some power user features

• Can’t see calendar appointments in app

Sometimes the best tool for the job is the one you already have, and if you have an iPhone, you have Reminders. You might think this app is too simple for all but the most basic task management, and a few years ago, you’d have been right. But that changed when Apple added features like natural language processing for dates, a scheduled view for seeing current and upcoming tasks, and the ability to create templates for tasks. 

But what really stands out here is the simplicity. Want to sync between your iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Mac? You don’t need to do anything—iCloud means that’s already set up. And the integrations with the rest of the operating system are great. Adding tasks with Siri couldn’t be easier. If you’re a fan of Apple Shortcuts, you’ll be happy to know that’s well supported. And there’s great widgets available. 

Every Apple user looking for a to-do list should give Reminders a spin. You just might find it works for you, which could save you the trouble of testing and paying for other apps. 

Apple Reminders can’t connect with Zapier, but there’s a workaround: you can connect Apple Reminders to Microsoft To Do, which has an integration, then set up workflows from there. It’s clunky, but it works. 

Apple Reminders price: Free and already on your iPhone

Best iPhone to-do list app for time blocking

Sorted

Sorted pros:

• Good for hyper-scheduling your tasks

• Multiple different ways to view tasks

Sorted cons:

• Interface takes a bit of getting used to

• The sliding bar task-scheduling feature is a little confusing

A to-do list app that houses your tasks and due dates isn’t always enough. You might want an app that organizes your day from start to finish by time-blocking when you’ll work on each task directly into your daily planner. Sorted plays both roles well.

You don’t just create to-do lists to work through at your own pace; instead, you allocate specific time slots to tasks within your daily calendar (or at least indicate whether you should do them in the morning, afternoon, or evening). 

To add a new task or event, click the + icon in the bottom-right corner. There, you can set the date you want to do the task, how much time needs to be allocated for it, and whether it’s a repeating task. You can add a fair amount of detail to tasks thanks to rich text formatting notes, and you can even include attachments.

View your tasks either by list or by schedule, and swipe up anytime to view your monthly calendar overview. Select Timeline from the top-right menu to see an hour-by-hour schedule of how your tasks will fit into your day. 

With all those options, Sorted takes a little getting used to. For example, the sliding bar scheduler is a bit confusing—I couldn’t seem to get it quite right. But because you have so many options, if you don’t like a specific feature, just skip it.

Sorted price: $14.99 one-time for iPhone; $34.99 if you want it to sync with Mac

The best iPhone to-do list app for prioritization 

TickTick

TickTick pros:

• Great prioritization features 

• Built-in Pomodoro timer

• Excellent value for money

TickTick cons:

• You can’t get full calendar access on the free plan

As the name suggests, TickTick is all about ticking tasks off your to-do list. The app is clean and uncomplicated, which makes it a great choice for anyone whose to-do list is already overwhelming enough on its own.

Just tap the + icon in the bottom-right corner to add a new task, or press and hold to add using a voice note. A previous Zapier app tester mentioned that it could even decipher her Scottish accent with voice notes—as any Scottish person will testify, this is usually a problem.

TickTick offers a standard Today list—it pulls through any tasks assigned with today’s date and any tasks that have been labeled as high priority. You can create as many lists as you want, and then pin the most important ones, so they always appear at the top of the home screen. That way you don’t have to delete old lists just because they’re cluttering things up—they won’t.

The real standout feature for me, though, is the many different ways you can view your tasks. There’s an Eisenhower Matrix, which splits your task view up into four categories to help you think hard about distinguishing between what’s urgent and what’s important. There’s a calendar view, which allows you to drag tasks from day to day. To help with the actual task doing, TickTick also has a built-in Pomodoro timer. There’s even a built-in habit tracker. 

TickTick can sync with your other devices. There’s also support for connecting to your system calendar or directly to Google, Outlook, and other calendars, allowing you to see your appointments alongside your tasks. And it integrates with Zapier, meaning you can connect TickTick to all your other apps. Learn more about how to automate TickTick, or start with one of these pre-made workflows.

TickTick price: Free; the Premium version, for $35.99/year, includes all advanced features, including custom filters, calendar widgets, and full calendar functionality.

Best iPhone to-do list app for Microsoft users 

Microsoft To Do

Microsoft To Do pros:

• Surprisingly clean and streamlined 

• Integrates well with Microsoft’s ecosystem

Microsoft To Do cons:

• You need a Microsoft account

I’m not recommending Microsoft To Do just because it fits nicely into the Microsoft suite. It’s actually an excellent to-do list app, and it’s free for anyone with a Microsoft account. 

The app works well as a daily planner, allowing you to choose tasks to complete by adding them to the My Day screen. If you’re low on inspiration, the app will suggest tasks to complete based on your outstanding to-dos and upcoming due dates. Create groups to categorize your lists, lists to organize your tasks, then organize tasks with subtasks, reminders, due dates, and the option to repeat the task.

Basic list-sharing has been integrated into Microsoft To Do, allowing you to share individual lists with other users, who can then modify or add tasks. Look for the small Share button at the top of each list to add users via email. Anyone who wants to collaborate will need a valid Microsoft account.

There are a few handy Microsoft integrations. The app can pull any flagged emails from your Microsoft account into a designated section, for example, and it’s extremely integrated with Microsoft Teams.

Zapier works with Microsoft To Do, so you can do things like automatically sending tasks from Google Tasks into Microsoft To Do or creating tasks in Microsoft To Do when you add a new event in Google Calendar. Read more about how to automate Microsoft To Do, or get started with one of these pre-made workflows.

Microsoft To Do price: Free

If you’re a Google loyalist, Google also has its own to-do list app, Google Tasks. It’s free to all Google account holders, but it’s a lot more basic than Microsoft’s offering. If basic is what you’re going for, give it a shot.

The best iPhone to-do list app for a robust but affordable option

Todoist

Todoist pros:

• Robust free plan

• Easy to add tasks quickly

• AI-powered task filter

Todoist cons:

• A few too many email notifications (but you can switch them off)

Todoist‘s free, not-so-basic plan is surprisingly generous. It has everything you could want in a to-do list app, plus a few extra features that push it above the majority of to-do list apps out there. 

To add a task, just hit the + icon. There, you can give your task a name, description, due date, and priority tag. Tasks are automatically added to a general inbox, unless you specify that it’s part of a particular project. You decide what justifies a project, but generally, they’re a common theme that tasks should be bundled together under, like Work or Personal.

The app offers a few different ways to view your projects. There’s the standard list view, or you can optionally configure projects to display as a Kanban board or calendar instead. There’s also a collection of templates, offering novel ways to use the application for things like weekly reviews or meal planning.

Todoist has an AI-powered filter assistant that allows you to weed out certain tasks from across all your projects. For example, I asked the app to create a filter for “all tasks that aren’t work related”; it automatically named the filter “Non-work tasks” and created a shortcut (!#work). It isn’t just an AI gimmick: it can be helpful if you’re going to be mixing a lot of different projects, tasks, and collaborations into the one app.

Todoist also connects with Zapier, so you can automate your to-do lists. Learn more about how to automate Todoist, or take a look at some of these examples.

Todoist price: Free for the not-so-basic Beginner plan; $5/month for Pro, which gives you access to the reminders feature.

Deciding between TickTick and Todoist? Read our showdown: TickTick vs. Todoist.

Which iPhone to-do list app should you use?

There’s no perfect to-do list app for iPhone—to-do lists are too personal for that. In practice, finding the best app for you really depends on what you plan to use it for and how you plan to use it. Also: don’t be afraid to use more than one iPhone to-do list app. That’s what I do: one for work and one for personal tasks. It helps keeps things separate and (in theory) minimizes personal distractions at work—and vice versa.

Related reading: 

• The best voice recording apps for iPhone

• The best calendar apps for iPhone

• The best email apps for iPhone

This article was originally published in February 2019 by Timothy Brookes and has also had contributions from Katie Paterson. The most recent update was in October 2024.