Todoist is a polished pure to-do app with fast natural-language capture. Orbit is a simple AI-powered CRM with a full GTD task system built in: Inbox, Today, Next, Waiting, and Someday, plus unlimited tasks, projects, and a calendar, all free. Todoist is a great standalone list. Orbit keeps each task attached to the person or deal it is for.
Todoist is one of the most refined to-do apps ever made. Type "call Dana Friday 3pm" and it parses the date, time, and project on its own. It runs everywhere, syncs fast, and stays out of your way. For a clean personal or work list, it is a safe, popular default.
It also has years of polish behind small things: recurring tasks, labels, filters, and a calm design that makes daily planning feel light. If all you want is a fast, focused place to track tasks, with no contacts or deals attached, Todoist is a strong pick. Check their site for current pricing and plan limits.
Side by side on tasks, plus the CRM layer Todoist does not have.
| Orbit | Todoist | |
|---|---|---|
| GTD lists (Inbox, Today, Next, Waiting, Someday) | Build your own with projects and filters | |
| Unlimited tasks on the free plan | Free | Free tier has caps, check their site |
| Tasks linked to contacts and deals | ||
| Built-in CRM (contacts and pipeline) | 250 contacts and 1 pipeline free | |
| Calendar with drag-to-schedule | Calendar layout, check their site | |
| Built-in email inbox | 100 emails/mo free, send and receive | |
| AI assistant | Hiro, with free monthly credits | Check their site |
| Free plan | $0 forever, no card | Free tier, check their site |
| Price | Free, or Pro $14/mo | Check their site for current pricing |
Most dropped balls are not forgotten tasks. They are forgotten follow-ups with a specific person. Todoist keeps a great list, but the list does not know who each item is for. In Orbit, "call Dana back" sits on Dana's timeline next to the last thing you talked about, so context comes with the reminder.
Orbit gives you a full GTD system free, and it is also a free CRM and a free to-do list app in one. If you only ever need tasks, Todoist is lighter. If your tasks and your people belong together, Orbit keeps them in one place. If you want a pure list first, our Todoist alternatives page covers that too.
A pure to-do app forgets who the task was for. Orbit keeps the task and the person together.
Yes, if your tasks are tangled up with people and deals. Orbit is a free CRM with a full GTD task system: Inbox, Today, Next, Waiting, Someday, unlimited tasks, and projects. Todoist is a stronger pick if you want a pure to-do app with no contacts or pipeline attached.
Yes. Tasks, projects, and GTD lists are free on every Orbit plan, with no limit on how many you create and no credit card. The free plan also includes up to 250 contacts, one pipeline, a calendar, notes, and 100 emails a month from a built-in inbox.
Orbit has quick capture with the c key from anywhere, and an AI assistant, Hiro, that can create and sort tasks for you from plain language. For exact parsing behavior in Todoist, check their site, since features change over time.
Yes. Any task can attach to a contact or a deal, so it shows on that person's timeline. This is the main difference from a standalone to-do app: your task list knows who each item is for, and the follow-up sits next to the last conversation.
Orbit is free forever with no credit card. Pro is $14 a month or $112 a year and adds two-way Google Calendar sync, the Chrome extension, unlimited contacts and pipelines, and more. AI credits are included free every month on every plan.
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. If you want a pure task app with no CRM, Todoist may fit better.
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