TickTick

Combine tasks, habits, calendar, focus timer, and recurring reminders in one local app

YES · focused build
price $3/mosubscription / year $36estimated build time one sittingreplaced by 0 people

The core loop is small enough for a capable coding agent to produce a useful local version in one sitting. For TickTick, combine tasks, habits, calendar, focus timer, and recurring reminders in one local app. The hard boundary is cross-platform sync, mobile widgets, calendar integrations, and years of recurrence polish, plus cross-device reliability and workflow polish.

Build verification: not recorded. How we judge buildability

What you give up

  • cross-platform sync, mobile widgets, calendar integrations, and years of recurrence polish
  • perfect mobile sync
  • calendar and email integrations
  • shared workspaces
  • behavioral coaching polish

Why people still pay

People still pay for TickTick because task software is sticky because trust, speed, and ubiquitous capture matter more than the database schema. The recurring cost buys recurrence edge cases, notifications, sync conflicts, calendar APIs, mobile capture, and backups, not just the visible interface.

Your build guide

The stack, security requirements, and agent rules for a focused replacement.

Before you start

  • Runtime and tools: TypeScript, React and a Node server with SQLite for a single small workspace.
  • Before starting: A local Node runtime, writable data directory, sample records and a documented backup/restore path.
01
TypeScript, React and a Node server with SQLite for a single small workspace
02
Data design: Store Task, RecurrenceRule, Occurrence, HabitCheck and FocusSession; completing an occurrence does not complete the whole series and timezone changes have a stated policy.
03
Setup: A local Node runtime, writable data directory, sample records and a documented backup/restore path
engineering roadmap

Implementation plan

1

Phase 1

Pin the working slice and create its example input: Capture tasks and habits, define recurrence, review a today list and use a focus timer linked to one selected task. Confirm setup: A local Node runtime, writable data directory, sample records and a documented backup/restore path.

2

Phase 2

Implement persistence and write-time invariants before decorating the UI: Store Task, RecurrenceRule, Occurrence, HabitCheck and FocusSession; completing an occurrence does not complete the whole series and timezone changes have a stated policy.

3

Phase 3

Connect the working view to real saved state. Use migrations and server-side validation; expose saved, pending and failed states. Keep each write atomic and reject stale edits using a revision number.

4

Phase 4

Expose the app-specific limits and recovery path in context: Start local with export and explicit reminders. Browser notifications and offline execution have limits; avoid implying a background timer or sync always runs when the app is closed.

5

Phase 5

Walk through this concrete acceptance case and preserve its exported evidence: Complete a recurring task late, skip one habit day and reopen after a timer interruption; generate the next occurrence once and keep skipped/missed/completed states distinct. Finish the README and backup/restore instructions; report unfinished capabilities explicitly.

the pro prompt
download AGENTS.md
Build the following focused alternative to TickTick. Implement the focused workflow below first; the verdict is not evidence of a completed or production-certified build.

WORKING SLICE
Capture tasks and habits, define recurrence, review a today list and use a focus timer linked to one selected task.

SETUP AND ARCHITECTURE
Use TypeScript, React and a Node server with SQLite for a single small workspace. Prerequisites: A local Node runtime, writable data directory, sample records and a documented backup/restore path. Before integrating anything, record actual versions and permissions, plus model files or provider limits only where used, in the README; make unavailable dependencies visible rather than simulating success.

DOMAIN MODEL AND INVARIANTS
Store Task, RecurrenceRule, Occurrence, HabitCheck and FocusSession; completing an occurrence does not complete the whole series and timezone changes have a stated policy.

IMPLEMENTATION CONTRACT
Use migrations and server-side validation; expose saved, pending and failed states. Keep each write atomic and reject stale edits using a revision number. Provide an input/setup view, the main work view, and a review/export view appropriate to this workflow. Preserve the last saved state if a job or save fails. Include empty, loading, permission-denied, partial and retryable-error states. Log identifiers and error categories without secret values or unnecessary private content.

APP-SPECIFIC BOUNDARY AND RECOVERY
Start local with export and explicit reminders. Browser notifications and offline execution have limits; avoid implying a background timer or sync always runs when the app is closed.

ACCEPTANCE SCENARIO
Complete a recurring task late, skip one habit day and reopen after a timer interruption; generate the next occurrence once and keep skipped/missed/completed states distinct. Also reopen the app after an interrupted operation, confirm the saved record/export remains inspectable, and document the recovery action. These are implementation acceptance requirements, not a claim that this guide has been tested.

DELIVERY
Deliver a runnable repository with migrations or project-format versioning, a non-sensitive example, environment/permission setup, the exact manual acceptance steps, and a backup/export-and-restore walkthrough. Implement the working slice before optional integrations; list any deferred paid-product capabilities honestly. Do not add capabilities outside the working slice just to resemble the original product.

PROJECT RULES FOR AGENTS.md
Keep the domain invariants above executable at the write boundary. Propose scope changes before adding providers or permissions. Never fabricate source evidence, publish results, identity matches or successful delivery. Preserve user originals and require an explicit confirmation for destructive changes or external publication.

$ open in your agent (prompt prefilled, you press enter), copy the prompt or copy or download AGENTS.md · generated from this app's build plan

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Alternatives to building your own

LunataskTasks, seven habits, a daily calendar, reminders, recurrence, and Pomodoro; external calendar sync is paid$0free↗

no votes, no pay-to-list · just what's real

TickTick pricing

planmonthlyannual (per mo)what you get
free$0/user$0/user9 lists; 99 active tasks/list; 19 checklist items/task; 2 reminders/task; 5 habits; 2 users/shared list including owner; 1 attachment/day; planner 2 times/week.
premium$3.99/user$3/user299 lists; 999 tasks/list; 199 subtasks/checklist items/task; 5 reminders/task; 299 habits; up to 30 users/shared list; 99 attachments/day.Web annual promotion is $35.99/year (regularly $49.99); monthly price is from the US App Store and can vary by platform/region.

free tier9 lists; 99 active tasks/list; 19 checklist items/task; 2 reminders/task; 5 habits; 2 users/shared list including owner; 1 attachment/day; planner 2 times/week.

billingmonthly + annual; current web annual promotion is $35.99/year (28% off regular $49.99); platform prices vary

hidden costsThe $35.99 annual price is a limited-time promotion; renewal/platform pricing may be the regular $49.99; app-store billing rules apply.

pricing sources checked 2026-08-14 · pricing source ↗

Questions about TickTick

Can you build your own TickTick with AI?

The verdict is yes for the scoped workflow. The core loop is small enough for a capable coding agent to produce a useful local version in one sitting. For TickTick, combine tasks, habits, calendar, focus timer, and recurring reminders in one local app. The hard boundary is cross-platform sync, mobile widgets, calendar integrations, and years of recurrence polish, plus cross-device reliability and workflow polish.

What does the TickTick build prompt cover?

The prompt starts with this scope: Capture tasks and habits, define recurrence, review a today list and use a focus timer linked to one selected task. Full-product capabilities excluded from the comparison include: cross-platform sync, mobile widgets, calendar integrations, and years of recurrence polish; perfect mobile sync; calendar and email integrations. Follow the implementation plan and its prerequisites before expanding the build.

How do I use the prompt, AGENTS.md and agent skills?

Start with the TickTick prerequisites and stack, then copy the prompt into your coding agent. Save the project rules as AGENTS.md in the project root. Linked skills are optional packages or source instructions for specific tasks; review their current contents and install only those matching the chosen stack. A skill does not supply API credentials or verify the finished app.

How long will this TickTick project take?

The catalogue estimate is one sitting for the limited scope. Setup, integration approvals, debugging, deployment and ongoing maintenance can add time. This is an estimate, not a delivery guarantee.

What would I give up by replacing TickTick?

cross-platform sync, mobile widgets, calendar integrations, and years of recurrence polish; perfect mobile sync; calendar and email integrations; shared workspaces; behavioral coaching polish. People still pay for TickTick because task software is sticky because trust, speed, and ubiquitous capture matter more than the database schema. The recurring cost buys recurrence edge cases, notifications, sync conflicts, calendar APIs, mobile capture, and backups, not just the visible interface.

What price is this guide comparing against?

The recorded Premium plan is $3/mo (annual-equivalent), checked 2026-07-31. Check the linked pricing source before buying. Building your own also has hosting, API and maintenance costs; the recorded amount is not a guaranteed saving.

What can I use instead of building TickTick?

Lunatask: Tasks, seven habits, a daily calendar, reminders, recurrence, and Pomodoro; external calendar sync is paid. Check each option's license, hosting needs and feature limits.

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