Microsoft To Do vs Reminders: Todo List & Notes
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Microsoft To Do
Free to-do list from Microsoft that syncs with Outlook tasks
Reminders: Todo List & Notes
Private to-do list and reminders app with a calendar view
Where they differ
- Microsoft To Do is free. Reminders: Todo List & Notes starts at $1.99 per month.
- Only Microsoft To Do lists Windows and macOS apps.
- Reminders: Todo List & Notes can be bought with a one-time purchase.
- Reminders: Todo List & Notes also covers notes and calendar.
At a glance
| Microsoft To Do | Reminders: Todo List & Notes | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free plan |
| Starts at | Free | $1.99 per month |
| Free plan | The whole app is free: lists, My Day, due dates, reminders, steps, notes, shared lists and up to 25MB of file attachments on a task. | Free: no adverts, unlimited lists, tasks and tags, reminders and alarms, home screen widgets, custom filters, themes and a manual local backup. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Microsoft Corporation | Pocket Brilliance Limited |
| Price read from | apps.apple.com | apps.apple.com |
| Checked | Oct 4, 2026 | Oct 9, 2026 |
Who each one suits
Microsoft To Do
- People who already use Outlook or Microsoft 365
- Anyone who wants a to-do list with no paid tier
- Sharing simple lists with family or coworkers
Reminders: Todo List & Notes
- People who want a plain reminders app with no adverts
- Android users who rely on home screen widgets and alarms
- Buyers who would pay once for sync instead of subscribing
Worth knowing
Microsoft To Do
- Signing in requires a personal Microsoft account or a work or school account.
- Lists can be shared only between personal Microsoft accounts or between accounts in the same workplace or school.
- No Linux app is listed; the vendor names Windows, Mac, iOS, Android and the web.
Reminders: Todo List & Notes
- The web app, automatic cloud backup and sync between devices all need Premium.
- The vendor's site gives no prices and points to the in-app upgrade screen; the prices here are from the US App Store listing.
- The App Store lists two Lifetime upgrade purchases, at $49.99 and $69.99, without saying how they differ.
- There is no desktop app: on a computer the only option is the Premium web app.
Key features
Microsoft To Do
- My Day
- A daily list that resets every night. Tasks left unfinished go back to the Tasks list and appear among the next day's suggestions.
- Lists, steps and notes
- Tasks sit in lists and can have due dates, reminders, notes, a breakdown into steps and up to 25MB of attached files.
- Shared lists
- A list is shared by sending an invitation link, and it stays in sync as members make changes. Access can later be limited to current members or switched off.
- Outlook and Planner
- Tasks are stored in Exchange Online, so they show up in both To Do and Outlook Tasks. Flagged email can be handled as tasks, and Planner tasks can be seen in To Do.
- Sync across devices
- Signing in with the same account on each device keeps lists in step; the vendor says the app updates every 5 seconds.
- Tasks API
- Microsoft points developers to the public Outlook Tasks REST API for reading and updating the tasks that To Do stores.
Reminders: Todo List & Notes
- Lists, tags and priorities
- Tasks are grouped into color-coded lists and can carry a priority, a star, tags and notes. Items are reordered by drag and drop, and a quick-add bar skips the detail screen.
- Notifications and alarms
- A reminder fires once or on a recurring schedule such as daily or weekly, and can arrive as a notification or as an alarm.
- Built-in and custom filters
- Today, All, Starred and Calendar lists come built in. Custom filters combine criteria, for example high-priority reminders due in the next 7 days, or every task with a given tag.
- Calendar view and widgets
- A calendar view shows tasks by day. On Android, resizable home screen widgets display any list or one day of the calendar.
- Premium backup, sync and web app
- Premium backs data up to the cloud automatically, syncs phones and tablets across Android and iOS, and opens the same lists in a browser.
- Privacy and manual backup
- The vendor says data is encrypted on the device, in transit and in the cloud and is never shared or sold. A Backup/Restore option in Settings saves a local file.
Plans
Microsoft To Do
Free$0
Every feature of the app, signed in with a personal Microsoft account or a work or school account.
Reminders: Todo List & Notes
Free$0
Unlimited lists, tasks and tags, reminders and alarms, home screen widgets, custom filters and themes, with no adverts.
Monthly subscription$1.99
per month
Premium: the web app, automatic encrypted cloud backup and sync between devices on Android, iOS and the web.
Yearly subscription$19.99
per year
The same Premium features billed once a year.
Lifetime upgrade$49.99
one-time purchase
Premium paid once. The App Store lists two Lifetime upgrade purchases, at $49.99 and $69.99, without explaining the difference.
Ways to pay less
Microsoft To Do
No public discounts listed.
Reminders: Todo List & Notes
- Annual discount
Yearly subscription costs about 16% less
The App Store lists the monthly subscription at $1.99 and the yearly one at $19.99, against $23.88 for twelve monthly payments.
- Lifetime license
Lifetime upgrade from $49.99
Premium can be bought once in place of a subscription. The App Store lists Lifetime upgrade purchases at $49.99 and $69.99.
More comparisons
- Microsoft To Do vs Todoist
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- Reminders: Todo List & Notes vs Tasks: To Do List & Reminders
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- Reminders: Todo List & Notes vs Google Tasks
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