- 5 Best To-Do List Apps for Linux Desktop in 2023
- 1. Todoist
- 2. Ao
- 3. Getting Things GNOME
- 4. Planner
- 5. Zenkit ToDo
- Get Your Work Done Faster With These To-Do List Apps on Linux Desktop
- 1. Planner
- 2. WeekToDo Planner
- 3. Super Productivity
- 4. Go For It!
- 5. Endeavour (Previously GNOME To Do)
- 6. Todour
- 7. Task Coach
- Bonus: Terminal-based Taskwarrior to-do list app
- Wrapping Up
5 Best To-Do List Apps for Linux Desktop in 2023
Although some big-name software companies tend to stay away from Linux Desktop, Linux still has no lack of apps that can completely replace those. Whether it’s MS Office alternatives, Photoshop alternatives, or something else, Linux has plenty of good alternatives and for free. When it comes to task managing apps there’s plenty to choose from. In fact, there are so many To-Do list apps on Linux desktop you might even get confused. That’s why we have compiled a list of the 5 best To-Do list apps for Linux desktop.
To-Do list apps are one of the most abundantly available apps. This is because like a calculator or calendar app, the feature set is rather limited and there isn’t a lot to do. These are simple apps meant for simple things. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t bad and good To-Do list apps. Some can be too basic and stick with letting users organize themselves. Others could be packed with features such as calendar integrations or integration with your emails. You’ll find all kinds of apps on this small list. If you own an Android device, here are some of the best to-do list apps that you should try.
1. Todoist
To start off the list is this freemium app that strikes a good balance between simplicity and functionality. The app looks clean and minimal with a lot of white space and enough padding around elements. It boasts of a feature set that includes task delegation, productivity visualizations, Todoist boards, progress reports, and cloud backup. So, not only can users organize their tasks but also collaborate with others, such as their work colleagues.
Todist is available as a Snap package that can be installed on any distro with the following command.
sudo snap install todoist
If your system does not ship with snap built-in, check the Snap website to install it manually.
2. Ao
As mentioned in the beginning, some big-name companies tend to stay away from developing apps for Linux desktop. Some, like Microsoft, only develop apps for Linux when they really need to. That’s why apps like Skype and Microsoft Teams are available on Linux but not MS Office or even something as simple as Microsoft’s To-Do app. It’s basically Microsoft’s version of Wunderlist which was one of the best To-Do list apps, later acquired and then killed by Microsoft.
Ao is a wrapper for Microsoft’s online version of To-Do. It requires you to be online otherwise it won’t load. Naturally, to use it you’d also need a Microsoft account. The only reason it is on this list is that it makes the Microsoft To-Do app sort of available on Linux. Some of its features include black, dark, & sepia themes, automatic night mode, scalable interface, and desktop integration.
Ao can be installed from Snap using the following command.
You can also find distro-specific packages of Ao at GitHub for Arch, Red Hat, and Debian and distros based on them.
3. Getting Things GNOME
Getting Things GNOME might sound like a weird name so it is also simply called the GNOME To-Do app. In fact, it used to be called GNOME To Do. Getting Things GNOME is a simple To-Do list app designed for the GNOME desktop. If you’re using a Linux distro that shipped with the GNOME desktop, you probably already have it installed.
The app has seen an overhaul in design from when it used to be called GNOME To Do. Not only that it has also received new functionality such as the ability to open or create a task’s parent task. Other features include the ability to select and perform actions on multiple closed tasks, rename or delete tags by right-clicking on them, etc. With the tabbed interface, you can easily switch between Open, Actionable, and Closed tasks.
If you don’t already have the app, it is available as a Flatpak on Flathub. If this is the first you’re hearing of Flaptaks, here is how to install and use Flatpak on Ubuntu.
4. Planner
Planner is one of the most beautiful and robust projects or tasks list apps on Linux or any platform. It’s designed for elementary OS, so it’s not surprising that it prioritizes appearances. It allows you to add emojis to task lists in order to make a bit more fun and lively. The functionality is rather basic, like most elementary apps. It does allow you to add repeating tasks, and create separate folders or projects. The most advanced feature it has is the ability to sync with Todoist.
If you’re using elementary OS, you can find the app in the app center. For other Linux distros, there’s a Flatpak package available on Flathub. If this is the first you’re hearing of Flatpak, here is how to install and use Flatpak on Ubuntu.
5. Zenkit ToDo
Zenkit ToDo is another tasks list app for Linux that follows a freemium revenue model. While it wasn’t designed specifically with Linux in mind, it still looks rather elegant. It is one of the most feature-packed To-Do list apps available on Linux. Not only you can organize tasks but also meetings, ideas, notes, events, shopping lists, and trips. It’s a complete package and might even replace your notes app. The smart lists feature automatically organizes tasks by date and time. Other features include team collaboration, comments, reminders, recurring tasks, etc.
Zenkit ToDo has native packages available for all major Linux distros as well as a snap package. The app is also available on Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS.
While these are the best To-Do list apps for Linux that we came up with, not everyone will agree, of course. Is there another tasks app for Linux that you think should be on this list? Is there an app that you think should not be on this list? Let us know in the comments.
Get Your Work Done Faster With These To-Do List Apps on Linux Desktop
A good to-do list app helps you organize your work and be more productive by focusing on meaningful work. Here are the best to-do list apps for Linux desktop.
Getting work done is super important. If you have a planned list of things to do, it makes your work easier. So, it’s no surprise why we’re talking about to-do list apps on Linux here. Sure, you can easily utilize some of the best note-taking apps on Linux for this purpose, but using a dedicated to-do app helps you stay focused on work. You might be aware of some online services for that— but how about some cool Linux apps that you can use to create a to-do list? In this article, I will highlight the best to-do list apps available for Linux. I have tested these apps on Pop!_OS. I have also mentioned the app installation steps, but you should check your distribution package manager for details.
1. Planner
Planner is probably the best to-do list app I’ve come across for Linux distributions. The best thing is — it is a free and open-source project. It provides a beautiful user interface that aims to give you a meaningful user experience. In other words, it’s simple yet attractive. Not to forget, you get a gorgeous dark mode. As you can see in the screenshot above, you can also choose to add emojis to add some fun to your serious work tasks. Overall, it looks clean while offering features like the ability to add repeating tasks, create separate folders/projects, sync with todoist etc. How to install it? You can try install its Flatpak package from Flathub. Unless you have Flatpak integration in your software centre, you should follow our guide to use Flatpak on Linux to get it installed. In case you want to explore the source code, take a look at its GitHub page.
2. WeekToDo Planner
WeekToDo Planner is a free and open-source weekly planner app. It provides a minimalistic and simple user interface to plan your week. Apart from weekly planning, it offers features like custom lists, calendar support, recurring tasks, etc. You can also set alarms, subtasks, notes to tasks, etc. It also features beautiful dark theme support. It is privacy-friendly because all your data is stored on your device. How to Install it? Getting Weektodo planner working is really simple because it provides an installation file for almost all systems. You can download deb/rpm or go for the AppImage file from their official downloads page. Visit their GitHub repo for more information about the project.
3. Super Productivity
It is a mind-blowing to-do app with a lot of essential features. You can even integrate GitHub issues and assign yourself tasks if you want. How to install Super Productivity? You can find the AppImage file, and the DEB/RPM package in its GitHub releases section. In addition to that, you can also find a snap for it available.
4. Go For It!
Yet another impressive open-source to-do app for Linux which is based on todotxt. In addition to the ability to add tasks, you can also specify the duration/interval of your break. So, with this to-do app, you will not just end up completing the tasks but also being productive without stressing out. The user interface is plain and simple with no fancy features. We also have a separate article on Go For It — if you’d like to know more about it. How to install it? In case you want to install it on any Linux distro, you can try the Flatpak package on Flathub. If you don’t know about Flatpak — take a look at our complete guide on using Flatpak. To explore more about it, you can also head to their GitHub page.
5. Endeavour (Previously GNOME To Do)
If you’re using Ubuntu, you should already have it installed until Ubuntu 22.04 LTS. Just search for “To Do” and you should find it. It’s a simple to-do app that presents the list in the form of cards and you can have a separate set of tasks for every card. You can add a schedule to the tasks as well. It supports extensions with which you can enable the support for todo.txt files and also integration with todoist.
6. Todour
A very simple open-source to-do list app that lets you utilize the todo.txt file as well. You may not get a lot of options to choose from — but you get a couple of useful settings to tweak. It may not be the most actively developed to-do list app — but it does the work as expected. How to install Todour? If you’re using Manjaro Linux, you can utilize pamac to install Todour from AUR. It provides a .deb package for Ubuntu, which was built using 22.04 and works smoothly on the latest version also. Explore more about it on its GitHub page.
7. Task Coach
Task Coach is yet another open-source to-do list app that offers quite a lot of essential features. You can add sub-tasks and descriptions to your task, add dates, notes, and a lot more things. It also supports a tree view for the task lists you add and manage. It’s a good thing to see that it offers cross-platform support (Windows, macOS, and Android). Overall, it’s easy to use with tons of options and works well. How to install it? It offers AppImage files for Linux distributions. You can find all the necessary files and instructions from its official download page. It is available for Arch users in AUR.
Bonus: Terminal-based Taskwarrior to-do list app
A command-line based open-source to-do list program “Taskwarrior” is an impressive tool if you don’t need a Graphical User Interface (GUI). It also provides cross-platform support (Windows and macOS). It’s quite easy to add and list tasks along with a due date as shown in the screenshot above. To make the most out of it, I would suggest you follow the official documentation to know how to use it and the options/features that it offers. How to install it? You can find it in your respective package managers on any Linux distribution. To get it installed in Ubuntu, you will have to type the following in the terminal:
sudo apt install taskwarrior
For Manjaro Linux, you can simply get it installed through the pamac, which you usually use to install any software in Manjaro Linux. In case of any other Linux distributions, you should head to its official download page and follow the instructions.
Wrapping Up
As an interesting mention, I’d like you to take a look at TodoList, which is an applet for KDE-powered distributions. Among mainstream to-do list applications, Remember The Milk is the rare one that provides a Linux client. It is not open source, though. I hope this list of to-do list apps helped you get things done on Linux. Did I miss any of your favorite to-do list apps on Linux? Feel free to let me know what you think! Suggested Read 📖 For those who are interested in kanban board style for task management: