The Taskwarrior Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about Taskwarrior in one document: what it costs, its grades, getting a refund, getting help and what else to look at. Read it here, or keep a copy.
Taskwarrior
The Insider’s Guide
Free, open-source to-do list manager for the command line
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among to-do list apps, read from Taskwarrior’s own pages.
Made by Gothenburg Bit Factory · checked Oct 5, 2026 · toolgpa.com
Contents
- 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
- 02What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
- 03What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
- 04Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
- 05The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
- 06Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
- 07About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
ToolGPA put this guide together from Taskwarrior’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on Taskwarrior’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Oct 5, 2026.
Part 01 · Overview
Welcome
What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
2.8
GPA, above 92 of the 123 other to-do list apps we grade
Taskwarrior is a free, open-source program that manages a to-do list from the command line. Tasks are kept in a local SQLite database and handled with commands for adding, filtering, tagging and reporting, and an urgency score ranks what to do next. Syncing between machines is optional and needs a sync server or a cloud storage bucket that you set up yourself.
To get you started, here are 8 things to know about Taskwarrior, taken from its own pages and our grades.
Sync is more work again: you run a TaskChampion sync server or set up a cloud storage bucket yourself.
- 1
Best for running your to-do list from a terminal
If a terminal isn't home for you, skip it.
- 2
It is free
Taskwarrior has no paid plan at all. The whole program is free and open source under the MIT license, with no paid edition. The project takes donations through GitHub Sponsors.
- 3
It runs on 2 platforms
macOS and Linux.
- 4
Task commands in the terminal
Tasks are added, modified and completed with short task commands, and carry attributes such as project, tags, priority and due date out of more than 20 standard ones.
- 5
Filters, reports and contexts
Reports list tasks through filters you combine on the command line. A context is a named filter that stays active, for example to show only work tasks.
- 6
Urgency score
Each task gets a numeric urgency score summed from a dozen or more factors such as priority, and the next report sorts tasks by it.
- 7
A 2.8 GPA, above 92 of 123
That is against the other to-do list apps we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
- 8
Keep it
Taskwarrior is free, so making your own would save you nothing.
Taskwarrior at a glance
- Pricing
- Free
- Free plan
- Yes
- Free trial
- None stated
- Runs on
- macOS, Linux
- Made by
- Gothenburg Bit Factory, since 2006
- Category
- To-Do List Apps
- Our grade
- 2.8 GPA, good
The report card
Best for running your to-do list from a terminal
Taskwarrior runs your to-do list from the command line: type a short command to add a task, filter by project or tag, and let an urgency score tell you what's next. It's free and open source, but the project ships a command-line program and nothing else, Windows needs WSL or MSYS2, and sync means running your own server or cloud bucket. If a terminal isn't home for you, skip it.
| Subject | Grade | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | A | Free and open source under the MIT license, a program anyone can download and run, with no paid edition at all. The project takes donations through GitHub Sponsors. The only bill you might see is for sync, since the docs say a cloud storage bucket carries a small cost. |
| Free plan and trial | A | The whole program is free. There's no paid edition, so nothing is locked. Filters, reports, hooks and custom fields are all yours from the first command. |
| Features | B | More than 20 standard attributes per task, filters you combine on the command line, contexts that stay switched on, and an urgency score built from a dozen or more factors. Hook scripts and your own fields bend it to any workflow, and everything moves in and out as JSON. The whole job, in a terminal. |
| Ease of use | D | It's a command-line program, so you learn commands before you add your first task, and anything that needs a terminal sits at a D on our ladder. Sync is more work again: you run a TaskChampion sync server or set up a cloud storage bucket yourself. |
| Platforms and integrations | C | Mac and Linux, and Windows only through the Windows Subsystem for Linux or MSYS2. That's computers and nothing else: the project ships no graphical, web or mobile app, and those are separate community tools. Sync runs through a TaskChampion server or a cloud bucket. |
An A is worth 4 points, a B 3, a C 2, a D 1 and an F nothing. The GPA is the average of the five.
Who Taskwarrior is for
- Fits if you already spend your day in a terminal and want your tasks there too
- Works for people who script, with hooks in any language and fields they define themselves
Who it is not for
- Skip it if you've never opened a terminal, because typed commands are the only way in
- Not for you if you want an official phone or desktop app, as front ends are separate community tools
- Not for you if you want sync out of the box, since you run a sync server or a cloud bucket that carries a small cost
- Tight if you're on Windows, as it runs only through WSL or MSYS2, and Cygwin is no longer supported
- Watch out: since version 3.0 the docs warn that Syncthing or rsync can corrupt your task data
Good to know
Good for
- People who work in a terminal and want to manage tasks by typing
- Keeping task data in a local database, with sync as an option
- Scripting a personal workflow with hooks and custom fields
Worth knowing
- The project ships only a command-line program. Graphical, web and mobile front ends are separate community tools.
- On Windows it runs through the Windows Subsystem for Linux or MSYS2; Cygwin is no longer supported.
- No hosted sync service is included: you run a TaskChampion sync server or configure a cloud storage bucket yourself.
- Since version 3.0 the docs warn that file-sync tools such as Syncthing or rsync can corrupt task data and are unsupported.
Part 02 · Pricing
What it costs
Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
Free
No paid plan at all
Taskwarrior is free to use.
Free and open source under the MIT license, a program anyone can download and run, with no paid edition at all.
Free
$0
The full command-line program under the MIT license. Sync needs your own server or a cloud storage bucket, which the docs say carries a small cost.
The free plan
The whole program is free and open source under the MIT license, with no paid edition. The project takes donations through GitHub Sponsors.
Read from taskwarrior.org on Oct 5, 2026.
Part 03 · Features
What it does
Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
2
Places it runs: macOS and Linux
Free, open-source to-do list manager for the command line. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: open source, works offline, local-first, keyboard-first, tasks.
Hook scripts and your own fields bend it to any workflow, and everything moves in and out as JSON.
- Task commands in the terminal
- Tasks are added, modified and completed with short task commands, and carry attributes such as project, tags, priority and due date out of more than 20 standard ones.
- Filters, reports and contexts
- Reports list tasks through filters you combine on the command line. A context is a named filter that stays active, for example to show only work tasks.
- Urgency score
- Each task gets a numeric urgency score summed from a dozen or more factors such as priority, and the next report sorts tasks by it.
- Sync between replicas
- The task sync command exchanges changes with a TaskChampion sync server, an AWS or Google Cloud storage bucket, a local file or a git repository.
- Hooks and user defined attributes
- Hook scripts in any language run at set events in the program, and user defined attributes add your own fields that can be stored, sorted and shown in reports.
- JSON import and export
- Task data moves in and out through a documented JSON format, which the community tools listed on the project's Tools page build on.
Where it runs
- macOS
- Linux
What it works with
- TaskChampion Sync Server
- AWS S3
- Google Cloud Storage
Taskwarrior is made by Gothenburg Bit Factory, and has been around since 2006.
Part 04 · Standing
Where it stands
Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
92/123
Other to-do list apps it is graded above
Taskwarrior's GPA of 2.8 is higher than 92 of the 123 other to-do list apps we grade, and level with 10.
It stands best on free plan and trial (A, above 87 of 123) and worst on ease of use (D, above 0).
Taskwarrior has no paid plan.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.0 out of 4. Nothing scores higher for less, though at least one tool matches that score at a lower price.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 124 to-do list apps we grade, cut by the letter each got. Taskwarrior’s own letter is outlined.
- AValue for moneyAbove 69 of 123
- AFree plan and trialAbove 87 of 123
- BFeaturesAbove 81 of 123
- DEase of useAbove 0 of 123
- CPlatforms and integrationsAbove 19 of 123
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 99 to-do list apps. Further left costs less; higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Taskwarrior is the marked dot.
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
Keep it, or make your own?
Whether this is something you could build for yourself with an AI app builder, and what you would give up.
Keep it
Taskwarrior is free, so making your own would save you nothing.
It is one of the better ones too: its GPA of 2.8 is higher than 92 of the 123 other to-do list apps we grade.
What you could make
- Tasks: an app builder makes this well.
What you could not
- A real app for macOS and Linux. Something home-made would be a web page.
- The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job.
What this rests on. Taskwarrior’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
Part 05 · Alternatives
The alternatives
The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
Todo.txt, dstask, topydo, Dooit and Super Productivity
The 5 tools Taskwarrior is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.
- 2.6GPA
Todo.txt
Free
Plain-text to-do list format with an open-source command-line tool.
- Only Todo.txt lists a Windows app.
- 2.6GPA
dstask
Free
Terminal task tracker with git sync and a markdown note per task.
- Only dstask lists a Windows app.
- dstask also covers Markdown.
- 2.6GPA
topydo
Free
Console todo.txt manager with dependencies and recurring tasks.
- Only topydo lists a Windows app.
- 2.6GPA
Dooit
Free
Terminal to-do manager configured with a Python file.
- Only Taskwarrior lists a macOS app.
- Only Dooit lists a Windows app.
- 3.4GPA
Super Productivity
Free
Free, open-source to-do app with time tracking and a Pomodoro timer.
- Only Super Productivity lists a web app.
- Only Super Productivity lists Windows, iOS and Android apps.
- Super Productivity also covers kanban boards, Pomodoro timer and time tracking.
Part 06 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
13
Questions, each answered in a line or two
The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.
Is Taskwarrior free?
Yes. Taskwarrior is free to use.
How much does Taskwarrior cost?
Taskwarrior lists one plan. Free: $0.
What platforms does Taskwarrior work on?
Taskwarrior is available on macOS and Linux.
Does Taskwarrior have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 5, 2026. Taskwarrior is listed for macOS and Linux.
Does Taskwarrior have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 5, 2026. Taskwarrior is listed for macOS and Linux.
Is Taskwarrior open source?
Yes. Taskwarrior is open source, according to its own site.
Does Taskwarrior work offline?
Yes, according to its own site. What works without a connection differs by plan and platform, so check the vendor's page for the detail.
What does Taskwarrior integrate with?
Taskwarrior's listing names TaskChampion Sync Server, AWS S3 and Google Cloud Storage.
Who makes Taskwarrior?
Taskwarrior is made by Gothenburg Bit Factory. It dates from 2006.
What are the alternatives to Taskwarrior?
The closest alternatives to Taskwarrior in our directory are Todo.txt, dstask, topydo, Dooit and Super Productivity.
How does Taskwarrior compare with other to-do list apps?
Taskwarrior's GPA of 2.8 is higher than 92 of the 123 other to-do list apps we grade, and level with 10.
Is Taskwarrior good value for money?
ToolGPA grades Taskwarrior A for value for money. Taskwarrior has no paid plan.
Could I make my own version of Taskwarrior?
Taskwarrior is free, so making your own would save you nothing. It is one of the better ones too: its GPA of 2.8 is higher than 92 of the 123 other to-do list apps we grade.
Where this guide comes from
The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from Taskwarrior’s own pages on Oct 5, 2026, and the grades were given on Oct 10, 2026. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Taskwarrior's own pages on 5 October 2026. Also tested with a demo account on 2026-06-28.
Every tool we list gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. How each is decided is at toolgpa.com/grades. This guide is ToolGPA’s own work; it is not made, paid for or approved by Gothenburg Bit Factory. Prices change, so check taskwarrior.org before you buy.
- taskwarrior.org/
- taskwarrior.org/download/
- taskwarrior.org/docs/
- taskwarrior.org/docs/introduction/
- taskwarrior.org/docs/sync/
- taskwarrior.org/docs/man/task-sync.5/
- taskwarrior.org/docs/urgency/
- taskwarrior.org/docs/context/
- taskwarrior.org/docs/hooks/
- taskwarrior.org/docs/udas/
- taskwarrior.org/docs/history/
- taskwarrior.org/docs/license/
- taskwarrior.org/tools/
- taskwarrior.org/support/
Part 07 · About
About ToolGPA
Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
3,189
Tools graded, in 94 categories
ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.
Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.
3,189
tools graded
94
categories
426
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries
What else is on toolgpa.com
- Taskwarrior, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/taskwarrior
- How grades are givenThe rules behind every letter and every GPAtoolgpa.com/grades
- Value chartsWhat each tool costs against what it scores, for every categorytoolgpa.com/charts
- CompareAny two tools side by side, plan by plantoolgpa.com/compare
- Price changesEvery price rise and cut on record, each with its sourcetoolgpa.com/price-changes
- Prices by countryWhat apps cost on the App Store in 12 countriestoolgpa.com/prices-by-country
- Pay lessEvery public discount: yearly billing, students, nonprofitstoolgpa.com/save
- Keep or makeWhich tools are worth paying for, and which you could build yourselftoolgpa.com/keep-or-make
Scan for the live page
Prices and grades as they are today
Quoting this guide?
Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:
ToolGPA, "Taskwarrior: The Insider's Guide", checked Oct 5, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/taskwarrior
Know someone choosing between to-do list apps?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/taskwarrior/guide
ToolGPA elsewhere: youtube.com/@toolgpa
See our other guides
The best-graded to-do list apps after Taskwarrior, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.
- To-Do List Apps Insider's GuideEvery one of the 124 to-do list apps we grade, compared
- Apple Reminders Insider's GuideApple's free to-do app for iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Watch3.6 GPA
- Microsoft To Do Insider's GuideFree to-do list from Microsoft that syncs with Outlook tasks3.6 GPA
- Google Tasks Insider's GuideGoogle's to-do list, built into Gmail, Calendar, Chat and Docs3.4 GPA
Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.
Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what Taskwarrior’s pages, its app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Taskwarrior is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by Gothenburg Bit Factory. Prices and plans change: check taskwarrior.org before you buy.