You didn't leave Todoist because you stopped caring about your projects. You left — or you're thinking about leaving — because a flat checklist stopped feeling like enough. Maybe you needed to attach a file to a task. Maybe you wanted a calendar that showed your work in context. Maybe you just needed your notes and your tasks to live in the same place instead of bouncing between three apps. Whatever the reason, the fear is always the same: what happens to everything I've already built?
The answer is: nothing has to disappear. Todoist gives you a clean CSV export. That data is yours. The migration itself takes an afternoon — and what you gain on the other side is a workspace built around the way people actually think, not the way a checklist app thinks you should work. This guide walks you through the move, step by step, and shows you exactly what TaskLoco gives you that Todoist never did.
What to Look for When Switching Task Managers
Before you commit to any destination, it helps to know what you're actually evaluating. Task management apps differ on a few axes that matter enormously in daily use and almost none that get covered in marketing copy.
Data portability coming in and going out. Any app worth switching to should accept your Todoist export without requiring you to manually recreate every project. More importantly, it should let you export your data again someday — because you'll eventually want to move again, or at least have the option. Apps that make it easy to leave are apps that earn your trust to stay.
The gap between tasks and context. A pure task list shows you what to do. A good task manager also shows you why and with what. That means notes, file attachments, and a way to see your work over time — not just as a queue of checkboxes. If you're leaving Todoist, you probably already felt this gap. Whatever you switch to should close it, not just reproduce it with a different color scheme.
Notification delivery that actually works. Reminders are only useful if they reach you where you are. Push notifications to your phone and desktop are the baseline. Email and SMS should be options, not the primary channel. If a reminder fires and you miss it because it only went to an inbox you check twice a day, the reminder might as well not exist.
Step-by-Step: Getting Your Todoist Data Out Clean
Todoist makes exporting straightforward, but there are a few things worth knowing before you start so you don't lose subtask structure or project labels in the process.
Step 1 — Export from Todoist. Go to Settings → Backups in Todoist (available on any paid plan, and as a one-time export on free). Download the CSV backup. You'll get one file per project, with columns for task name, description, priority, due date, and labels. If you have recurring tasks, note them separately — you'll handle those last.
Step 2 — Audit before you migrate. Open each CSV and do a quick pass. Flag anything that's stale — tasks you added six months ago that you'll never actually do. A migration is the best natural forcing function to prune dead weight. Move only what's still real.
Step 3 — Map projects to TaskLoco notes. In TaskLoco, a note is not just a text block — it's a container. Each Todoist project becomes a note in TaskLoco. Tasks within that project become items inside the note. Subtasks become nested items. Labels and priorities translate to tags and visual emphasis inside the note body. This mapping is intuitive once you see it: you're not losing structure, you're gaining a canvas.
Step 4 — Rebuild recurring tasks as reminders. Todoist's recurring tasks are one of its genuinely strong features. In TaskLoco, you handle this by setting reminders on the relevant note. The reminder fires as a push notification directly to your phone and desktop, deep-linking straight back to the note — so you land exactly where you need to act, not at an inbox or a generic app home screen. Optional email and SMS channels are available if you want belt-and-suspenders coverage.
Step 5 — Attach your supporting files. Any briefs, reference docs, or images that lived outside Todoist (because Todoist didn't support file attachments) now get attached directly to the note they belong to. TaskLoco Premium includes 10GB of file storage, with additional tiers available if you need more. Everything lives in context, not in a separate folder you have to remember to check.
What TaskLoco Gives You That Todoist Never Did
The migration is the easy part. What matters more is understanding what you're gaining — because the case for moving isn't just dissatisfaction with Todoist, it's what becomes possible after.
Visual organization that matches how you think. TaskLoco's wall view lets you arrange notes spatially, group them, and see your whole workload at a glance instead of scrolling through a linear list. When you're juggling multiple projects, the ability to see them as a landscape — not a queue — changes how you plan. Todoist's project sidebar is functional; TaskLoco's wall is a thinking surface.
File attachments in context. This is the feature Todoist users mention most when they switch. Every task or project that has a reference document, a photo, a contract, or a design file now has that file attached to the note it belongs to. You don't maintain a parallel folder structure. You don't dig through email to find what you shared last Tuesday. It's there, inside the note, where it always should have been.
A calendar that shows your actual commitments. TaskLoco Premium includes a calendar view that surfaces your notes and reminders as time-based events. For anyone managing deadlines across multiple projects, this is the difference between knowing what's due today and knowing what's due this week — and being able to see it without switching to a separate calendar app.
Team sharing that works like email. Todoist has collaboration features, but they require everyone to be in the same project with managed permissions. TaskLoco's sharing model works differently: you share a note and the recipient can clone it and make it their own — no permission tiers, no access management, no admin overhead. It works the way sharing a document over email works, except the document is a living note with tasks, files, and reminders built in. Each person on your team needs their own subscription, which keeps the model clean and simple.
The Chrome extension for capture without friction. One of the underrated problems with Todoist is that adding a task from a webpage requires context-switching. TaskLoco's Chrome extension captures any webpage in one click and turns it into a note. Research, references, articles you need to act on — they go directly into your workspace without interrupting what you're doing.
After the Migration: Getting the Most Out of TaskLoco
The biggest mistake people make after switching is trying to replicate their old system exactly. You don't need to. Give yourself a week to use TaskLoco the way it's actually designed — spatially, contextually, with files attached — before you decide what your organizational structure should be.
Start with your most active projects. Don't migrate everything on day one. Bring over the three or four projects you're actively working on. Get comfortable with how notes and items behave, how reminders fire push notifications to your devices, how the calendar view surfaces your deadlines. Then bring over the rest.
Use the wall to see across projects. Once you have five or more active notes, switch to wall view. This is where TaskLoco's model clicks for most people. You're not managing a list — you're managing a surface. Move things around. Group by theme or urgency. Let the spatial arrangement reflect how your work actually relates.
Let your team members join individually. When you're ready to bring collaborators in, remember that each person sets up their own subscription. You share notes with them directly, they clone what they need, and everyone works from their own workspace. There's no project admin, no role assignment, no seat management on your end. It scales without adding overhead.
Attach files as you go. Don't try to attach everything retroactively. As you work each project going forward, attach files when they become relevant. Within a week, your notes will naturally accumulate the context they need — and you'll stop losing time looking for things that should have been there all along.
How TaskLoco Compares
| Feature | TaskLoco | Todoist |
|---|---|---|
| Free tier | Two free tiers — Lite (20 notes, no sign-in, native app) and Lite Plus+ (30 notes, synced, web + Chrome extension) FREE | Free plan with limited projects and history |
| File attachments | 10GB included with Premium — attached directly inside the note | Limited or no native file attachments on most plans |
| Reminders | Push notifications to phone and desktop, deep-linking to the original note; optional email and SMS channels | Due-date reminders and recurring tasks |
| Recurring tasks | Set reminders on notes; no built-in recurring task engine | Native recurring task scheduling with flexible patterns |
| Calendar view | Built into Premium — see notes and reminders as time-based events | Basic calendar integration via third-party sync |
| Team sharing | 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. | Shared projects with collaboration and comments |
| Note-taking and context | Full notes with rich content, files, tasks, and reminders all in one container | Task descriptions available but not full note-taking workspace |
| Visual wall / spatial layout | Wall view for arranging notes spatially across projects | List and board views only |
| Chrome extension | One-click webpage capture to note — free with Lite Plus+ and Premium FREE | Web clipper available on some plans |
| Data export | Notes exportable; structured data access available | Clean CSV export per project — well-documented and reliable |
| Native mobile app | TaskLoco Lite is native (iPhone and Android) — 20 notes, anonymous, no sign-in. Premium runs in mobile browser. | Full-featured native iOS and Android app |
| Cross-device sync | Lite Plus+ and Premium sync across all devices via web app | Syncs across all devices on paid plans |
| Full-text search | Full-text search across all notes and attachments in Premium | Search across tasks, projects, and comments |
| Natural language task input | Not available | Natural language date and task parsing — a genuine differentiator |
| Extra storage | Add-on tiers: 10GB / 50GB / 200GB / 1TB — stackable | No native file storage — relies on third-party integrations |
| Privacy / anonymous use | Lite tier requires zero sign-in, zero account — fully anonymous FREE | Account required for all tiers |
| API and integrations | Limited integrations — not built for deep API workflows | Extensive API and integration ecosystem |
| 7-day free trial (Premium) | Full 7-day trial — no charge until day 8, cancel anytime FREE | Free plan available; paid trial terms vary |
Who Should Use Each
Use TaskLoco if…
- You want tasks, notes, files, reminders, and calendar in one workspace — not spread across multiple apps
- You think visually and want to arrange your projects spatially, not just scroll through a list
- You need file attachments directly inside your tasks and notes, not linked out to a cloud drive
- You want reminders delivered as push notifications that take you straight back to the relevant note
- You share work with collaborators and want them to have their own copy of a note without managing permissions
- You want to capture webpages and research directly into your workspace with a single click
- You value a clean, focused tool over a feature-dense platform with more overhead than you need
Use Todoist if…
- You rely heavily on natural language task input — typing 'every Monday at 9am' and having it parsed automatically
- You need a full-featured native mobile app with complete functionality on your phone without using a browser
- You require a mature API and deep integration with tools like Zapier, Slack, and Google Calendar
- Your workflow depends on sophisticated recurring task rules that go beyond simple reminder scheduling
- You need reliable CSV export and detailed project history for compliance or auditing purposes
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
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
Can I export my Todoist projects and import them into TaskLoco?
Todoist lets you export your projects as CSV files from Settings → Backups. From there, each project maps cleanly to a TaskLoco note — tasks become items inside the note, subtasks become nested items, and labels translate to tags or visual emphasis. It's a manual process, but it's straightforward and gives you the opportunity to prune stale tasks along the way. Most people complete the migration for their active projects in a single afternoon.
Will I lose my recurring tasks when I switch?
Todoist's recurring task engine is one of its genuinely strong features, and TaskLoco doesn't have a built-in recurring task scheduler. What TaskLoco does have is reminders that fire as push notifications directly to your phone and desktop, deep-linking back to the original note. For most recurring workflows — weekly reviews, monthly check-ins, standing deadlines — setting a reminder on the relevant note covers the same need. If highly automated recurring scheduling is central to how you work, that's worth factoring into your decision.
What happens to my Todoist task descriptions and comments when I migrate?
Todoist exports task descriptions in the CSV, though comments and activity history are not included in the export. When you migrate, task descriptions become part of the note body in TaskLoco — you can paste them in directly. Files and attachments that were linked externally in Todoist can now be attached natively inside the TaskLoco note, which is one of the immediate upgrades most people notice after switching.
Does TaskLoco have a native mobile app?
TaskLoco Lite is a native iPhone and Android app available in the App Store and Google Play. It's free, requires no sign-in, and stores up to 20 notes on your device. TaskLoco Premium — which includes reminders, file attachments, calendar view, team sharing, and unlimited notes — runs as a web app accessed through your phone's browser. It's not a native app, but it works fully on mobile. If a full-featured native app is essential to your workflow, that's a genuine difference worth knowing.
How does TaskLoco handle team collaboration compared to Todoist?
Todoist collaboration works through shared projects where everyone has access to the same tasks. TaskLoco's model is different: you share a note, and the recipient clones it and makes it their own workspace. There are no permissions to manage, no access levels to configure, and no admin overhead. Each collaborator needs their own subscription. It's a simpler model that works well for sharing context and tasks without the structure of a managed shared project.
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 so I can test TaskLoco before fully committing?
Yes. TaskLoco Premium includes a 7-day free trial with no charge until day 8. You can also use TaskLoco Lite (the native app, free and anonymous, up to 20 notes) or TaskLoco Lite Plus+ (free web app with Google sign-in, up to 30 notes synced across devices, plus the Chrome extension) before deciding whether Premium is right for you. There's no pressure and no credit card required to start with the free tiers.
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TaskLoco is available on iPhone, Android, Chrome, and every web browser.