Best Planner App Free in 2026: 7 Tools Compared
Fabio Bergmann
The best free planner app is a task manager that lets you capture, schedule, and track your day without paying. But "free" ranges from genuinely usable (TickTick, Todoist) to nonexistent, since Amazing Marvin has no free tier at all.
Disclosure: Dooit is our product, and it appears in the list below. Every other app is judged on the same terms.
Key takeaways
- Todoist's late-2025 price hike to $60/year makes it cost almost exactly the same as Any.do Premium ($59.88/year).
- TickTick has the strongest free tier, with Superlist's Basic plan a new challenger at $5/month.
- Amazing Marvin has no free tier and costs 2.6x more annually than TickTick Premium.
- AI add-ons (ClickUp's $28/month suite, Superlist's $249/year Super plan) are quietly the priciest layer in task management.
- Dooit runs a single $9/month plan with a 7-day free trial and no tiers.
What Is the Best Free Planner App in 2026?
The best free planner app is a task manager that lets you capture, schedule, and track daily to-dos at no cost, though "free" varies wildly. TickTick and Todoist offer genuinely usable free tiers, while Amazing Marvin offers none. The right pick depends on whether you need habit tracking, time blocking, or cross-device sync.
Here, a "planner app" means a task manager with calendar or time-blocking capability and optional habit tracking, not a PDF template or note-based digital planner. The distinction matters because searchers behind the roughly 700 monthly searches for "best planner app free" often mean two different things.
Nearly every free tier caps something structural, like projects, lists, or storage, rather than removing core scheduling. Todoist's free Beginner plan, for instance, allows up to 5 personal projects with flexible list and board layouts. The table below lines up those limits side by side.
Free Planner Apps Compared: Pricing and Limits Side-by-Side
Free tiers differ mathematically. Todoist caps at 5 projects, Superlist at 5 private plus 5 shared lists, ClickUp at 60MB storage, while Amazing Marvin offers no free plan at all. This table lines up real limits and paid pricing so you can weigh the trade-offs before committing.
| App | Free Tier Limit | Cheapest Paid Plan | Annual Cost | Habit Tracking | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Todoist | 5 personal projects | $5/mo Pro | $60/year | No | Fast natural language capture |
| TickTick | Limited lists/habits | Premium | $35.99/year | Yes (free) | All-in-one free experience |
| Superlist | 5 private + 5 shared lists, 25MB uploads | $5/mo Basic | $59/year | No | Shared lists on a budget |
| Any.do | Basic tasks/lists | $4.99/mo Premium | $59.88/year | No | Family and grocery planning |
| ClickUp | Unlimited tasks, 60MB storage | $7/user/mo Unlimited | — | No | Deep project management |
| Amazing Marvin | None (14-day trial) | $12/mo | $96/year | No | Customizable time tracking |
| Dooit | None (7-day trial) | $9/mo flat | — | Yes | Keyboard-first daily planning |
The Hidden Math: How Todoist's 2025 Price Hike Changed the Free-vs-Paid Calculus
Todoist's December 2025 update raised Pro to $60/year, placing it at almost exactly the same annual cost as Any.do Premium's $59.88/year. Meanwhile Amazing Marvin's $96/year runs 2.6x TickTick Premium's $35.99, and Superlist's AI-focused Super plan costs over four times its own Basic tier.
On December 10, 2025, Todoist moved Pro to $60/year ($5/month billed yearly, $7 billed monthly). That lands within cents of Any.do Premium at $4.99/month annually: two tools at an identical price point with very different feature sets.
The wider pattern is that upgrade paths now diverge on price, not only features:
- Amazing Marvin's $96/year is roughly 2.6 times TickTick Premium's $35.99/year.
- Superlist's $249/year Super plan is over 4x its $59/year Basic plan, a premium driven almost entirely by generative AI features.
- ClickUp's $28/user/month Everything AI add-on stacks on top of an already-paid Unlimited tier.
"Free" comparisons that stop at the free tier miss where the real money now sits: the AI layer.
Todoist: best for fast natural language capture
Screenshot: Todoist help page, August 2026.
Todoist is the reference standard for typing tasks in plain English and having dates parsed instantly, with reliable cross-platform sync. Its free Beginner plan caps you at 5 personal projects, and its Pro tier now costs $60/year after a December 2025 price update, worth weighing against cheaper alternatives.
The free tier gives you 5 projects with flexible list and board layouts, enough for a single person's daily planning until projects multiply. That 5-project ceiling is the most-cited reason power users upgrade. Post-hike, that upgrade runs $60/year or $7/month, no longer the budget option it once was.
TickTick: best free all-in-one with built-in habits and calendar
Screenshot: TickTick about page, August 2026.
TickTick is a popular pick for users who want calendar view, habit tracking, and a Pomodoro timer without juggling separate apps, even on its free plan. Premium unlocks custom filters and timeline views for $35.99/year, the cheapest all-in-one upgrade among the apps compared here.
The free plan already bundles basic calendar views, task lists, and a habit tracker with streaks. Premium adds custom filters, timeline views, and an estimated Pomodoro timer for $35.99/year. As one review put it:
TickTick differentiates itself from Todoist by natively including a Pomodoro timer and habit tracker in its Premium tier, functioning as an all-in-one suite. — Medium review of TickTick
For the widest free feature set in one app, TickTick is the default answer. See how it stacks up in our tested free task management roundup.
Amazing Marvin: best for customizable time tracking (not free)
Screenshot: Amazing Marvin pricing page, August 2026.
Amazing Marvin has no free tier, with plans starting at $12/month or $96/year, but it stands out for automatic time tracking that begins the moment you enter Focus Mode, plus a 50% student discount. It suits users who want deep customization and don't mind paying from day one.
- No free plan; a 14-day free trial only.
- The $96/year rate is about 2.6x TickTick Premium's annual cost.
- Built-in time tracking auto-starts in Focus Mode, logging by task or project.
- Verified students get 50% off monthly or annual plans.
Superlist: best for shared lists on a budget
Screenshot: Superlist pricing page, August 2026.
Superlist's free plan supports 5 private and 5 shared lists with up to 5 collaborators, a solid pick for small shared planning. Its new $5/month Basic tier removes list limits, while the $21/month Super plan adds AI meeting notes at a steep jump.
The free plan also caps file uploads at 25MB. Basic runs $5/month or $59/year for unlimited lists, sublists, and all integrations. The Super plan, at $21/user/month ($249/year), unlocks unlimited AI-generated meeting notes and Slack task summaries, over four times the Basic price. Skip it unless AI notes are core to your work.
Any.do: best for family and shared grocery planning
Screenshot: Any.do pricing page, August 2026.
Any.do's Premium plan costs $4.99/month billed annually ($59.88/year), landing almost exactly at Todoist's new Pro price, but adds recurring tasks, color tags, and location reminders. Its Family plan at $8.33/month supports up to 4 members with shared lists and projects.
Premium's $4.99/month annual rate nearly matches Todoist Pro's post-hike $60/year: the same money, a different feature bias toward reminders and tags. The Family plan supports up to 4 members with shared grocery lists and up to 4 shared projects, a natural fit for households coordinating errands rather than solo professionals.
ClickUp: best free tier for unlimited tasks (with storage caveats)
Screenshot: ClickUp pricing page, August 2026.
ClickUp's Free Forever plan allows unlimited tasks but caps storage at just 60MB, pushing file-heavy users toward the $7/user/month Unlimited tier. Its Everything AI add-on costs a steep $28/user/month, mirroring the premium-AI trend in Superlist's pricing.
The 60MB storage cap is the practical limit: unlimited tasks, but almost no room for attachments. Unlimited removes the cap at $7/user/month billed yearly. The Everything AI suite, at $28/user/month, adds unlimited AI notetaking and 1,500 AI Super Credits. ClickUp fits teams needing project depth more than individuals planning a day.
Does Google Calendar Work as a Free Planner App?
Google Calendar is free and syncs across devices, but it lacks native task lists, habit streaks, and keyboard-driven workflows that dedicated planner apps provide. It works well paired with a task manager, yet on its own it can't replace apps built specifically for daily planning and goal tracking.
Its strengths are universal access, reliable sync, and event scheduling. Its gaps are task prioritization, habit tracking, and Kanban or list views. The common pattern is to pair Google Calendar for events with a dedicated planner app for tasks and habits. See our comparison of planning apps for pairings that work.
Which Free Planner Apps Feel Like a Physical Paper Planner?
No major free app fully replicates a physical planner's daily or weekly page layout, but TickTick's calendar view and Superlist's list-based structure come closest for visual daily planning. Most "digital planner" apps marketed as paper-like are template-based note apps, not task managers, a distinction worth knowing before you search.
TickTick's calendar and timeline views and Superlist's nested list structure substitute for a handwritten daily spread. Time-blocking gives you the closest thing to a paper day page without switching to a pen-and-paper style note app.
Dooit: best for keyboard-first planning with goals and habits in one place
Screenshot: Dooit blog page, August 2026.
Dooit is a minimal, keyboard-first planner where every action completes in under 50ms, with 20+ shortcuts, undo/redo, and natural language scheduling like "next Friday" or "every Monday." Dooit has no free tier: just a single $9/month plan with a 7-day trial, and real-time sync that keeps the mobile app in step with desktop.
- Every action completes in under 50ms. No spinners, no loading lag.
- Switch between Kanban and list views with a single keystroke.
- Natural language scheduling: "tomorrow," "next Friday," "every Monday."
- Goal tracking by week, month, year, and multi-year horizons.
- Daily habit tracking with streaks alongside tasks and projects.
- Limitation: no free plan, only a 7-day trial before the $9/month charge begins.
Dooit is built for keyboard-driven professionals and freelancers who want speed over feature breadth. If you value an all-in-one free tier or team project management, TickTick or ClickUp will serve you better. For a wider view of solo tools, see our guide to the best task management software for individuals.
Frequently asked questions
Which free planner app is the best overall?
TickTick has one of the strongest free tiers because it already includes calendar view, task lists, and habit tracking at no cost. Todoist is best for fast task capture but limits free users to 5 projects. Your pick depends on whether you prioritize an all-in-one free experience or quick entry.
What is the most popular daily planner app?
Todoist and TickTick are the two most widely used daily planner apps, consistently topping app store charts and roundups. Todoist is known for natural language task entry, while TickTick is favored for combining calendar, habits, and a Pomodoro timer in one free-friendly app.
Are there any completely free digital planner apps with no paid tier at all?
Most planner apps use freemium models rather than being entirely free. TickTick, Todoist, Any.do, ClickUp, and Superlist all offer usable free tiers but reserve advanced features for paid plans. Amazing Marvin and Dooit have no free tier at all, only free trials before billing begins.
Is there a free plan app that includes both calendar and task list views?
Yes. TickTick and Superlist both offer free plans combining task lists with calendar or list-based views. ClickUp's free tier also supports both, though it caps storage at 60MB, which can become limiting for users attaching files to daily plans.
Do free planner apps support habit tracking?
TickTick includes habit tracking with streaks in its free tier, a rare all-in-one option. Most competitors, including Todoist and Superlist, reserve habit tracking for paid tiers or don't offer it at all, so verify this feature specifically if it's a priority.
Which free planner apps work well on both phone and desktop?
Todoist, TickTick, Any.do, and ClickUp all offer free cross-platform apps with real-time sync between phone and desktop. Reliability varies slightly by app, but all four are commonly cited for consistent syncing without a paid upgrade to access mobile or desktop clients.
If you want keyboard-first daily planning with goals and habits in one fast app, start free with Dooit: a 7-day trial, then $9/month, no tiers.