TickTick
TickTick is a small freemium to-do list and calendar app with Pomodoro and habit tracking built in.
On the record
Checkpoint: Whether Microsoft ships a Copilot-native To Do update with habit and Kanban features
The call
TickTick has useful features but no contracts, no scale, and no AI edge, sitting between a free Microsoft bundle and faster-moving AI-native rivals.
TickTick is a to-do list and task management app with extra features like timers, habit tracking, and priority matrices. It is easy for bigger companies to copy because Microsoft already offers a free task app to everyone with Office 365, and newer apps like Todoist and Taskade are adding AI helpers that TickTick doesn't have yet. The one thing that could change everything is if TickTick becomes the main way that ChatGPT and Claude organize tasks for users, though right now it looks like it is becoming a behind-the-scenes tool rather than an app people choose because it is the best.
Why
01
AI pressure: Todoist Assist, Taskade Genesis, Morgen AI Planner, and generic assistants like Claude/ChatGPT via MCP. Rivals already ship AI planning features while TickTick's own MCP support turns it into a data plug for Claude, not a destination app. Could AI do the core job? Yes, likely.
02
Bigger players: Microsoft (Microsoft To Do bundled free into 365, Outlook, and Teams). Microsoft To Do ships free with tools people already pay for, and has 3,000+ reviews against TickTick's 130. Could a giant copy it? Yes, easily.
03
What protects it. A loyal power-user base that likes its Pomodoro, habit tracker, and Eisenhower matrix bundled in one app.
What would change this call
Microsoft adds Copilot-native habit/Kanban/Pomodoro features to To Do. Would show Microsoft closing feature gaps that justified TickTick's paid tier.
Claude or ChatGPT ships first-class calendar-integrated task management via MCP. Would show generic AI assistants absorbing TickTick's task-management role.
TickTick announces a K-12 or enterprise SSO/FERPA contract. Would show TickTick building defensibility beyond a copyable consumer app.
Claude or ChatGPT ships first-class calendar-integrated task management via MCP. Would show generic AI assistants absorbing TickTick's task-management role.
TickTick announces a K-12 or enterprise SSO/FERPA contract. Would show TickTick building defensibility beyond a copyable consumer app.
Key numbers
- 11 to 50 employees
- Revenue under $5 million a year
- Premium costs $35.99 a year
Named risks
- Free Microsoft To Do bundling in 365/Outlook/Teams threatens TickTick's paid conversion funnel.
- AI-native rivals (Todoist, Taskade, Morgen) pulling ahead on generative task features as of mid-2026.
- MCP integration risks reducing TickTick to a plumbing data source for Claude/ChatGPT rather than a standalone app.
- Conflicting, unverified HQ records (Delaware, Hong Kong, Barcelona) signal transparency gaps for enterprise trust.
- Unconfirmed rumors of data stored on Chinese servers could become a reputational issue if substantiated.
Rivals, as read in July 2026
| Rival | Direction | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Microsoft (To Do) | losing to | To Do bundled free in Microsoft 365, Outlook, and Teams as of 2026, giving far larger built-in install base |
| Todoist | losing to | Todoist AI Assist suite rated ahead on AI depth and integrations (80+ native, 8,000+ via Zapier) as of 2026-07-12 |
| Taskade | contesting | Taskade launched agentic Genesis workspace in 2026, marketed as TickTick alternative (vendor-claimed $16/month flat pricing) |
| Morgen | contesting | Morgen's AI Planner competes on auto-scheduling, cited in 2026-03-22 comparison as more AI-native than TickTick |
Questions people ask
- Is TickTick profitable in 2026?
- No public profitability figures exist since TickTick (developed by Appest) is privately held. ZoomInfo estimated its revenue band at under $5 million as of 2026-07-06, and pricing is freemium at $35.99/year for Premium, with no disclosed profit or loss statements.
- Could AI replace TickTick?
- It is plausible. TickTick's core value, natural language date parsing and reminders, overlaps directly with generic AI assistants. TickTick added MCP support around April 2026 letting Claude and ChatGPT read its task data, positioning it as a data source for AI rather than a standalone destination.
- Who owns TickTick?
- TickTick is developed by Appest (also seen as Appest Inc or Appest Limited), a private company. A 2023-05-20 review notes early funding from Matrix Partners China and Qiming Venture Partners, but amount, valuation, and any later rounds remain undisclosed.
- Is TickTick a safe company to join?
- TickTick's parent Appest is estimated at just 11 to 50 employees as of 2026-07-06 per ZoomInfo, a small team maintaining a multi-platform app while facing pressure from free Microsoft To Do bundling and better funded AI native rivals like Todoist and Taskade.
- Who is TickTick's biggest competitor?
- Microsoft To Do, bundled free inside Microsoft 365, Outlook, and Teams, and Todoist, whose AI Assist suite (Task Assist, Ramble, Filter Assist) is described by independent comparison site Asian Efficiency on 2026-07-12 as ahead of TickTick on AI depth.
- Does TickTick have AI features?
- Yes. TickTick shipped AI Recording Summary, audio transcription plus AI summarization, around 2026-04-24, and added voice-to-task input and reported MCP support near April 2026, though reviewers call these features lighter than Todoist's more mature AI suite.
Timeline
- 2026-04-24TickTick ships AI Recording Summary: audio transcription plus AI summarization
- 2026-04TickTick reportedly adds MCP support enabling Claude and ChatGPT access to task data
- 2026-01-04TickTick 8.0 released with redesigned Calendar, Suggested Tasks, Yearly View heatmap
- 2025-12Rival Todoist raises pricing 25 to 40 percent, narrowing gap with TickTick
- 2025-05TickTick adds Countdown feature
- 2025-03TickTick adds Two-Step Verification for account security
- 2013TickTick officially launches, evolved from earlier GTasks Android app (from ~2010)
Revision history
22 July 2026
First assessed. Losing its protection. The text above is fixed as of this date and is not edited afterwards.
In the same band
Sources
- TickTick
- ZoomInfo (2026-07-06)
- noteapps.ca (2023-05-20)
- Growjo (2022-04-18)
- Apple App Store (US) (2025-06-25)
- Apple App Store (BN) (2026-06-23)
- AlternativeTo (2026-01-15)
- Adaptiva (2026-06-01)
- 2Sync (2026-06-10)
- Asian Efficiency (2026-07-12)
- SoftwareAdvice (2026-07-09)
- G2