People leave TickTick when their tasks are really follow-ups with specific people. Orbit keeps the GTD lists you rely on, Inbox, Today, Next, Waiting, Someday, free with no task limit, but ties each task to a contact or deal. You also get a whole CRM, email, and invoices in one. Here is what changes when you switch.
TickTick is a well-built task app with lists, tags, a calendar, and habits. For a personal to-do system it holds up nicely. The reason people move is the same one that pulls them off any standalone task app: when most tasks are "follow up with a client," the task and the person live in two separate tools.
Orbit keeps the GTD structure and adds the missing half. The task system is free on every plan with no limit, and every task can attach to a contact or deal so it shows up on that person's timeline. The same workspace is a full CRM, so your free task management sits right next to your contacts, notes, and email.
Where each tool fits. For current TickTick pricing and premium limits, check their site.
| Orbit | TickTick | |
|---|---|---|
| GTD lists (Inbox, Today, Next, Waiting, Someday) | Via lists and tags | |
| Unlimited tasks and projects, free | Free | Free tier has caps |
| Quick capture shortcut | Press c anywhere | |
| Tasks linked to contacts and deals | ||
| Built-in CRM (contacts, pipeline) | Free to 250 contacts | |
| Built-in email inbox | 100/mo free | |
| Invoices and proposals | 10 free each | |
| Habits and pomodoro timer | ||
| Two-way Google Calendar sync | Any paid plan | Check their site |
| Price to start | $0 forever, no card | Check their site |
The GTD system moves over at no cost, with the CRM around it.
A paid plan (Lite $8/mo, Pro $14/mo) is optional. The task system stays free either way.
Most people finish in an afternoon.
TickTick has a few things Orbit does not. Built-in habit tracking and a pomodoro timer are part of TickTick, and Orbit is a CRM, not a habit app. TickTick is also a lighter, cheaper tool if a personal to-do list is all you want.
If you only need a personal task manager with habits and a focus timer, and you never touch contacts, deals, or invoices, stay on TickTick. Orbit is the better move when your tasks are follow-ups with clients and you want the CRM around them. For the detail, read Orbit vs TickTick.
A task app tracks what you do. A CRM tracks who you do it for, and Orbit does both.
You import contacts into Orbit from a CSV, then rebuild tasks. TickTick lists and tags become GTD lists (Inbox, Today, Next, Waiting, Someday) and TickTick projects become Orbit projects. Attach recurring follow-ups to a contact or deal. Most people finish in an afternoon.
Yes. Tasks, projects, and the GTD lists are free on every plan, with no limit and no credit card. The free plan also includes up to 250 contacts, one pipeline, a calendar, notes, and a built-in email inbox with 100 messages a month. Lite at $8 a month lifts the caps.
TickTick has built-in habit tracking and a pomodoro focus timer, which Orbit does not, because Orbit is a CRM. TickTick is also lighter and cheaper if a personal to-do list is all you want. Orbit adds value when your tasks are follow-ups tied to contacts and deals.
Lite is $8 a month and adds two-way Google Calendar sync, the Chrome extension, unlimited contacts and pipelines, email at 2,000 a month, and open and click tracking. Pro is $14 a month and adds the MCP server, the meeting recorder, and more AI credits. The task system stays free on every plan.
Yes. Orbit has one assistant named Hiro, opened with Cmd or Ctrl J. Hiro can sort tasks, draft follow-ups, and update contacts and deals. AI is included with free monthly credits and no API key to paste, and nothing sends until you approve it.
People running a business mostly alone: founders, consultants, freelancers, recruiters, and small teams whose to-do list is really a list of follow-ups with clients. It is not a sales-team CRM like Salesforce, and it is not a pure personal task app.
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