Todo.txt

Todo.txt

Todo.txt is a simple open source to-do list manager that stores tasks in a plain text file. It is designed for simplicity and ease of use with minimal overhead.
Todo.txt image
todo tasks plain-text open-source

Todo.txt: Simple Open Source To-Do List Manager

A lightweight, open source tool for managing your tasks in a plain text file, designed for ease of use and minimal overhead.

What is Todo.txt?

Todo.txt is an open source productivity tool focused on managing your to-do list from a plain text file. It was created by Gina Trapani in 2005 with the goals of simplicity, reliability, and flexibility.

At its core, Todo.txt works by storing your to-do items in a specially formatted text file. You can edit this file however you want - whether it's using your favorite text editor, a custom app with Todo.txt support, or the official command line tools.

Some key features and concepts of Todo.txt include:

  • Stores to-dos in a plain text file according to a simple syntax, making your tasks future proof and portable across all platforms
  • Edit your tasks how you want - you're not locked into any proprietary formats or binary files
  • Completely customizable priority, categories, projects using tags
  • Powerful filtering of tasks by date, project, context etc using the interactive shell
  • Available for all platforms - Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android etc
  • Works well with any sync service like Dropbox since it's just a text file
  • Lots of 3rd party apps and extensions adding features like GUIs, online syncing, time tracking and more

Overall, Todo.txt focuses on simplicity, reliability, and avoiding vendor lock-in for your tasks. If you're looking for a no-fuss, flexible to-do list option focused on text in and text out, it's worth checking out.

Todo.txt Features

Features

  1. Stores to-do lists in a plain text file
  2. Simple syntax for adding, editing and marking tasks as done
  3. Keyboard shortcuts for fast task management
  4. Support for priorities, projects, and contexts
  5. Available on multiple platforms including desktop, mobile and web
  6. Can integrate with other tools through scripts and APIs
  7. Open source and extensible

Pricing

  • Open Source
  • Free

Pros

Simple and easy to use

Plain text storage is flexible and future-proof

Fast and efficient for managing tasks

Available on many devices and platforms

Free and open source

Active community support

Cons

Lack of features compared to full-featured task managers

No graphical interface

Requires some technical know-how

Limited collaboration features

No reminders or notifications


The Best Todo.txt Alternatives

Top Office & Productivity and Task Management and other similar apps like Todo.txt


NowDo icon

NowDo

NowDo is a simple yet effective to-do list and personal task management application. It provides users with the core functionality required to organize, prioritize and track personal tasks and projects.With NowDo, users can quickly create tasks and to-do items, set due dates and reminders, categorize tasks using tags or lists,...
NowDo image
Zanshin icon

Zanshin

Zanshin is an open-source personal task and project management application designed specifically for the KDE Plasma desktop environment on Linux. It provides users with a simple yet powerful way to organize both small tasks and larger projects.Some key features of Zanshin include:Hierarchical project and task management with subfolders and subtasksFlexible...
Zanshin image
Calcurse icon

Calcurse

Calcurse is a command-line-based calendar and scheduling application for Linux, macOS, and other Unix-like operating systems. Developed as an open-source project by Calvin Morrison, it is designed for power users who prefer a text-user interface (TUI) over graphical applications.Some key features of Calcurse include:Ability to manage appointments, recurring tasks/events and...
Calcurse image
IMDone icon

IMDone

iMDone is a user-friendly task and project management application for Windows, Mac, iOS and Android devices. Designed for personal and professional productivity, iMDone provides an intuitive interface that allows users to easily capture tasks, set due dates and priorities, organize projects, and track progress.Key features of iMDone include:Flexible task management...
IMDone image
Todotxt.net icon

Todotxt.net

todotxt.net is an open source, text-based task management system for command-line users. It uses a plain text file synced between devices to store a hierarchical set of to-do lists and notes. The philosophy behind todotxt is simplicity and speed.With todotxt, you create todo.txt files wherever you need them - on...
Todotxt.net image
Getting Things GNOME icon

Getting Things GNOME

Getting Things GNOME (GTG) is an open source personal task and to-do manager for Linux desktops using the GNOME environment. It helps users organize and track personal tasks, goals, and projects in a hierarchical structure.Some key features of GTG include:Hierarchical task organization allowing tasks to be broken down into sub-tasksTags...
Getting Things GNOME image
Tasktop icon

Tasktop

Tasktop is an end-to-end Agile and DevOps management platform that provides complete visibility into software delivery across the enterprise. It integrates development planning, work tracking, collaboration, testing, delivery and monitoring tools and automates manual processes through its Tasktop Integration Hub.Key features and benefits of Tasktop include:Integrates disparate ALM and DevOps...
Tasktop image
Pi Reminder icon

Pi Reminder

Pi Reminder is a productivity app designed to help you stay focused and take regular breaks using the Pomodoro technique. The app allows you to set a timer for 25 minutes of focused work, followed by a 5 minute break.Some key features of Pi Reminder:Customizable work/break durations - Set the...
Pi Reminder image
Simpletask Cloudless icon

Simpletask Cloudless

Simpletask Cloudless is an open-source, self-hosted to-do app and task manager. It provides a simple yet powerful way to create tasks, projects, tags, contexts to organize your work and responsibilities.As Simpletask Cloudless is self-hosted, it gives you full control over your data privacy and security - all your tasks and...
Simpletask Cloudless image
TodoListMe icon

TodoListMe

TodoListMe is a free, web-based to-do list and task management application. It provides users with an easy way to organize tasks, set reminders, and increase productivity.With TodoListMe, users can create multiple to-do lists for home, work, or other aspects of life. Within each to-do list, tasks can be given a...
TodoListMe image
DoItRight icon

DoItRight

DoItRight is a comprehensive task and project management software designed to help teams organize work, manage tasks and projects, and boost productivity. Here are some of the key features of DoItRight:Intuitive task lists and kanban boards to visualize work and track progressPowerful project management with Gantt charts, dependencies, milestones, budgets,...
DoItRight image
Nibras PKM icon

Nibras PKM

Nibras PKM is a free and open-source personal knowledge management and note-taking application. It is designed to help users organize information like notes, web pages, documents, quotes, ideas, and more in one central place for easy access and reference.Some key features of Nibras PKM include:Flexible note organization using notebooks and...
Nibras PKM image
Five.Today icon

Five.Today

Five.Today is a free personal assistant application designed to help users stay organized, increase productivity, and manage their time effectively. It provides a range of tools and features that serve as an all-in-one solution for task, note, list and calendar management.At its core, Five.Today functions similarly to other productivity apps...
Five.Today image
QTodoTxt 2 icon

QTodoTxt 2

QTodoTxt 2 is a free, open source to-do list manager that focuses on simplicity, flexibility, and productivity.Some key features include:Uses plain text files for storing task lists, minimizing lock-in concernsAvailable on Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, and CLIRobust quick add options and keyboard shortcuts for fast task entryPowerful tag, filter, and...
QTodoTxt 2 image
Topydo icon

Topydo

Topydo is an open-source, command-line-based task and to-do list manager. It allows you to quickly create a list of tasks, set priorities, organize them into projects or contexts, assign due dates, and track their completion status.Some key features of Topydo include:Simple syntax for adding and editing tasksFlexible tagging system to...
Topydo image
Tudumo icon

Tudumo

Tudumo is a web analytics and visitor feedback service aimed at small business owners and solopreneurs. It provides easy-to-understand analytics about your website traffic and visitor behavior in a user-friendly dashboard.Some key features of Tudumo include:Traffic analytics showing your daily, weekly, and monthly visitors, bounce rates, pages per visit etc.Insights...
DoTimely Hub icon

DoTimely Hub

DoTimely Hub is a comprehensive project management and team collaboration software designed to help organize projects, facilitate planning and tracking of work, and enable seamless communication for teams.Key features of DoTimely Hub include:Project plans and roadmaps to visualize key milestonesTasks with statuses, assignments, deadlines to manage workShared calendars and Gantt...
DoTimely Hub image
Todo.EXE icon

Todo.EXE

Todo.EXE is a popular productivity app designed to help users organize their tasks and stay on top of their to-do lists. First released in 2007, Todo.EXE has since become one of the most widely-used task managers for Windows users.At its core, Todo.EXE allows you to create lists of items you...
Dstask icon

Dstask

dstask is an open-source task management application designed for individuals and teams to plan projects, manage tasks, track time, and collaborate effectively. Here are some key features of dstask:Flexible task management with custom task lists, prioritization, assignments, attachments, comments and moreProject planning capabilities like Gantt charts, milestones, and resource allocationTime...
Dstask image
Gnome To Do icon

Gnome To Do

Gnome To Do is a free and open-source todo list and task management application designed for Linux desktop environments using the GNOME stack. It provides a fast, minimalist interface for organizing personal tasks and lists on a GNOME-based Linux distribution.Some key features of Gnome To Do include:Create multiple customizable todo...
Gnome To Do image
MyMaelstrom icon

MyMaelstrom

MyMaelstrom is a free, open source ambience generator and background noise machine that runs on Windows, Mac and Linux. It lets you mix and combine a variety of high quality looping audio samples such as rain, thunder, wind, sea waves, birds, cafe chatter, keyboard sounds and more to create unique...
Yokadi icon

Yokadi

Yokadi is an open-source, command-line-based task and todo list manager originally developed for Linux. It provides a simple yet powerful interface for organizing tasks, setting due dates, adding descriptive tags, and viewing tasks in multiple ways.Some key features of Yokadi include:Plain text storage of tasks, making it lightweight and cross-platform...
Yokadi image
NoProb To-Do List icon

NoProb To-Do List

NoProb To-Do List is a user-friendly to-do list and task management application. It provides a straightforward interface to create multiple customizable to-do lists to organize all your tasks in one place.With NoProb you can easily add tasks, set due dates and reminders, mark tasks as complete, and prioritize important items....
NoProb To-Do List image
Alinof ToDoList icon

Alinof ToDoList

Alinof ToDoList is a free to-do list application for Windows designed to help users organize, prioritize, and track tasks and activities. With its simple and intuitive interface, Alinof ToDoList makes it easy to create multiple customizable to-do lists for home, work, or any other aspects of life.Key features of Alinof...
Alinof ToDoList image
DevTodo icon

DevTodo

DevTodo is a user-friendly web-based task and project management application built with developers in mind. It offers a simple, no-nonsense interface for creating to-do lists, planning projects, assigning tasks, and tracking progress.Some key features of DevTodo include:Intuitive task creation and prioritization using tags, start/due dates, comments, checklists, and attachmentsProject overviews...
DevTodo image
GTD Simple icon

GTD Simple

GTD Simple is a free, open-source web application designed to help users implement the Getting Things Done (GTD) methodology for personal task and project management. Developed by Sebastien Le Callonnec, GTD Simple aims to provide an easy-to-use system for capturing, organizing, reviewing and doing the tasks and projects that we...
GTD Simple image
ReminderFox icon

ReminderFox

ReminderFox is a free calendar and task management extension for the Firefox web browser. It provides users with an easy way to set reminders, organize tasks, and manage events directly within Firefox.Some key features of ReminderFox include:Create reminders for upcoming tasks and eventsSet custom reminders with date/time or location-based triggersOrganize...
ReminderFox image
Jdotxt icon

Jdotxt

jdotxt is a free and open source plain text editor focused on efficiency, privacy, and usability. It was created as an alternative to Evernote and similar commercial note-taking applications. At its core, jdotxt allows you to quickly capture notes, to-dos, and other bits of text in .txt files. But it...
Jdotxt image
Domestica icon

Domestica

Domestica is an open-source, self-hosted home inventory and household organizer software. It provides a centralized place for households to track possessions, manage chores, store important documents, and more.Key features of Domestica include:Home Inventory Management - Catalog belongings with details like purchase date, warranty info, serial numbers, product links, photos, labels,...
Quicktask (Vim plugin) icon

Quicktask (Vim plugin)

Quicktask is a productivity-focused Vim plugin that aims to help developers and writers manage their tasks and notes efficiently, without ever needing to leave their text editor. At its core, Quicktask allows you to create todo lists, take notes, set reminders, tag items, and search through all your tasks/notes in...
Quicktask (Vim plugin) image
Mirakel icon

Mirakel

Mirakel is an open-source to-do list and task management application developed specifically for the Android platform. It was created to provide Android users with an effective way to stay organized and productive on-the-go.Some key features of Mirakel include:Intuitive interface for easily adding, editing, and managing tasksSupport for recurring tasks and...
Mirakel image
Effitask icon

Effitask

Effitask is a comprehensive yet easy-to-use project management and task tracking software designed for agencies, businesses, and teams. It provides a wide range of features to help you plan projects, assign tasks, track time, share files, and get work done more efficiently.With Effitask, you can create tasks and subtasks, set...
Effitask image
SwiftoDo icon

SwiftoDo

SwiftoDo is a popular to-do list and task management application for Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android devices. It provides users with an easy way to organize tasks, set reminders, track progress, and boost productivity.Some key features of SwiftoDo include:Intuitive interface - The app has a clean, simple design that allows...
SwiftoDo image
Got to Do icon

Got to Do

Got to Do is a popular cross-platform personal task and to-do list manager app for Windows, macOS, Android and iOS devices. It provides a simple yet powerful way to stay organized and productive across all your devices.Key features of Got to Do include:Intuitive interface for creating to-do lists and tasks...
Got to Do image