Yes, Todoist is free on its Beginner plan, and you can use it for as long as you like. The main limit is 5 active personal projects, against 300 on paid plans, and the free plan also leaves out custom reminders and caps the Task Capture Assist and Ramble features at 10 sessions a month.
Todoist is one of the to-do apps I recommend most often to busy business owners, and the free plan is good enough for plenty of people. The trick is knowing which limit you'll hit first. These figures come from Todoist's own usage limits help page, checked as of October 2026.
Todoist Beginner vs paid plans
Todoist calls its free plan Beginner. Its paid plans are Pro for individuals and Business for teams. Here's how the limits compare, using Todoist's help page.
| Limit | Beginner (free) | Paid plans |
|---|---|---|
| Active personal projects (including sub-projects) | 5 | 300 |
| Custom reminders | Not included | 700, automatic and custom combined |
| Task Capture Assist and Ramble | 10 sessions a month, shared | Unlimited, within fair use |
| Free teams you can create | One at a time | No limit on paid teams |
Todoist's pricing page doesn't show its prices in plain text, so I'm not quoting a figure here. Check the pricing page in your own currency if you're thinking about upgrading.
The limits that apply even when you pay
This is the detail almost nobody mentions, and it's the one I'd want to know before upgrading. Some Todoist limits apply to every account, free or paid, and there's no way to raise them:
- 300 active tasks per project, including sub-tasks and recurring tasks.
- 500 active projects in total, across personal and team projects.
Todoist says these limits apply to all plans, including Pro and Business, and exist to keep syncing fast and stable. So if you're hoping to put 400 tasks in one giant project, paying won't help. Todoist's own suggestion is to split big projects into smaller ones and use sections to group tasks by topic.
How the 10 free sessions work
Task Capture Assist and Ramble are Todoist's tools for turning text, files, images and voice into tasks. On the free Beginner plan, they share one allowance of 10 sessions a month. A few rules from the help page that make the free allowance stretch further:
- Sessions reset automatically on the 1st of each month (UTC).
- A session only counts when Todoist finds at least one task.
- Failed, cancelled or zero-task captures don't count.
- Opening Ramble without capturing tasks doesn't count either.
What happens if you downgrade from a paid plan
If your paid plan ends and you've got more than 5 active personal projects, Todoist doesn't delete the extras. They become view-only: you can see them but you can't edit them. That's fair, but it can be a nasty surprise mid-week. Before you downgrade, archive or merge projects so your five most important ones stay editable.
Is the free plan enough for a small business?
For a solo business owner, often yes. Five projects is tight if you like a project per client, but it's plenty if you organise by area and use labels for clients. Where the free plan starts to pinch is reminders. If you rely on being nudged at a set time, the Beginner plan won't do it, because custom reminders aren't included.
Teams are worth a word too. Todoist's help page says you can only create one free Todoist team at a time, though there's no limit to the number of paid teams you can create, and you can join as many teams as you like. So a small team can trial Todoist together on the free plan before anyone commits.
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| If you mainly need | Free Beginner plan? |
|---|---|
| A personal to-do list across work and home | Yes, comfortably |
| One project per client for lots of clients | No, you'll hit the 5-project cap |
| Timed reminders for deadlines | No, custom reminders are paid |
| Turning voice notes into tasks every day | Only 10 sessions a month, so probably not |
| A shared list with a small team | Yes, one free team at a time |
How to get the most from Todoist for free
- Plan your five projects around areas of life, for example Business, Clients, Marketing, Home and Someday.
- Use sections inside each project instead of creating new projects for every idea.
- Use labels and filters to slice tasks across projects without using up your project allowance.
- Save your 10 monthly capture sessions for long voice notes or documents, and type quick tasks yourself.
- Review once a week and complete or delete stale tasks so you stay well under the 300-task cap.
If you want a walkthrough of the free features, my guide on how to use Todoist covers Quick Add and the Today view. If five projects won't work for you, compare the Todoist alternatives or my list of free task management tools.
My verdict
Todoist is free, and for one person juggling work and home it's often all you need. The 5-project cap is the real limit, so structure your projects well and you'll get a long way. Upgrade when you need reminders or more projects, but know that the 300-task and 500-project ceilings stay put whatever you pay.
Frequently asked questions
Is Todoist free forever?
Yes. Todoist's Beginner plan is free and doesn't expire. It has limits, most importantly 5 active personal projects, but you can keep using it indefinitely.
How many projects does Todoist allow for free?
Todoist's help page says the Beginner plan allows 5 active personal projects, including sub-projects, compared with 300 on paid plans.
Does Todoist free have reminders?
Custom reminders aren't included on the Beginner plan. Todoist's paid plans include 700 reminders, automatic and custom combined.
Can a paid Todoist plan hold more than 300 tasks in one project?
No. Todoist says the 300 active tasks per project limit applies to every plan, including Pro and Business, and can't be increased.
Can a free Todoist user join a team?
Yes. Todoist says you can join as many teams as you want, but you can only create one free Todoist team at a time. There's no limit on how many paid teams you create.
What happens to my projects if I stop paying for Todoist?
If you have more than 5 active personal projects when your paid plan ends, the extra projects become view-only. You can see them but not edit them.
