I switched from Todoist to Google Tasks, and it didn't go as planned

I’ve been a Todoist user for years but am on the hunt for an alternative since I don’t like the recent price hike. TickTick is at the top of my list, but I really wanted to give Google Tasks another go, so I did.

I always felt like Tasks was one of Google’s worst apps. It’s very bare-bones compared to the competition and lacks even the most basic features. But since I’m on a mission to switch back to simple and minimalist apps like iA Writer and Google Keep, I figured Tasks might not be as bad as I originally thought. However, it turns out I was wrong. Very, very wrong.

Tasks lacks just about everything

I started the experiment by trying to replicate my very basic Todoist workflow in Tasks. I have two projects set up — Work and Personal — and then I use labels to sort tasks within those projects. For example, if I create a task that should remind me to call a friend for their birthday (I’m terrible with dates), I would add that task into the Personal project and add a “Birthdays” label to it.

Thanks to these labels, I can then set up custom filters. With just a few taps, I can see all the birthday-related entries on one screen, as well as all the tasks related to my job here at Android Authority or various personal projects. I also have a filter set up that shows all my recurring tasks and those that still don’t have a due date. It’s a simple system I can remember, and it works brilliantly for me.

Despite its simplicity, I wasn’t able to replicate it in Tasks. The app doesn’t support labels, and because of that, I can’t set up any filters whatsoever. But you know what, that’s OK. A new app means a fresh start, so I decided to ditch my old system and start a new one that would work within Tasks’ limitations. However, I’m sad to report that Tasks and I just couldn’t find a common language.

I started off by adding in a few different lists — Work, Fitness, Personal — and after adding in several tasks, I quickly ran into limits and other issues. For example, the app doesn’t support natural language processing like I’m used to on Todoist. I can’t write something like, “Make pizza tomorrow at 6 pm” and have the app automatically set the date and time. No, I have to manually select those, which is a feature I’d expect an app like Google Tasks to have.

I also didn’t like the logic of the app in terms of how it displays tasks. Instead of just showing me a list of tasks due today or tomorrow on one consolidated page, each list I created (Personal, Work, etc.) has its own tab on mobile. To see everything that’s due today, I have to swipe through all the lists I have. If you have a dozen lists, that’s a problem.

I know many people rely on Google Calendar to see their tasks alongside their schedule, but I don’t use Calendar for task management. I want my to-do app to stand on its own, and without a unified “Today” view in the app itself, Tasks feels disjointed.

There’s also no dedicated Inbox workflow. While Tasks defaults to a specific list if you don’t choose one, it lacks the friction-free “capture now, sort later” workflow that I’m used to on Todoist. Tasks often forces me to think about where a task belongs the moment I create it, rather than just letting me dump it into a holding area.

Another thing that I really didn’t like is that each list keeps showing me the total count of all the tasks I’ve already completed. I can see them by expanding that section, but there’s no way to permanently remove this. I’d like to do so since it just clutters the screen and doesn’t really add any value for me. I can delete these tasks from view, but as soon as I mark another one complete, that section shows up again.

What Google Tasks gets right

Honestly, not much. If simple is what you want, Tasks delivers. I’m all about simplicity these days, but this thing is too minimal for my personal use. Your mileage may vary, though.

I should mention the ecosystem integration. If you live in Gmail or Google Docs on desktop, having the Tasks sidebar right there is admittedly convenient. Being able to drag an email into the sidebar to create a task is a great feature for heavy Gmail users, but it’s not something I use often.

What I do like is the integration with Gemini, which is my AI chatbot of choice. I can quickly add tasks with just a voice prompt and bring up all my tasks that are overdue or due today.

It’s worth mentioning that the integration isn’t flawless — I couldn’t get Gemini to add a task to a specific list for some reason — but it’s generally still better than what the competition offers at the moment.

I can also add a star to any task and then find it via the Starred option in the app. That is better than nothing, I guess, but it’s hardly a feature worth bragging about.

One thing I can give Tasks credit for is that it doesn’t use any form of gamification in the app — a feature designed to keep you hooked. For example, Todoist has its own Karma system that upgrades your levels the more you use it, and people tend to wear those as a badge of honor. I get the appeal; it’s just not something that’s really going to help me get things done.

I’m going back to Todoist

I still have a few months left before my Todoist subscription expires, so I’m ditching Tasks and moving back to it until I find something better.

I was genuinely excited to give it another shot, hoping my past opinion was too harsh, but my initial assessment turned out to be accurate. Tasks and I just don’t get along, and it doesn’t look like that will change anytime soon.

You may be in a different boat. If you value Tasks’ integration with Gemini and other Google products and don’t mind all the shortcomings I pointed out, Tasks is still a great solution. The reality is that no task management app is perfect, and you usually have to make a compromise or two. So, while it’s not worth it for me, your experience may be different.