Top 100 Task Managers by Popularity in 2026 (Plus a Better Way to Plan Your Week)

If you search "task manager" in 2026, you'll find hundreds of apps competing for the same thing: your attention.

The reason is simple: task management overlaps with project management, work management, kanban, calendars, and team collaboration — and big review directories list lots of tools in this category.

This article is a curated "top 100" list of the most widely used / widely reviewed / widely known task managers right now — and a quick guide to choosing the right one.

Featured pick: Self-Manager.net (for date-centric planning + reviews)

Most task tools are built around projects, boards, and workspaces.

Self-Manager.net is built around a more natural reality:

your work happens on dates → day / week / month / quarter

So it's especially strong if you want:

• clear "Today / This Week / This Month" planning
• a weekly review rhythm (and AI-powered summaries)
• less "tool complexity," more execution

How this "popularity" list was built

There isn't one official global ranking of task managers. So this list is based on what consistently shows up as most reviewed / most searched / most listed across major software directories and category pages (G2, Capterra, GetApp) plus widely adopted personal task apps.

Also worth noting: Capterra's 2026 shortlist highlights several of the biggest names (Notion, Asana, Trello, ClickUp, Smartsheet, monday.com), which aligns with what most people see in the market.

Top 100 Task Managers in 2026

How to choose the right one (fast decision framework)

Pick based on your primary use case:

• Personal execution (simple + fast): Todoist, TickTick, Things 3, Microsoft To Do
• Team task management (general): Asana, monday.com, ClickUp, Trello
• Structured ops / reporting: Wrike, Smartsheet, Workfront
• Developer teams: Jira, Linear, Shortcut, YouTrack
• Calendar-first planning: Sunsama, Motion, Akiflow, Reclaim
• Self-hosted / open-source: Vikunja, OpenProject, Redmine, Wekan

And if your main problem is: "My work is chaotic across weeks/months and I want a calmer system with reviews" → that's exactly where Self-Manager.net fits best.