A TickTick alternative for Apple people.
TickTick is a brilliant all-in-one — tasks, calendar, habits, and a Pomodoro timer in one cheap app on every platform. Zoro is the opposite bet: a focused native kanban for iPhone and Mac, with priorities, sizes, a one-time price, and your data in your own iCloud. If you're all-Apple and want a board, not a Swiss Army knife, this page is for you.
The short version
TickTick does everything. Zoro does one thing.
TickTick is genuinely good, and it's a fair fight on price — a few dollars a month buys a task manager, a calendar, a habit tracker, and a focus timer. That breadth is the whole pitch. Zoro makes the opposite trade: no calendar, no habits, no timer — just a native Apple board with three priorities, three effort sizes, and a quick way to cut a task. If you want it all in one place, stay with TickTick. If you want a quiet board on your own devices, that's Zoro.
When to pick what
Use the right tool for the job.
Use TickTick if…
- You want tasks, a calendar, habits, and Pomodoro in one app.
- You use Android, Windows, or the web — not just Apple.
- You love natural-language input ("pay rent every 1st").
- You're happy with a cheap recurring subscription.
- Habit tracking or a built-in calendar matters to you.
Use Zoro if…
- You're all-Apple and want native iPhone + Mac apps.
- You want a kanban board with priorities and effort sizes.
- You'd rather pay $59.99 once (or $19.99/year) than subscribe forever.
- You want your data in your own iCloud, not on a vendor's servers.
- You want fewer features on purpose — just a board.
Feature comparison
Side by side.
| Feature | Zoro | TickTick |
|---|---|---|
| Built for one person | Yes | Yes (individual-focused) |
| List + kanban views | Both | Both (+ calendar, timeline) |
| Three priorities (P1/P2/P3) | Native | Has priority levels |
| S/M/L effort sizing | Native | No effort sizing |
| Built-in calendar / habits / Pomodoro | No (by design) | Yes — all three |
| Natural-language input | Basic | Strong |
| iPhone + Mac native apps | Yes | Yes |
| Android / Windows / web | No (Apple-only) | Yes — everywhere |
| Sync between devices | iCloud | TickTick cloud |
| Where your data lives | Your iCloud | TickTick's servers |
| Works offline | Yes (local-first) | Limited |
| Pricing (1 user) | $0, $19.99/yr or $59.99 once | Free or ~$36/yr |
Pricing
What you'll actually pay.
This is the rare comparison where price isn't the headline — TickTick is genuinely cheap, and its free tier is capable. Premium runs around $36 a year (about $3/month) as of 2026 for a lot of app: tasks, calendar, habits, and a focus timer. The difference is the model. TickTick is a subscription that renews; Zoro Pro is $19.99/year, or $59.99 once and never asks again.
Zoro
- Unlimited tasks & projects
- List + kanban, P1/P2/P3, S/M/L
- iCloud sync (iPhone + Mac)
- Weekly review + reflection
- Weekly Review insight cards
- History & Trends — every week kept
- Stats dashboard
- Subtasks, custom statuses
TickTick
- Tasks, lists, basic calendar
- Habit tracking, Pomodoro timer
- Limits on lists, reminders, views
- About $3/month, billed annually
- More lists, calendar views, reminders
- Renews every year
What's actually different
The three things you'll feel right away.
Narrow on purpose.
TickTick gives you tasks, a calendar, habits, and a timer — great if you want one app for everything. Zoro deliberately ships none of that. A card has a title, a priority, a size. Less to configure, less to ignore, nothing to wade through.
Effort sizing built in.
TickTick has priorities, but no concept of how big a task is. Zoro adds S/M/L effort sizes next to P1/P2/P3, so you can plan a day by capacity, not just urgency. It's the one board feature TickTick doesn't have.
Your data, your iCloud.
TickTick stores your tasks on TickTick's servers across every platform. Zoro syncs through your own iCloud Private Database — Apple's encrypted personal store. We don't have a database to lose, sell, or shut down.
Paid once, not forever.
TickTick is cheap, but it renews every year. Zoro is $59.99 once and you're done — no annual charge, no renewal notice. A fair trade only if you don't need the calendar and habits TickTick bundles in.
FAQ
TickTick vs Zoro, answered.
Is TickTick good for one person?
Yes — it's one of the best all-in-one apps for an individual: tasks, calendar, habits, and Pomodoro in one cheap app with great natural-language input. The only catch is breadth — if you just want a focused board, all that surface can feel busy. For everything-in-one, TickTick wins; for a narrow Apple board, Zoro fits.
How much does TickTick cost?
The free tier is capable, and Premium is around $36/year (about $3/month) as of 2026 — a recurring subscription. It's genuinely cheap for what you get. Zoro is a different model: $19.99/year, $2.99/mo, or $59.99 once for lifetime Pro — pay once and you pay nothing again.
Does TickTick work on Mac and iPhone?
Yes — TickTick has native iOS and macOS apps, plus Android, Windows, web, and browser extensions, with strong sync. Zoro is Apple-only by design: native iPhone and Mac apps that sync through your own iCloud. Cross-platform? TickTick. All-Apple? Zoro's focus is the point.
What's the best TickTick alternative for Apple users?
For a native Apple kanban with priorities and effort sizes, a one-time price, and data in your own iCloud, that's Zoro. Things 3 is the best Apple GTD app, and TickTick itself still wins for a built-in calendar or habits. See our best task managers for solo founders to compare.
Cut the day into pieces.
Zoro opens in summer 2026 on iPhone and Mac. Join the waitlist for the App Store link on launch day, plus a code for half off Pro for life — $29.99 once, not $59.99.
Join the waitlist →