# Microsoft To Do alternative: how Prior compares

> Prior and Microsoft To Do side by side on platforms, My Day, repeats, calendar, sharing, habits, AI and price, with the pages we read on 5 November 2026.

Source: https://priortasks.com/compare/microsoft-to-do/
Last updated: 2026-11-05

This page sets Prior next to Microsoft To Do as of the date above. Everything about To Do comes from Microsoft's own pages and store listings, listed under Sources. Prices and plan limits change, so check them before you decide.

## Who each one suits

Microsoft To Do suits you if you already live in Outlook or Microsoft 365 and want a free list app: tasks are stored on Exchange Online and appear in Outlook, emails you flag in Outlook become tasks, and My Day suggests tasks for the day. It has apps for Windows, Mac, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Android.

Prior suits you if you want priorities, projects, habits, notes and a planner in one app, with your data kept on your device first. It runs on the web, macOS, Windows, Linux and Android. It has no iOS app yet: on an iPhone you open the web app in the browser, where reminders only fire while the tab is open.

## Side by side

| | Prior | Microsoft To Do |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Platforms | Web, macOS, Windows, Linux, Android. No iOS app yet. | Windows, Mac, iOS and Android downloads, a web sign-in, and iPad and Apple Watch apps in the App Store listing. Linux is not listed. |
| Offline | Works from a copy on your device and syncs when you are back online. | Not found in the pages we read. |
| Quick add | The title is read in seven languages: date, time, duration, priority, reminder, repeat, #project and @person. | Not found in the pages we read. |
| Recurring tasks | Every N days, weeks, months or years, on chosen weekdays, with an end date, from the due date or the completion date. | Due dates and reminders, one-time or recurring. Repeats are listed among task details in Outlook. |
| Calendar | Day, week, month and agenda views. Google Calendar, ICS files and calendar URLs show read-only, next to events you add yourself. | A Planned list of scheduled tasks in To Do in Outlook. There, My Day shows upcoming calendar events next to tasks. A calendar view inside To Do is not described in the pages we read. |
| Time blocking | Automatic on Pro: places open tasks in your free working hours and moves them forward when plans change. | Not found in the pages we read. |
| Habits | A Habits space with schedules, streaks and a history grid, on every plan. | No habit tracker. Microsoft's article on daily habits suggests setting a task to repeat every day. |
| Notes | Markdown notes with tables and charts. Project members edit shared notes live. | Notes on any task, and files up to 25 MB per task. |
| Flashcards | Decks scheduled with FSRS-5, with Anki import. | Not found in its documentation. |
| Projects | Areas, projects, Kanban board, milestones and a budget tab. Scrum and Scrumban on Pro. | Lists, with steps inside a task. |
| Collaboration | Share a project as editor or viewer, assign tasks, comment with mentions. Free: 2 people per shared project and 3 shared projects. Pro: 10 people. | Share lists between personal Microsoft accounts, or between accounts of the same work or school. A list owned by a work or school account cannot be joined from outside that organization. |
| AI | Prior AI assistant on Pro and above, with changes you confirm. On Free, your own OpenRouter key. MCP server on every plan. | Not found in the pages we read. |
| Email | The Inbox page reads a connected Gmail mailbox and turns messages into tasks. | Flag an email in Outlook to add it to a Flagged Email list. |
| Price, 5 Nov 2026 | Free €0. Pro €8 a month or €72 a year. Team €10 per seat a month or €96 a year. 14-day trial on a first subscription. No VAT added. | Free in the App Store and Microsoft Store listings, with no in-app purchases listed on iOS. |

## Where Microsoft To Do goes further

- **Price.** It is free in the store listings we checked.
- **Outlook and Microsoft 365.** Tasks sync with Outlook tasks, and flagged emails become tasks. Prior's mail integration is Gmail.
- **More devices.** iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch apps, and an Android widget that adds tasks to My Day.
- **My Day suggestions.** It suggests tasks from your lists for the day.
- **Organization sharing.** Accounts in the same work or school can share lists.

## What Prior does differently

Prior starts from priority and time. A task's priority and due date place it in the Eisenhower matrix, and on Pro the planner turns your open tasks into blocks around your events. The plan is derived: Prior never moves your calendar events and writes to a task only when you lock a block.

Projects with a Kanban board, milestones and sub-tasks, habits, flashcards, notes and a Focus timer sit in the same app. If your mail is Gmail, the Inbox page turns messages into tasks. Any AI assistant can read and edit your tasks through Prior's MCP server. See [Time blocking](https://priortasks.com/docs/planning/time-blocking/) and [Create a habit](https://priortasks.com/docs/habits/create-a-habit/).

## Switching from Microsoft To Do

We found no export for To Do in the Microsoft pages we read, and Prior's importer has no To Do option. Move your lists by hand. In [Settings → Import](https://app.priortasks.com/settings/import) paste each list under **Or paste text**, one task per line, indenting each step under its task to make it a sub-task, and `[x]` for a finished task. Put a `# List name` line above a list to make it a project. Words quick add understands, such as `tomorrow p1`, are read as dates and priorities.

Prior shows a preview and saves nothing until you confirm. Shared lists, attachments and My Day choices do not move; ask the people on a shared list to join the matching Prior project. The steps are in [Import your data](https://priortasks.com/docs/getting-started/import-your-data/).

## Sources

Read on 5 November 2026.

- [Microsoft support: Welcome to Microsoft To Do](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/todo/welcome-to-microsoft-to-do)
- [Microsoft To Do on the US App Store](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/microsoft-to-do/id1212616790)
- [Microsoft To Do in the Microsoft Store](https://apps.microsoft.com/detail/9nblggh5r558)
- [Microsoft support: Why can't I join a shared list?](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/why-can-t-i-join-a-shared-list-3a6195de-e3a8-437a-b562-7c8c011dc574)
- [Microsoft support: Manage tasks with To Do in Outlook](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/manage-tasks-with-to-do-in-outlook-6e8a991b-ea62-4009-a7f7-62b70a57ec18)
- [Microsoft support: Creating daily habits with Microsoft To Do](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/creating-daily-habits-with-microsoft-to-do-cf2a37ea-8f7b-450c-a401-b131365728b1)
- [Microsoft support: Using the Android widget with Microsoft To Do](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/using-the-android-widget-with-microsoft-to-do-11392322-b3b9-451f-84ba-a70f540909f2)