15 Best Must-Have Personal Task Management Tools (Free + Paid)

Have you been thinking of adopting a personal task management software but are not sure which one to go for, considering the overwhelming number of tools available on the market?

Well, don’t worry! We’re here to help.

Tools for managing personal tasks help outline your work in an easy-to-access place. Using these, you can set up project dashboards and create your to-do lists indicating the tasks to be delivered along with their due dates and level of priority. This way, you do not initiate work on other tasks and projects, pushing the ongoing work further down the schedule. If this happens, then you will not only delay the ongoing project but also end up disturbing the schedule of the upcoming projects and tasks. 

Thus, these tools ensure you have your work clearly laid out and you do not take on more than you can effectively deliver.

Simply put, a personal task management tool offers a forward-looking plan of action, enabling you to follow a clear-cut path of project execution while achieving your goals on time and within budget.

In this blog, we will look at the top 15 personal task management software along with their features, pros, cons, and pricing in detail.

What Is the Difference Between a Personal Task Management Software and a Professional One?

Contrary to popular belief, personal and professional task management software are not the same. Yes, both help you manage tasks at the end of the day, but the capabilities required and the scale at which it is used are what differentiates the two.

While a professional task management tool will be equipped with capabilities such as instant messaging, resource management, and baseline comparison, a personal task management tool might not offer you these but work perfectly fine for handling personal tasks for an individual. Likewise, a personal task management tool might not offer scalability, which is again fine for an individual looking to keep track of their tasks during a certain duration of time.

Why Do You Need a Tool for Personal Project Management?

Let’s admit it! We all need an action plan to accomplish our daily tasks on time. For this, we require a medium that can help track tasks and tick them off once they’re done. This is exactly what a personal task management software does.

So, let’s check out the advantages of onboarding the best personal task management software.

1. Smooth Task Management

An ideal tool enables you to carry out your tasks smoothly from start to finish. It allows you to create your schedule, assign tasks to yourself, and define the due dates. This paves the way for hassle-free execution as you have a well-planned, crystal-clear workflow right in front of you.

2. Effortless Task Prioritization

While you go about setting up your tasks, it is important to establish their priority level. Setting taks priority ensures that you take up the time-sensitive or important tasks first. This further ensures that you are done with tasks that require your undivided attention and expertise. Thus, you can view the priority levels using the tool and approach tasks in order of their importance.

3. Real-Time Alerts & Notifications

We’re humans and we may miss out on important dates while managing tasks. For this reason, a tool offers real-time alerts and notifications that make sure that you are aware of an approaching deadline and start working on it immediately. So, set up task alerts and notifications and never let the deadlines bog you down.

4. Easily Customizable Views

The best personal project management tool offers easy customization. Whether you wish to analyze progress with a big-picture view of your tasks using a Gantt chart or want increased visibility into tasks with a Kanban board, a tool allows you to do it all simply by switching to a different view within seconds. Also, you can customize the way your dashboard looks or customize your workflows to adjust to changing needs and requirements.

5. Ready-to-Use Templates

Using a tool’s templates is a convenient and faster way to get started. These are professionally designed and easy to use. You simply have to tweak a few task names, add in the deadlines, and you’re good to go! Besides, you can prioritize tasks and view the progress the same way as you do when you build your workflow from scratch.

6. Accurate Time Tracking

The time tracking ability of a tool is your personal project tracker. With this, you can track which tasks end up taking most of your time so you can set a more accurate timeline the next time you set up a similar task’s deadline. This will ensure that you encounter lesser or no instances of missed deadlines due to misappropriation of the amount of work on a task.

7. On-the-Go Access

In today’s world, accessibility is a given. So, whether you need to buy groceries right from your couch or need to manage your tasks from anywhere and anytime, you don’t need to grapple with anything. The right task management tool will enable you to control all the moving parts of your workflow right from where you are.

Read More: What is Task Management & How Does a Software Help

List of the 15 Best Personal Task Management Tools

With hundreds of personal task management tools available in the market today, it’s not easy to select ‘the one’ for your business.

But, don’t worry. We have done all the heavy lifting and curated a list of the top 15 task management software that you can choose from.

Let’s get right into it!

1. ProProfs Project

Capterra Score: 4.7/5

G2 Score: 4.4/5

ProProfs Project is a one-stop solution for all your personal task management needs. It promises a quick setup and ensures that you achieve what you’ve set yourself up for within the set timeline.

The tool acts as your personal project manager to help you stay ahead of your tasks and hit your goals faster. You can prioritize tasks and set dependencies between tasks, giving you ultimate control over how you execute tasks. Also, the tool comes with an impressive visualization ability that ensures real-time visibility into task progress. Besides, its reporting capabilities give rich insights into key project metrics effortlessly.

Key Features of ProProfs Project:

• Set up recurring tasks for time-consuming and repetitive tasks
• Move tasks across the dashboard with a quick drag and drop
• Set task start and end dates for greater clarity regarding task timeline
• View progress using Gantt chart, Kanban board, and Calendar view
• User-friendly and intuitive interface helps you accomplish more in lesser time

Pros	Cons
1. The tool offers affordable plans, apt for individuals looking to manage their personal tasks.	1. There’s no option to set up milestones.
2. It helps in personal project planning and creating schedules that establish clear-cut task workflows.	2. The tool needs more options for integration apart from Zapier.
3. Track time and analyze which tasks take up most of your productive hours.
4. Measure task progress via insightful reports.
5. Get notifications for approaching tasks and activities and never miss a deadline.

Pricing:

Starts at $39.97/month.

2. Trello

Capterra Score: 4.5/5

G2 Score: 4.4/5

Trello, a Kanban-style task management tool, is great for handling personal work. It lets you split your work into manageable lists. Using these lists, you can plan your schedule for the day and keep track of overall progress and upcoming events, thus boosting productivity.

Key Features of Trello:

• Get started within minutes with ready-to-use templates
• Monitor deadlines using Calendar view
• Integrate with popular third-party applications
• Monitor tasks using Dashboard, Timeline, and Workspace table view
• Easy drag and drop editing for tasks

Pros	Cons
1.  It offers advanced checklists to track which tasks are done and which ones are pending.	1. There’s no offline access.
2. Its no-code, built-in automation takes over time-consuming and repetitive tasks.	2. It’s difficult to handle too many tasks across multiple projects.
3. Visualize tasks along with their assignees, due dates, and file attachments.	3. It offers limited storage.

Pricing: 

Starts at $0.

3. Asana

Capterra Score: 4.5/5

G2 Score: 4.3/5

Asana is a feature-rich personal task management app that offers a simple platform that is easy to onboard and navigate. You can view progress using List, Board, and Calendar view. Also, you can create sections for tasks and view work according to a specific category.

Key Features of Asana:

• Drag and drop your tasks
• Sort your tasks the way you like
• Get automatic comments for approaching deadlines
• Save time by adding automation to your tasks
• Access data on iOS and Android

Pros	Cons
1. Check which tasks are lined up using the ‘My Tasks’ view.	1. It does not offer time tracking.
2. Customize the project dashboard with just a few clicks to adjust to project and team needs.	2. You cannot assign multiple users to a task.
3. Track the entire workflow along with the allocated users and deadlines in one place.	3. The tool is not easily scalable.

Pricing:

Starts at $0.

Read More: Asana Pricing Guide for Managing Projects in 2022

4. Airtable

Capterra Score: 4.7/5

G2 Score: 4.6/5

Airtable is one of the best personal project management tools for tracking personal goals and tasks. You can view your tasks for the week and check which tasks are completed and which are still pending. The tool lets you set up task status as ‘Canceled,’ ‘Needs Follow-up,’ ‘Started,’ ‘Not Started,’ and much more so that you know exactly what the task status is at a glance.

Key Features of Airtable:

• Start work immediately using templates
• Integrate across platforms for additional features
• Collaborate with team members via comments
• Create sections for tasks
• Use color and formatting options

Pros	Cons
1. You can add details for each task right next to task status.	1. Users can find it difficult to navigate in the beginning.
2. Monitor your tasks with useful Gantt, Kanban, and Calendar views.	2. It faces frequent load speed issues.
3. It gives you access to Personal and Locked views.	3. It lacks comprehensive reporting.

Pricing: 

Starts at $0.

5. Microsoft To-Do

Capterra Score: 4.5/5

G2 Score: 4.4/5

Microsoft To-Do is one of the efficient to-do list apps. It is your daily planner that helps set up tasks, add due dates, and stay on track throughout the day. This way, you can speed up the workflow and get done with your tasks sooner than expected. Also, you can set up reminders for tasks so that nothing slips through the cracks.

Key Features of Microsoft-To-Do:

• Take notes and never miss a thing
• Easy-to-use, secure platform
• Sync data across iPhone, Android, Windows, and the web
• Share files from anywhere and anytime
• Create subtasks and make work more manageable

Pros	Cons
1. You can add your tasks to ‘My Day’ within seconds and prioritize them.	1. The tool’s widget is not easy to use.
2. You can store documents for tasks and access them when needed.	2. It lacks powerful automation.
3. Share your to-do list with whoever you want.	3. Its customer support is not very good.

Pricing: 

Starts at $63/year.

6. Google Task

Capterra Score: Not available

G2 Score: Not available

Google task is personal project management software that helps streamline your day-to-day tasks. You can create and edit a task to adjust to existing task requirements. It lets you create task lists consisting of your most important to-dos simply by long-pressing the app’s icon.

Key Features of Google Task:

• Multi-device data sync
• Secures all your data in one place
• Set up automatic reminders for tasks
• Set start and end dates for all tasks and subtasks
• Add descriptions to tasks

Pros	Cons
1. Create, edit, and manage tasks on the go.	1. You cannot reorder the tasks within lists.
2. Integrate with Gmail and Google Calendar to get work done faster.	2. It’s difficult to set up a reminder for tasks from Gmail.
3. Create a subtask under your tasks for better efficacy.	3. It lacks good customization options.

Pricing: 

Get in touch with the company for a quote.

7. Todoist

Capterra Score: 4.6/5

G2 Score: 4.4/5

Todoist is one of the best to-do list tools. It helps organize your work by adding tasks and assigning tasks to yourself. You can even set up recurring task due dates, saving time and effort simultaneously. Moreover, the tool allows you to personalize your task views, thus making it easier to track progress on the go.

Key Features of Todoist:

• Set up task reminders
• Store unlimited activity history
• Save data with auto-backups
• Access priority support 24/7
• Professionally-designed templates for a quick start to work

Pros	Cons
1. Sort tasks using Today, Upcoming, and custom Filter views.	1. It offers limited recurring tasks.
2. Customize the to-do list using filters, labels, and priorities.	2. You cannot tag people in Docs.
3. Link Todoist with 30+ tools such as calendar, voice assistant, and more.	3. The tool’s tech support is not very responsive.

Pricing: 

Starts at $0.

Read More: 15 Best Project Planning Tools and Software List

8. ClickUp

Capterra Score: 4.7/5

G2 Score: 4.7/5

ClickUp is a personalized daily task management software for individuals. Using List, Board, and Calendar views, you can visualize how far you are from achieving your goals in real-time. This helps you stay informed and work towards your goals more efficiently. Also, you can prioritize work so that you start the important or urgent tasks first.

Key Features of ClickUp:

• Tick off items from your checklist to analyze where you stand
• Set task dependencies for tasks so that you know how to proceed
• Track how you spend your time during the day
• Take notes and link them to your tasks
• Automate routine tasks and save time

Pros	Cons
1. Plan and prioritize tasks for the day for smooth execution.	1. The tool lacks insightful project reports.
2. Take up more work only after analyzing your workload using the tool.	2. The tool can be overwhelming to set up at first.
3. Build your task dashboard for a well-organized workflow.	3. It does not offer good mobile access.

Pricing: 

Starts at $0.

Read More: 16 Best ClickUp Alternatives & Competitors (Features+Comparison)

9. Any.do

Capterra Score: 4.4/5

G2 Score: 4.1/5

Any.do helps bring calm to the everyday individual project management process. It helps keep everything together and start-off tasks one by one with a crystal clear workflow in place. Its task management ability lets you create a task and sync the updated data to your laptop, desktop, mobile, and even your smartwatch within seconds!

Key Features of Any.do:

• Add smart reminders for tasks so that nothing slips your mind
• Connect with Google calendar and sync data easily
• Add Whatsapp reminders and turn Whatsapp messages into tasks
• Organize your tasks using color tags
• Attach files to tasks for easy access

Pros	Cons
1. It offers a simple and intuitive UI.	1. Events don’t show up on the to-do lists.
2. You can set up one-time, recurring, and location-based reminders.	2. The tool doesn’t let you create subtasks.
3. Access data on multiple devices with data sync within seconds.	3. Its customer service needs improvement.

Pricing: 

Starts at $2.99/month.

10. Evernote

Capterra Score: 4.4/5

G2 Score: 4.4/5

Evernote is an excellent personal task management application. It helps organize your schedule and link tasks to the calendar with maximum ease. You can access text from anywhere within the tool, whether in a note or an attachment. Also, the app enables you to connect both personal, and workplace Google Calendar accounts as per your need.

Key Features of Evernote:

• Use filters to analyze task progress the way you want
• Access data even when you’re offline
• Create custom templates according to your convenience
• Export notebooks as PDF files
• Use Boolean terms for better search results

Pros	Cons
1. Set reminders and flags for upcoming task due dates.	1. The tool offers limited cloud storage.
2. Mark up images and PDFs for the increased context of related tasks.	2. It doesn’t allow for saving and syncing data offline.
3. Customize the tool’s Home dashboard and workflow templates.	3. Its Free Plan does not offer very useful features.

Pricing:

Starts at $3.21/user/month.

11. Notion

Capterra Score: 4.8/5

G2 Score: 4.6/5

Notion, one of the best to-do list tools, helps manage personal tasks with maximum efficiency. You can categorize your tasks under different columns for enhanced visibility. These columns may be ‘Today,’ ‘Later,’ ‘Low Priority,’ ‘High Priority,’ ‘In Progress,’ or ‘Completed.’ Once you’re done, you can check off the tasks and achieve them.

Key Features of Notion:

• Smart notifications to always stay informed
• Add icons to page titles
• Access data across the web, desktop, and mobile apps
• Adjust workflows with easy drag and drop
• Start work head-on with community-made templates

Pros	Cons
1. You can assign each task its own page where you can store all information related to the task such as images, tags, priority level, etc.	1. It might require some initial training for users.
2. Get reminded of scheduled tasks as per the set due date.	2. The tool lacks insightful reporting.
3. Track project progress via table, list, calendar, Kanban, gallery, and timeline view.	3. More this-party applications can be integrated for better functionality.

Pricing: 

Starts at $0.

Read More: 20+ Best Task Management Software in 2022 (Free & Paid)

12. Remember The Milk

Capterra Score: 4.4/5

G2 Score: 4.5/5

Remember the milk is a personal task management software that caters to tasks much like its name! It helps set up your daily tasks faster with ‘Smart Add’ on the desktop using a keyboard shortcut. The platform’s ‘Favorite’ feature allows you to add your favorite lists, tags, locations, and contacts under a Favorites group.

Key Features of Remember the milk:

• Integrate with other applications using Zapier
• Automate workflows within seconds
• Attach files to your tasks
• Break down a task into manageable chunks known as subtasks
• Re-order your tasks with a simple drag and drop

Pros	Cons
1. Visually-appealing interface.	1. The tool has a high learning curve.
2. Using ‘Zaps’ can help you add tasks and share them with third-party applications.	2. It needs a better mobile application.
3. The Gmail add-on allows you to create tasks without leaving the inbox.	3. It’s not easy to sort tasks to visualize where they stand.

Pricing: 

Starts at $0.

13. Things

Capterra Score: 4.9/5

G2 Score: 4.4/5

Things is one of the best to-do list tools for taking control of your workflow. You can add tags, checklists, and a timeline to your to-dos easily. You can even segregate tasks using separate lists for Morning and Evening. This helps in differentiating what needs to be done soon and what can be done later without affecting the final outcome of the scheduled tasks.

Key Features of Things:

• Set up repetitive tasks as repeating to-dos
• Create headings for separate categories, milestones, etc.
• Don’t let anything slip through the cracks with Checklists
• Send a new to-do into your Inbox with drag-and-drop functionality
• Search and navigate through the tool using Quick Find

Pros	Cons
1. It offers a beautiful and user-friendly platform.	1. Task reminders can be enhanced for better accuracy.
2. Set up task lists and organize them for better visibility.	2. The Slim Mode, which brings the sidebar down with a two-finger swipe, is not very impactful.
3. The Calendar events display the to-dos as well.	3. The tool doesn’t let you add tasks to the to-do list, ‘Things’ via mail.

Pricing: 

Get in touch with the company for a quote.

14. ToodleDo

Capterra Score: 4.2/5

G2 Score: 4.2/5

ToodleDo is great for structuring your everyday task list and checking how things are moving forward. You can make task notes that you can refer to anytime. The tool lets you set up custom alarms for tasks, ensuring that you get things done well within the defined timeline. Moreover, you can even track time spent on a particular task.

Key Features of ToddleDo:

• Save time by setting up recurring tasks
• Create subtasks for easier task organization
• Create and share lists of tasks with anybody
• Set and track your life goals
• Unlimited device sync

Pros	Cons
1. It is a flexible tool, apt for tracking and improving daily productivity.	1. The tool offers an outdated IU.
2. Time tracking for tasks ensures that you know exactly where you are spending your time during the day.	2. Tool’s task scheduling capabilities need some improvement.
3. The Hotlist displays the most important tasks scheduled are.	3. Its mobile application keeps crashing.

Pricing: 

Starts at $0.

Read More: Top Time Management Strategies For Efficient Working

15. Smartsheet

Capterra Score: 4.5/5

G2 Score: 4.4/5

Smartsheet, a spreadsheet-like platform, is one of the best personal project management apps. It lets you organize and prioritize your tasks so that you can get done with the important, urgent, or impactful tasks right at the onset. Also, you can set up subtasks for better task management and create dependencies between tasks so that you know which tasks to accomplish first.

Key Features of Smartsheet:

• Manage tasks with row-level comments and attachments
• Stay updated with ongoing progress with its robust mobile application
• Automate routine and manual tasks, directing your efforts to focus on the work that really matters
• Save relevant files and docs with tasks
• Access unlimited tasks and workspaces

Pros	Cons
1. Analyze progress via the grid, card, calendar, and Gantt views.	1.  Its UI is a little difficult to navigate in the beginning.
2. Integrate with powerful third-party apps for added features and functionality.	2. The tool needs better task alerts and notifications.
3. Set up time tracking to gain insight into your day’s activities.	3. Users often complain of lagging issues such as software hangs and crashes.

Pricing: 

Starts at $7/user/month.

How to Choose the Best Personal Task Management Tool?

Choosing a personal project management software from hundreds of options available in the market is not easy. But you can make the process easier by taking into account some key criteria while selecting a tool for your daily goals management.

1. Core Personal Task Management Features

The best personal project management app offers some key features that are indispensable for good task management. These features include customizable views, task notifications, time tracking, and on-the-go access. These features ensure that you are equipped with everything you need for tracking and completing your tasks as per the day’s schedule.

2. Affordability

When you’re simply looking to streamline processes and increase the day’s output for your own work, you don’t want to spend a fortune on a tool, right? Thus, it is imperative that you take a look at a tool’s pricing structure before adopting it. Look at the features that it offers in its various plans. 

Does it offer a free trial for you to test the tool’s efficacy before actually going ahead and investing in it? 

Will you be able to invest in the tool even if you run into minor losses in the future? 

These are some of the questions you must ask yourself before selecting a tool. After carefully reviewing, go for a tool that is affordable in the long term.

3. Android/iOS app version

For you to manage your daily tasks, you must be able to track your progress regardless of where you are. And for this, you need a tool that you can access using an Android/iOS app version. This powers you with the ease of handling tasks, leading to effortless personal project management.

4. User-Friendly, No-Code Platform

A task management software for individuals should be easy to onboard and navigate. It shouldn’t require any training and should come with a low or no learning curve. Why? Because if a tool has a high learning curve, a user is most likely to abandon the tool, searching for an uncomplicated one.

5. Guest Access

There are times when you wish to include someone else in your daily task management process. This means that you would like an external user to stay in the loop of how your tasks are progressing. For this, you need a tool that allows this access to the user. Thus, choose a tool that offers external access to task workflows simply with a click. Note that guests can view whatever work they are assigned to but they cannot make any changes to it.

6. Good Software Vendor Support

You may face a scenario wherein you face a bug or encounter any other issue regarding a tool’s features and functionality. Here, you need a tool that provides 24/7 support and helps you overcome any hiccups at the earliest. This is where good vendor support comes into the picture. So, select a tool that promises impressive vendor support.

7. Listed on Top Review Platforms

A tool must be listed on top review platforms such as Capterra, G2, and SoftwareWorld. Being listed on such esteemed platforms lends credibility to a tool’s functionality. It assures that the tool is noteworthy and offers qualitative features that help get rid of inefficiencies for enhanced task visibility, improved workflow, and better productivity.

Read More: Best 15 Project Management App for Android in 2022

Comparison of Best Personal Task Management Software

Drive Better Productivity with a Solid Personal Task Management Tool

Remember how you used to create a bucket list of all the things you wished to do during a time period and tick them off one by one as you achieved them? Well, personal task management tools are pretty much the same. They outline everything you wish to do and display the amount of work accomplished in the end. This helps stay on track while enhancing efficiently at the same time.
Choose a personal task management software that best suits your needs. Onboarding the right tool will prove to be a game-changer for your personal task management activities and help you stay on top of your productivity game.