6 Free Todoist Alternatives in 2026, Ranked
Looking for a free Todoist alternative after the price hikes? Six truly free picks ranked for 2026, what Todoist's free tier dropped, and how to migrate.
A free Todoist alternative is a task manager with a permanent $0 tier that still covers Todoist's core jobs: capture, projects, due dates, and sync. The strongest truly free picks in 2026 are quik.md, Super Productivity, TickTick, Microsoft To Do, Apple Reminders, and Google Tasks.
Todoist has raised its paid prices more than once, and each hike restarts the same search. If you landed here after the latest one, the honest answer is that Todoist's free plan still exists and still works, but it covers less than it used to. The six apps below are ranked by how completely they replace Todoist without asking for a card. For the broader paid-inclusive ranking, see our main list of Todoist alternatives, and for category context, the pillar on AI task managers.
What does Todoist's free tier no longer cover?
Todoist's free plan still covers basic capture, due dates, and sync, but several features longtime users treat as core now sit behind paid plans. Reminders are paid-only, the number of active projects on free is capped at a low number, and filter and label headroom is limited. Exact limits shift, so check the current Todoist pricing page before counting on a specific figure.
The pattern matters more than any single limit. Todoist's paid tiers have gotten more expensive over the years while the free tier has stayed tight, and reminders in particular are the kind of feature people discover is missing at the worst moment. If your workflow depends on time-based nudges, a long project list, or heavy filtering, the free plan will feel like a demo.
If your list is short and you mostly need "write it down, check it off," free Todoist is still fine. The rest of this page is for everyone else.
What are the best free Todoist alternatives in 2026?
The best free Todoist alternatives in 2026 are quik.md for voice-first AI capture, Super Productivity for open-source GTD, TickTick for habits plus tasks, and Microsoft To Do, Apple Reminders, or Google Tasks for zero-setup basics. All six have a permanent free tier, not a trial.
1. quik.md: best for voice-first capture
quik replaces Todoist's typing-first model with voice-first capture. You speak a thought, the AI files it into the right project, and it writes the next step for you. The free tier costs $0 and includes browser speech recognition with a daily cap on AI organizes, which is enough for a normal day's worth of thinking out loud. Every project exports as markdown, so your data is never trapped.
Pro removes the daily cap and starts at $14.99 per month, $69.99 per year, or $99.99 once for lifetime, with a 7-day trial. For the side-by-side breakdown, see the quik.md vs Todoist comparison.
2. Super Productivity: best open-source GTD app
Super Productivity is free and open source, runs on macOS, Windows, Linux, and Android, and asks for no account. It ships an inbox, projects, time tracking, and integrations with tools like Jira and GitHub, which makes it the closest thing to a full GTD workbench at zero cost. Sync works through your own cloud storage rather than a paid subscription.
The trade-off is polish and capture speed. There is no meaningful voice input and no AI routing, so it suits people who like to file things deliberately.
3. TickTick: best free tier for habits plus tasks
TickTick stacks tasks, habit tracking, a Pomodoro timer, and a calendar into one app, and its free tier covers the basics well. Premium adds more lists, calendar views, and filters, but you can run a real task system on free. The trade-offs and pricing details are covered in our TickTick vs Todoist head-to-head.
4. Microsoft To Do: best completely free option
Microsoft To Do is fully free with a Microsoft account. There is no paid tier holding features back. You get shared lists, due dates, subtasks, and the My Day planning view, synced across web, Windows, iOS, and Android. What you do not get is any AI layer, real export, or natural-language capture as good as Todoist's. It is the best answer when the goal is simply "free, forever, everywhere."
5. Apple Reminders: best for Apple-only households
Apple Reminders is free on every Apple device, syncs over iCloud, parses natural-language dates, and captures through Siri. Shared lists and smart lists cover more than most people expect from a built-in app. The limits are real though: Apple platforms only, no markdown or structured export, and no AI routing.
6. Google Tasks: best for Gmail and Calendar users
Google Tasks is free with any Google account and lives inside Gmail and Google Calendar, which makes it the lowest-friction capture tool if your day already runs on Google. It is intentionally minimal: one level of subtasks, no projects, no export beyond what Google Takeout offers. Good for short lists, thin for anything GTD-shaped.
The free tiers compared
The quick version before you read any further:
| App | Cost | Markdown export | Platforms | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| quik.md | Free tier, Pro from $14.99/mo | Yes | Web, iOS, Android | Voice-first capture |
| Super Productivity | Free, open source | No, local data | Desktop, Android | GTD purists |
| TickTick | Free tier, premium paid | No | All major platforms | Habits plus tasks |
| Microsoft To Do | Free, no paid tier | No | Web, Windows, mobile | Zero-setup basics |
| Apple Reminders | Free | No | Apple only | Siri capture |
| Google Tasks | Free | No | Web, mobile | Gmail workflows |
Which free Todoist alternatives let you export your data?
Only a few. quik.md exports any project as markdown with one action, which means your tasks stay readable in any text editor forever. Super Productivity keeps its data on your own machine in a local store, which is a different kind of ownership. Microsoft To Do, Apple Reminders, Google Tasks, and TickTick offer no real markdown or portable export as of 2026, only account-level backups at best.
This filter matters more than any feature list, because a free tier can shrink or disappear at any time. The tool that lets you leave gracefully is the tool you can afford to commit to.
How do I migrate from Todoist to a free alternative?
Migrate by exporting your Todoist projects as CSV, importing or pasting them into the new app, recreating recurring tasks by hand, and running both apps in parallel for two weeks before you cancel anything. The whole process takes an evening for the data and two weeks for the habit.
- Export from Todoist. Use the CSV export per project, and download an account backup as a safety copy.
- Set up the new app first. Create the projects that mirror your Todoist structure before moving anything.
- Move active tasks only. Completed history rarely earns its migration time.
- Recreate recurring rules manually. Recurrence formats differ per app and CSV imports often drop them.
- Run both apps in parallel for two weeks, capturing everything new into the new app.
- Downgrade or cancel Todoist Pro before the next renewal, once you have stopped opening it.
Is Todoist's free plan still enough in 2026?
Yes, for small and simple lists. If you have a handful of active projects, rarely use reminders, and do not need filters or voice capture, Todoist free still does the job and switching costs more than it saves. No app on this list matches Todoist's natural-language date parsing at $0.
Switch when you can name the specific thing the free plan blocks: reminders, project headroom, voice capture, or portable export. If voice capture or leaving with your data is the blocker, quik.md's free tier is the direct fix. If the blocker is cost alone and your workflow is typed, Microsoft To Do or Super Productivity will carry you for nothing.
Pricing and free-tier limits reflect vendor pages at the time of writing. Check each vendor's site for current terms before deciding.
FAQ
Is Todoist free enough for most people?
Yes, if your list is small and simple. Todoist's free plan still handles basic capture, due dates, and sync across devices. It stops being enough when you need reminders, more active projects, or heavier use of filters and labels, all of which sit behind paid plans as of 2026.
What happened to Todoist pricing?
Todoist has raised the price of its Pro plan more than once in recent years, and each increase pushed another wave of users to look for free alternatives. The exact figures and dates change, so check Todoist's pricing page for current rates before deciding whether to renew or switch.
Can I export my tasks from Todoist?
Yes. Todoist lets you export projects as CSV files and download account backups. The CSV keeps titles, due dates, and priorities, but recurring rules, comments, and attachments usually need manual cleanup in the new app. Export before you cancel anything.
What is the best free Todoist alternative for voice capture?
quik.md. It is the only app on this list built voice-first: you speak a thought, the AI files it into a project, and writes the next step. The free tier includes browser speech recognition with a daily cap on AI organizes, and every project exports as markdown.
What is the best free GTD app?
Super Productivity is the strongest free GTD app as of 2026. It is open source, runs on desktop and Android, and supports an inbox, projects, and time tracking with no account required. quik.md's free tier covers the GTD capture and triage loop if you prefer voice over typing.
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