Nudge vs TickTick

One-time purchase. No accounts. A single .md file. Or: $36/year, habits, Pomodoro, calendar, and a decade of features.

The short answer:

TickTick wins for habit tracking, Pomodoro timers, calendar integration, and mobile-first workflows. Nudge wins for focus, simplicity, always-visible task visibility, and one-time ownership. TickTick is the Swiss army knife. Nudge is the scalpel. If you want features everywhere, pick TickTick. If you want your tasks on screen without distraction, pick Nudge.

Pricing

1 Year 3 Years

TickTick Premium $36 $108

Nudge $15 $15

Nudge is a one-time purchase. TickTick is a subscription. After 5 months of TickTick Premium, you've paid more than Nudge costs. After 3 years, TickTick cost $108 and Nudge still cost $15. BETA40 drops it to $9.

Features

Feature Nudge TickTick

Always-on-top HUD Yes No

Habit tracker No Yes

Pomodoro timer No Yes

Calendar views No Yes

Mobile app No Yes

Auto-hide strip Yes No

One-time purchase Yes No

No account required Yes No

LLM formatting Yes No

Install size 15.6 MB 215 MB

Privacy & Data Ownership

Everything you type in Nudge lives in a single .md file on your machine. No server holds your data. No account. No sync. Your tasks are a local file.

TickTick stores your tasks on their servers. You need an account. Cloud sync enables mobile access, calendar views, and cross-device workflows. Your data lives on their infrastructure.

If you want habits and Pomodoro across devices, TickTick delivers. If you want privacy and ownership, Nudge is the answer.

Who should choose which

Choose Nudge if

✓ You want tasks visible without alt-tabbing
✓ You hate subscriptions
✓ You want an ultra-lightweight install
✓ Privacy and data ownership matter to you
✓ You want a cognitive anchor during deep work
✓ You don't need habit tracking or Pomodoro

Choose TickTick if

✓ You want habit tracking built in
✓ You use a Pomodoro timer daily
✓ Calendar integration matters
✓ You need mobile and cross-device access
✓ You want Eisenhower Matrix views
✓ You collaborate with others on tasks

Nudge is for people who want their tasks on screen and their habits in a notebook.

Try Nudge free for 7 days

$15 one-time. 14-day refund. No questions.