Searching for the best free to-do list app for iPhone turns up a familiar pattern: a slick app, a free download, and a paywall two taps later. Many task apps on iOS are subscription businesses first, and the "free" tier is really a trial with a cap on projects, reminders or lists. This guide is for people who want a to-do list app for iPhone with no subscription — either genuinely free, or a fair one-time purchase — and who would rather know the price up front.
What "free" means on the App Store (and the two things to check)
Apple labels apps with in-app purchases, but the label alone doesn't tell you whether the free version is usable. Before you commit, open the App Store listing and check two things:
- The In-App Purchases list. Scroll to the Information section. If every item is "Monthly" or "Annual", the app is subscription-only. If you see a "Lifetime" or "One-time" entry, you can pay once and be done. If the list is empty, the app is fully free (Apple Reminders) or paid up front (Things 3).
- What the free tier actually caps. The most common limits on iPhone to-do apps are the number of projects or lists, reminders per task, recurring tasks, calendar views and attachments. The listing rarely spells this out — the comparison table below does.
The healthy model is simple: the daily essentials — unlimited tasks, due dates, reminders, recurring routines, lists — should be free, with any paid tier reserved for genuine extras like cloud sync or collaboration. That is the bar every app below is measured against.
How we picked: free on iPhone, no forced account, works offline
- Free where it counts. Tasks, reminders and recurring tasks with no cap. A paid tier is fine; a crippled free tier is not.
- No subscription required. Either fully free, or a one-time purchase option exists.
- Works offline. Your list has to open in airplane mode and on the subway — local storage first, cloud second.
- No mandatory sign-up. Points off for apps that make you create an account just to write "buy milk".
- iPad and Android too. Bonus points for apps that run on an iPad and can share with Android family members.
We are the team behind My Tasks, so our own entry is held to the same standard below, and we point out where another app is the better fit.
Best free to-do list apps for iPhone compared (quick table)
"Free tier" is what you get without paying. Prices are the publicly listed US prices as of October 2026 and may differ by region.
| App | Free tier | Recurring tasks & reminders (free) | Account needed | Android too | Paid plan |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| My Tasks: Lists & Schedules | Unlimited tasks, lists, notes, calendar, themes; Tasks + Today widgets | Yes, free | No | Yes | Premium (cloud backup, sharing, drawing notes, extra widgets): $2.99/mo, $19.99/yr or $39.99 one-time lifetime |
| Apple Reminders | Everything — fully free, pre-installed | Yes, free | Uses your Apple account; iCloud for sync and sharing | No (Apple only) | None |
| Microsoft To Do | Everything — tasks, lists, My Day, sharing | Yes, free | Microsoft account required | Yes | None |
| Google Tasks | Everything — simple lists and subtasks | Basic repeat; simple reminders | Google account required | Yes | None |
| Todoist | Beginner plan: up to 5 personal projects | Yes — recurring due dates and one reminder per task | Yes | Yes | Pro ~$5/mo billed yearly (~$60/yr), ~$7 month to month |
| TickTick | Up to 9 lists, 99 tasks per list | Yes — 2 reminders per task; calendar views limited | Yes | Yes | Premium ~$35.99/yr |
| Things 3 | No free version | Yes (after purchase) | No (Things Cloud optional) | No (Apple only) | One-time: $9.99 iPhone, $19.99 iPad, $49.99 Mac (bought separately) |
| Any.do | Tasks, basic repeats, grocery lists | Basic repeats; advanced recurring is Premium | Yes | Yes | Premium ~$4.99/mo billed yearly |
Three apps on this list never ask for money: Apple Reminders, Microsoft To Do and Google Tasks. All three are good, and all three require an account of some kind. Todoist and TickTick are excellent but their free tiers are deliberately small. Things 3 is the classic "pay once" pick but has no free version and no Android app. My Tasks sits in between: the core app is free and account-free, and the only paid tier can be bought once. If you are comparing the big names specifically, see our free Todoist alternative and free TickTick alternative breakdowns.
Is Apple Reminders enough? When to stick with it, when to switch
Every iPhone already has a very capable to-do app. Apple Reminders is free, works offline, supports recurring reminders, subtasks, tags, location alerts and Siri, and it shares lists with other Apple users through iCloud. If that covers your life, use it — you don't need anything else.
People usually switch for one of four reasons:
- Notes and tasks live in different apps. Reminders holds the task, Notes holds the details, Calendar holds the appointment. An all-in-one app keeps the task, the note, the checklist and the event in one place.
- Someone in the household uses Android. iCloud sharing stops at the Apple wall. A cross-platform app is the only way to share a grocery list with an Android partner.
- You want it to look like yours. Reminders has a handful of list colors. Apps like My Tasks let you change colors, fonts and backgrounds for the whole app — see our guide to the customizable to-do list app.
- Richer widgets and views. A dedicated today view, a calendar of your tasks, a habit heatmap for recurring routines.
Pay once instead of subscribing: the realistic options
If your objection is specifically to monthly billing rather than to paying at all, two apps on this list let you pay a single time:
- Things 3 — $9.99 on iPhone as a one-time purchase. Beautiful, focused, and the long-standing favorite of Apple-only users. Note that iPad and Mac are separate purchases and there is no free version to try first on iPhone.
- My Tasks — the core app is free with no time limit. If you later want cloud backup, shared tasks, drawing notes or the extra widgets, the premium tier offers a $39.99 lifetime option next to the monthly and yearly plans, so you can opt out of subscriptions entirely.
Todoist, TickTick and Any.do are subscription-only for their paid tiers. Their free plans are fine for light use, but if you hit the project or list cap, the only way up is a recurring charge.
iPhone features that matter: widgets, notifications, Face ID, iPad
Home-screen widgets
A to-do list you never open doesn't get done. Widgets fix that. My Tasks ships WidgetKit widgets for iPhone and iPad: the Tasks and Today widgets are free, and premium adds Favorites, Lists, Notes and a habit heatmap. All of them follow your app theme. Our to-do list widget guide walks through adding one.
Reminders that respect Focus modes
iOS delivers local notifications reliably, but Focus modes and scheduled summaries can quietly hold them. After installing any task app, allow notifications, set a test reminder two minutes out, and check your Focus settings allow the app through. This is the step most "my reminder never fired" complaints trace back to.
Face ID lock
If your list includes private notes, look for an app lock. My Tasks supports biometric lock with Face ID or Touch ID.
iPad and Mac
One download of My Tasks covers iPhone and iPad (iOS and iPadOS 15.6 or later) and runs on Apple silicon Macs. With optional cloud backup enabled, the same tasks and notes appear on every device.
iPhone + Android households: sharing across the wall
The biggest practical limitation of Apple's own apps is that they are Apple's own apps. If your partner, kids or roommates are on Android, a shared grocery list in Reminders simply isn't an option. Microsoft To Do, Google Tasks, Todoist, TickTick and My Tasks all run on both platforms. Our guide to the best shared to-do list app covers the sharing details, and the shared grocery list guide is the practical version for couples. You can download My Tasks on the App Store or get it on Google Play — it's the same app on both.
FAQ: free iPhone to-do apps, iCloud, iPad and Android sharing
Is there a truly free to-do list app for iPhone with no subscription?
Yes. Apple Reminders is free and built in, Microsoft To Do and Google Tasks are free with an account, and My Tasks keeps tasks, reminders, recurring tasks, notes, checklists, calendar and the Tasks and Today widgets free with no account. Where My Tasks charges, it is for extras such as cloud backup and shared tasks, and a one-time lifetime purchase is offered alongside the monthly and yearly plans, so you never have to subscribe.
Do I need an iCloud or Apple account to use a to-do list app on iPhone?
Apple Reminders uses the Apple account already on your phone, and sharing lists requires iCloud. Microsoft To Do, Google Tasks, Todoist and TickTick all need their own account. My Tasks needs no account at all — everything is stored on the phone — and an account is only used if you turn on optional cloud backup or sharing.
Does My Tasks work on iPad?
Yes. The App Store listing covers iPhone and iPad (iOS and iPadOS 15.6 or later), and the app also runs on Apple silicon Macs. One free download covers all of them.
Can I share a list between an iPhone and an Android phone?
Not with Apple Reminders or Things 3, which are Apple-only. Microsoft To Do, Google Tasks, Todoist, TickTick and My Tasks all run on both platforms, so a shared grocery or chore list can include everyone in the house regardless of phone. In My Tasks, sharing is part of the premium tier; the personal lists are free.