Locu vs TickTick: When More Features Isn't Better

TickTick has become the power user's task manager—everything Todoist has plus Pomodoro timers, habits, calendars, collaboration, and more. It's impressively feature-rich and affordable.

But feature-rich often means complex and distracting.

Locu takes the opposite approach: focused scope, deep execution. Instead of adding every feature, we built the specific tools engineers and freelancers need: brain-optimal focus sessions, natural time tracking, and deep integration with engineering workflows.

If TickTick gives you everything, Locu gives you what actually matters.

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Why "All-in-One" Doesn't Work for Engineers

Feature Overload Distracts from Execution

TickTick offers: tasks, lists, folders, tags, Pomodoro timer, habits, calendars, Eisenhower matrix, time blocking, collaboration, widgets, white noise... the list goes on.

The problem: You spend time configuring features instead of working. Which view should I use? Should I track habits? How should I organize projects? The tool becomes a project itself.

Locu's approach: Deliberate simplicity. Today/Sooner/Later for priorities. 60-minute focus sessions. Task notes and breakdown. That's it. No organization project required—just plan and execute.

Pomodoro Integration Is Basic

TickTick added a Pomodoro timer, but it's bolted on. You start a timer, work, it rings. But there's no deep integration: no automatic distraction blocking, no Slack DND, no focus quality measurement, no session-based work history.

Locu's approach: Sessions are the core of the system, not an add-on. Start session = full focus infrastructure activates (blocking, DND, context visible, time tracking). Everything revolves around focused execution.

Time Tracking Is Manual and Limited

TickTick has basic time tracking through the timer, but it's still manual start/stop per task. For freelancers needing billable hours or engineers wanting accurate insights, it's insufficient. No export for invoicing, no focused vs unfocused analysis.

Locu's approach: Sessions naturally capture time. Work 3 sessions today = know exactly what you worked on for how long. Export invoice-ready timesheets with task details and notes. Focused vs unfocused time shows execution quality.

Weak Engineering Integrations

TickTick connects to calendars and has basic webhooks. But where's Jira? Where's Linear? Where's deep Slack integration? Where's GitHub? For engineers, these integrations are critical—they're where the actual work lives.

Locu's approach: Built for engineering workflows. Jira and Linear tasks auto-sync. Slack sets DND and status during focus. Calendar shows meeting context. Your execution layer connects to your actual work stack.

Habits and Calendar Add Complexity

TickTick's philosophy: add more features to handle more use cases. Habits for consistency. Calendar for time-blocking. White noise for focus. Eisenhower matrix for prioritization.

The result: Tool overwhelm. Most users end up using 30% of features and feeling guilty about the rest.

Locu's philosophy: Do one thing excellently—focused execution for knowledge workers. No habit tracking. No calendar replacement. No productivity philosophy proliferation. Just: Plan → Focus → Shutdown → Repeat.

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Feature Comparison

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When to Choose TickTick

✅ You want every productivity feature in one place
✅ You manage tasks across life, work, habits, and projects
✅ You love organizing with complex hierarchies and tags
✅ You need collaboration features for shared projects
✅ Budget is primary concern (very affordable)
✅ You want basic Pomodoro timer built-in
✅ You enjoy exploring and configuring productivity systems

TickTick excels at being an all-in-one productivity hub.

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When to Choose Locu

✅ You're an engineer or freelancer focused on deep work
✅ You want deliberate simplicity over feature abundance
✅ You need focused execution, not task organization projects
✅ You want natural time tracking for billing or insights
✅ You work in Jira/Linear and need deep integration
✅ You prefer brain-optimal 60-min sessions over 25-min Pomodoro
✅ You're willing to pay for focused execution system

Locu focuses on doing one thing excellently—helping you execute.

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The Real Difference: Breadth vs Depth

TickTick's philosophy: Be everything to everyone. Tasks, habits, calendar, Pomodoro, collaboration, white noise. One app for all productivity needs.

Locu's philosophy: Nail focused execution for knowledge workers. Ignore everything else.

The fundamental trade-off:

• TickTick offers more features (breadth)
• Locu offers deeper execution support (depth)

For engineers doing complex deep work:

• Don't need habit tracking (focus on work execution)
• Don't need calendar replacement (already have one)
• Don't need white noise (can use Spotify/etc)
• Don't need Eisenhower matrix (tasks come from Jira/Linear)
• DO need: Focus sessions, time tracking, engineering integrations

TickTick gives you features you won't use. Locu gives you exactly what engineers need.

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The Pomodoro Problem

Both tools have timers, but there's a key difference:

TickTick's Pomodoro:

• Classic 25-min work, 5-min break
• Timer runs, rings, that's it
• No distraction blocking
• No focused vs unfocused tracking
• Rigid intervals

Locu's Sessions:

• Brain-optimal 60-min focus periods
• Active distraction blocking kicks in
• Slack DND enabled automatically
• Flexible (can extend if in flow)
• Tracks focused vs unfocused time
• Regular breaks suggested but not forced

Why it matters: Engineering deep work needs longer uninterrupted periods. Getting interrupted every 25 minutes breaks flow state. 60-minute sessions match cognitive research on deep focus capacity.

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Switching from TickTick

What you'll keep:

• Task management habits (capture, organize, complete)
• Timer-based work rhythm
• Daily review patterns
• Cross-platform access

What you'll simplify:

• From complex organization (projects/folders/tags) → simple prioritization (Today/Sooner/Later)
• From feature exploration → focused execution
• From many views → one work view

What you'll gain:

• Longer focus sessions (60 min vs 25 min)
• Active distraction blocking (not just timer)
• Natural time tracking for billing
• Jira/Linear/Slack/Calendar integrations
• Work history with insights
• Daily planning and shutdown structure

What you'll lose:

• Habit tracking (use separate app if needed)
• Calendar view (use actual calendar)
• White noise (use Spotify/etc)
• Collaboration features
• Eisenhower matrix
• Budget pricing ($3/mo)

Migration process:

1. Export TickTick tasks (or sync from Jira/Linear)
2. Set up Locu integrations (10 minutes)
3. First morning planning (simple prioritization)
4. First 60-minute focus session (experience the difference)
5. First evening shutdown (see your execution)

Setup time: 15 minutes
Learning curve: 1-2 days (much simpler than TickTick)

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Pricing Comparison

TickTick: $2.99/month (incredibly affordable)
Locu: $12/month or $6/month (Beta discount)

At first glance: TickTick is 1/4 the price. But consider what you actually use:

TickTick features engineers typically use:

• Tasks and lists: ✅
• Pomodoro timer: ✅
• Features rarely touched: Habits, Calendar, White noise, Eisenhower, Collaboration
• Missing: Deep integrations, real time tracking, focused execution support

If you're also running:

• Toggl for accurate time tracking: $10-20/month
• Can't deeply integrate with Jira/Linear: Time cost
• Effective cost: $13-23/month + time lost to tool switching

Locu all-in-one:

• Tasks: ✅
• Focus sessions (better than Pomodoro): ✅
• Real time tracking: ✅
• Engineering integrations: ✅
• Work history: ✅
• Total: $12/month ($6 with Beta)

Value comparison: Locu at $6 (Beta) gives you more relevant features than TickTick at $3 + Toggl at $10-20.

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For Freelancers Specifically

TickTick's limitation: Pomodoro timer tracks sessions but not billable hours. You know you did "8 Pomodoros on client work" but can't easily convert that to invoice-ready timesheets with task details.

Locu's advantage:

• Sessions = clean billing units (1 session ≈ 1 hour)
• Task-connected time tracking (exactly what took how long)
• Export invoice-ready timesheets (time + task details + notes)
• Better focus = higher quality = happier clients

The ROI: If you bill $75/hour and Locu's session structure helps you:

• Capture 10% more billable hours: +$150/month
• Reduce invoice prep from 3 hours to 20 minutes: +$200/month saved
• Total value: ~$350/month for $6-12/month cost
• ROI: 29-58x

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The Honest Assessment

TickTick is excellent value at $3/month for personal productivity across life domains. If you want one app for work tasks, personal errands, habit tracking, and more, it's hard to beat the price.

But for engineers and freelancers focused on deep work execution:

• You don't need 80% of TickTick's features
• You do need deeper execution support (longer sessions, blocking, tracking)
• You need engineering integrations (Jira, Linear, Slack)

TickTick is like a Swiss Army knife—lots of tools, each one okay. Locu is like a professional chef's knife—does one thing excellently.

For occasional task management: TickTick
For serious execution: Locu

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