The best free planner app for iPhone with no subscription required is Composed, which gives 5 free user-created events plus unlimited imports from Apple Calendar and Google Calendar with no time limit. Apple Reminders is the most useful free option from a major vendor — completely free, no tier limits, and tightly integrated with Siri. Todoist Free covers basic task management with a 5-project ceiling. TickTick Free is the most generous limit-free option for tasks. Most “free” planners are trials in disguise — this roundup separates real free tiers from ones that gate the essential features.
Tested across 8 iPhone planner apps in May 2026 on iOS 18, this guide tells you honestly what each app’s free tier covers, what it locks behind paywalls, and which ones are designed to work for you without ever upgrading.
What “Free” Actually Means in 2026
Most planner apps marketed as “free” fall into one of four categories. The honest version of free is rare:
- Truly free, full features. Apple Reminders, Google Tasks. Free because the vendor monetizes elsewhere (devices, ads).
- Free tier with meaningful limits. Todoist Free, TickTick Free, Composed Free. Designed to be useful indefinitely; upgrade if you outgrow it.
- Free trial in disguise. Many “free” apps lock the calendar, voice input, or sync behind a 7-day trial — useful for one week, then a paywall.
- Free with ads. Increasingly common. Free in price, expensive in attention.
This roundup ranks options in category 1 and 2. Free trials and ad-supported apps are noted but not ranked.
1. Composed Free — 5 Events Plus Unlimited Calendar Imports
Free tier: 5 user-created events at any time, unlimited calendar imports, unlimited todos, voice input, AI prep tasks for free events | Paid tier: Composed Pro (unlocks unlimited user-created events) | Platform: iOS
Composed’s free tier is one of the more honest in the category. You get 5 user-created events at a time — when you complete one or it passes, the slot opens up again. Events imported from your Apple Calendar or Google Calendar do not count toward the limit, so if your day fills up from calendar sync, the cap doesn’t get in your way.
Voice input is included on the free tier. AI prep task generation is included. Smart reminders are included. The free tier is genuinely usable as a primary planner indefinitely if you keep your active-event count low — and most people do. The 5-event cap is a soft ceiling that nudges power users toward Pro without crippling everyday use.
What’s actually free: Voice input with full natural language. AI prep tasks for the events you create. Departure tracking with real Apple Maps traffic. Smart reminders. Apple Calendar and Google Calendar import. Todos with no count limit.
What requires Pro: More than 5 user-created events at once. Some advanced features like screenshot import beyond a monthly quota.
Best for: People who want a calm, voice-first planner indefinitely without paying. The 5-event ceiling rarely bites when calendar imports cover most of your day.
2. Apple Reminders — Truly Unlimited, Truly Free
Free tier: Everything. No limits, no upsell, no ads. | Paid tier: None. | Platform: iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS
Apple Reminders is the most honest free app in this category. It’s free because it ships with iOS. There’s no tier system, no upgrade nag, no ads. You get unlimited lists, unlimited reminders, location-based reminders, smart lists, tags, attachments, and shared lists across iCloud.
The 2023-2024 updates added Smart Lists (rule-based filtering), groceries auto-categorization, and Section-based list organization. In 2025-2026, Apple added inline subtasks, completed-task analytics, and tighter Siri integration. For pure task management, Apple Reminders is genuinely competitive with paid apps.
What’s missing: It’s a reminders app, not a calendar app. No event-style scheduling with locations and travel time. No prep task generation. No voice input beyond Siri’s basic parsing. No screenshot extraction. No natural language for complex events.
Best for: People with simple needs who already use Siri. If “remind me to call Mom Tuesday at 3” is the most complex thing you ever ask of a planner, Apple Reminders is enough.
3. Todoist Free — The Most Polished Free Task Manager
Free tier: 5 active projects, 5 collaborators per project, 1-week activity history, basic reminders | Paid tier: Todoist Pro ($48/year) — unlimited projects, 25 collaborators, longer history, calendar layout | Platform: All
Todoist’s free tier is generous enough for most individual users. 5 active projects covers most personal use cases (Personal, Work, Errands, Side Project, Household). The natural language input (“buy groceries tomorrow at 5pm #shopping”) works on the free tier. Cross-platform sync is included. The visual design is excellent.
The honest limitation is that the calendar view, file uploads beyond 5MB, and reminders by date+time (rather than just date) require Pro. For a pure task manager, the free tier is generous. For a planner that needs calendar-style events with times, you’ll hit the wall.
What’s actually free: Up to 5 active projects. Natural language task input. Basic reminders. Cross-platform sync. Karma productivity tracking. Sub-tasks.
What requires Pro: Calendar view. Time-based reminders. File uploads > 5MB. Filters and labels. Activity log > 1 week. Comments.
Best for: Individual task managers who don’t need calendar-style scheduling. If you’re a list-maker, the free tier serves indefinitely.
4. TickTick Free — Most Generous Free Tier in the Category
Free tier: 9 lists, 99 tasks per list, basic Pomodoro timer, habit tracking, calendar view | Paid tier: TickTick Premium ($35.99/year) — unlimited lists, more reminders, custom themes | Platform: All
TickTick’s free tier punches above its weight. It includes a calendar view (which Todoist locks to Pro), habit tracking, Pomodoro timer, and Eisenhower matrix view — features that are genuinely useful and often paywalled elsewhere. The 9 lists / 99 tasks per list limit is real but generous.
The natural language input is decent. The interface is dense but learnable. The widget support on iOS 17+ is excellent.
What’s actually free: Calendar view. Pomodoro timer. Habit tracker. Eisenhower matrix. 9 lists. Natural language input. Basic reminders.
What requires Premium: Unlimited lists. Multiple reminders per task. Calendar overlay with iCloud/Google. Custom themes. Task duration tracking.
Best for: People who want a feature-rich free planner with calendar view. The Pomodoro and habit features are genuine differentiators.
5. Google Tasks — Lightweight and Free Forever
Free tier: Unlimited lists, unlimited tasks, no ads, basic reminders | Paid tier: None | Platform: iOS, Android, web
Google Tasks is the Google Calendar companion app. Like Apple Reminders, it’s free because Google monetizes elsewhere. The feature set is intentionally limited — lists, tasks, sub-tasks, dates, and basic reminders. No advanced features, no AI, no natural language beyond what you’d expect.
The tight integration with Google Calendar is the main draw. Tasks with dates show up in Google Calendar as a separate layer, which gives you a basic combined calendar+todo view.
What’s actually free: Everything. Unlimited lists and tasks. Cross-platform sync via Google account. Basic reminders.
What’s missing: Voice input beyond dictation. Natural language event parsing. Location features. Travel time. Prep tasks.
Best for: Light users in the Google ecosystem who want a basic todo list synced with Google Calendar.
6. Microsoft To Do — Free with Microsoft Account
Free tier: Unlimited lists, unlimited tasks, file attachments via OneDrive, cross-device sync | Paid tier: None (bundled with Microsoft 365) | Platform: iOS, Android, web, Windows, macOS
Microsoft To Do is the Wunderlist successor. It’s free with any Microsoft account. The feature set is similar to Apple Reminders — lists, smart suggestions (“My Day”), reminders, shared lists. The “My Day” feature (a daily list you build each morning) is a genuinely useful planning ritual.
The Outlook integration means tasks from Outlook flagged emails show up as To Do tasks automatically — useful for people whose work runs on Microsoft 365.
Best for: Microsoft 365 users who want a free Wunderlist-style task manager.
7. Any.do Free — Limited Free Tier, Aggressive Upgrade Nags
Free tier: Limited (10 boards/calendar items, basic reminders) | Paid tier: Any.do Premium ($59.99/year) — most useful features | Platform: iOS, Android, web
Any.do’s free tier is restrictive enough that most users will hit walls within a few days of real use. The AI assistant is paywalled. Recurring tasks beyond basic patterns are paywalled. The calendar view is paywalled.
If you’re shopping a free planner specifically because you don’t want a subscription, Any.do isn’t the right fit — the free tier is designed to push you toward Premium.
Best for: People evaluating Any.do for a future paid subscription. Not recommended as a permanent free option.
8. Notion (Personal Free Plan) — Free for Individual Use
Free tier: Unlimited blocks, 7-day page history, 10 guests, 5MB file uploads | Paid tier: Notion Plus ($10/month) and beyond | Platform: All
Notion isn’t strictly a planner, but many people use it as one with a custom database template. The free Personal plan is generous for individual use — unlimited pages, unlimited blocks, cross-device sync. You can build a calendar database, a task database, and connect them.
The honest reality: Notion is a powerful tool, but it’s not a planner out of the box. Setting it up as a planner takes hours, and the mobile experience is significantly worse than dedicated planner apps.
Best for: People who already use Notion and want one tool for everything. Not recommended if you want a planner that works the moment you install it.
How Composed Free Compares to Other Free Tiers
| App | True Free Limit | Calendar Sync Counted? | Voice Input | AI Features | Location/Travel |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Composed | 5 user-created events | No (unlimited imports) | Yes (full NLP) | Yes (prep tasks) | Yes (Apple Maps) |
| Apple Reminders | None | N/A (reminders, not calendar) | Via Siri only | No | Basic geofence |
| Todoist Free | 5 projects | N/A (no calendar view) | Via Siri shortcut | No | No |
| TickTick Free | 9 lists, 99 tasks each | Yes (own calendar view) | Basic | No | No |
| Google Tasks | None | N/A | No | No | No |
| Microsoft To Do | None | N/A | No | Basic suggestions | No |
| Any.do Free | 10 items | No | No | No (paywalled) | No |
| Notion Personal | Unlimited blocks | DIY (you build it) | No | No (paywalled AI) | No |
What to Watch For in “Free” Planner Apps
The 7-day trial trap. Many apps marketed as “free” lock essential features behind a 7-day trial. After day 7, you either pay or lose your data. Always check the app’s pricing page before committing.
The synced-account trap. Some “free” apps require an account, then quietly downgrade your features if your subscription lapses. Composed Free, Apple Reminders, Google Tasks, and Microsoft To Do don’t do this. Any.do and several smaller apps do.
The ad-supported trap. Free with ads usually means free with attention extraction. The apps in this roundup are free without ads.
The export-locked trap. A few free planner apps make it hard to export your data if you decide to leave. Apple Reminders, Todoist, TickTick, and Composed all support clean export. Some smaller apps make this deliberately difficult.
When You Outgrow Free
If you outgrow Apple Reminders or Google Tasks, the natural step up is Composed Free — voice input, AI prep tasks, and calendar imports give you a real calendar experience without paying.
If you outgrow Composed Free (more than 5 user-created events at once consistently), Composed Pro is a small annual subscription that unlocks unlimited events while keeping the same calm interface.
If you outgrow Todoist Free or TickTick Free and want event-style planning rather than more tasks, Composed is the natural next stop — it’s built around events with prep tasks, not project-based task lists.
The Honest Free Pick
For the largest group of people, Composed Free is the best free planner for iPhone — voice-first input, AI prep tasks, unlimited calendar imports, and a 5-event ceiling that almost never bites. Try Composed without payment and see how far the free tier takes you.
For people whose needs are very simple, Apple Reminders is genuinely sufficient. No upgrade nag, no tier, no ads. Use what’s already on your phone.
For pure task management without scheduling, Todoist Free and TickTick Free are both excellent. TickTick has the more generous free tier with a calendar view; Todoist has the more polished experience.
Whatever you choose, choose something honest. A free planner that wastes your attention on upgrade nags isn’t free — it’s just a different kind of expensive.