A lot of free to-do apps are free in a way that's designed to stop working. You get five lists, or a week of history, or reminders on one device, and the wall shows up right when you'd started to rely on it.
That's a real strategy and it's not even dishonest. We just think it aims at the wrong part of the product.
The free plan built to break
Look at where the walls usually go. Reminders. Number of lists. How far back you can see. Whether two people can share one list.
Those aren't extras, they're the middle of the thing. Reminders are how a list reaches you at all, so a free plan without them is a notepad. And the moment you hit that wall you're not deciding whether to pay, you're deciding whether the last three weeks of typing were wasted, which is a lousy way to sell somebody anything.
What should never cost money
Here's where we think the line goes. Writing something down, putting a date on it, and getting it back should be free, everywhere, forever.
Everywhere is doing real work in that sentence. It means your phone, but it also means saying it out loud in the kitchen, typing it into Slack, and asking ChatGPT or Claude what's due. If any of those cost extra, people stop using them, and then they stop writing things down at all, and a list with holes in it is worse than no list1.
What we charge for
So 42 Todo! is free to start and stays useful. The paid part is for things that cost us money or only matter once you're deep in.
Personal is $4.99 a month and takes the caps off. You get unlimited tasks and lists, search that understands what you meant instead of what you typed, and connections to your calendar, your contacts, and your car. Pro is $9.99 and is for people who want their own automations and an API, which is a way for other software to talk to your list. A Family plan is on the way, and it's where shared lists will live, but we haven't set its price yet.
If none of that sounds like you, stay on the free one. It isn't a trial, and we're not waiting for you to hit a wall.
Why we drew it there
Partly because it's the right thing, and partly because of how this product works.
We win when your list is complete, since a list you trust is one you keep. Charging for the writing-it-down part would put a toll booth on the exact behavior we need you to have. Charging for automations and an API doesn't, because those only matter to people who are already all in.
Try the free one first
Whichever app you're weighing up, spend two weeks on its free plan before you pay anything. Money early is usually you buying motivation, and it doesn't work.
Watch for the wall. If the free version quietly stops being useful in week two, you've learned something more honest than any review will tell you.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a genuinely free to-do list app?
- Several. Microsoft To Do and Google Tasks are free with an account you probably already have, and 42 Todo! has a free plan with no time limit. The thing to check is whether reminders and your phone are included, because those are what a free plan usually holds back.
What's usually behind the paywall?
- Most often reminders, the number of lists you can make, how much history you can see, sharing a list with somebody, file attachments, and anything with AI in the name. Reminders being paid is the one worth walking away from.
Does the free 42 Todo! plan work with ChatGPT, Slack, and Alexa?
- Yes. Getting your list into the places you already are is the part we don't charge for, so the free plan can add tasks, read what's due, and check things off from all of them.
What does 42 Todo! cost?
- Free to start with no time limit. Personal is $4.99 a month, Pro is $9.99 a month, and both are cheaper paid yearly. A Family plan is on the way and we haven't set its price yet.
Footnotes
- Most tasks die before they reach your list why a list with holes in it stops getting used. ↩
- How to pick a to-do list app what to test during those two free weeks. ↩