A TickTick alternative without the subscription
Want a TickTick alternative without the subscription? NanoDo is a minimalist iPhone to-do app built around one ritual: three things a day, checked off from your lock screen. The app is free, with no account; Pro is a one-time €9.99, never a subscription. TickTick packs a calendar, habits and a Pomodoro timer across platforms; NanoDo does one small thing, calmly.
| NanoDo | TickTick | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free · €9.99 Pro | Subscription, ~$36/yr (Premium) |
| One-time, no subscription | Yes | No |
| Works without an account | Yes | No |
| Daily three-things ritual | Yes | No |
| Lock-screen focus task (Live Activity) | Yes | No |
| Beyond Apple (Android, Windows) | No | Yes |
| Projects, labels & power features | No | Yes |
Where TickTick is the better choice
TickTick is the better choice if you want a calendar, habit tracker and Pomodoro timer in one app, across iOS, Android, Windows and the web. Its Premium subscription unlocks the calendar views and statistics that make it a hub.
Where NanoDo fits
NanoDo fits if you don't want a hub. It asks one question each morning and then leaves you alone: your three for today, on your lock screen. The app is free, and Pro is a one-time €9.99.
When an all-in-one becomes too much
TickTick's appeal is that it does everything: tasks, a calendar, habit tracking and a Pomodoro timer, all in one app across every platform. For a lot of people that is exactly right. For others it is the reason they start looking for an alternative. An app that tracks your habits, times your focus and plans your week is also an app with a lot of surface, a lot of settings, and a lot of small daily decisions about how to use it. When the tool meant to organise the day becomes another thing to manage, a smaller app can be a relief.
A single-purpose app makes one promise
The trade for all those features is focus. TickTick can be your calendar, your habit tracker and your task manager; NanoDo can only be your three things for today. That sounds like a limitation, and it is, on purpose. There is nothing to configure, no second view to maintain, no streak to protect. You pick three things in the morning and see them on your lock screen. If TickTick's breadth is what you wanted, keep it. If its breadth is what wore you out, the opposite is the point.
What you give up, honestly
Switching from TickTick to something this small is a real trade. You give up the built-in calendar and its multiple views, the habit tracker, the Pomodoro timer, the statistics, and sync across Android, Windows and the web, most of which sit behind the 35.99 dollar a year Premium. If you lean on any of those, keep TickTick; it earns its price. NanoDo is only the better pick when the calendar and the habits were never the part you used, and a short daily list was all you actually came for.