Todoist vs Notion vs Today's Tasks: Which for Daily Planning?
Most three-way comparison articles end with a contrived winner. This one doesn't, because the honest answer for daily planning is that each of these three tools wins on different dimensions and a meaningful chunk of people end up using two of them. Below is the matrix that explains why, and the decision tree that ends in a single recommendation per user type.
The matrix
Color-coded so you can scan it: green is "this tool wins this dimension clearly," yellow is "this tool struggles here," white is "no clear winner."
| Dimension | Todoist | Notion | Today's Tasks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Setup time before first task | ~2 min (account + project) | ~5 min (workspace, page, database) | ~5 sec |
| Daily-only focus mode | "Today" view (filtered) | Build it yourself | Default behavior |
| Recurring tasks | Best in class (NL input) | Possible (templates / databases) | Not supported |
| Cross-device sync | Yes (all platforms) | Yes | No (browser-local) |
| Native mobile apps | Excellent | Good but heavy | Web only |
| Knowledge management / docs | Not its job | Best in class | Not supported |
| Reminders / notifications | Yes (premium) | Limited | No |
| Privacy posture | Cloud-stored on Doist | Cloud-stored on Notion | Local browser only |
| Free tier usefulness | Limited (5 projects, no reminders) | Generous | Entire app, $0 |
| Cost for full features | $4–5/month | $10/month (Plus) | $0 |
| Choice paralysis on first task | Low–medium | High | Low (one decision: which lane) |
Where each tool clearly wins
Todoist wins recurring tasks and cross-device with mobile. If your daily life involves recurring obligations (medication, weekly review, monthly invoicing) or you need to capture and complete tasks across phone and laptop, no other tool here is close. The natural-language input ("every Monday at 9am") is genuinely best in class.
Notion wins knowledge management. Documents, project pages, the personal wiki, mixed content — Notion is the right answer. It's also strong for team workspaces where context lives in one place. The thing it's bad at is the daily-tasks layer, which is where the friction in this comparison comes from.
Today's Tasks wins setup time, daily focus, privacy, and price. Five seconds from "open the page" to "task added." Three lanes by default. Local browser storage, no cloud. $0 forever. The thing it's bad at is everything cross-device or recurring or document-based.
Decision tree by user type
Are you mostly tracking long-form documents, project pages, or a personal wiki?
→ Notion is the primary tool. Add a daily-tasks layer next to it (see "the combination" below).
Do you have a meaningful set of recurring tasks?
→ Todoist is the primary tool. The Pro tier is worth $5/month if you'll use it; the free tier is fine for under five projects.
Do you only need a daily list, mostly work in a browser, and prefer not to create accounts?
→ Today's Tasks. Five seconds to first task, no signup, three priority lanes.
Do you switch frequently between phone and laptop?
→ Todoist or Apple Reminders (if Apple-only). Today's Tasks isn't the right fit because it doesn't sync.
Are you on a team that uses Asana, Linear, or Jira for work?
→ Use the team tool for shared work. Use one of the three tools above for personal tasks. Don't try to track personal items in the team tool.
The combination strategy (this is what most people actually do)
The single most useful insight I can offer about these three tools: they're not really competitors. They're answers to different questions. The combinations I see most often:
- Notion + Today's Tasks. Notion holds the documents and project pages; Today's Tasks holds today's list. Notion stops feeling slow because you stop opening it for things it's bad at. Probably the most common pairing among Notion users.
- Todoist + Today's Tasks. Todoist owns the small set of recurring items; Today's Tasks owns the daily layer. The recurring-only Todoist usage stays inside the free tier comfortably.
- All three. Notion for knowledge, Todoist for recurring, Today's Tasks for daily. This sounds excessive but each tool ends up doing only what it's best at, which makes the daily ritual feel light rather than heavy.
The single-tool fallacy
The tempting move is to consolidate. "I'll just use Notion for everything." "I'll just put recurring tasks into Today's Tasks somehow." "I'll force Todoist to be a notes app." These don't work because each tool is shaped by what it's optimized for. Notion's database structure is wrong for daily ephemeral tasks; Today's Tasks's three lanes are wrong for multi-step project trackers; Todoist's flat list is wrong for long-form documents.
Letting each tool do its job and accepting that this means more than one tool is, in my experience, the only path that actually makes daily planning lighter. The friction of switching tools is much smaller than the friction of using the wrong tool for the job.
Honest verdict
If you can only pick one and you have to capture both daily tasks and structured knowledge: Notion, with the acknowledged friction.
If you can only pick one and your work is mostly daily-task-shaped with recurring needs: Todoist, on the $0 free tier or Pro depending on usage.
If you can only pick one and you only need daily tasks, work mostly in a browser, and don't want an account: Today's Tasks. The narrowest fit but the cleanest experience for that fit.
If you can pick more than one (which most people can, since most are free or have free tiers): pair them. The deeper articles cover each pairing — Notion + Today's Tasks, Todoist + Today's Tasks, and the no-signup framing.