Best Trello Alternatives for Students (2026)
Tolodora Editorial Team
Independent software reviews for founders and small businesses.
Trello's boards are a fine way to track assignments, but student life is more than cards to move — it's deadlines across classes, lecture notes, readings and group projects, all colliding around exam season. Something that ties tasks to notes (and stays free) fits better.
Here are the best Trello alternatives for students in 2026. Quick answer: Notion is the all-in-one student favourite, Todoist and TickTick nail deadlines, and Microsoft To Do is free and simple.
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| # | Tool | Best for | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Notion | Students who want notes, tasks and planners in one. | 0.2/5 |
| 2 | Todoist | Students who want a fast deadline tracker. | 0.2/5 |
| 3 | TickTick | Students who plan by time-blocking and focus sessions. | 0.2/5 |
| 4 | Microsoft To Do | Students who want free, simple task management. | 0.2/5 |
| 5 | Sunsama | Students who want a calm, intentional daily plan. | 0.2/5 |
Notion
- Pricing
- 0.4/10
- Functionality
- 0.5/10
- Ease of use
- 0.4/10
- Support
- 0.4/10
What I like
One flexible workspace for notes, tasks and wikis.
Best for
Students who want notes, tasks and planners in one.
Notion combines notes, databases, task boards and planners in one free (for students) workspace — so lecture notes, an assignment tracker and a revision plan live together. It's the reason so many students swear by it: everything in one calm place, flexible enough for any course. A superb all-rounder.
Todoist
- Pricing
- 0.4/10
- Functionality
- 0.4/10
- Ease of use
- 0.5/10
- Support
- 0.4/10
What I like
Frictionless task capture that syncs everywhere.
Best for
Students who want a fast deadline tracker.
Todoist is the cleanest way to capture assignments and due dates in natural language, organised by class, syncing everywhere. For a student who mostly needs to know what's due and when — without building a system — its speed and simplicity keep the semester under control.
TickTick
- Pricing
- 0.5/10
- Functionality
- 0.4/10
- Ease of use
- 0.5/10
- Support
- 0.4/10
What I like
To-dos, calendar and a Pomodoro timer in one.
Best for
Students who plan by time-blocking and focus sessions.
TickTick pairs a to-do list with a calendar and a built-in Pomodoro timer, perfect for planning study blocks and focusing during them. Seeing deadlines and your day together, then working in timed sprints, suits exam-season revision beautifully. Affordable and pleasant to use.
Microsoft To Do
- Pricing
- 0.5/10
- Functionality
- 0.4/10
- Ease of use
- 0.5/10
- Support
- 0.4/10
What I like
Free, simple and tied into Microsoft 365.
Best for
Students who want free, simple task management.
Microsoft To Do is free, clean and tied into Microsoft 365 (which many schools provide), with My Day planning and reminders. For a student who wants a straightforward, no-cost task app that syncs with their school account, it does the essentials without any fuss.
Sunsama
- Pricing
- 0.4/10
- Functionality
- 0.4/10
- Ease of use
- 0.4/10
- Support
- 0.4/10
What I like
A calm daily planner that pulls tasks together.
Best for
Students who want a calm, intentional daily plan.
Sunsama is a daily planner that pulls tasks and calendar events together and asks you to plan a realistic day. It's a paid, deliberate approach to focus — ideal for a student prone to overwhelm who wants a calmer, more intentional relationship with their workload.
Pick by style: everything in one workspace, Notion; a fast deadline list, Todoist; time-blocking and focus, TickTick; free and simple, Microsoft To Do; calm daily planning, Sunsama.
Whatever you shortlist, run your real work through it for a week before committing — the right tool is the one that quietly disappears and lets you get back to it. And if you build software for this crowd yourself, you can list it on Tolodora free.
Frequently asked questions
What's the best free app for students to stay organised?
Notion (free for students) is the top all-in-one, combining notes, tasks and planners. Microsoft To Do and Todoist also have strong free tiers for tracking assignments and deadlines. Any keeps the semester organised without cost.
What's better than Trello for taking notes and tasks together?
Notion is the standout — it combines note-taking, databases and task boards in one workspace, so lecture notes and assignment tracking live together. Trello handles boards well but doesn't do notes; Notion covers both.
What app helps students focus while studying?
TickTick includes a built-in Pomodoro timer alongside tasks and a calendar, and Sunsama encourages intentional daily planning. Both help students focus in timed study blocks rather than just listing tasks.
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