Key takeaways
- Todoist Freemium is the best balance of simplicity and power — but reminders sit behind the paid plan.
- Microsoft To Do Free is fully free: reminders, recurring tasks, and cross-platform sync included.
- Google Tasks Free is the simplest option and lives inside Gmail and Google Calendar.
- Recurring tasks and reliable reminders matter more than any other feature — check the free tier covers them before committing.
Quick answer: if you want a free to-do list app with no meaningful catches, start with Microsoft To Do — reminders, recurring tasks, due dates, and sync across phone, desktop, and web are all free. If you want more power later, Todoist is the upgrade most people land on. Below we compare the five best options on the features that actually matter: reminders, recurring tasks, and sync. These apps also feature in our broader best productivity tools roundup.
Free tiers compared
| App | Label | Reminders free? | Recurring tasks free? | Platforms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Microsoft To Do | Free | Yes | Yes | Windows, iOS, Android, web |
| Todoist | Freemium | No — paid plan | Yes | Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, web |
| Google Tasks | Free | Date-based, via Calendar | Yes | iOS, Android, web (inside Gmail/Calendar) |
| TickTick | Freemium | Yes, with limits | Yes | Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, web |
| Apple Reminders | Free | Yes | Yes | iOS, iPadOS, macOS |
Todoist: best overall Freemium
Todoist has stayed focused for over a decade: capture tasks fast, organize with projects and labels, and review what is due today. Natural-language input is the standout — type "email landlord every first Monday at 9am" and the recurring schedule is set. The free plan covers personal projects and recurring tasks, but reminders require a paid plan, which is the one sting in an otherwise generous tier.
Best for: people whose bottleneck is forgetting things and who want room to grow. Watch out for: if reminders are non-negotiable and free, Microsoft To Do or TickTick treat you better. Confirm current limits on Todoist's official site.
Microsoft To Do: best completely free option Free
Microsoft To Do (built on the beloved Wunderlist) costs nothing and hides nothing: unlimited tasks, reminders, recurring schedules, subtasks, shared lists, and sync across Windows, iOS, Android, and web. The "My Day" feature — a fresh daily list you rebuild each morning — is a genuinely good nudge toward realistic planning.
Best for: anyone who wants a full-featured task manager at zero cost, especially on Windows. Watch out for: no natural-language input, and no Mac app. Details at Microsoft To Do's official site.
Google Tasks: simplest Free
Google Tasks barely exists as an app — and that is the point. It lives in the sidebar of Gmail and Google Calendar, so turning an email into a task takes one drag. Tasks with dates appear on your calendar automatically. There are no projects, tags, or priorities; there is a list, and that list is always one click away.
Best for: Gmail users who want the lightest possible system. Watch out for: it is too basic for complex projects — you will outgrow it if you manage more than personal errands.
TickTick: most generous free tier Freemium
TickTick packs in features rivals charge for: reminders, recurring tasks, a habit tracker, a built-in Pomodoro timer, and calendar views, all syncing across every major platform. The free tier caps lists and some advanced features, but for everyday personal use it is the most you can get without paying. It even pairs naturally with the method in our time blocking guide.
Best for: feature-hungry users on a budget. Watch out for: the kitchen-sink approach means a busier interface than Todoist or Google Tasks.
Apple Reminders: best for Apple users Free
Apple Reminders is free, built in, and quietly excellent: time-, date-, and location-based reminders, recurring tasks, shared lists, tags, and Siri capture ("remind me to call the dentist at 5"). If your household and devices are all Apple, it syncs through iCloud with zero setup.
Best for: Apple-only users who want simplicity. Watch out for: no Windows or Android apps, so mixed-device households should look elsewhere.
Simplicity vs power: how to choose
The biggest mistake is choosing a powerful app for a simple problem. If your list is groceries, errands, and the odd deadline, Google Tasks or Apple Reminders will serve you better than a system you have to maintain. Choose Todoist or TickTick only when you juggle multiple projects and need labels, filters, and priorities. And whatever you pick, pair your task list with a calendar — our guide to the best calendar apps covers the other half of the system.
Set up a to-do system that actually sticks
- Capture everything in one inbox. Every task goes into the app the moment it appears — no sticky notes, no "I'll remember it."
- Add dates only when they are real. A fake deadline trains you to ignore all deadlines.
- Use recurring tasks for routines. "Water plants every Sunday" should never be re-entered by hand.
- Pick three tasks each morning. A daily list of three important things beats a list of thirty you will ignore.
- Review weekly. Fifteen minutes every Friday: delete stale tasks, reschedule real ones, empty the inbox.
Official resources
- Todoist — official website
- Microsoft To Do — official website
- TickTick — official website
- Google Tasks — official help center
Related MFA Tools articles
- Time blocking: a beginner's guide that works
- Best calendar apps for work and life
- Best productivity tools: our honest picks
- Best free productivity tools
Frequently asked questions
What is the best free to-do list app?
Microsoft To Do is the best completely free option: reminders, recurring tasks, subtasks, shared lists, and sync across Windows, iOS, Android, and web all cost nothing. If you want more power and don't mind that reminders require a paid plan, Todoist's free tier is the most polished starting point.
Do I need to pay for reminders in a to-do app?
Not necessarily. Microsoft To Do, Apple Reminders, and TickTick all include reminders on their free tiers. Todoist is the notable exception — reminders require its paid plan — so if reminder notifications are essential and you want to pay nothing, choose one of the other three.
Can to-do list apps sync between phone and computer?
Yes — all five apps in this guide sync across devices. Todoist, TickTick, and Microsoft To Do work across Windows, Mac or web, iOS, and Android. Google Tasks syncs anywhere your Google account is signed in. Apple Reminders syncs across Apple devices via iCloud but has no Windows or Android app.
Should I use a to-do app or my calendar?
Use both, for different things. Tasks with no fixed time belong in a to-do app; events and committed blocks of time belong on a calendar. The most reliable workflow is a task list for what you must do, plus time blocks on your calendar for when you will do the important ones.