Google Tasks vs Microsoft To Do
Pick Google Tasks if your day runs on Gmail and Google Calendar, and Microsoft To Do if it runs on Outlook and Windows. Both are free. To Do has its own apps for Windows and Mac, a My Day planner, shared lists and Outlook's flagged emails as tasks. Google Tasks is simpler and lives inside Gmail, Calendar and Docs, with apps for phones but none for computers. Todoist and TickTick do more than either, with paid plans.
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The short version
These two apps are each the to-do list of a bigger suite, so the suite you already use decides most of it. If your email is Gmail and your calendar is Google Calendar, Google Tasks is where your emails and events turn into tasks without extra steps. If you work in Outlook and Windows, Microsoft To Do is the same thing for Microsoft: flag an email and it’s on your list.
Todoist and TickTick are independent apps that work across both worlds and do more, such as projects, labels, dates typed in plain words (“tomorrow 5pm”) and, in TickTick, Kanban boards. Their best features are on paid plans. Microsoft To Do reads typed dates too, in its Windows app and in English.
Compared
| Google Tasks | Microsoft To Do | Todoist | TickTick | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free | Free; Pro $5 a month billed yearly | Free; Premium $49.99 a year |
| Apps for computers | None (web only) | Windows and Mac | Mac, Windows, Linux | Mac, Windows, Linux |
| Phone apps | Android, iPhone | Android, iPhone | Android, iPhone | Android, iPhone |
| Works with | Gmail, Calendar, Docs, Chat | Outlook (flagged emails) | Email and browser add-ons | A browser extension |
| Shared lists | No (assign tasks in Chat and Docs at work) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Subtasks | Yes | Steps | Yes | Yes |
| Repeats | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Plan your day | No | My Day | Today view | Today view |
Prices are the makers’ own US prices in October 2026. The free plans have limits: Todoist’s covers five personal projects, and TickTick’s nine lists of 99 tasks.
Where Google Tasks wins
- It’s already there. Every Google account has it, in the side panel of Gmail, Calendar, Drive and Docs.
- Email and calendar in one place. An email becomes a task with Add to Tasks, and dated tasks show on your Google Calendar.
- Nothing to set up. Lists, dates, times, deadlines, repeats, subtasks and stars, and little else to learn.
Where Microsoft To Do wins
- Real apps on your computer. To Do has its own app for Windows and the Mac, where Google Tasks has none.
- My Day. Each morning you pick today’s tasks from suggestions, and anything unfinished is suggested again tomorrow.
- Shared lists. Invite someone with a link to a list you both edit, such as groceries or a household list.
- Outlook. Emails you flag in Outlook appear as tasks, for Microsoft-hosted mailboxes.
Moving between them
None of the three other apps imports Google Tasks directly. Google Takeout exports your tasks, and Todoist accepts CSV files, but expect to tidy up by hand. There’s also no sync between Google Tasks and To Do; people who need both use an automation service such as Zapier, which copies new tasks from one to the other.
If you’re staying with Google Tasks
The biggest gap is the one Microsoft fills: an app on your computer. On Windows you can install the Google Tasks website as an app. On a Mac, Sidekick (coming soon) keeps your Google Tasks in a list that floats beside your work and syncs both ways, which is the part of To Do that Google doesn’t offer.
Questions
Is Google Tasks or Microsoft To Do better?
Neither is better across the board. Microsoft To Do has more features, including desktop apps, shared lists and a My Day planner, and works best with Outlook. Google Tasks is simpler and works best with Gmail and Google Calendar, where your emails and events become tasks.
Can Google Tasks sync with Microsoft To Do?
Not directly. Neither app syncs with the other, and To Do has no importer for Google Tasks. To use both, you need a third-party automation service, or you choose one.
Can I move my tasks from Google Tasks to Todoist or TickTick?
Not with a built-in importer. Google Takeout can export your Google Tasks, and Todoist imports tasks from CSV files (up to 300 per project), so a move takes some converting by hand.
Does Microsoft To Do work with a Google account?
You sign in to Microsoft To Do with a Microsoft account. It can't read your Google Tasks, and its flagged-email feature works only with mailboxes hosted by Microsoft.
Is there a Google Tasks app for Windows or Mac like Microsoft To Do?
Google doesn't make one. Google Tasks runs on the web at tasks.google.com and in the side panel of Gmail and Calendar. On a Mac, apps such as Sidekick (coming soon) show your Google Tasks in a window of their own.