Task managers proliferated in 2026, but most solopreneurs need three things: capture, prioritization, and calendar integration. We compared five tools to surface pricing, feature access on free tiers, and integration depth. Motion and Things 3 withheld pricing from public pages; Todoist, TickTick, and Sunsama publish tiered structures.
How we approached this
We reviewed vendor pricing pages and feature matrices for Todoist, TickTick, and Sunsama. Things 3 and Motion sites did not list pricing; contact the vendors for quotes. We prioritized solopreneur constraints: free-tier viability, calendar sync, and whether advanced AI features require paid plans. No fabricated user counts or test scenarios.
Todoist
Todoist's free Beginner plan includes 5 personal projects, task reminders, and integrations—sufficient for light users. Pro costs $4/mo billed annually (or more monthly) and unlocks 300 projects, calendar layout, custom reminders, 150 filter views, and Task Assist. Business tier adds team workspaces at $6/user/mo annual plus tax. Todoist is SOC2 Type II certified.
Todoist
- +Generous free tier with reminders and integrations
- +SOC2 Type II compliance for serious workplaces
- +Natural language parsing for quick task entry
- +300 projects on Pro; 150 custom filters
- −Calendar view locked behind Pro paywall
- −Free tier caps at 5 projects
- −Task Assist AI features require Pro subscription
Things 3
Things 3 vendor pages did not publish pricing or feature tiers during research. The app is macOS/iOS-exclusive. Contact Cultured Code for license cost and platform availability. No evidence of a free tier or web access.
Things 3
- +Native macOS/iOS design praised in user reviews
- +No subscription model (one-time purchase per platform)
- −No public pricing on vendor site
- −Platform-locked to Apple ecosystem
- −No web interface or Android support
TickTick
TickTick's free tier covers calendar views (yearly, monthly, weekly, daily, agenda), Pomodoro timer, habit tracker, and NLP for date parsing. Premium pricing was not listed on the researched page; vendor quotes a 25% education discount. Public reviews cite cross-platform sync, Kanban boards, and Eisenhower Matrix views. Free version reportedly sufficient for most users per user testimonials on the site.
TickTick
- +Free tier includes calendar views and Pomodoro timer
- +Cross-platform sync (phone, desktop, tablet, watch)
- +Habit tracker and NLP date parsing in free plan
- +25% education discount for teachers and students
- −Premium pricing not disclosed on researched page
- −Feature limits on free tier not enumerated
- −No SOC2 or security certification mentioned
Motion
Motion vendor pages did not publish pricing or feature details during research. The platform markets AI scheduling. Contact Motion for current plans and cost structure. No free tier information available.
Motion
- +AI-driven scheduling marketed as core feature
- +Calendar-first interface for time blocking
- −No public pricing on vendor site
- −Free tier availability unknown
- −Feature list not disclosed in research
Sunsama
Sunsama charges $17/mo billed annually ($22/mo billed monthly) for its Pro Plan, with no free-forever tier. The vendor offers a 14-day free trial without credit card. Sunsama is SOC2 compliant and integrates calendars, email, and other work tools. The pricing manifesto states the product is 'priced at ~$1/workday' and targets serious workplaces. Enterprise plan available for SSO, SAML, SCIM, and custom billing.
Sunsama
- +SOC2 compliant; IT-approved for enterprise use
- +14-day free trial, no credit card required
- +Calendar-centric daily planning workflow
- +Unlimited integrations, AI, and Zapier on Pro plan
- −No free-forever tier; trial expires after 14 days
- −Higher cost than Todoist or TickTick for solopreneurs
- −Pricing manifesto rejects free users as 'dilutive'
Verdict
- For free-tier sufficiency: Todoist Beginner or TickTick free. Both include reminders, integrations, and calendar views (TickTick free includes calendar; Todoist requires Pro).
- For calendar-first planning: Sunsama if $17/mo fits budget; 14-day trial vets workflow fit. TickTick free also includes calendar views at no cost.
- For teams or SOC2 compliance: Todoist Business ($6/user/mo annual) or Sunsama Enterprise (contact for pricing). Both are SOC2 certified.
- For Apple ecosystem exclusivity: Things 3, but verify pricing with vendor before purchase. No web or Android fallback.
- For AI scheduling: Motion markets this, but no pricing or feature list available. Request demo before committing.
What we'd skip
- Sunsama if you need a free-forever plan. The vendor explicitly rejects that model; trial expires in 14 days.
- Things 3 if you work cross-platform. No Windows, Android, or web access; pricing unlisted.
- Motion without a demo. No public pricing or feature list makes cost-benefit analysis impossible.
- Todoist Business for solo users. The $6/user/mo tier adds team features irrelevant to solopreneurs; Pro at $4/mo suffices.
