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Reminder apps that nag until it's done: Due, TickTick, Todoist and more
Last checked 11 September 2026. Written by the Divergent Products team. How we pick.
Which reminder app keeps nagging until you do the task?
Due is the classic nagging reminder app: on iPhone, iPad and Mac it repeats an alert every 1 to 60 minutes until you act, for a one-off £7.99. TickTick Premium has a Constant Reminder setting and runs on Android too. Todoist is better for capturing tasks than chasing you, and a Véfaîî day clock nags from the wall.
Our picks
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Best for: iPhone users who swipe away one-off alerts
Due: Reminders and Timers
By Due, sold by App Store
Auto snooze repeats each alert every 1 to 60 minutes until you act, five times by default and up to ten. A one-off £7.99 with no account needed, but Apple devices only.
£7.99See it at App StoreAffiliate link -
Best for: Android users who need a reminder that keeps ringing
TickTick Premium
By TickTick (Appest), sold by TickTick
Premium adds Constant Reminder, which rings until the task is dealt with, plus calendar views and far more lists. About £4.99 a month; the free tier has plain reminders only.
$49.99a year, US priceSee it at TickTickAffiliate link -
Best for: Getting every task out of your head
Todoist Pro
By Todoist (Doist), sold by Todoist
Type 'bins Thursday 8pm' and the reminder is set. Reminders work on the free plan too; Pro, about £6.99 a month, adds multiple custom reminders per task, but none of them repeat until you act.
£6.99a monthSee it at TodoistAffiliate link -
Best for: Seeing the day instead of hearing about it
Tiimo
By Tiimo, sold by App Store
A visual planner with colours, icons and timers that syncs with Apple Calendar and Reminders. From about £6.49; more planner than nag, so pair it with Due if alerts are the problem.
from £6.49See it at App StoreAffiliate link -
Best for: A reminder you see without picking up a phone
Véfaîî Day Clock 2.0 (7in, with reminders)
By Véfaîî, sold by Amazon
A 7in screen showing day, date and time in words, plus up to 20 custom reminders. Usually under £40, and it sits on a shelf instead of in a notification pile.
See priceat AmazonSee it at AmazonAffiliate link -
Best for: Turning the house itself into the reminder
Tapo P110 Smart Plug (2-pack)
By Tapo (TP-Link), sold by Amazon
Put a lamp or radio on a schedule so the hall light coming on means it is time to leave. Usually under £20 for two; the catch is you need something worth plugging in.
See priceat AmazonSee it at AmazonAffiliate link
What makes a reminder app nag properly?
A reminder that nags keeps coming back until you deal with the task, instead of firing once and sinking into the notification pile. Check these before you pay.
- Repeat interval, in minutes. Due lets you set auto snooze to repeat every 1, 5, 10, 15, 30 or 60 minutes. Shorter suits "take the washing out now"; longer suits "ring the dentist today".
- Number of repeats. Due repeats five times by default and up to ten, so it is persistent, not endless. TickTick says its Constant Reminder keeps ringing until the task is completed, postponed or otherwise handled.
- What makes it stop. The point of a nag is that swiping is not enough. Both Due and TickTick stop when you deal with the task: mark it done or push it to later, on purpose.
- Platform. Due is Apple only: iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Watch. TickTick runs on Apple and Android. Todoist's help centre says its reminders work on all platforms.
- Price model. Due is £7.99 once. TickTick Premium is about £4.99 a month, Todoist Pro about £6.99 a month and Tiimo from about £6.49. One-off purchases suit people who forget to cancel subscriptions.
- Getting the reminder in. If typing the reminder is a chore, it will not get typed. Due and Todoist both read plain phrases such as "tomorrow 9am" and turn them into a time.
| App or device | Price | Platforms | How it nags | Best for | Drawback |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Due | about £7.99 once | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Watch | Repeats every 1 to 60 min, 5 to 10 times | Calls, pills, leaving the house | Apple only |
| TickTick Premium | about £4.99 a month | Apple and Android | Constant Reminder until dealt with | Android users | Subscription |
| Todoist Pro | about £6.99 a month | All platforms | Standard alerts, snooze on mobile | Capturing everything | No auto-repeat that we could find |
| Tiimo | from about £6.49 | Apple devices | Visual timeline, syncs with Apple Reminders | Seeing the day | More planner than nag |
| Véfaîî Day Clock 2.0 | Usually under £40 | Shelf or wall | Up to 20 reminders on a 7in screen | Weeks that blur | Another gadget to set up |
| Tapo P110 plugs | Usually under £20 for two | Tapo app | Switches a lamp or radio on at set times | A house that tells you to move | Needs a lamp or radio |
Is there a nagging reminder app for Android?
Due is not on Android, so the closest in our shop is TickTick Premium and its Constant Reminder.
TickTick lists Constant Reminder as a Premium feature; the free tier gives you ordinary task reminders. You can switch it on for everything in Settings, under Sounds and Notifications, or for a single task from its reminder options, and TickTick says the per-task setting ignores the global switch. That lets you keep the loud version for the three things a week that genuinely matter.
We could not confirm from TickTick's help pages that Constant Reminder behaves exactly the same on every phone, so try it on a monthly plan before paying for a year.
Why do ordinary reminders get ignored?
A reminder that fires once is easy to swipe away without reading, especially on a lock screen that is already full. Nagging apps fix the swipe; they cannot fix too many reminders.
Three habits make a nag worth having:
- Nag only for consequences. Use repeating alerts for things that cost you if missed: a prescription to order, a parking permit, the school run. Give everything else a plain reminder or none.
- Write the reminder as the first action. "Ring the GP, number in contacts" beats "GP". A reminder that tells you what to do next is easier to act on than one that tells you something exists.
- Match the interval to the job. Every minute for five minutes suits "leave now". Every hour for a working day suits "reply to the council".
Some App Store reviewers find Due's constant alerts stressful. If that is you, lengthen the interval before giving up on it.
Should the reminder be on your phone or in the room?
On your phone when you are out; in the room when the problem is at home and your phone is face down somewhere.
The Véfaîî Day Clock 2.0 shows the day, date and time in words on a 7in screen, with up to 20 custom reminders. It is sold as a clock for older people, and it suits anyone whose Tuesday feels like a Friday. A pair of Tapo P110 smart plugs does a different job: the hall lamp switching on at 8.15am says "shoes on" without a single notification. Tiimo sits between the two, showing the day as coloured blocks on your phone, watch or a widget.
Things to know
- Focus modes can silence a nag. Do Not Disturb and sleep modes can hold back alerts, including repeating ones. Check that the reminder app is allowed through on the days you need it.
- Todoist's free plan now includes reminders. Its help centre lists automatic, custom, recurring and location reminders on the free Beginner plan. Pro adds multiple custom reminders on one task. None of them repeat by themselves until you act.
- Subscriptions renew. Set a reminder in the reminder app to review the reminder app. It works.
- Prices move. App prices here are from our listings on 11 September 2026. TickTick's own upgrade page shows a US dollar price, so the pound figure is the App Store listing we link.
- We have not tested these apps side by side. The features described are from the App Store listings and the makers' help pages.
Questions people ask
- Can Due sync between iPhone and Mac?
- Yes. The App Store listing says Due syncs through iCloud or Dropbox and works offline with no account, across iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Watch.
- Is TickTick free?
- There is a free tier with task reminders, up to 9 lists and 99 tasks per list. Constant Reminder, calendar views and bigger limits need Premium, about £4.99 a month in our listing.
- Does Todoist have location reminders on the free plan?
- Todoist's help centre says automatic, custom, recurring and location reminders are all available on the free Beginner plan. Pro and Business add the ability to set multiple custom reminders on one task.
- How do I stop Due nagging me so much?
- Mark the reminder done, or change the auto snooze interval and the number of repeats. By default it repeats five times, and you can pick a gap anywhere from 1 to 60 minutes.
- What is a good reminder for someone who rarely looks at their phone?
- Something in the room. The Véfaîî Day Clock 2.0 shows the day in plain words with up to 20 reminders, and a Tapo smart plug can switch a lamp on at the time you need to move.