Microsoft To Do vs Things:Which is more popular?
In September 2026, Things had more branded searches than Microsoft To Do among task management apps worldwide. Things had about 577,000 branded searches, while Microsoft To Do had 135,000. Things made up 13.2% of all task management app searches we track, and Microsoft To Do accounted for 3.1%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about task management apps, Microsoft To Do appeared in all five answers and Things in four. Microsoft To Do was mentioned before Things in three out of five answers.
Who do people search for more?
Things, about 4 searches for every 1 for Microsoft To Do
Who does AI mention more?
Microsoft To Do, mentioned in every answer we collected
Who does AI recommend more?
Microsoft To Do, named ahead of Things in 3 of 5 answers
Follow Microsoft To Do vs Things and get free monthly updates on what changed
By continuing you'll get index updates and occasional product news from Brandwave. Unsubscribe any time. Privacy
Top task management apps in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews
In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Microsoft To Do appeared in all five answers. Things was mentioned in four out of five: in all three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. Microsoft To Do was listed before Things in three out of five answers.
Most recommended by AI
Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.
Todoist1st
TickTick2nd- Microsoft To Do3rd
- Things4th
- Apple Reminders5th
Asana6th
Notion7th
ClickUp8th
Mentioned by AI
Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.
- Todoist5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
- TickTick5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
- Microsoft To Do5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
- Things4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
- Notion2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
- Apple Reminders2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
- ClickUp1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
- Asana1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
See every answer about task management apps
5 answers
Asked ChatGPT
“Which task management app should I use?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What are the best task management apps?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What's the best task management app for a busy life?”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“task management apps”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“to do app”
Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in the United States on October 21, 2026.
Is Microsoft To Do or Things more popular in search?
This chart shows how often people search Google for Microsoft To Do and Things by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all eight task management apps we track, month by month, from English-language searches worldwide.
Share of searches by month for Things, Microsoft To Do. The figures are in the table below the chart.
View monthly share of searches table
| Month | ClickUp | Asana | Todoist | Things | Notion | TickTick | Microsoft To Do | Apple Reminders |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 33% | 33.9% | 7.9% | 12.4% | 5.3% | 3.6% | 3.6% | 0.32% |
| Nov 2025 | 38.4% | 26.7% | 7.6% | 14.4% | 5% | 4.1% | 3.4% | 0.3% |
| Dec 2025 | 33.8% | 28.5% | 8.2% | 15.5% | 5.5% | 4.5% | 3.7% | 0.33% |
| Jan 2026 | 34.9% | 29.2% | 8.4% | 13.1% | 5.6% | 4.6% | 3.8% | 0.41% |
| Feb 2026 | 43% | 24.5% | 7% | 13.2% | 5.7% | 3.1% | 3.1% | 0.28% |
| Mar 2026 | 39.8% | 27.3% | 8.1% | 12.3% | 6.4% | 2.9% | 2.9% | 0.26% |
| Apr 2026 | 42.7% | 24.9% | 5.9% | 13.1% | 6.9% | 3.1% | 3.1% | 0.28% |
| May 2026 | 38.4% | 27% | 8.3% | 14.3% | 6.2% | 2.8% | 2.8% | 0.25% |
| Jun 2026 | 37.7% | 26.6% | 8.4% | 14.2% | 6.1% | 3.3% | 3.3% | 0.3% |
| Jul 2026 | 38.9% | 28.1% | 7% | 14.5% | 5.1% | 3.4% | 2.8% | 0.25% |
| Aug 2026 | 38.3% | 26.5% | 8.4% | 14.5% | 5.1% | 4.2% | 2.8% | 0.25% |
| Sep 2026 | 34.8% | 25.1% | 14.3% | 13.2% | 4.6% | 4.6% | 3.1% | 0.34% |
How has the Microsoft To Do and Things comparison changed over the last 12 months?
3 findings
- Things was ahead of Microsoft To Do in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Microsoft To Do’s share of searches among task management apps worldwide moved from 3.6% to 3.1%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 165K to 135K.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Things’ share of searches among task management apps worldwide moved from 12.4% to 13.2%, and its estimated monthly branded searches held steady at 577K.
How did search popularity change for task management apps worldwide in September 2026?
3 changes
In September 2026, Todoist overtook Things to rank 3rd among task management apps worldwide, with 14.3% of the searches.
In September 2026, Things lost share of searches among task management apps worldwide, from 14.5% to 13.2%.
Estimated monthly branded searches for Microsoft To Do worldwide fell 18.2% over 12 measured months, from 165K to 135K in September 2026.
How are branded searches counted?
3 search terms
Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Microsoft To Do’s and Things’ names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading.
Microsoft To Do
1 branded search term
- microsoft to do
Things
2 branded search terms
- things
- things 3
Other head-to-heads among task management apps
Put your own brand in this comparison
Brandwave tracks your branded demand next to the rival you actually watch, with your campaigns, spend and outcomes on the same timeline.