What is the difference between Todoist and Hive?

Todoist is best for Individuals and small teams wanting a clean task manager, while Hive is best for Teams wanting project management with built-in email. Todoist starts at Free and Hive starts at Free.

Is Todoist or Hive cheaper?

Todoist starts at Free with a free tier. Hive starts at Free with a free tier.

Is there a free alternative to Hive?

Both Todoist and Hive offer free tiers.

Todoist vs Hive

Todoist is task management app with natural language input, labels, filters, and cross-platform sync, while Hive is project management with Gantt charts, Kanban boards, and integrated email within the platform. Todoist is built for individuals and small teams wanting a clean task manager, whereas Hive targets teams wanting project management with built-in email.

At a glance

	Todoist	Hive
Best for	Individuals and small teams wanting a clean task manager	Teams wanting project management with built-in email
Starting price	Free	Free
Free tier	✓	✓
Open source	—	—
Free tier available	✓	✓
Open source	—	—
Analytics	—	✓
Email Integration	—	✓
Filters	✓	—
Forms	—	✓
Gantt Charts	—	✓
Karma System	✓	—
Labels	✓	—
Natural Language	✓	—

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

Hive

Strengths

Gantt charts visualize project timelines with task dependencies at a glance
Includes Email Integration as a core feature, purpose-built for project management workflows
Free for up to 10 users — generous enough for most small teams to get real work done
Established product with 11+ 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
Mobile experience lags behind the desktop version in features and polish

Try Hive → Full review

The bottom line

Pricing: Both tools offer free tiers, so you can test each before committing. Todoist's free plan: Free for 5 active projects. Hive's free plan: Free for up to 10 users.

Feature gaps: Todoist offers Filters, Karma System and Labels that Hive lacks. Hive brings Analytics, Email Integration and Forms that Todoist does not have.

Team fit: Todoist is geared toward individual users and small setups, while Hive is aimed at mid-size teams teams. 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: 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. Hive's biggest strengths are: gantt charts visualize project timelines with task dependencies at a glance. includes email integration as a core feature, purpose-built for project management workflows.

Watch out for: With Todoist, users commonly note that free plan exists but key features are locked behind the paid upgrade. With Hive, the main complaint is that free plan exists but key features are locked behind the paid upgrade.

Choose Todoist if...

You need a tool built for individuals and small teams wanting a clean task manager
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
The free tier works for you: free for 5 active projects

Choose Hive if...

Your profile matches its sweet spot: teams wanting project management with built-in email
You specifically need Analytics and Email Integration
You care about includes email integration as a core feature, purpose-built for project management workflows
Your team size fits the mid-size teams profile Hive is designed for
The free tier works for you: free for up to 10 users