Best Self-Hosted Alternatives to Todoist
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Todoist is a hosted to-do list: tasks, projects, labels, filters and reminders, free with a paid Pro plan for more projects and reminders. People look at self-hosting to keep their tasks on their own server and sync across devices without a subscription. The tools below cover the same task list, with recurring tasks and several views.
Todoist costs about $60/year and keeps your data on its servers. These researched, open-source alternatives give you the same workflow on hardware you own — here's what each needs to run.
The alternatives
DonetickAGPL-3.0
CategoryProject ManagementStackGo · React · SQLiteMin RAM256 MBOfficial imageYesDifficulty1 / 5
tududiMIT
CategoryProject ManagementStackTypeScript · Node.js · Express · React · SQLiteMin RAM256 MBOfficial imageYesDifficulty1 / 5
VikunjaAGPL-3.0
CategoryProject ManagementStackGo · Vue.js · PostgreSQLMin RAM1024 MBOfficial imageYesDifficulty2 / 5
What you give up by leaving Todoist
Leaving Todoist means giving up its natural-language quick add polish, its polished mobile apps and a wide range of integrations. Vikunja is the fullest: list, table, kanban and Gantt-style views, labels, filters, reminders and recurring tasks, with SSO and LDAP in the free build. Tududi is a personal manager built around areas, projects and notes, with Telegram integration and CalDAV sync, in a single SQLite file by default. Donetick leans toward chores and shared households, with assignee rotation and points. Mobile access comes through the web app or CalDAV rather than a first-party native app.
Where to host itaffiliate disclosure
Kamateratrial any of these on
The entry tier is a free trial — fine for a first look. Size it up (or run the 2 vCPU / 4 GB box the cost figures above assume) once you're keeping it.1 vCPU · 1 GB RAM · 20 GB SSD · $4.00/moDigitalOceanalso works on
From $6/mo · 1 vCPU / 1 GB / 25 GB · US + EU + AsiaPaid link — we earn a commission if you shop through it.
Head-to-head
Common questions
Are these Todoist alternatives really free?
The software is open-source and free to run. Your only cost is the server it runs on — often a few dollars a month, less than most SaaS subscriptions.
How much server do I need to self-host one?
Most of these run comfortably on a small VPS — 1–2 GB of RAM is enough for a single-user or small-team setup. Each app's page lists its minimum RAM.
Will I lose features by leaving Todoist?
It depends on the app. The alternatives below cover the core workflow; polish and integrations vary, so check each one's stack and difficulty before you commit.