# Todo.txt

> Plain-text to-do list format with an open-source command-line tool

Todo.txt is a plain-text format for task lists, plus an official shell script, todo.sh, for working with the file from the command line. Each line is one task, with optional notation for priority, +projects and @contexts, so the list stays readable in any text editor. The project's own Android and iOS apps are archived; apps for other platforms come from the community.

- **Category:** To-Do List Apps
- **Made by:** Gina Trapani and the Todo.txt community (since 2006)
- **Website:** https://github.com/todotxt/todo.txt-cli
- **Runs on:** macOS, Linux, Windows
- **Facts last checked:** Oct 5, 2026

## Pricing

Todo.txt is free to use.

- **Pricing model:** Free
- **Free plan:** The todo.sh script and the todo.txt format are free and open source under the GNU General Public License v3.0, with no paid version.
- **Free trial:** None listed.

| Plan | Price | What you get |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Free | $0 | The full todo.sh command-line script and the open todo.txt format, under the GNU General Public License v3.0. |

Read from https://github.com/todotxt/todo.txt-cli on Oct 5, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Todo.txt before buying.

## Key features

- **One task per line of plain text:** A todo.txt file holds a single task on each line, so it can be read, searched, sorted and edited in any text editor on any operating system.
- **Priorities, projects and contexts:** A leading (A) to (Z) sets priority, and +Project and @context markers can sit anywhere in the line. Tools may add key:value pairs such as due:2010-01-02.
- **todo.sh command-line script:** Actions such as add, do, pri, append and replace change the file from a shell, and list shows the tasks matching your terms sorted by priority.
- **Archiving and reports:** The archive action moves completed tasks from todo.txt to done.txt, and report records the number of open and done tasks in report.txt.
- **Add-ons and custom actions:** The script loads custom actions from an actions directory, and the project wiki keeps a directory of add-ons and filters written by community members.
- **Community apps and editor plugins:** The project site lists community-built apps for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and the web, plus editor plugins, that all read the same file.

## Good for

- People who want their task list in a file they fully control
- Command-line users who add and complete tasks from a shell
- Using several apps and editors against one shared text file

## Worth knowing

- The official tool is a command-line script. The project's own Android and iOS apps were archived on GitHub in December 2020.
- The core format covers priority, dates, projects and contexts only. Due dates and other fields rely on key:value conventions set by each tool.
- No sync is built in; the README suggests placing the todo.txt directory on a cloud drive.
- On Windows the script is listed as tested under Cygwin, and the README gives install steps only for macOS and Linux.

## Works with

Vim, Visual Studio Code, Sublime Text, Thunderbird

**Tags:** Open source, Tasks, Keyboard-first, Local-first, Works offline

## Alternatives

- [Taskwarrior](https://toolgpa.com/tools/taskwarrior): Free, open-source to-do list manager for the command line. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/taskwarrior-vs-todo-txt)
- [sleek](https://toolgpa.com/tools/sleek): Free, open-source todo.txt manager for Windows, macOS and Linux. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/sleek-vs-todo-txt)
- [topydo](https://toolgpa.com/tools/topydo): Console todo.txt manager with dependencies and recurring tasks. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/todo-txt-vs-topydo)
- [dstask](https://toolgpa.com/tools/dstask): Terminal task tracker with git sync and a markdown note per task. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/dstask-vs-todo-txt)
- [TaskPaper](https://toolgpa.com/tools/taskpaper): Plain-text to-do lists with an outliner, for Mac. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/taskpaper-vs-todo-txt)

## Sources

The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Oct 5, 2026:

- https://github.com/todotxt/todo.txt-cli
- https://github.com/todotxt/todo.txt-cli/blob/master/USAGE.md
- https://github.com/todotxt/todo.txt-cli/wiki
- https://github.com/todotxt/todo.txt
- https://github.com/todotxt/todotxt.github.io/blob/master/index.html
- https://github.com/todotxt/todo.txt-android
- https://github.com/todotxt/todo.txt-ios

Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/todo-txt
Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).