Todoist vs Upbase (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, we pick Todoist: it is first in our ranking of to-do list apps, and it grades higher too, 2.8 against 2.0.
Checked Oct 4, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Todoist grades higher on value for money, ease of use and platforms. They get the same grade on the free plan and features.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Todoist
Cross-platform to-do list with natural-language task entry
Upbase
Client work management with a personal daily planner
Which one is for you
Pick Todoist if
- Fits if you want one list that's the same on your phone, laptop and watch
- Works for lists where half the tasks repeat, like rent, the bins and the Monday report
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you need start dates to keep things out of sight until they matter
- Not for you if you want tasks dropped into your calendar hour by hour
- Too light for real projects with timelines and things blocking other things
- Tight if you're never paying: 5 projects, 3 filters and 1 week of activity history
- Pricey if you want the calendar layout, task durations or custom reminders, all on Pro at $5 a month, and shared projects stop at 5 people
Pick Upbase if
- Fits if you run a small agency and want clients to see their own tasks as guests
- Works for solo planners who want time blocking and can stay inside 5 projects
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you pay per person: $10 a user a month, against a typical $3.99 for this category
- Tight if you stay free, because it's 5 projects and 3 guests
- Too light for you if you want recurring tasks or reminders without paying, as both are Premium
- Watch out: each workspace is upgraded and charged separately
- Watch out: the pricing page shows no monthly-billed per-user price, only $10 a user
How we grade them
| 2.8GPATodoistGood | 2.0GPAUpbaseFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C$5 a person a month on yearly billing, $8 for teams. That's the top of what this category charges, and plenty of to-do apps do the basics for less or nothing. What the money buys is the calendar layout, task durations and custom reminders. | D$10 per user a month on yearly billing, when this category's dearest tenth starts at $9. The flat Unlimited plan is $99 a month, and a team of five on Premium pays $50 a month. |
| Free plan and trial | CFree forever, and reminders are included now. But 5 personal projects and 3 filter views is a cap you'll walk into. Work, home, one side thing and you're done. Only 1 week of activity history is kept, too. | CFree forever, with unlimited tasks, time tracking and the planner. But 5 projects and 3 guests is a cap you'll hit, and Premium has a 14-day trial. |
| Features | CTyped tasks with dates and repeats, labels, filters and an API. The gaps are real though: no start dates, the calendar layout needs Pro, and personal projects are capped at 5 people even when you're paying. | CList, board and calendar views, time blocking, client guests, time tracking and Google Calendar sync. Recurring tasks, reminders and custom fields need Premium, and API access is listed as in progress. |
| Ease of use | A4.8 from 129,494 App Store ratings. Open it, type a thing, done. Nobody needs a tutorial for this. | CProjects, views and client guests all have to be set up before it is useful. No store rating is on record. |
| Platforms and integrations | AMac, Windows, Linux (yes, really), iPhone, Android, web, watch and browser, plus Google Calendar, Claude and ChatGPT. There's an API too if you like wiring things together. | BWeb, iPhone, Android and a browser extension, with Google Calendar, Docs, Sheets and Slides. No desktop app is listed. |
| Best for | to-do lists on every device | client work plus a daily planner |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Todoist and Upbase. How we grade
Price against what you get
Todoist starts at $5 a month for each person and scores 3.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Upbase starts at $10 a month for each person and scores 2.3.
Todoist scores higher and starts $5 a month lower. Of the other to-do list apps on the chart, 2 score higher than Todoist for less, and 44 score higher than Upbase for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Todoist also covers templates and natural-language input.
- Upbase also covers time blocking and time tracking.
At a glance
| Todoist | Upbase | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $5 per user / month, billed yearly | $10 per user / month, billed yearly |
| Free plan | Beginner plan: 5 personal projects, task reminders, list and board layouts, 3 filter views and 1 week of activity history. | Unlimited tasks, 5 projects, 3 free guests, unlimited members and storage, time tracking and the daily planner. |
| Free trial | None listed | 14-day free trial of Premium |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | Todoist Inc. | Upbase |
| Price read from | todoist.com | upbase.io |
| Checked | Oct 4, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Todoist
- The free plan stops at 5 personal projects and keeps only 1 week of activity history.
- Calendar layout, task durations and custom reminders all need Pro or Business.
- Personal projects are capped at 5 people, even on paid plans.
Upbase
- The free plan stops at 5 projects and 3 guests; recurring tasks, reminders and custom fields need Premium.
- The pricing page does not show a monthly-billed per-user price, only $10 per user a month at the default view.
- Per-user plans are charged per workspace, so each workspace is upgraded separately.
- API access is listed as in progress.
Key features
Todoist
- Quick Add
- Capture tasks in natural language as they come to you, including recurring due dates and reminders.
- List, board and calendar layouts
- Switch any project between a list, a kanban board and a calendar. The calendar layout needs a paid plan.
- Filters, labels and priorities
- Saved filter views pull tasks from across projects: 3 on the free plan, 150 on Pro and Business.
- Shared projects
- Share a project to assign tasks and comment on them. Personal projects allow up to 5 people on every plan.
- Team workspace
- Business adds public and private team projects, folders, roles and permissions, and shared templates.
- Ramble and Task Assist
- Ramble turns spoken thoughts into tasks; free accounts get limited sessions. Task Assist is included from Pro.
Upbase
- Daily and weekly planner
- Drag tasks onto days of a weekly planner, block out time for each one, and see the team's schedule in one view.
- Client dashboard and guests
- Clients are added as guests who see only what is shared with them. Free includes 3 guests; Premium has unlimited.
- Tasks in list, board and calendar views
- Tasks are unlimited on every plan, with custom fields, recurring tasks and reminders on the paid plans.
- Time tracking and timesheets
- Track time on tasks on every plan. Timesheets are part of Premium and Unlimited.
- Google Calendar two-way sync
- Shows Upbase tasks and Google Calendar events together. The comparison table lists it for Premium and Unlimited.
Plans
Todoist
Beginner$0
5 personal projects, task reminders, list and board layouts, and 3 filter views.
Pro$5
per user / month, billed yearly ($60)
300 projects, calendar layout, task durations, custom reminders, 150 filter views and Task Assist.
Business$8
per user / month, billed yearly ($96)
Everything in Pro, plus a shared team workspace with up to 500 team projects, roles and central billing.
Upbase
Free$0
Unlimited tasks, 5 projects, 3 free guests, list, board and calendar views, daily planner and time tracking.
Premium$10
per user / month, billed yearly (monthly price not shown)
Unlimited projects and guests, custom fields, automations, recurring tasks, reminders, timesheets, AI assistant.
Unlimited$99
per month for unlimited users, billed yearly ($119 billed monthly)
The Premium features at a flat price for every user in a single workspace.
Ways to pay less
Todoist
- Annual discount
Save 20% with yearly billing
Todoist's pricing page lists a 20% saving on Pro and Business when billed yearly instead of monthly.
Upbase
- Annual discount
Yearly billing lowers the flat plan to $99
The Unlimited plan is $119 per month billed monthly or $99 per month billed yearly, according to the pricing page FAQ.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Todoist or Upbase?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Todoist is cheaper to start with: $5 a month for each person, against $10 a month for each person for Upbase. Todoist starts at $5 per user / month, billed yearly, and Upbase starts at $10 per user / month, billed yearly.
Which has a free plan, Todoist or Upbase?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Todoist and Upbase have a free plan.
Which platforms do Todoist and Upbase run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Todoist lists macOS, Windows and Linux apps. Both list a web app, iOS and Android apps and a browser extension. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.