todo.txtManage a plain-text to-do list from the command line.
Free and open source (GPL-3.0 licence per GitHub).
Notes, tasks & docs
Taskwarrior
Free optionOpen sourceLocal
Manage tasks, priorities and recurring work from the terminal.
What you can use it for
Manage tasks, priorities and recurring work from the terminal.
- Local tasks with priorities, projects, dependencies and recurrence.
- Scriptable commands and plain exports fit developer workflows.
Workflow coverage and comparison notes
Individual task capture, prioritisation, projects and recurring work for people comfortable in a terminal. Not a native mobile, graphical or managed team service. For Any.do and TickTick: capture, prioritise and complete personal tasks, organise projects and repeat scheduled work in a free local command-line tool. No vendor task quota or paid model API is required; optional sync needs separate setup and can incur server costs. Any.do and TickTick already have free plans, and TickTick includes recurrence free. This developer-oriented route does not provide equivalent graphical/mobile apps, push/location/WhatsApp reminders, calendar or habit views, collaboration, or a guaranteed import path.
Before you switch
Terminal-first, with a learning curve; Windows uses WSL. Not a polished mobile or graphical Things replacement. Optional multi-device sync requires a compatible service/server, administration and backups; version migration needs care. Notifications and team workflows are not equivalent to Todoist.
Alternatives to these paid apps
Each comparison covers the workflow described above, rather than every paid feature.
