What is the difference between Shortcut and Todoist?

Shortcut is best for Mid-size software teams that find Jira too heavy and Trello too light, while Todoist is best for Individuals and small teams wanting a clean task manager. Shortcut starts at $8.50/user/mo and Todoist starts at Free.

Is Shortcut or Todoist cheaper?

Shortcut starts at $8.50/user/mo with a free tier. Todoist starts at Free with a free tier.

Is there a free alternative to Todoist?

Both Shortcut and Todoist offer free tiers.

Shortcut vs Todoist

Shortcut is project management for software teams with a focus on simplicity and collaboration, while Todoist is task management app with natural language input, labels, filters, and cross-platform sync. The biggest difference up front: Todoist is free, while Shortcut starts at $8.50/user/mo. Shortcut is built for mid-size software teams that find jira too heavy and trello too light, whereas Todoist targets individuals and small teams wanting a clean task manager.

At a glance

	Shortcut	Todoist
Best for	Mid-size software teams that find Jira too heavy and Trello too light	Individuals and small teams wanting a clean task manager
Starting price	$8.50/user/mo	Free
Free tier	✓	✓
Open source	—	—
Free tier available	✓	✓
Open source	—	—
API	✓	—
Epics	✓	—
Filters	—	✓
Iterations	✓	—
Karma System	—	✓
Labels	—	✓
Milestones	✓	—
Natural Language	—	✓
Stories	✓	—

Shortcut

Strengths

Right balance of features without Jira's complexity
Clean, intuitive interface
Good API and integrations
Generous free tier

Weaknesses

Smaller market share means less community content
Fewer advanced reporting features than Jira
Brand confusion from name change (was Clubhouse)
Limited customization compared to Jira

Try Shortcut → Full review

Todoist

Strengths

Natural language input lets you type tasks in plain English and auto-parse dates and priorities
Flexible label system makes it easy to filter and organize tasks your way
Free for 5 active projects — generous enough for most small teams to get real work done
Established product with 19+ years on the market and a mature ecosystem

Weaknesses

Free plan exists but key features are locked behind the paid upgrade
Fewer built-in features means you may need additional tools to cover gaps
Migrating existing projects from another tool can be time-consuming
Limited team/admin features if your organization eventually scales up

Try Todoist → Full review

The bottom line

Pricing: Todoist is completely free (Free for 5 active projects), which makes it the obvious pick if budget is the top concern. Shortcut starts at $8.50/user/mo, but Free for up to 10 users. That cost buys you a more polished or feature-rich experience, so it comes down to whether the extras justify the spend.

Feature gaps: Shortcut offers API, Epics and Iterations that Todoist lacks. Todoist brings Filters, Karma System and Labels that Shortcut does not have.

Team fit: Shortcut is geared toward small teams teams, while Todoist is aimed at individual users and small setups. Pick the one that matches where your team is today and where it is headed — migrating tools later is always painful.

Where each tool shines: Shortcut's biggest strengths are: right balance of features without jira's complexity. clean, intuitive interface. Todoist's biggest strengths are: natural language input lets you type tasks in plain english and auto-parse dates and priorities. flexible label system makes it easy to filter and organize tasks your way.

Watch out for: With Shortcut, users commonly note that smaller market share means less community content. With Todoist, the main complaint is that free plan exists but key features are locked behind the paid upgrade.

Choose Shortcut if...

You need a tool built for mid-size software teams that find jira too heavy and trello too light
You specifically need API and Epics
You care about clean, intuitive interface
Your team size fits the small teams profile Shortcut is designed for
The free tier works for you: free for up to 10 users

Choose Todoist if...

You need a tool built for individuals and small teams wanting a clean task manager
Budget is a hard constraint — Todoist is free, Shortcut is not
You specifically need Filters and Karma System
You care about flexible label system makes it easy to filter and organize tasks your way
Your team size fits the individuals profile Todoist is designed for