Most people don't need more productivity apps. They need one task list they trust, a calendar that matches it, and something to keep the phone from eating the time they planned. The best productivity apps for Android are the ones that fit the accounts and habits you already have, so this guide is organized around situations rather than rankings.
The picks come from research into current Google Play listings, developer pricing pages and each app's reputation, not from hands-on testing. Pricing is described as a model (free, freemium, subscription) because exact prices change often.
Start with one question: where does your work already live?
The single biggest factor in whether a task app sticks is friction. If your email is Gmail, a tool that turns emails into tasks with one tap will beat a fancier app that lives in its own silo. If your employer runs on Microsoft 365, the same logic points the other way. Answer that first, then use the sections below.
If you want the most capable to-do list: Todoist
Todoist is the app to beat for plain task management. Its Quick Add understands natural language, so typing "Submit report every Friday at 4pm #Work" creates a recurring task in the right project. It offers list and board layouts, labels, filters and integrations with email and calendars, and it syncs across Android, desktop and the web.
What the free plan covers: According to Todoist's pricing page, the free Beginner plan includes five personal projects, task reminders and three filter views, with one week of activity history. The paid Pro plan raises the project limit to 300 and adds a calendar layout, task durations and unlimited use of Ramble, its voice-to-task feature.
Who should skip it: people who want habits, a focus timer and a calendar view in one free app. That's TickTick's territory.
If you want tasks, habits and a focus timer in one: TickTick
TickTick bundles three tools that usually live in separate apps: a full task manager, a habit tracker you can enable from the tab bar, and a built-in Pomodoro timer with white noise that logs distractions. It syncs across the web, Android and other platforms, and it supports shared lists for household chores or small projects.
In our view, TickTick is the better value if you'd otherwise install three apps. The tradeoff is density: there are a lot of screens and settings, and some of the more advanced features sit behind a Premium subscription.
If you live in Gmail and Google Calendar: Google Tasks
Google Tasks is deliberately simple: lists, subtasks, due dates, starred priorities and notifications. Its strength is integration. You can create a task straight from an email in Gmail, and the task keeps a link back to the original message. Tasks with dates also appear in Google Calendar, so your schedule and your to-dos sit in one view.
It's free, has no ads, and works with the Google account you already have. It lacks the labels, saved filters and project views that heavier users want, but for a lot of people, that's a feature.
If your job runs on Microsoft 365: Microsoft To Do
Microsoft To Do is free with no ads or in-app purchases. Its My Day view gives you a fresh daily list with suggestions pulled from your other lists. Flagged emails in Outlook show up as tasks, and tasks assigned to you in Microsoft Planner appear too. Shared lists work well for families.
Microsoft is putting more of its task-management effort into Planner, Outlook and Copilot these days, but To Do is still supported and receiving updates. It's a safe pick if your work account already lives in Microsoft's ecosystem; if not, Todoist or TickTick offer more.
If you need docs, projects and tasks in one place: Notion
Notion is less a task app than a workspace: pages, databases, wikis and project boards, with an AI assistant that can search across connected tools and summarize meetings. It's free to start, with paid tiers for teams and more AI use.
The honest caveat is that Notion is at its best on a big screen. On a phone it's excellent for checking and lightly editing, slower for quick capture. Many people pair Notion for planning with a lighter app for daily to-dos. If you're weighing Notion mainly as a notes tool, see our guide to note-taking apps for Android.
If the problem is the phone itself: Forest
Forest turns focus sessions into a small game. You plant a virtual tree when you start, and it withers if you leave to scroll social media. An allowlist lets you keep essential apps available while the rest stay locked, and the developer funds real tree planting through the app.
Forest is free with ads and in-app purchases. Before paying for any focus app, try Android's built-in Digital Wellbeing tools, which can set daily app timers on Pixel, Samsung and most other phones (menu names vary by manufacturer). A minimal home screen can help as well; our look at Android launchers covers a few that hide distracting apps by design.
Quick comparison
| App | Pricing model | Best fit |
|---|---|---|
| Todoist | Free plan, Pro subscription | Serious task management across devices |
| TickTick | Free plan, Premium subscription | Tasks, habits and Pomodoro in one app |
| Google Tasks | Free | Gmail and Google Calendar users |
| Microsoft To Do | Free | Outlook and Microsoft 365 users |
| Notion | Free plan, paid tiers | Projects, docs and team wikis |
| Forest | Free with ads, in-app purchases | Staying off the phone |
Making the system stick
Pick one task app and give it two weeks before judging it. Put its widget on your home screen so capture takes one tap, and turn off notifications for every app that isn't helping. If you're a student, our list of Android apps for students adds study-specific tools, and AI assistants can draft and summarize alongside any of these; our guide to AI apps on Android covers what they're good at and what to watch for.
Sources
- Google Play listing: Todoist
- Todoist pricing and plan comparison
- Google Play listing: TickTick
- Google Play listing: Google Tasks
- Google Play listing: Microsoft To Do
- Windows Forum: Microsoft To Do is not retiring, but Planner and Copilot take priority
- Google Play listing: Notion
- Google Play listing: Forest
