TickTick vs Fantastical: The Ultimate Productivity Tool Showdown

Are you a productivity tool enthusiast like me? Do you spend hours trying out new apps, hoping to find the one that will finally transform your life and make you a productivity superhero? Well, I have been there too. But after years of trial and error, I have finally found two apps that I believe are worth the subscription fee: TickTick and Fantastical.

In this article, I will share my in-depth research into these two powerful productivity tools. But before we dive in, let me tell you a little bit about myself. I am a digitally plugged-in professional who loves to try out new productivity tools like they're t-shirts. I have wasted more time than I care to admit trying to reorganize my entire life around a new productivity tool because of a single feature. But I have learned that simplicity is key, and that is why I keep coming back to tools like Apple Reminders, Notes, Microsoft To-Do, or OneNote.

TickTick and Fantastical, though, have both grabbed my attention. They are powerful, versatile, and they bring real improvement to my daily life. So I decided to share my findings with you, in the hopes that it will make your choice easier.

TickTick: The All-In-One Solution

TickTick is my go-to productivity tool. It has a sheer amount of functionality, yet it is simple and user-friendly. It integrates well with the Apple ecosystem, but it is cross-platform, so it works on anything, even Linux. With TickTick, I can streamline my workflow into a single app, which makes my life so much easier.

TickTick combines tasks, calendar, notes, and habit tracking, so it is an all-in-one solution. It offers various themes, and you can customize the interface to your liking. You can easily set tasks to repeat on a schedule, and you can get reminders based on your location.

The built-in Pomodoro timer helps me focus on tasks, and the habit tracker helps me build and track habits over time. I can share my lists and tasks with others, and the smart lists automatically categorize tasks based on criteria like priority or due date.

The only downside of TickTick is that, with so many features, it might be overwhelming for some users. Plus, many advanced features require a premium subscription.

Personal Experience: TickTick has been a game-changer for me, especially when it comes to managing my daily tasks and habits. With its easy-to-use interface and cross-platform compatibility, I can access my to-do list from anywhere and stay productive on-the-go. Even works on Linux too!

I really enjoy the way notifications are presented and how easy it is to reschedule a task. We all know not everything goes to plan, but I don't want to forget it either. The filters, notes, lists, and even most of the menus are customizable, down to the button position on the rescheduling window option. This level of customization allows me to tailor the app to my specific workflow and preferences.

The habit tracking feature keeps me honest with myself, serving as repeated reminders more so than tasks. These are repeating reminders tracked by completion, which is great for monitoring how well I've been sticking to a new routine or reminding myself to review my tasks for the week, send that weekly email, or even take my medications. These features work perfectly for maintaining consistency and accountability.

What really makes TickTick stand out for me is its calendar integration. I can view all of my other calendars and fill in time slots with tasks without worrying about blocking out my calendar. While some might prefer to block their calendar, I like to keep my availability open and work my tasks around that. If I need a block of focus time or have an upcoming event that requires blocking out time, I still do that on my actual calendar, especially when an external invite to others is needed. This is where I found Fantastical to excel, but it was less important for my specific needs.

Fantastical: The Calendar Master

If you are looking for a powerful, intuitive tool for scheduling, Fantastical is the way to go. It is particularly suited for Apple ecosystem users.

Fantastical allows you to create and manage events with ease, and the natural language parsing makes adding events quick and intuitive. It syncs with Reminders, Todoist, and Google Tasks, and it shows weather information in the calendar. You can propose multiple times to meet and let invitees vote, and you can estimate how long it will take to get to an event.

The clean and user-friendly design of Fantastical's interface makes it easy to use, and it integrates with many third-party apps and services. It provides detailed notifications, including maps and travel time, which I find very helpful.

Personal Experience: As someone who frequently attends meetings and events, Fantastical has been a lifesaver with its intuitive interface and natural language parsing, making it easy to add and manage events. The travel time estimates are particularly helpful for planning my day more effectively. However, while Fantastical excels in its use cases, it didn't quite fit my needs over TickTick. If you're looking for an all-in-one solution, Fantastical might not be the best choice, as its primary focus is on calendar events. It's also not available on Android or Windows, and like TickTick, a subscription is required for full feature access.

With the latest Apple release in the fall of 2024, Apple's Reminders now show up on the Apple Calendar app as well, which was previously a selling point for Fantastical but is now a standard feature. So if you just need calendar events next to some simple reminders, it's more practical to stick to the stock Apple apps. This integration makes it easier for users who primarily need basic calendar and reminder functionalities without the need for additional apps like Fantastical.

The Bottom Line

So, which one should you choose? It depends on your primary needs. If tasks and habits are as important to you as calendar events, TickTick might be the better choice. If you are mainly looking for a robust calendar tool with some task integration, Fantastical would be more appropriate.

At the end of the day, the most important thing is to find the tool that best fits your needs and to develop a system that works for you. No single system is the answer to everything, and there is always more than one solution to any problem.

If you are still undecided, take a look at the table below for a quick comparison of the two apps:

I hope this comparison has been helpful to you. Remember, the best productivity tool is the one that helps you get things done. So, keep experimenting, keep exploring, and keep being productive!