A task app you buy once
TaskForge is $39.99 one-time for iPhone, iPad, and Mac. No monthly fee, no account, no cloud lock-in. Or $1.99 per month if you prefer. Either way, a one-week free trial comes first.
Get Free - iOS & Mac 
Get Free - Android Why subscription task apps add up
Todoist Pro runs around $5 per month billed annually, or $7 per month billed monthly. TickTick Premium is around $35.99 per year. Both are subscriptions with no lifetime alternative. Over five years, Todoist costs roughly $300 billed annually and TickTick costs around $180, at current pricing.
That math is not an argument against subscriptions by itself. Software costs real money to maintain and the recurring model funds ongoing development. But if you use a task app as a personal productivity tool rather than a team collaboration platform, the economics of a one-time purchase look different.
There is also a data question. Subscription apps typically store your tasks in their cloud. If you stop paying, you lose access to your history. With TaskForge, your tasks are plain markdown files on your device. Stop using the app and the files stay.
TaskForge: pay once, keep it
$39.99 one-time, all your Apple devices
One purchase on the App Store covers iPhone, iPad, and Mac. It covers every future update. There is no annual renewal. The free tier is not crippled: you get core task management, Obsidian vault sync, and offline access without paying anything. Premium adds unlimited custom filters, kanban view, calendar integration, desktop widgets, and custom notifications.
One-week free trial
Every new user gets a full one-week trial of all premium features before choosing. No credit card required to start. At the end of the trial, you pick the one-time purchase, the monthly plan, or you keep the free tier.
$1.99 per month if you prefer
The subscription option exists if you would rather not pay upfront. It covers the same premium features as the one-time purchase. The math favours the lifetime option within about two years.
Your files, not our database
Tasks in TaskForge are lines of markdown in your Obsidian vault. They look like: - [ ] call the plumber 📅 2026-06-25. Open the same file in Obsidian and the task is there. Open it in any text editor and it reads fine. No export step, no account to delete, no migration if you leave.
- [ ] call the plumber 📅 2026-06-25 🔁 every month
Works offline
Because tasks are local files, the app reads and writes them with no network connection. Vault sync (iCloud Drive, Obsidian Sync, or Dropbox) runs separately in the background.
The honest catch
The $39.99 one-time purchase covers the Apple ecosystem only: iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Android is a separate purchase through Google Play, because there is no shared account system linking the two stores.
Things 3 is also a one-time purchase, and it is worth naming because it is the most common comparison. Things 3 charges separately for Mac ($49.99), iPhone ($9.99), and iPad ($19.99), so the full suite is around $80. TaskForge's one-time covers all three for $39.99. Things 3 does not support Android at all.
The free tier in TaskForge is genuinely usable for straightforward task management. Where it draws the line: unlimited custom filters, kanban, calendar view, desktop widgets, and custom notifications are premium. The trial week is the right way to find out whether you need those features before committing.
Subscription vs one-time: the field
A clear comparison of the main options and what they actually cost.
| App | Pricing model | Approx. 5-year cost | Your data |
|---|---|---|---|
| TaskForge | $39.99 one-time (Apple) or $1.99/month. Free tier available. | $39.99 one-time, or ~$120 at $1.99/month | Plain markdown files in your vault |
| Todoist | Subscription only. Around $5/month (annual) or $7/month (monthly). No lifetime option. | Around $300 (annual billing) | Cloud database; export manually to leave |
| TickTick | Subscription only. Around $35.99/year. No lifetime option. | Around $180 | Cloud database; export manually to leave |
| Things 3 | One-time, per device. ~$80 for Mac + iPhone + iPad combined. | $80 (no renewals, but also no Android) | Proprietary database; Apple ecosystem only |
When a subscription still makes sense
Subscriptions are not inherently bad. A few situations where they fit better than a one-time purchase:
- Team use Todoist's collaboration features (shared projects, task assignments, comments) require a subscription and genuinely work well. TaskForge is a personal productivity tool; it does not have team sharing.
- Web access If you need to reach your tasks from a browser on any computer, Todoist and TickTick have web apps. TaskForge is iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and Android. No web version.
- Windows or Linux TaskForge does not yet run on Windows or Linux. If you need cross-platform including those, Todoist is the practical choice.
- You want the subscription Some people prefer to pay monthly because it feels lower-commitment. The $1.99/month option is there for exactly that.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a task app you can buy once?
Yes. TaskForge is $39.99 one-time for iPhone, iPad, and Mac, with no annual renewal. Things 3 is also a one-time purchase but charges separately for each device (Mac, iPhone, and iPad sold individually, totalling around $80 for all three). Most other popular task apps, including Todoist and TickTick, are subscription-only.
Does TaskForge have a subscription?
It offers both options. $39.99 one-time covers all your Apple devices with no renewal. $1.99 per month is available if you prefer. Both unlock the same premium features. All new users get a one-week free trial before choosing.
What does the one-time purchase include?
The $39.99 purchase covers iPhone, iPad, and Mac within the Apple ecosystem. It unlocks unlimited custom filters, kanban board, calendar integration, desktop widgets, and custom notifications. Future updates are included at no extra cost. Android is a separate purchase through Google Play.
Is the free version enough?
For straightforward task management it is. The free tier gives you core task management, Obsidian vault sync, and offline access. The one-week trial is the easiest way to find out: try every premium feature for a week, then decide. You do not need a credit card to start the trial.
What happens if I stop paying?
If you are on the monthly plan and cancel, you drop to the free tier. Your tasks stay exactly where they are: plain markdown files in your vault. Nothing is deleted. If you bought the lifetime option, nothing changes. Either way, your files remain yours.
Does Things 3 have a lifetime option?
Things 3 is entirely one-time, with no subscription at all. The catch is per-device pricing: Mac ($49.99), iPhone ($9.99), and iPad ($19.99) are separate purchases, totalling around $80 for the full Apple suite. It does not support Android. TaskForge covers iPhone, iPad, and Mac for $39.99 in a single purchase and has an Android app.
Try TaskForge free for a week
Download for free. One week of all premium features. Then $39.99 once, or $1.99 per month, or keep the free tier.