Open-Source Todoist Alternatives: To-Do Apps You Can Self-Host, Sync Your Own Way or Run Offline
Todoist is a polished to-do app, but it is closed source and your tasks live on its servers. If you want a task list whose code you can read, whose data you can keep on your own device or server, and that will not change its price on you, an open-source to-do app is the alternative. This guide covers the open-source and self-hostable task apps that are still maintained, from a no-account desktop planner to a command-line tool and a plain text file. We checked every licence in the project's LICENSE file and every release on GitHub in October 2026, and at the end we list the old picks that are no longer maintained or were never really to-do apps. If you only want a free plan and do not care about the source code, read our list of free Todoist alternatives.
Quick answer: for a free desktop and mobile to-do app with time tracking and no account, use Super Productivity; for a Todoist-style web app you host yourself, with Kanban and Gantt views and a Todoist importer, use Vikunja; on Android, use Tasks.org; on Linux, use Planify; if you already run Nextcloud, use Nextcloud Tasks; and if you live in the terminal, use Taskwarrior or a plain todo.txt file.
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What You Give Up and Gain When You Leave Todoist
To know what you are replacing: on the Todoist pricing page (checked October 2026) the free Beginner plan gives you 5 personal projects, up to 5 people per project, 3 custom filters, 5 MB file uploads and one week of activity history, without the calendar layout. Pro costs $5 a month billed yearly ($7 monthly). The pricing page does not mention self-hosting or source code. Open-source apps have no project caps, but you trade Todoist's polish and natural-language input for setup work: either you run a server, or you pick a sync method such as CalDAV, WebDAV or Nextcloud yourself.
Open-Source Todoist Alternatives Compared
Sources: each project's LICENSE file, GitHub releases feed and official website, checked 1 November 2026.
The Best Open-Source Todoist Alternatives in 2027
1. Super Productivity: a free planner with time tracking and no account
Super Productivity is the easiest switch for a solo founder. It is MIT-licensed, runs on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS and in the browser, needs no account and works offline. Your data stays on your device; sync through its Super Sync, WebDAV or Dropbox is optional. Unlike Todoist it has built-in time tracking with a history of time per task and an exportable work log, and it pulls issues from GitHub, GitLab and Jira into your daily plan. Version 19.3.1 came out in October 2026.
2. Vikunja: a self-hosted task manager with a Todoist importer
Vikunja is the closest thing to a self-hosted Todoist for a team. It is open source under the AGPLv3, has list, Kanban, Gantt and table views, installs with Docker or native binaries, and has built-in migration from Todoist, Trello and Microsoft To-Do, so you can move your projects across. Self-hosting is free. If you do not want to run a server, the Vikunja Cloud pricing page lists Personal at 4 EUR a month, Family at 10 EUR a month for up to 5 users and Organization at 5 EUR per user a month, each with a 14-day free trial; it is made and hosted in the EU. Version 2.7.1 was released on 20 October 2026.
3. Tasks.org: an open-source to-do app for Android
Tasks.org is free software under the GNU GPLv3, available on Google Play and F-Droid, with a desktop version in alpha. It has filters, tags, lists and subtasks of any depth, shows no ads, and syncs with its own Tasks.org service, Google Tasks, CalDAV, DAVx5, EteSync (end-to-end encrypted) or DecSync CC, so it works with a Nextcloud server or with Thunderbird and Apple Reminders. Version 15.13 came out in October 2026.
4. Planify: a Linux to-do app that can still sync with Todoist
Planify is a GPL-3.0 task manager for Linux desktops with GTK4, installed from Flathub. It is the gentlest way off Todoist: it can fully sync with an existing Todoist account (it is not affiliated with Doist), or with Nextcloud and CalDAV if you want your data private, and it works offline. It has a calendar view for planning your day, multiple reminders per task, recurring tasks, labels and filters. Version 4.20.0 was released in September 2026.
5. Nextcloud Tasks: to-dos on the server you already run
Nextcloud Tasks is an AGPL-3.0 app you enable inside Nextcloud. It stores tasks as CalDAV, with subtasks, start and due dates, priorities and smart collections for important, current and upcoming tasks. Its README lists the apps that sync with it, including Apple Reminders, DAVx5, Tasks.org, Thunderbird and Planify, so each person can keep the app they like. The Nextcloud app store listing shows version 0.18.1 (June 2026) for Nextcloud 31 to 35.
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6. Joplin: encrypted notes and to-dos in one app
Joplin is an open-source note-taking and to-do application for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS, with a terminal app as well. Its LICENSE file now puts the code under AGPL-3.0-or-later. Notes can be end-to-end encrypted and synced with Nextcloud, Dropbox, OneDrive or the paid Joplin Cloud. It suits founders who want meeting notes and the checklist that comes out of them in the same place. The 3.7 desktop releases came out in September and October 2026.
7. Logseq: tasks inside a private outliner
Logseq is a privacy-first, AGPL-3.0 knowledge base for notes and task management that works with Markdown and Org-mode files. If you think in daily notes, you can keep your to-dos inside them instead of in a separate app. Be careful with the new version: its README says the database version is in beta and that data loss is possible, and its new real-time sync is in alpha, so keep backups. The latest desktop build, 2.0.2, was released for beta testing in October 2026.
8. Taskwarrior: the command-line to-do list
Taskwarrior manages your to-do list from the command line and has a large ecosystem of tools, hooks and extensions around it. It is MIT-licensed and packaged for Linux, macOS and Windows. Version 3 syncs through a TaskChampion sync server you run yourself or through cloud storage such as AWS S3 or Google Cloud Storage; its sync docs warn that syncing the database with tools like Syncthing or rsync is not supported. Version 3.5.0 is the current stable release (August 2026).
9. todo.txt: your to-do list as a plain text file
todo.txt is not one app but an open format: one task per line, a priority such as (A) at the start, @contexts and +projects anywhere in the line, and an x at the start when it is done. Because it is plain text, any editor and any file sync works, and there are apps for most platforms. The official command-line tool, todo.txt-cli, is GPL-3.0 and shipped version 2.14.0 in September 2026. It is the most future-proof option here: your list will open in 20 years.
10. Donetick: shared chores and recurring tasks
Donetick is an AGPL-3.0 app for tasks and chores you share with a team or a household. You type tasks in natural language, such as a filter change every 6 months, and it sets the date and recurrence; it can rotate assignees, award points, complete tasks with NFC tags and connect to Home Assistant. You self-host it with Docker or a single binary; there is an Android APK and an iOS app in TestFlight alpha. It is still on 0.1.x versions (0.1.85 on 30 October 2026), so expect changes.
11. Kanboard: a minimal Kanban board for a small team
Kanboard is an MIT-licensed, self-hosted Kanban tool with work-in-progress limits, subtasks, filters with a simple query language and automatic actions. Its README says it is in maintenance mode: the author is not building major new features, but releases continue (1.2.57 in October 2026). That makes it a stable, low-maintenance board for a team that wants a shared task list rather than a full project suite.
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Removed or Moved Since Our 2025 List
The 2025 version of this article was mostly a list of team project-management suites. We kept the to-do angle and changed the list:
- Focalboard (dropped): its GitHub README says the repository is currently not maintained; the last release was 8.0.0 in June 2024.
- Endeavour, formerly GNOME To Do (not added): the last tagged release is 43.0 from November 2022. Planify is the more active Linux choice.
- TaskJuggler (dropped): a project scheduling tool rather than a to-do app; its last release was 3.8.4 in July 2025.
- OpenProject, Taiga, Plane, Huly, Worklenz, Redmine and Leantime (moved): these are team project-management suites, not Todoist alternatives. We compare them in open-source ClickUp alternatives.
- New: Super Productivity, Tasks.org, Planify, Nextcloud Tasks, Joplin, Logseq, Taskwarrior, todo.txt, Donetick and Kanboard.
Which Open-Source Todoist Alternative Should You Choose?
- You work alone and want it to just work: Super Productivity. No account, no server.
- Your team wants a shared Todoist on your own server: Vikunja, and import your Todoist projects.
- You are on Android: Tasks.org, synced through CalDAV or Nextcloud.
- You are on Linux and not ready to leave Todoist yet: Planify, which syncs with Todoist first and Nextcloud later.
- You already run Nextcloud: Nextcloud Tasks, with any CalDAV app on each device.
- You want notes and to-dos together, encrypted: Joplin.
- You live in the terminal: Taskwarrior, or todo.txt if you want nothing but a text file.
- You share chores or recurring tasks: Donetick.
Still deciding between a to-do app and a full project tool? See our Todoist alternatives with paid options, and our list of free Asana alternatives for team task boards with real free plans.
How Founders Use an Open-Source To-Do App
An open-source to-do app makes most sense when you care where your data lives: client work under an NDA, a team in the EU, or simply a list you do not want to lose when a company changes its plans. Start small: one inbox for every task, no more than three important tasks a day, and a review every Friday. Export your Todoist projects first, so you keep a copy whatever you choose.
Your task list rarely lives alone. For notes and a wiki next to it, see our open-source Notion alternatives and open-source Obsidian alternatives; for a team, open-source Basecamp alternatives and open-source Trello alternatives with AI; and if you want AI to plan your calendar, our free Motion alternatives. Before you plan months of work, validate your startup idea with real customers, and turn what you know into articles that rank with the F/MS AI SEO Tool.
FAQ About Open-Source Todoist Alternatives
Is Todoist open source?
No. Todoist is a closed-source hosted service, and its pricing page does not offer self-hosting. If you want the source code or your own server, use an open-source app such as Vikunja, Super Productivity or Tasks.org.
What is the best open-source alternative to Todoist?
For one person, Super Productivity: free, MIT-licensed, no account, on every platform. For a team that wants its own server, Vikunja, which has list, Kanban, Gantt and table views and imports from Todoist.
Can I import my Todoist tasks into an open-source app?
Yes. Vikunja has built-in migration from Todoist, Trello and Microsoft To-Do. Planify on Linux can sync with your existing Todoist account directly.
Which open-source to-do app works on Android?
Tasks.org, a GPLv3 app on Google Play and F-Droid. It syncs with Google Tasks, CalDAV, DAVx5, EteSync or DecSync CC, and Super Productivity and Joplin also have Android apps.
Can I self-host a to-do app for free?
Yes. Vikunja, Nextcloud Tasks, Donetick and Kanboard are free to self-host. Vikunja also sells a hosted cloud from 4 EUR a month if you do not want to run a server.
Which open-source to-do app needs no account?
Super Productivity needs no account and works offline. Tasks.org also works offline, and a todo.txt file needs nothing but a text editor.
Is Focalboard still a good Todoist alternative?
No. Its GitHub README says the repository is not maintained, and the last release was 8.0.0 in June 2024. Choose Vikunja or Kanboard for a self-hosted board instead.
Is Kanboard still maintained?
Kanboard is in maintenance mode: no major new features, but the community still ships releases, such as 1.2.57 in October 2026.
What is the difference between AGPL and MIT for a to-do app?
Both let you use and self-host the app for free. AGPL requires anyone who offers a modified version as a service to share their changes; MIT has no such condition. For your own team, either is fine.
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You can publish a guest post in one of the Fe/male Switch startup blogs, which rank in Google and in AI tools. Get a quality backlink.
About the Author
Violetta Bonenkamp, also known as MeanCEO, is an experienced startup founder with an impressive educational background including an MBA and four other higher education degrees. She has over 20 years of work experience across multiple countries, including 5 years as a solopreneur and serial entrepreneur. Throughout her startup experience she has applied for multiple startup grants at the EU level, in the Netherlands and Malta, and her startups received quite a few of those. She’s been living, studying and working in many countries around the globe and her extensive multicultural experience has influenced her immensely.
