Best To-Do List App for Windows: 5 Picks for 2026

For most people, the best to-do list app for Windows is Microsoft To Do. It's free, it comes from Microsoft, it syncs with Outlook, and it runs on your phone too. Pick Todoist if you want projects, board views and the same task manager on every platform, including Linux and the web. If you only need checklists on one PC, with no account, a local app like Gubb (ours) is enough.

Quick answer

• Microsoft To Do: best free pick for most people, especially if you use Outlook or Microsoft 365.
• Todoist: best for projects, boards and using one task manager on every device you own.
• Gubb: best for local checklists inside your notes, with no account.
• OneNote: best if you already keep notes there and want your to-dos beside them.
• Microsoft Sticky Notes: best for a few tasks you want to see on the desktop.

We make Gubb, so weigh our view accordingly. We've tried to be fair to every app here, and for many readers one of the free options is the better choice. The apps are ordered from the one that suits most people to the narrowest use.

How we chose

A to-do app succeeds or fails on a few practical questions, so we compared the apps on those:

• Where your tasks live. Synced through an online account, or kept on this PC only.
• Phone access. Whether you can check and tick off tasks away from your desk.
• Dates and reminders. Whether the app can nudge you, or only sort tasks by date.
• Structure. Projects, subtasks, priorities and board views.
• Price model. Free, subscription, or a one-time purchase.
• Team use. Whether other people can work in the same lists.

We didn't run benchmarks or score the apps. Everything below comes from each app's published features and prices, plus a few third-party sources we name, as of November 2026.

Summary table

Microsoft To Do

Microsoft To Do is Microsoft's free, cloud-based to-do app. Your lists and tasks sync automatically between Windows, Mac, Android, iOS and the web.

What it's good at:

• Free on every platform. We found no paid plans as of November 2026.
• Microsoft 365 integration. It syncs tasks with Outlook and pulls in tasks from other Microsoft 365 apps and services. If your work already runs on Outlook, this is the main reason to choose it.
• More than one account. Lists and tasks can come from more than one account, so work and personal lists can sit in the same app.
• Everyday lists. Its Google Play description pitches it for shopping lists, task lists, notes and reminders.
• Active development. Wikipedia lists Windows version 2.178 on 28 September 2026.

What it lacks:

• It sticks to lists. A Cloudwards review lists three cons: it does nothing beyond lists, it doesn't connect to most other Microsoft products, and its interface is unattractive. That's one reviewer's view, but the "lists only" point holds: there are no timers, clipboard tools or calculators here.
• It's cloud-based. If you want tasks that never leave your PC, this isn't the model.

Requirements: Wikipedia gives Windows 10 or later. The Mac app needs macOS 13 or later, which matters if you split your time between a PC and a Mac.

Pick it if you want a free list that follows you to your phone, and especially if you live in Outlook. For most Windows users this is the place to start, and many people never need more. If it isn't quite right, see our Microsoft To Do alternatives.

Todoist

Todoist, from Doist, is a full task manager with projects, boards, filters and team workspaces. It has the widest platform list here: Windows, Mac, Linux, iPhone, iPad, Android, Apple Watch, WearOS, the web, browser extensions and email add-ons.

What it's good at:

• Every device. It's the only option here that also covers Linux, WearOS and email add-ons.
• Board views. Tasks on the Today, Upcoming, label and filter boards can expand to show their subtasks.
• Room to grow. Doist aims the Pro plan at power users, and it includes AI features. The Business plan adds team workspaces for shared projects.
• Active development. Doist's 2026 changelog has Windows entries up to 30 October 2026.

What it lacks:

• Paid features are subscription only. There is no one-time purchase.
• Third-party sources say the free plan is limited to 5 active projects. We couldn't confirm this on an official page, so check before you plan around it.
• It's a task manager, not a notes app. Longer notes and scratch work belong somewhere else.

Price (as of November 2026, from Todoist's FAQ, in USD):

• Beginner: free.
• Pro: $7/month, or $60/year ($5/month billed yearly), with a 7-day free trial.
• Business: $10/user/month, or $8/user/month billed yearly ($96/user/year), with a 14-day free trial.

Pick it if you manage several projects, want board views, need the same tasks on a phone, a PC and maybe a Linux machine, or share work with a team. Try the free plan first. You may never need Pro.

Gubb

Gubb is our small single-window app that combines notes, to-do lists, Kanban boards, clipboard history, timers, break reminders and voice-to-text into notes. It's available for Windows on the Microsoft Store and also runs on Mac. It isn't trying to be Todoist. It's for people who want quick checklists in the same place they jot things down, kept on their own computer.

How to-do lists work in Gubb

1. Start a new note, or click into an empty line of an existing one.
2. Type gubb@todo (or /todo) on a line by itself. As soon as you type gubb@, a small menu appears, and you can pick To-Do and press Enter or Tab instead of typing the rest.
3. The line becomes a to-do block, and the note is titled "Todo List".
4. Type in Add a task... and press Enter to add a task quickly.
5. For more detail, click + (Add new task). This opens fields for the task name, Due Date, Priority (None, Low, Medium, High, Urgent) and Add notes....
6. Click the circle next to a task to complete it. Use Add subtasks to break a task into steps.
   Tasks are grouped into Overdue, Today, Tomorrow, Upcoming and No Date sections that you can collapse.

For a plain checklist without dates, type [ ] and press Space at the start of a line. Use [x] for an item that's already done. For a board, type gubb@board on its own line. You get To Do, In Progress and Done columns with cards you can drag between them. See what a Kanban board is if you're new to them.

What it's good at:

• No account. Your lists are stored locally on your computer, in Gubb's own database. There's no sync, so they aren't uploaded anywhere.
• Lists next to notes. A to-do block sits inside a note, so a meeting's notes and its action items can live together.
• Real task details for a small app. You get due dates, five priority levels, notes and subtasks.
• Other tools in the same window. Clipboard history, a countdown timer and stopwatch, and break reminders share the window, which helps if you'd otherwise install several small apps.

What it lacks:

• No reminders. Due dates sort your tasks, but Gubb never notifies you when one is due. Dates have no times.
• No recurring tasks, drag-to-reorder or task labels.
• No sync and no phone app. A list on your PC stays on your PC. There's no collaboration either.
• No encryption or app lock. Anyone using your unlocked computer can open your lists.
• The trigger must be alone on its line. If you type gubb@todo in the middle of other text, the note can later open in an older to-do view where ticking and deleting tasks don't work. Put the command on an empty line.

Price: on gubb.net, Gubb is a $59 one-time purchase (lifetime license) as of November 2026, with no subscription and no free tier. On Windows it's sold through the Microsoft Store, so check that listing for the current Windows price.

Pick it if your to-dos only need to live on one computer, you'd rather not create another account, and you like keeping lists inside your notes. If you need reminders or tasks on your phone, Microsoft To Do or Todoist will serve you better. The to-do section of our help center covers the full to-do block.

OneNote

OneNote is Microsoft's digital notebook for capturing "thoughts, ideas, and to-dos" and syncing them across devices. It runs on Windows, Mac, iPad, iPhone, Android and the web.

What it's good at:

• Free for core note-taking.
• Mixed content. It suits people who capture a mix of typing, handwriting and clipped media, so to-dos can sit inside rich pages.
• Every device. It has desktop, mobile and web apps, with sync between them.

What it lacks:

• It's a notebook-style app, not a task manager or a quick scratchpad.
• Some features need a paid Microsoft 365 subscription.

Pick it if you already keep class or work notes in OneNote and want to-dos on the same pages. If tasks are your main need, pair it with Microsoft To Do instead.

Microsoft Sticky Notes

Microsoft Sticky Notes is a free Windows app for quick notes that stick to your desktop. You can type, ink or add a picture, apply text formatting and move notes anywhere on screen. Notes sync to OneNote Mobile, Microsoft Launcher for Android and Outlook for Windows.

What it's good at: keeping three or four tasks in plain sight, at no cost, with nothing to set up.

What it lacks:

• The sources we checked don't mention checklists, due dates or reminders. It's a note, not a task list.
• As of October 2026 there are two versions. A newer Sticky Notes opens from OneNote for Windows, alongside the older desktop app, and a Microsoft support blog says some users can't find notes they made in the old one.

Pick it if your "to-do list" is a handful of items for today and you want them on screen. Once you need dates or want to tick things off, move up to Microsoft To Do.

Microsoft To Do vs Todoist vs Gubb

The short version: Microsoft To Do and Todoist are online task managers that follow you everywhere. Gubb is a local checklist tool that lives inside your notes. The real question is whether your tasks need to leave your PC.

If you're switching from a Mac

Two popular Mac to-do apps don't come with you: neither Things 3 nor Apple Reminders has a Windows app. If you use both a Mac and a PC:

• Microsoft To Do and Todoist both have Mac apps and keep your tasks in sync.
• Gubb runs on both, but it has no sync, so each computer keeps its own lists.

Our best to-do list apps for Mac covers the Apple side in more detail.

How to choose a to-do list app for Windows

• If you want free and simple, with tasks on your phone: Microsoft To Do.
• If your work runs on Outlook: Microsoft To Do, for the task sync.
• If you juggle several projects or want board views: Todoist. Start on the free plan.
• If you share tasks with a team: Todoist Business.
• If you need tasks on Linux or a smartwatch: Todoist.
• If you want checklists on one PC with no account: Gubb.
• If you need reminders to ping you: not Gubb. Microsoft To Do lists reminders among its uses.
• If your notes already live in OneNote: keep your to-dos there.
• If you have three tasks and want them on screen: Sticky Notes.

If you're starting from a blank page, a daily to-do list template works in any of these apps.

FAQ

Does Microsoft make a free to-do app for Windows?
Yes. Microsoft To Do is free (we found no paid plans as of November 2026), and it syncs with Outlook and your phone.

Which to-do app works without an account?
Gubb needs no account and stores your lists locally on your computer. Microsoft To Do and Todoist sync your tasks online across devices.

Can Gubb remind me when a task is due?
No. Gubb sorts tasks into Overdue, Today, Tomorrow and Upcoming, but it doesn't send notifications for due dates. If you rely on reminders, use a synced task app such as Microsoft To Do.

Is Todoist's free plan enough?
For a personal list, often yes. Third-party sources say it allows 5 active projects, which we couldn't confirm on Todoist's site, so check the current limits before you commit.