Best Self Hosted Alternatives to Any.do

Habitica is an open-source habit-building program that treats your life like a role-playing game. Level up as you succeed, lose HP for failures, and earn Gold to buy weapons and armor. The project emphasizes community-driven guides and help resources to support contributors.

Key Features

• Gamified task management with Habits, Dailies and To-Dos, plus XP, Gold and gear. (apps.apple.com)
• Avatar customization with gear, pets and cosmetics. (apps.apple.com)
• Social features including Parties, Challenges and Guilds for collaboration and accountability. (apps.apple.com)
• Cross‑platform syncing and a strong open-source community contributing to the project. (apps.apple.com) (github.com)
• Subscriptions unlock Gems and exclusive items for extra content. (apps.apple.com)
• Tech stack demonstrated in the repository includes Node.js, Vue.js, Express and MongoDB. (github.com)

Use Cases

• Personal productivity and habit formation by turning tasks into RPG progress. (en.wikipedia.org)
• Team collaboration and accountability through Parties and Guilds for shared goals. (apps.apple.com)
• Learning or onboarding support via gamified task workflows and social features. (en.wikipedia.org)

Conclusion Habitica blends task management with RPG mechanics and a vibrant open-source community; it is widely used for personal productivity and collaborative goal-tracking. (github.com)

Taskwarrior is a free, open-source command-line task management tool for creating, tracking and reporting TODO items. It emphasizes a flexible, scriptable workflow with powerful filtering, recurrence and dependency features for both simple and complex task setups. (taskwarrior.org)

Key Features

• Command-line first interface with rich filtering and query capabilities (complex boolean filters, custom reports).
• Projects, tags, priorities, due dates, contexts, and user-defined attributes to model diverse workflows.
• Recurring tasks, task dependencies, annotations and history/logging for audit and review.
• Extensible with hooks, scripts and third-party UIs; integrates with a sync/server component (taskd) for multi-device synchronization.
• Cross-platform packaging and source builds with a mature toolchain and ecosystem of extensions and companion projects.

(Features summary derived from official project documentation and repository.) (taskwarrior.org)

Use Cases

• Personal GTD-style task tracking and daily todo management from the terminal.
• Automation and scripting of task workflows (CI hooks, editor integrations, shell scripts).
• Multi-device task synchronization and collaborative workflows via the taskd sync server and compatible third-party clients.

Limitations and Considerations

• No single official first-party graphical UI; most GUIs and web frontends are community projects with varying compatibility and maintenance status.
• Sync and multi-device setups require configuring the separate sync server or third-party hosting, which can add operational complexity.
• The CLI-focused design has a learning curve for users accustomed to GUI-only task apps.

Taskwarrior is a mature, feature-rich CLI task manager with an active community and ecosystem of plugins and frontends. It is best suited for users who want scriptability, fine-grained control and reproducible task workflows from the command line. (github.com)

Nullboard is a minimalist kanban-style task manager implemented as a single-page HTML application. It keeps data in the browser (localStorage), provides editable in-place notes and supports multiple boards with quick switching.

Key Features

• Single-file single-page web app implemented in plain HTML/JavaScript/CSS for a very small footprint
• Browser-local storage of boards and notes (localStorage) with manual export/import in JSON format
• Multiple boards with near-instant switching and compact, readable layout
• In-place editing, keyboard shortcuts and drag-and-drop note/list reordering
• Undo/redo history (defaults to 50 revisions per board) for quick recovery of recent changes
• Note collapsing for compact views and configurable font/zoom/theme options (including inverted/dark theme)
• Optional automatic local backup via companion agent utilities (platform-specific agents exist)

Use Cases

• Personal task and project organization where data should remain local and private
• Quick, ephemeral planning boards for meetings, sprints or brainstorming sessions without server setup
• Portable offline-toolkits for users who prefer a compact, keyboard-first kanban interface

Limitations and Considerations

• Primarily designed for desktop (keyboard + mouse); touch/tap and mobile support are essentially untested
• Uses browser localStorage: boards can be lost if browser data/cache is cleared or profiles are removed
• No built-in multi-user collaboration or server-side sync; sharing requires export/import or external syncing tools
• Project is labeled beta and uses a license that includes a Commons Clause restriction; commercial resale is restricted

Nullboard is a lightweight option for users who want a distraction-free, locally-stored kanban board with minimal dependencies. It is best suited to single-user or local workflows where simplicity and privacy are priorities.

Vikunja is an open-source to-do and task management application designed to help individuals and teams organize work in projects. It provides collaborative task tracking with multiple ways to visualize and plan your workload.

Key Features

• Project-based organization with hierarchical projects and subprojects
• Task assignment and project sharing for team collaboration
• Multiple task views including list, Kanban, Gantt, and table
• Web-based UI backed by an API for integrations and automation

Use Cases

• Personal task tracking and daily planning with project structure
• Team task coordination with shared projects and assigned responsibilities
• Project planning and timeline overview using Gantt and board views

Vikunja is a flexible, privacy-friendly alternative to proprietary task managers, combining a clean UI with collaboration and planning features for a wide range of workflows.

tududi is an open-source, self-hosted web application for task and project management. It combines a simple personal to-do workflow with project-level organization, focused on privacy, control, and lightweight deployment.

Key Features

• Hierarchical organization: Areas → Projects → Tasks with support for notes and tags for structured GTD-style workflows.
• Advanced recurring tasks: multiple recurrence patterns, completion-based recurrence, parent-child linking, and series editing.
• Subtasks and progress tracking: break down tasks into subtasks with visible progress and navigation between parent/child tasks.
• Flexible tagging and smart filtering: tag-based organization, multi-criteria filters, and quick search to locate items rapidly.
• Project documentation: rich-text notes attached to projects with full search capabilities.
• Collaboration controls: share projects with granular read/write permissions for team collaboration.
• Integrations and API: versioned REST API with Swagger docs and personal access tokens for automation and integrations.
• Telegram integration: create tasks via Telegram messages and receive daily task digests (requires a Telegram bot/token).
• Responsive UI and localization: modern responsive interface with dark/light themes and multi-language support (24 languages).
• Docker-first deployment: distributed as a container image for simple, local or server deployment.

Use Cases

• Personal productivity: manage daily tasks, recurring routines, and long-term projects using Areas and Projects.
• Small team project tracking: share projects with team members, delegate tasks, and track completion metrics.
• Automation and integrations: connect tududi data to other tools via the provided REST API and personal access tokens.

Limitations and Considerations

• Storage and scale: the default persistence is a file-based SQLite database and filesystem uploads, which is suitable for individuals and small teams but may limit performance or concurrency for very large deployments.
• Mobile availability: there is no official native mobile application; access is via the responsive web UI or third-party hosting/deployments.
• Operational requirements: production use requires running behind HTTPS and managing session secrets and bot tokens securely; administrators must handle backups and file-permission management.

In summary, tududi is a compact, privacy-oriented task and project manager aimed at users who prefer self-hosting and simple deployment. It emphasizes hierarchical organization, rich recurring-task support, Telegram connectivity, and an extensible API surface for automations.

Tasks.md is a self-hosted task management board that uses your filesystem as the source of truth. Lanes are directories and tasks are Markdown files, giving you a simple, portable structure that works well with typical note-taking and file-sync workflows.

Key Features

• Kanban-style board with lanes, cards, and tags in a modern responsive UI
• Tasks stored as Markdown files on disk (folders represent lanes)
• Supports opening subdirectories as separate projects via URL path
• Light/dark mode that follows operating system settings
• CSS customization via a user-editable stylesheet and built-in color themes
• Supports subpath reverse-proxy deployments via a configurable base path
• Simple deployment using a single Docker image; can also run from source
• Optional install as a Progressive Web App (PWA)

Use Cases

• Personal task tracking with plain-text Markdown files you can version or sync
• Lightweight project boards for small teams or homelabs without a database
• Organizing tasks alongside a folder-based knowledge base or notes workflow

Limitations and Considerations

• PWA functionality does not work when the base path is set to anything other than "/"
• Feature scope is intentionally kept narrow, so advanced project management features may be out of scope

Tasks.md is a practical choice if you want a kanban board without a database and prefer human-readable files. Its folder-and-Markdown approach keeps your tasks easy to back up, migrate, and edit outside the UI when needed.

Donetick is an open-source application for managing tasks and chores for individuals, families, and small groups. It combines natural-language task creation with flexible recurrence rules, assignment/rotation strategies, and history/analytics to simplify recurring work.

Key Features

• Natural-language task creation and parsing (dates, times, recurrence, priorities, labels).
• Advanced recurring scheduling: schedule by due-date or completion-date, adaptive suggestions from history, and fine-grained frequency options.
• Assignee management: assign tasks to people, automatic rotation strategies (least-completed, round-robin, random).
• "Things": track non-task state (numeric, boolean, text) and trigger task state changes when things meet conditions.
• NFC tag support for physical task completion triggers and mount-friendly dashboard mode for shared displays.
• Notifications and integrations: multi-channel reminders (Telegram, Discord, Pushover), webhooks, and a REST API with long-lived access token support.
• Storage options for attachments: local or S3-compatible object storage (e.g., MinIO), plus image/photo attachments support.
• Security & auth: TOTP-based MFA and OpenID Connect / OAuth2 provider support for SSO.
• Realtime sync between clients and a documented configuration system for self-hosted deployments.

Use Cases

• Household or shared-living chore management with rotating assignments and persistent completion history.
• Small teams or volunteer groups that need recurring maintenance scheduling, reminders, and audit history.
• Integrations/automations that mark tasks done from external sensors or systems (via Things, webhooks, or NFC triggers).

Limitations and Considerations

• Mobile apps are early/alpha: Android and iOS clients are available in early builds and may show compatibility or connectivity issues; setup often requires proper HTTPS and CORS configuration for reliable mobile behavior.
• Offline support is limited: some UI areas work offline but full functionality relies on backend connectivity and realtime sync.
• Some features are noted as WIP in docs (for example certain local storage paths and UI behaviors); administrators should review configuration options and test uploads/attachments in their deployment.

Donetick is designed for self-hosting with Docker, binaries, or source builds and emphasizes configurable scheduling, integrations, and privacy-friendly operation. It is suited for users who need more advanced recurrence and assignment features than typical to-do apps and who can run or manage a self-hosted service.

Tracks is a web-based Getting Things Done (GTD) task manager that helps users organise actions, projects and contexts. It is an open-source Ruby on Rails application with multi-user support, feeds and an API for automation and integrations. (getontracks.org)

Key Features

• Context- and project-based task management with drag-and-drop ordering and per-project defaults
• Tagging and starring of actions for alternate views and quick prioritisation
• Scheduling, tickler (future visibility), due dates, recurring actions and task dependencies/statistics for progress measurement
• Multiple export and feed formats (RSS, iCal, CSV, XML) and a programmatic REST-style API for automation
• Multi-database support (SQLite, MySQL, PostgreSQL) and Docker / Docker Compose support for easy deployment; Rails 6.1 core stack. (github.com)

Use Cases

• Personal productivity using GTD workflows: capture actions, assign contexts and review next actions
• Small teams or families: shared multi-user installation to coordinate projects and track progress
• Automation and reporting: use the API and feeds to integrate with scripts, calendars or third-party tools. (github.com)

Limitations and Considerations

• The codebase targets Rails 6.1 and UI assets use older Bootstrap (bootstrap-sass), so the interface and dependencies may feel dated compared with modern single-page apps; updating major framework versions may require work. (github.com)
• Out-of-the-box third-party SSO/OAuth integrations are limited; operators commonly add integrations or use hosted variants for convenience.

Tracks is a mature, opinionated GTD web app focused on clear task/project/context workflows, extensible via its API and adaptable via Docker or source installs. It is suitable for individuals and small teams who prefer an open-source, Rails-based GTD implementation.

TaskTrove is a modern, open-source task and project manager designed for self-hosting and privacy. It provides list, kanban and calendar views, natural-language date parsing, recurring tasks, subtasks and file-based JSON storage for simple backups and portability. (tasktrove.io)

Key Features

• Natural-language quick add (e.g. "tomorrow at 2pm") and intelligent due-date suggestions. (tasktrove.io)
• Recurring tasks with flexible patterns and automatic scheduling. (github.com)
• Multiple views: list, kanban board (drag-and-drop), and calendar. (tasktrove.io)
• Unlimited tasks, projects and sections; compact UI for dense task lists. (tasktrove.io)
• Subtasks, priorities, labels, attachments, advanced filtering and powerful search. (github.com)
• Simple data management using file-based JSON storage (easy backups and exports). (github.com)
• Self-hosting deployment options (Docker image and docker-compose provided). (tasktrove.io)

Use Cases

• Personal productivity: manage todos, habits, and recurring personal tasks with local data storage. (tasktrove.io)
• Small teams or families: share projects and coordinate work via shared projects (multi-user features available under Pro). (tasktrove.io)
• Self-hosted deployments for privacy-conscious organizations that prefer file-based backups and control over data. (github.com)

Limitations and Considerations

• Multi-user collaboration and advanced team features are gated behind the Pro edition / license (Pro is listed as "coming soon" on the project site). (tasktrove.io)
• File-based JSON storage is simple and portable but may not scale as well as a dedicated database for very large teams or high-concurrency deployments. (github.com)
• Some planned features (hosted option, mobile and desktop apps, plugin ecosystem) are listed as upcoming; expect functionality differences between the free self-hosted edition and future Pro/hosted offerings. (tasktrove.io)

TaskTrove is a focused, privacy-first task manager for users who want ownership of their data and straightforward self-hosting. It suits individuals and small teams that value local backups and a modern UI, with paid/pro features planned for larger or collaborative deployments. (tasktrove.io)

Nextcloud Tasks is a task management app for the Nextcloud platform. It provides a web interface to create, organize, and track to-dos, while syncing with external clients using CalDAV.

Key Features

• Create, edit, and delete tasks with title, description, start/due dates, priority, and completion status
• Subtasks support for breaking down work items
• Smart collections for important, current, and upcoming tasks
• Drag-and-drop to move tasks between task lists and convert tasks into subtasks
• CalDAV-based synchronization with compatible mobile and desktop applications

Use Cases

• Personal task tracking synced across phone, desktop, and the Nextcloud web UI
• Team or family to-do lists hosted alongside a Nextcloud instance
• Centralizing tasks in a CalDAV-compatible system to integrate with existing PIM workflows

Limitations and Considerations

• Correct conflict detection depends on the HTTP ETag header; client-side extensions or server configurations that alter ETags can cause false conflict reports

Nextcloud Tasks is a practical choice for users already on Nextcloud who want a lightweight, standards-based task system. It combines an easy web UI with broad CalDAV compatibility for syncing across devices.

myTinyTodo is a compact, web-based to-do list application implemented in PHP with a jQuery-powered frontend. It provides AJAX-driven task management with multiple lists, tagging, priorities and due-date support and stores data in MySQL, PostgreSQL or SQLite databases.

Key Features

• Multiple task lists and a consolidated "All tasks" view
• Task notes with optional Markdown support (configurable)
• Tags and tag cloud for filtering
• Due dates and priority levels (-1, 0, +1, +2)
• Smart task creation syntax to set priority, tags and due date inline
• Drag-and-drop sorting plus several preset sort modes (by due date, priority, created/modified)
• Search across tasks and notes
• Password protection with read-only option and hashed password storage
• Export options and feeds: CSV, iCalendar and RSS feeds (feed key option for non-public lists)
• Responsive UI with mobile layout and optional dark mode; print-friendly CSS

Use Cases

• Personal task and GTD-style list management on a self-hosted LAMP/LEMP stack
• Lightweight household or small-team shared lists where simple password-based access is sufficient
• Embedding a simple todo widget into a site or CMS (there are community packaging/integration examples)

Limitations and Considerations

• No built-in per-user accounts or fine-grained multi-user ACLs; access control is based on a single password/read-only setting and feed keys for publishing
• No documented public REST API for programmatic integrations (integration typically requires DB-level or UI automation)
• Focused on lightweight single-instance use; lacks enterprise collaboration and advanced integrations out of the box

myTinyTodo is intended as a minimal, reliable web todo script for users who need simple, self-hosted task management with basic sharing and export options. Its small footprint and support for multiple SQL backends make it suitable for low-resource servers and quick deployments.

Our Shopping List (OSL) is a lightweight web application for collaboratively managing shopping lists and small todo lists. It provides real-time synchronization between users, a mobile-first UI, and optional multi-board organization for grouping lists.

Key Features

• Real-time sync between clients using WebSocket for immediate updates
• Multiple boards and multiple lists per board (single-board mode available)
• Items with name, quantity, details and checkable state; checked-item history and display modes
• Mobile-first UI with swipeable list items and intuitive search
• Basic PWA support and internationalization (multiple locales available)
• Docker-ready deployment and a MongoDB backend; CLI tools to migrate lists/boards
• Configurable via environment variables for ports, DB host, UI behavior, and socket timeouts
• Notes and guidance for reverse-proxy setups to support WebSocket traffic

Use Cases

• Shared household shopping lists that sync in real time across family members
• Small collaborative todo lists for teams, events, or group tasks
• Mobile-first list management for users who want quick check/quantity workflows

Limitations and Considerations

• MongoDB authentication is not supported in current releases; plan deployments accordingly
• PWA support is basic and does not provide full offline deferred-sync capabilities
• Requires proper reverse-proxy configuration to forward WebSocket connections for SSL offloading

Our Shopping List is a simple, focused tool for collaborative list management with an emphasis on real-time updates and mobile usability. It is suitable for homes and small teams that need fast, shared list workflows.