Disclosure: Kalend is ours, and it is listed first. It gets the same four fields as every other app, including its drawbacks.
Short answer
Our pick is Kalend — tasks, a calendar, habits and a journal with no Premium tier to unlock. If you need Android or the web too, Todoist or Microsoft To Do cover every platform.
TickTick does a lot, and its listing says plainly that it is “always free” while “the most advanced features” need Premium. For most people the line falls in the same place: the moment you want your calendar and your tasks to really work together.
These six apps were picked because each one gets you part of the TickTick experience — lists, a calendar view, habits, focus — without a subscription, or with a clearer deal.
Switch to Kalend if
- You only kept TickTick for the calendar and habits
- You don’t want another account holding your tasks
- You never used the Pomodoro timer
Stay with TickTick if
- You rely on shared lists with a partner or team
- You use TickTick on Android or Windows
- Premium is worth it to you — it is a good app
At a glance
| App | Best for | Pricing |
|---|---|---|
| Kalend (ours) | People who want tasks, a calendar, habits and a journal in one free app, kept in their own iCloud | Free. No paid tier, no subscription and no ads; the only purchase is an optional tip |
| TickTick | People who want lists, a calendar, habits and a focus timer in one cross-platform app | Free tier plus a Premium subscription |
| Any.do | People who want a to-do list, calendar and reminders together, shared with family | Free tier plus a Premium subscription |
| Microsoft To Do | People who want a simple, completely free list with a daily plan | Free |
| Todoist | People who need the same list on every platform, including Android and the web | Free tier plus a paid Pro plan |
| Apple Reminders | People who want dated lists and shared shopping lists at no cost | Included with Apple devices at no extra cost |
The apps in detail
Kalend
Ours
- Best for
- People who want tasks, a calendar, habits and a journal in one free app, kept in their own iCloud
- Highlights
- Tasks, calendar, habits and a journal in one app
- Your calendar events next to today’s tasks, with an overdue section
- Syncs through your own iCloud — no account, no server of ours
- Works offline
- Pricing
- Free. No paid tier, no subscription and no ads; the only purchase is an optional tip
- Watch out
- Apple-only: no Android app and no web version, and it needs iOS 18 or later. It syncs through your personal iCloud, so there is no sharing — you cannot assign a task or share a list with anyone.
TickTick
- Best for
- People who want lists, a calendar, habits and a focus timer in one cross-platform app
- Highlights
- Flexible recurring tasks, checklists and multiple reminders
- Calendar views and a habit tracker built in
- Syncs across all your devices, with shared lists
- Pricing
- Free tier plus a Premium subscription
- Watch out
- The most advanced features — including much of the calendar — are Premium, and your data lives in a TickTick account.
Any.do
- Best for
- People who want a to-do list, calendar and reminders together, shared with family
- Highlights
- Tasks, calendar and reminders in one app
- Location-based and recurring reminders
- Shared lists and assigned tasks
- Pricing
- Free tier plus a Premium subscription
- Watch out
- The listing’s subscription plans cover much of what makes it useful as a planner, and it needs an Any.do account.
Microsoft To Do
- Best for
- People who want a simple, completely free list with a daily plan
- Highlights
- My Day with suggestions from your other lists
- Recurring due dates and reminders
- Shared lists that sync as they change
- Pricing
- Free
- Watch out
- No calendar view, no habits and no focus timer — it replaces TickTick’s lists, not the rest.
Todoist
- Best for
- People who need the same list on every platform, including Android and the web
- Highlights
- Instant sync across iPhone, Apple Watch, Mac and browsers
- Natural language and voice capture
- Scales from personal lists to teams
- Pricing
- Free tier plus a paid Pro plan
- Watch out
- Calendar layout and larger project limits sit in Pro, and there is no habit tracker.
Apple Reminders
- Best for
- People who want dated lists and shared shopping lists at no cost
- Highlights
- Already on every iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Watch
- Smart lists, tags and sections
- iCloud sync with no extra account
- Pricing
- Included with Apple devices at no extra cost
- Watch out
- No calendar-and-tasks view, no habits and no focus timer.
The honest trade-off
TickTick’s strength is that it runs everywhere and syncs everything. Every free alternative here gives something up to be free: Microsoft To Do and Reminders drop the planning views, Todoist drops habits, and Kalend drops Android and sharing.
Choose by the feature you open TickTick for most. If it is the calendar-plus-tasks day view, that is the thing to test first in any replacement.
Common questions
Is TickTick free?
Yes, TickTick has a free tier. Its App Store listing says the most advanced features need a Premium subscription.
What is the best free TickTick alternative on iPhone?
Kalend, if you want tasks, a calendar and habits free with no premium tier. Microsoft To Do if you only need lists and want them everywhere.
Is there a TickTick alternative with habits built in?
Kalend includes a habit tracker with streaks and grace days next to your tasks and calendar, free.
App Store listings checked on 27 September 2026. Prices change — each entry describes how an app is paid for rather than a number that goes stale.
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