Let's be honest about something upfront: TickTick is genuinely good. Its natural language input — type 'call dentist Friday 3pm' and it just works — is one of the best in the category. Its habit tracker is thoughtfully built. If those two things are your primary reason for switching apps, TickTick deserves a serious look before you read another word here.
But if what you're actually hunting for is a task and notes app that's free in a way that doesn't quietly run out — no trial period, no feature wall after 30 days, no cap that forces an upgrade — TaskLoco is built differently. Two permanent free tiers. Real features on each. And a Premium tier that doesn't require a spreadsheet to understand.
What 'Free' Actually Means Here
The word 'free' gets stretched in this space until it barely means anything. A free tier that gives you five projects and then locks everything else behind a paywall isn't really free — it's a demo. TaskLoco takes a different position.
TaskLoco Lite is the native iPhone and Android app. Completely anonymous. No sign-in. No account. No server. Your notes live in a JSON file on your device, up to 20 of them, and they never leave unless you move them yourself. It's the purest version of a sticky note app — fast, private, zero friction. If you delete the app, they're gone. If you keep the app, they're yours forever.
TaskLoco Lite Plus+ is the web app and Chrome extension tier. Sign in with Google, get 30 notes that sync across every device you use. The Chrome extension lets you capture any webpage in one click — a recipe, a job listing, a product page — straight into a note. No reminders, no file attachments, no team sharing on this tier, but for a personal task list that travels with you across devices, it covers a lot of ground.
TickTick also has a free tier, and it's reasonable by industry standards. But the ceiling arrives faster than most people expect — particularly around calendar subscriptions, filters, and collaboration. TaskLoco's free tiers are narrower in scope by design, but they're honest about what they are.
Where TaskLoco Premium Changes the Game
Once you move past free, TaskLoco Premium isn't a slightly upgraded version of the free tier. It's a different product. Unlimited notes and tasks. A calendar view that shows your full schedule alongside your notes. File attachments with 10GB of storage included — go higher with add-on tiers up to 1TB, stackable if you need more. And reminders that actually follow you.
Reminders in TaskLoco are delivered as push notifications to your phone and your computer. Tap the notification and it deep-links directly back to the original note — no hunting through a list to find what triggered the alert. Optional email notifications are available if you want them. Optional SMS is an add-on with a monthly quota included free.
Team sharing works the way email works: you share a note, the recipient gets it, they can clone it and make it entirely their own. No permissions matrix to set up. No access levels to configure. You share it, they have it, they own their copy. It's the least bureaucratic version of collaboration you'll find in a task app.
TickTick's Premium is also a single tier, which is refreshingly simple for the category. Where TaskLoco pulls ahead is the free-to-paid progression — two genuinely usable free tiers before you ever see a paywall means you know exactly what you're getting before you commit to anything.
The Chrome Extension Nobody Talks About Enough
The TaskLoco Chrome extension is available on the free Lite Plus+ tier — no Premium required. One click captures any webpage into a note. The tab title, the URL, and whatever you want to add. It's the kind of feature that sounds minor until you've used it three times in a row and realized you haven't opened a new tab to paste a link in weeks.
For researchers, writers, job seekers, or anyone who spends their day moving information from the web into a to-do list, it removes a genuinely annoying step. Capture it now, deal with it later — and it syncs across your devices immediately.
TickTick has a browser extension too, and it handles task capture well, particularly with its natural language parsing. If you live by 'meeting with Sarah next Tuesday at noon' as an input method, TickTick's extension processes that more intelligently than TaskLoco's current tooling. That's a real, honest difference worth naming.
The Honest Verdict on Which One to Use
This comparison has one job: help you pick the right tool. So here it is straight.
Pick TickTick if natural language task input is a genuine daily need — not a 'that sounds cool' need, but a 'I actually type tasks that way and I'm slower without it' need. Pick TickTick if habit tracking is part of your productivity system. Those are real advantages that aren't replicated in TaskLoco today.
Pick TaskLoco if you want two free tiers that never expire and never nag you to upgrade. Pick it if you want reminders that push to your devices and link straight back to the note that triggered them. Pick it if you want file attachments, a calendar view, and team sharing in a single Premium plan — no feature matrix, no tier comparison page, just one plan per person.
Pick TaskLoco if you want to lock in a charter deal that cuts the regular price in half for the lifetime of your subscription. That offer has a hard cap at 500 members. After that, it's gone.
The Honest Comparison
| Feature | TaskLoco | TickTick |
|---|---|---|
| Truly free tier (no expiration) | Two permanent free tiers — Lite (20 notes, no account) and Lite Plus+ (30 notes, synced) FREE | One free tier with feature and project limits |
| Anonymous use — no sign-in required | Lite tier requires zero account, zero sign-in, completely anonymous FREE | Account required for all tiers |
| Cross-device sync (free) | Lite Plus+ syncs across all devices at no cost FREE | Sync available on free tier |
| Chrome extension (free) | One-click webpage capture, available free on Lite Plus+ FREE | Browser extension available |
| Natural language task input | Not available | Strong natural language parsing — type dates and times in plain text |
| Habit tracker | Not available | Built-in habit tracker |
| Reminders (Premium) | Push notifications to phone and computer, deep-linking back to the original note. Optional email and SMS channels. | Reminders available on Premium |
| File attachments (Premium) | 10GB included with Premium; add-on tiers up to 1TB, stackable | File attachments available on Premium |
| Calendar view (Premium) | Full calendar view of notes and tasks included with Premium | Calendar view available on Premium |
| Team sharing (Premium) | Yes — included with Premium. Each team member requires a separate subscription — currently $9.99/month per person, but TaskLoco is offering a Charter Member special: 50% off for life, currently $4.99/month per person for the first 500 subscribers with code CHARTER50. | Task sharing and collaboration available on Premium |
| Unlimited notes/tasks (Premium) | Unlimited notes, tasks, and calendar events on Premium | Task limits apply on free; Premium removes caps |
| Native mobile app | TaskLoco Lite is the native iPhone/Android app (20 notes, no sync, anonymous) | Full-featured native iOS and Android apps |
| Full features on mobile browser | Lite Plus+ and Premium run as web app in mobile browser with full feature access | Native app is primary mobile experience |
| Gantt charts / project dependencies | Not available | Not available |
| API / third-party integrations | Limited integrations | Some integrations available |
| Privacy — data storage | Lite stores data only on device; Premium on AWS. Born in Brooklyn. FREE | Cloud-based storage |
| Charter lifetime discount | First 500 subscribers lock in 50% off Premium forever | No equivalent lifetime discount offer |
Who Should Use Each
Use the TaskLoco if…
- You want a free tier that genuinely never expires and never pressures you to upgrade
- You want total anonymity — no sign-in, no account, no server — on a native mobile app
- You need reminders that push to your devices and link straight back to the note
- You want file attachments and a calendar view without managing a complex plan structure
- You share work with others and want sharing that works like email — no permissions setup, no access levels
- You want to lock in a charter deal that permanently halves your subscription cost
- You want one straightforward Premium plan per person — no seat tiers, no minimum team sizes
Use TickTick if…
- Natural language task input is a daily non-negotiable for how you capture tasks
- You use a habit tracker as a core part of your productivity system
- You need a full-featured native mobile app with reminders, attachments, and sync in one download
- You rely on third-party integrations with tools outside TaskLoco's current ecosystem
TaskLoco Premium is regularly $9.99/month per person. Right now, charter members can lock in 50% off the regular price — forever. That means $4.99/month per person today. And if our price ever goes up, you still pay half. Always.
Code CHARTER50 auto-applies at checkout. First 500 spots only — once they're gone, this offer is gone permanently. Act fast while spots last.
Every Premium subscription includes unlimited notes, 10GB file storage, reminders, calendar, and team sharing. Each team member requires a separate subscription. 7-day free trial — no charge until day 8. Cancel anytime.
Free Options: TaskLoco vs TickTick
TaskLoco Lite
- Native iPhone & Android app
- Completely anonymous — no sign-in
- Data stays on your device
- Up to 20 notes
- Free forever
TaskLoco Lite Plus+
- Web app + Chrome extension
- Sign in with Google
- Wall syncs across all devices
- Up to 30 notes
- Free forever
Lock In 50% Off — Forever
7-day free trial. No charge until day 8. CHARTER50 auto-applies at checkout.
🔒 Lock In My Charter SpotSee TaskLoco in Action
Frequently Asked Questions
Is TaskLoco really free forever, or does the free tier expire?
Both free tiers are permanent. TaskLoco Lite is the native iPhone and Android app — completely anonymous, no sign-in, up to 20 notes stored only on your device. TaskLoco Lite Plus+ is the web app and Chrome extension — sign in with Google, sync up to 30 notes across all your devices. Neither tier has an expiration date or trial period.
What does TaskLoco Lite Plus+ include for free?
Lite Plus+ is free and includes up to 30 notes synced across all your devices via the web app, plus the Chrome extension for one-click webpage capture. It does not include reminders, file attachments, unlimited notes, or team sharing — those are Premium features.
Does TaskLoco have reminders like TickTick?
Yes — reminders are a Premium feature. They're delivered as push notifications to your phone and computer, and each notification deep-links directly back to the note it came from. Optional email notifications and SMS add-ons are also available.
Can TaskLoco handle team collaboration?
Yes. Premium includes team sharing that works like email — you share a note, the recipient receives it and can clone it as their own. No permissions to configure, no access levels to manage. Each team member requires their own individual Premium subscription.
Does TaskLoco have natural language task input like TickTick?
Not currently. If typing 'call dentist Friday at 3pm' and having it auto-parse into a scheduled task is central to how you work, TickTick handles that more naturally than TaskLoco does today. It's a genuine difference worth factoring into your decision.
How much does TaskLoco Premium cost?
$9.99/month per person (currently $4.99/month per person for first 500 charter members with code CHARTER50)
Is there a free trial before committing to Premium?
Yes — Premium includes a 7-day free trial. You won't be charged until day 8, and you can cancel anytime before then. The charter discount, if you qualify for it, locks in at the moment you subscribe — so you can trial the full product before the charge hits.
Born in Brooklyn. Powered by AWS. Your data stays yours.
TaskLoco is available on iPhone, Android, Chrome, and every web browser.