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Punchlist compared

The apps people name most when they look for a task app, and where each one is the better choice. Written by the Punchlist project, so read it with that in mind; corrections are welcome as an issue.

Checked on 2026-10-30

Prices, limits and features below come from each app's own site on that date (linked under sources). They change; check the app's site before you decide.

At a glance

Punchlist Todoist TickTick Vikunja Nextcloud Tasks Super Productivity
Runs on your own server Yes No No Yes (or their hosted cloud) Yes, inside Nextcloud No server needed (local first)
License AGPL-3.0-or-later Proprietary Proprietary AGPL-3.0 AGPL-3.0 MIT
Price Free Free plan; Pro $60 a year Free plan; Premium $49.99 a year Free self-hosted; paid cloud Free Free
Works offline Every device keeps a full copy Yes, once signed in Yes Web app needs the server Depends on the CalDAV client Yes
Shared lists between people Friends, groups, roles, assignment Yes (5 people a project free) Yes (2 members free) Users, teams, share links Through Nextcloud sharing No (one person, many devices)
Calendar view Month, 1 to 14 days, drag in Pro only Year to agenda (more in Premium) Gantt In the Nextcloud Calendar app Schedule planner, timeboxing
Kanban, Gantt, timeline Not yet Board layout Kanban, timeline Kanban, Gantt, table No Kanban
Habits, focus timer, matrix Not yet No All three No No Pomodoro, focus mode, matrix
Single sign-on (OIDC) Any provider, group and role maps Their own accounts Their own accounts OIDC with team sync, LDAP Whatever Nextcloud uses No accounts
Standard sync protocol (CalDAV) No No No Yes Yes (it is CalDAV) Basic CalDAV integration
Phone apps Android app; iPhone uses the web app iOS, Android iOS, Android Early official Android app, third-party clients Any CalDAV app (DAVx5 with jtx Board, Tasks.org, Apple Reminders) iOS, Android

Todoist

Choose Todoist if you want the most polished hosted app with the least effort. It has 90 and more integrations, mature natural-language dates, apps on every platform, AI helpers (Ramble, Task Assist), and a team plan with admin controls. Nobody has to run a server or think about backups (Pro and Business keep automatic backups for you).

Choose Punchlist if your tasks must stay on your own hardware, if you want unlimited projects, filters and the calendar without a subscription, or if you share with family and friends who should not each need a paid seat. Todoist's free plan holds five personal projects, three filter views and no calendar layout. Punchlist reads Todoist's backups, so trying it costs an afternoon.

TickTick

Choose TickTick if you use its extras: the habit tracker, the Pomodoro focus timer, the Eisenhower matrix, the timeline, location reminders, widgets, and native apps for iPhone, iPad, Android, Windows, macOS and Linux. Punchlist borrows much of its feel from TickTick, but does not have those yet.

Choose Punchlist if you want TickTick's way of working (smart views, quick add, a calendar you drag tasks onto, checklists in notes) on a server you control, with no list or task limits (TickTick Free stops at 9 lists, 99 tasks a list and 2 members a list) and real offline merging. Punchlist imports TickTick's backup file, checklists and won't-do tasks included.

Vikunja

Vikunja is the closest open-source neighbour: self-hosted, AGPL, shared projects and teams.

Choose Vikunja if you want its views (Kanban, Gantt and table besides the list), CalDAV so other apps can sync, LDAP, share links that work without an account, imports straight from Todoist, Trello and Microsoft To Do accounts, or a hosted plan from the people who make it. It has also been around much longer and has a larger community.

Choose Punchlist if offline matters: Vikunja's web app needs a connection to its server, while every Punchlist device keeps working without one and merges later. Punchlist also has an Android app of its own, a calendar you drag tasks onto, OIDC group checks with role and group mapping and provider migration, and native Linux and Windows builds as well as the image.

Nextcloud Tasks

Choose Nextcloud Tasks if you already run Nextcloud. There is nothing new to run, sharing follows your Nextcloud users and groups, and because it is plain CalDAV, any CalDAV app can be the client: DAVx5 with jtx Board, Tasks.org or OpenTasks on Android, Apple Reminders on iPhone, Thunderbird on the desktop. No other app on this page fits as many existing clients.

Choose Punchlist if you do not want Nextcloud just for tasks, or want more than CalDAV carries: assignment to people and groups, dibs, comments, attachments, saved filters, a calendar built for planning tasks, and the same app on every device instead of a different client on each.

Super Productivity

Choose Super Productivity if you work alone and want to track time: per-task time tracking, timesheets, timeboxing, a Pomodoro timer and focus mode, and issues pulled in from Jira, GitHub, GitLab, Gitea, Linear, OpenProject and others. It needs no server or account at all; sync between your own devices goes through WebDAV, Dropbox or its own SuperSync (which you can host).

Choose Punchlist if you share tasks with other people. Super Productivity is built for one person on many devices; Punchlist is built for several people with their own accounts, shared lists and assignment, plus a server that admins can back up and sign people in to.

Sources

Read on 2026-10-30: