Google Tasks vs Microsoft To Do on iPhone

The honest one-paragraph answer

Microsoft To Do is the stronger free standalone checklist if your work already lives in Outlook or Microsoft 365: My Day, starred importance, list sharing, and reminders that notify on a schedule. Google Tasks is thinner on iPhone, but it is the only option that sits natively inside Gmail and Google Calendar. If your life is Google-shaped, Microsoft To Do does not fix Google Tasks; it asks you to keep a second system. If your life is Microsoft-shaped, Google Tasks is the wrong backbone.

Where Microsoft To Do wins

My Day. A focused daily pick list you rebuild each morning. Stock Google Tasks has lists and due dates, not a dedicated Today screen (see how Today view works on iPhone).

Importance and structure. Stars, steps (subtasks), and clearer list hygiene out of the box. Google Tasks has one level of subtasks and no real priority system.

Sharing. You can share lists with other Microsoft accounts. Stock Google Tasks has no built-in list sharing.

Cross-platform Microsoft sync. Windows, Outlook on the web, and Microsoft 365 are first-class. That matters if your employer lives in that world.

Reminders. Time-based notifications are part of the product. Google Tasks shows due dates (often in Calendar) but does not ring an alarm on its own.

Where Google Tasks wins

Gmail and Google Calendar. Tasks created in Google Tasks appear in the Gmail side panel and on Google Calendar without a bridge app. Microsoft To Do can connect to Google Calendar in limited ways, but your checklist is still a Microsoft database, not the same Google Tasks list Gmail already shows.

Zero cost, zero tiers. Both apps are free for core use. Google Tasks stays simple: lists, checkboxes, notes, due dates, recurrence. There is nothing to configure and no upgrade wall for basic reminders elsewhere in Google’s stack.

One place for Google mail people. If every actionable email already becomes a Google Task, switching to Microsoft To Do means re-learning capture and accepting that Gmail’s Tasks panel is no longer your source of truth.

What both leave thin on iPhone

Stock Google Tasks on iPhone is a thin shell: one list at a time, minimal widgets, no Apple Watch app, no real alarms, no month or week planner inside the app. Microsoft To Do feels more polished day to day, but it still will not put those tasks into Gmail or keep them as Google Tasks.

So the common trap is comparing feature screenshots and ignoring data gravity. A nicer My Day view does not help if your colleagues and Calendar still expect Google Tasks. A free Google checklist does not help if you need Outlook sharing and Windows-first sync.

The third path if Google is home base

If you want Google Tasks as the backend and a serious iPhone front end, ETasks takes that path: two-way sync with Google Tasks (so items still show in Gmail and Google Calendar), plus a native shell with real alarms, widgets, month/week/day planning, shared lists, and an Apple Watch app. It is free and ad-free, and it also works fully locally with no Google account.

Skip ETasks (and stick with Microsoft To Do) if Outlook and Microsoft 365 are already your system of record. Skip both heavyweight project tools if you need labels, boards, and team dashboards; that is a different category than either free checklist.

For a side-by-side focused on Google Tasks, Apple Reminders, and ETasks, see the compare page.

How to decide in one minute

1. Open the calendar you trust for appointments. If it is Google Calendar and your mail is Gmail, start from Google Tasks (or a Google Tasks client), not Microsoft To Do.
2. If your mail and meetings are Outlook or Microsoft 365, Microsoft To Do is the natural free app.
3. If Google is home base but iPhone is where you actually execute (alarms, widgets, Watch, planning), improve the iPhone client instead of migrating the database.

Pick the app that matches the ecosystem you will not abandon next month.

Quick answers

Is Microsoft To Do better than Google Tasks on iPhone? For daily planning features, often yes. For staying inside Gmail and Google Calendar, no.

Can Microsoft To Do replace Google Tasks? Only if you are willing to leave Google Tasks as the source of truth. There is no full two-way sync that keeps both identical.

Does Google Tasks have a My Day view? No dedicated Today or My Day screen in stock Tasks. You can filter by due date, or use a client with day and agenda planners.

Which should Gmail users choose? Stay on Google Tasks for the data. If the iPhone app feels too thin, look at a native Google Tasks client rather than starting a second list in Microsoft To Do.