App guide

The Best Productivity Apps for Reaching Your Goals in 2026

By Jay Rockliffe, founder of Start From Done

Updated October 17, 2026. Prices, platforms and features checked on each app's own pages that day.

A full to-do list is not the same as progress. These nine apps help you plan, focus and finish the work a goal needs.

Short answer: on Apple devices, Things 3 is a calm, award-winning to-do app with Projects and Areas for bigger goals. Todoist and TickTick do the same job on every platform, and TickTick adds habits and a focus timer. For focus, Forest and Focus Friend make the timer something you want to protect. Notion and ClickUp suit people who build their own systems or work in teams, and Start From Done (ours) turns one goal into a backward plan and a 45 minute step for today.

We make Start From Done. It is in this list, and we have tried to treat it like every other entry: facts only, and the same limits noted. No company paid to be here, and none of the links are affiliate links.

At a glance: 9 apps compared

App	Best for	Price	Platforms
Things 3	A calm to-do list on Apple devices	One-time purchase per device type: $9.99 on iPhone, $19.99 on iPad, $49.99 on Mac.	iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Apple Vision Pro
Todoist	Tasks on every platform	Free (Beginner). Pro $7 a month or $60 a year. Business $8 per user a month billed yearly.	iPhone, iPad, Android, Mac, Windows, Linux, web, browser extensions
TickTick	Tasks, habits and a focus timer together	Free. Premium $49.99 a year.	Phones, tablets, computers and watches, with sync
Start From Done	Turning one goal into today's step	Free core loop. Pro $9.99 a month, $59.99 a year with a 7-day free trial, or $249 once for the first 100 founders (then $299).	Web app you install on iPhone, Android and desktop; App Store and Google Play versions are planned
Forest	Staying off your phone	Free core app. Forest Plus is an optional subscription; its price varies by region.	iPhone, iPad, Android, Chrome and Firefox extension
Focus Friend	A gentler focus timer	Free. Pro $3.99 a month, $19.99 a year or $39.99 lifetime (US App Store).	iPhone, iPad, Android
Notion	Building your own goal system	Free for personal use. Plus $10 per member a month.	Web, Mac, Windows, iPhone, Android
ClickUp	Goals shared with a team	Free Forever plan. Paid plans from $7 per user a month, billed yearly.	Web, Mac, Windows, iPhone, Android
Streaks	The daily habits under a goal	$5.99 once.	iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch

How we chose

We started from the apps that show up again and again in this year's "best productivity apps" lists and app store collections, then narrowed to 9 that each do one job clearly. For every app we read its own website, pricing page or store listing on the review date and wrote down three things: the price, the platforms and one feature the company itself describes. Each entry links to those pages. We did not run long-term tests of every app, and we do not publish star ratings, user counts or reviews we cannot check, so this guide compares what each app offers, in its own words.

Prices are in US dollars and can differ by country and store. Where an app sells several in-app prices, we give the range or the main plan and point you to the store page.

The 9 picks

1. Things 3

Best for: A calm to-do list on Apple devices

Things 3 keeps big goals in Projects and Areas and puts today's to-dos beside your calendar. It is a one-time purchase per device type, with free sync, and has won two Apple Design Awards.

Price: One-time purchase per device type: $9.99 on iPhone, $19.99 on iPad, $49.99 on Mac.
Platforms: iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Apple Vision Pro
Standout: Projects and Areas for bigger goals, a Today list beside your calendar, and free sync through Things Cloud. Two Apple Design Awards.
Keep in mind: Apple devices only, and each version is a separate purchase.

Checked October 17, 2026: Things 3 on the App Store (iPhone), Things 3 for iPad, Things 3 for Mac

2. Todoist

Best for: Tasks on every platform

Todoist runs everywhere, from Linux to a browser extension. Type a task in plain language, set it to repeat, and filter the list down to what matters today.

Price: Free (Beginner). Pro $7 a month or $60 a year. Business $8 per user a month billed yearly.
Platforms: iPhone, iPad, Android, Mac, Windows, Linux, web, browser extensions
Standout: Add tasks in natural language, set recurring tasks, and sort the list with custom filters.
Keep in mind: A task manager first: goals live in projects you set up yourself.

Checked October 17, 2026: Todoist pricing FAQ, Todoist home page, Todoist downloads

3. TickTick

Best for: Tasks, habits and a focus timer together

TickTick bundles a to-do list, habit tracker, calendar and Pomodoro timer, so the plan and the focus session live in one app.

Price: Free. Premium $49.99 a year.
Platforms: Phones, tablets, computers and watches, with sync
Standout: To-dos, a habit tracker, calendar views and a Pomodoro focus timer in one app.
Keep in mind: The free plan allows 5 habits; Premium raises it.

Checked October 17, 2026: TickTick Premium, TickTick home page

4. Start From Done (we make this app)

Best for: Turning one goal into today's step

Start From Done is narrower than a to-do app on purpose. You write one goal as already done, and the app drafts the milestones back to today and a 45 minute sprint for the first step. After the sprint, it offers a log line, and the step lands on your Done list. Your journal stays on your device unless you choose to share it. Share only what you choose: invite a friend as your witness for accountability, and they can invite you back.

Price: Free core loop. Pro $9.99 a month, $59.99 a year with a 7-day free trial, or $249 once for the first 100 founders (then $299).
Platforms: Web app you install on iPhone, Android and desktop; App Store and Google Play versions are planned
Standout: You write the goal as already done. The app drafts backward milestones, an if-then plan for what could stop you and one 45 minute step for today, and you log what you did on a Done list.
Keep in mind: A newer, smaller app built for one goal at a time; it is not a diary for long entries.

Checked October 17, 2026: Start From Done, Start From Done: the app, free and Pro, Start From Done privacy

5. Forest

Best for: Staying off your phone

Forest grows a tree while you focus, and says it has funded real trees with Trees for the Future. The core app is free on iPhone and Android, with a browser extension too.

Price: Free core app. Forest Plus is an optional subscription; its price varies by region.
Platforms: iPhone, iPad, Android, Chrome and Firefox extension
Standout: A tree grows while you stay off your phone, and Forest says it has funded real trees with its partner Trees for the Future.
Keep in mind: A focus timer, not a planner: pair it with something that holds the goal.

Checked October 17, 2026: Forest home page

6. Focus Friend

Best for: A gentler focus timer

Focus Friend gives you a Bean that focuses with you and is sad if you quit early. It won Apple's 2025 App Store Award for Cultural Impact.

Price: Free. Pro $3.99 a month, $19.99 a year or $39.99 lifetime (US App Store).
Platforms: iPhone, iPad, Android
Standout: Your Bean focuses with you during a timer and is sad if you stop early. It won Apple's 2025 App Store Award for Cultural Impact.
Keep in mind: A focus companion, not a planner.

Checked October 17, 2026: Focus Friend on the App Store, App Store: Cultural Impact winner, Focus Friend on Google Play

7. Notion

Best for: Building your own goal system

Notion lets you build a goal dashboard, project pages and a journal in one workspace, from free templates. Free for personal use.

Price: Free for personal use. Plus $10 per member a month.
Platforms: Web, Mac, Windows, iPhone, Android
Standout: Build your own goal tracker or journal from pages and databases, starting from 50+ free templates.
Keep in mind: You design the system, which takes setup time.

Checked October 17, 2026: Notion for personal use, Notion pricing

8. ClickUp

Best for: Goals shared with a team

ClickUp keeps team goals in the same workspace as the tasks behind them. Paid plans start at $7 per user a month billed yearly.

Price: Free Forever plan. Paid plans from $7 per user a month, billed yearly.
Platforms: Web, Mac, Windows, iPhone, Android
Standout: Goals and Portfolio Management for tracking team objectives beside the tasks, on paid plans.
Keep in mind: Goals is a trial on the free plan, and the tool is built for teams more than one person.

Checked October 17, 2026: ClickUp pricing, ClickUp downloads

9. Streaks

Best for: The daily habits under a goal

Many goals rest on a few daily habits. Streaks tracks up to 24 of them for $5.99 once, and can read Apple Health data.

Price: $5.99 once.
Platforms: iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch
Standout: Up to 24 daily tasks, and it can tick off tasks from Apple Health data. An Apple Design Award winner.
Keep in mind: Apple devices only, and built for daily tasks rather than long projects.

Checked October 17, 2026: Streaks on the App Store

Also considered: Griply and Strides, which we cover in the goal tracking guide, and Apple Reminders, which is free and fine for simple lists.

Start From Done next to other apps, feature by feature

How Start From Done lines up with 3 journaling, habit and task apps on the things buyers ask about. Each app does things this table does not cover, so read it as a starting point.

What it does	Start From Done	Things 3	Streaks	Day One
Goal written as already done	Yes, free	Not listed	Not listed	Not listed
Backward milestone plan	Yes, free: drafted for you, edit any step	Projects for a big goal, with to-dos and a deadline you add	Not listed	Not listed
If-then plan for the obstacle	Yes, free: pick one or write your own	Not listed	Not listed	Not listed
Focus timer	Yes, free: 45 minute sprints (10 minutes counts too)	Not listed	Built-in timer for timed tasks	Not listed
Done list of what you finished	Yes, free	Not listed	Not listed	Not listed
Generated future photo or film	Future Photo: first one free, marked as a generated preview; up to 10 a day in Pro. Future Film: Pro	Not listed	Not listed	Image generation on the Gold plan
Share with a friend	Yes, free: a witness link for one friend, plus group sprints	Not listed	Share a task with friends or family who use Streaks	Shared journals with family, friends or small groups
Privacy, as the app describes it	Your journal stays on your device unless you choose to share it	Not listed	Not listed	End-to-end encryption on every plan
Free version	Free core loop, no account needed	Free trial on Mac	Not listed	Basic plan, $0
Paid price (USD, as listed)	Monthly $9.99, Annual $59.99 with 7 days free, Founding Lifetime $249 once for the first 100 founders, then $299	$9.99 iPhone, $19.99 iPad, $49.99 Mac, each once	$5.99 once on iPhone	Silver $49.99 a year, Gold $74.99 a year

As of October 17, 2026, from each app's own site or store listing. "Not listed" means we did not find it on that page, not that the app lacks it. Prices are in USD as listed and may change. We make Start From Done.

Sources for this table

Things 3: apps.apple.com, apps.apple.com, apps.apple.com
Streaks: apps.apple.com, streaksapp.com
Day One: dayoneapp.com

This shared table comes from our full list of Start From Done features, where every free and Pro feature is listed.

How to pick a productivity app for a goal

Separate the goal from the list. A to-do list grows faster than it shrinks. A goal needs a finish line and the few steps that lead there. Our comparison of mental contrasting and to-do lists explains why.
Protect the time. A focus timer (Forest, Focus Friend, TickTick) turns "work on it" into a session you can start. A 45 minute block is enough to move most goals.
Keep proof of progress. A done list shows what you finished, which is easier to keep going on than a list of what is left.
Use as few apps as you can. One app for tasks and one for focus is plenty for most people.

Try the method without an app first: the free reverse planner drafts the milestones back from a goal and a date, and the done list maker turns today's work into a list you can keep.

Questions

What is the best productivity app for reaching goals?

For tasks on Apple devices, Things 3. On every platform, Todoist or TickTick. For focus, Forest or Focus Friend. For one goal planned backward to today, Start From Done. We make Start From Done.

Is a to-do list enough to reach a goal?

Often not on its own. A to-do list holds tasks but rarely says which ones the goal needs. Pair it with a clear finish line, a plan for the main obstacle and a next step you can start today.

What is the best free productivity app?

Todoist, TickTick, Notion, ClickUp, Forest, Focus Friend and Start From Done all have free plans. Things 3 and Streaks are one-time purchases.

Do focus timer apps help?

They can make starting easier, because a timed session is smaller than the whole task. Choose one you will actually open, and pair it with a plan for what the session is for.

How many productivity apps should I use?

As few as you can. Most people do well with one app for tasks or the goal plan, and one for focus.

Sources

Each page below was read on October 17, 2026. Prices change; the store or pricing page has the final word.

App names are trademarks of their owners. Start From Done is not affiliated with any of them.