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Taskhold

Task managers for AI coding agents, compared (October 2026)

By Jake Marsh, who builds Taskhold. Updated 2026-10-26. Facts about other tools checked 2026-10-26. 4 min read.

Short answer: For one repo and one agent, a free local tool is enough: Claude Code's own tasks, Backlog.md, Beads or Taskmaster. For team work, connect agents to Linear or GitHub Issues. Taskhold is for one person running several agents across repos and machines who wants to watch their progress and answer their questions from a browser or phone.

We make Taskhold, so read this as a vendor's comparison. Every fact about another tool comes from that tool's own site or README, checked on 2026-10-26, and each has a dedicated page linked below where we go into more detail. Where a tool doesn't describe a feature, the table says so rather than saying it lacks it. Taskhold's own angle is the live board: each agent's progress step by step, across tools. Dedicated comparisons: Claude Code tasks, Taskmaster AI, Backlog.md, Beads, Linear, GitHub Issues and Todoist. For how widely developers use these agents in the first place, see AI coding statistics.

At a glance

At a glanceChecked 2026-10-26 from each tool's pricing page, docs or README (sources below). Todoist's pricing page renders prices client-side; see todoist.com/pricing for current Pro pricing.
ToolPriceWhere tasks liveLive progress for youBest for
Claude Code tasks + agent viewIncluded~/.claude/tasks/ on your machineCtrl+T checklist; agent view shows each session's stateClaude Code only, one machine
Taskmaster AICLI free; Hamster Team $40/creator/month.taskmaster/ in the repoNot described in the READMETurning a PRD into dependent tasks
Backlog.mdFree (MIT)Markdown files in the repoTerminal board and local web UI with real-time updatesTasks versioned with the code
BeadsFree (MIT)A Dolt database with the projectNo built-in UI; community UIs listedMany agents claiming work from a dependency graph
Linear + MCPFree (250 issues); Basic $10/user/month yearlyLinear workspaceAgent API sessions with activities and a step plan (preview)Teams already planning in Linear
GitHub Issues + MCPFree; Team $4/user/monthIssues in each repoComments and checkboxes by conventionTasks tied to PRs in one repo
Todoist + MCPFree plan; Pro is paidTodoist accountNot described in the MCP READMEOne list for life and agent to-dos
Vibe KanbanFree (Apache-2.0), sunsettingLocal appPer-agent workspace with terminal and diff reviewRunning agents in parallel worktrees, locally
Shrimp Task ManagerFree (MIT)A local data folder (DATA_DIR)Optional local web GUI and task viewerPlanning and reflecting on tasks for one project, locally
Taskhold$12/month or $120/year per personHosted list, grouped by projectLive board: steps, progress, current message, blocked questions with repliesOne person, several agents, any device

Checked 2026-10-26 from each tool's pricing page, docs or README (sources below). Todoist's pricing page renders prices client-side; see todoist.com/pricing for current Pro pricing.

How to choose

How we compared, in this order: where the tasks live; whether you can watch progress while an agent works; whether it works across agents and machines; price.

  • You use only Claude Code on one machine: start with its built-in tasks and agent view. On newer models, turn the task tools on with CLAUDE_CODE_ENABLE_TODO_TOOLS=1.
  • You start from a spec and want dependencies worked out: Taskmaster AI.
  • You want tasks reviewed in pull requests next to the code: Backlog.md.
  • You run many agents at once and want atomic claims and a ready queue: Beads.
  • Your team plans in Linear or GitHub: connect your agents there, so the work stays visible to the team.
  • You want one list for groceries and agent work: Todoist.
  • You want to queue work for several agents across repos, see each task's steps fill in, and answer blocked questions from your phone: Taskhold.

What to watch out for with each

  • Claude Code tasks + agent view: Claude Code only, on one machine.
  • Taskmaster AI: progress while it works isn't described in the README.
  • Backlog.md: tasks live in each repo, so several repos means several boards.
  • Beads: no built-in UI.
  • Linear + MCP: priced per user; agent step plans are a preview.
  • GitHub Issues + MCP: progress only by convention (comments, checkboxes).
  • Todoist + MCP: progress isn't described in the MCP README.
  • Vibe Kanban: sunsetting.
  • Shrimp Task Manager: a local data folder per setup; last code change August 2025.
  • Taskhold: no free plan, no team workspaces, no task dependencies.

What changed: 2026-10-26, added Shrimp Task Manager and a watch-out per tool.

What Taskhold doesn't do

  • No free plan: a 7-day trial with a card, then $12 a month.
  • No team workspaces yet: one person and their agents.
  • No task dependencies or PRD breakdown, and it doesn't run agents or show diffs.
  • No offline mode: the list is hosted.
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Questions

What is the best task manager for Claude Code?
For one machine and Claude Code alone, its built-in tasks and agent view are free and good. If you also run Codex or Cursor, want the list on your phone, or want to watch step-by-step progress, a hosted list over MCP such as Taskhold fits better.
Do I need a task manager for my coding agent at all?
Not for one-off prompts. A list starts paying off when you queue more work than one session finishes, run agents in parallel, or want to know what happened while you were away.

Sources

Related

Updated 2026-10-26. Something wrong or out of date? Email hello@greatwork.company.