topydo

Console todo.txt manager with dependencies and recurring tasks

FreeTo-Do ListsChecked Oct 9, 2026

topydo report card

3.2GPA

Very good · out of 4.0 · graded Oct 9, 2026

Best for todo.txt in a terminal, with dependencies

topydo is a console app for people who keep their tasks in a todo.txt file and wish it did more. It adds due and start dates, recurring items and dependencies, so a task can stay hidden until the ones before it are done. It's free and open source. It's also console only, installed with pip, and there's no sync and no app for your phone.

Who topydo is for

Great if you keep tasks in a todo.txt file and already work in a terminal
Handy when one task can't start until another is done, since it tracks dependencies
A treat if you like vim-like keys and several filtered lists side by side

Who topydo is not for

Skip it if you want a graphical or phone app, as it's console only
Not for you if you share your todo.txt with other apps, which may not understand its tags
Not for you if you need sync between machines, because the documentation describes none

Why topydo gets a 3.2

Five grades, each with its reason. The GPA is their average: an A is 4 points, an F is none.

AValue for moneyFree and open source under the GNU General Public License v3, with no paid edition. You install it from PyPI with pip and that's the end of the matter. Nothing to buy now or later.
AFree plan and trialThe full program is free, with all three interfaces: one-off commands, a prompt with auto-completion and a column view. Prompt mode, column mode and iCalendar output each need an extra pip dependency, but none costs anything.
BFeaturesIt does one job, extending todo.txt, and does it fully: due and start dates, rec:1w style repeats, dependencies that hide a parent until its children are done, filters like due:<today, and a revert command. The catch is in the README: other todo.txt tools may not interpret its tags properly.
CEase of useIt's a console program installed with pip, and you drive it with typed commands or vim-like keys. Relative dates like tomorrow or fri help, and Tab completes for you in prompt mode. Still, there's no graphical app, so this is for terminal people.
BPlatforms and integrationsMac, Linux and Windows, though column mode doesn't work natively on Windows and needs Cygwin. No integrations are listed and no sync is described. There's no native Android build either: the docs describe running it under Termux.

What these grades rest on. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from topydo's own pages on 9 October 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. How we review and grade.

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What is topydo?

topydo is a free, open-source to-do list application for the console that reads and writes the todo.txt format. It uses tags inside the plain-text file to add due and start dates, dependencies between items and recurring items, and it can be run as one-off shell commands, as a prompt with auto-completion or as a text interface made of columns. It is written in Python and installed with pip.

topydo is free to use. See every plan

Good for

People who keep tasks in a todo.txt file and work in a terminal
todo.txt users who want dependencies and recurring items
Keyboard users who want several filtered lists side by side

Worth knowing

Console only: there is no graphical, web or mobile app. The docs say there is no native Android build and describe running it under Termux.
Column mode does not work natively on Windows; the docs point Windows users to Cygwin for it.
Dependencies, recurrence and start dates rely on tags that, the README says, other todo.txt tools may not interpret properly.
The documentation describes no sync feature, and releases are infrequent: PyPI shows 0.14 in December 2020, 0.15 in April 2025 and 0.16 in February 2026.

Key features

Command line, prompt and column modes: Runs as one-off shell commands, as a prompt with Tab auto-completion, or as a text interface of side-by-side columns with vim-like keys, where each column has its own filter and sort order.
Due dates, start dates and relative dates: Due and start dates are stored as tags on the todo.txt line. When adding items you can type relative dates such as tomorrow, 1w or fri, which are written to the file as absolute dates.
Dependencies between items: The dep subcommand links a parent item to child items that should be done first. A parent with open children is hidden from the default list, and a Graphviz Dot export can draw the dependency tree.
Recurring items: A rec tag such as rec:1w creates a new instance of an item when it is completed, counted from the completion date or, in strict mode, from the original due date.
Filtering, sorting and output formats: Filter expressions select items by text and by tag comparisons such as due:<today, and sort and group expressions order the result. The ls command can also output iCalendar, JSON and Graphviz Dot.
Backups and revert: After each change topydo stores a backup of the todo and archive files, 5 by default, and the revert subcommand undoes the last command or a numbered earlier one.

topydo pricing

Starts at: Free
Free plan: The whole program is free and open source under the GNU General Public License v3, with no paid edition. It is installed from PyPI with pip.
Free trial: None listed

Plan	Price	What you get
Free	$0	The full program with its command-line, prompt and column interfaces. Prompt mode, column mode and iCalendar output each need an extra pip dependency.

Read from github.com on Oct 9, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with topydo before you buy.

Pricing in detail

topydo alternatives

All topydo alternatives compared All to-do list apps

Common questions

Is topydo free?

Yes. topydo is free to use. The whole program is free and open source under the GNU General Public License v3, with no paid edition. It is installed from PyPI with pip.

How much does topydo cost?

topydo lists one plan. Free: $0. Prices were read from github.com on Oct 9, 2026.

What platforms does topydo work on?

topydo is available on macOS, Linux and Windows.

Does topydo have an Android app?

No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 9, 2026. topydo is listed for macOS, Linux and Windows.

Does topydo have an iPhone app?

No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 9, 2026. topydo is listed for macOS, Linux and Windows.

Is topydo open source?

Yes. topydo is open source, according to its own site.

Who makes topydo?

topydo is made by Bram Schoenmakers. It dates from 2014.

What are the alternatives to topydo?

The closest alternatives to topydo in our directory are Todo.txt, Taskwarrior, dstask, sleek and Dooit. Each one has a side-by-side comparison with topydo.

Sources for this page

The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Oct 9, 2026.