Let's be honest upfront: Todoist is a well-built app. Its natural-language input — type 'submit paper every Monday at 9am' and it just works — is genuinely impressive, and its free tier is cleaner than most. If you're a student whose school already pays for premium tools, Todoist is worth a look.
But if you're a student paying your own bills, 'free' means something specific: no credit card, no subscription wall, no features locked behind a badge that costs money you don't have. That's where TaskLoco does something different. It offers two distinct free tiers — one that doesn't even ask for your name, let alone your email — and a Premium plan with a charter offer that costs less per month than a campus coffee. This article breaks down which tool actually fits student life, honestly.
Two Free Tiers vs One — What Students Actually Get at $0
Todoist's free plan is real and usable. You get tasks, projects, and that natural-language input that turns 'dentist appointment next Thursday at 2pm' into a scheduled task instantly. That's a genuine advantage for students who type fast and think in sentences rather than forms.
The friction shows up quickly though. Reminders? Locked to paid plans. File uploads? Locked. Filters and labels past a small limit? Locked. The free tier is wide enough to start but narrow enough to frustrate, and the app makes sure you notice — upgrade prompts are a constant presence.
TaskLoco takes a different approach entirely. TaskLoco Lite is the native iPhone and Android app available in the App Store and Google Play. It stores up to 20 notes directly on your device, requires zero sign-in, and collects no personal data whatsoever. You install it, you use it. That's it. No account, no sync to a server, nothing. For students who are privacy-conscious or simply don't want another account floating around the internet, this is genuinely rare.
TaskLoco Lite Plus+ is the web app and Chrome extension tier — also free. Sign in with your existing Google account, and you get up to 30 notes that sync across all your devices through the browser. The Chrome extension lets you capture any webpage — a research article, a lecture slide link, a syllabus URL — in a single click and turn it into a note instantly. No copy-pasting, no tab juggling.
Neither free tier includes reminders, file attachments, or team sharing — those are Premium features. But for a student managing notes, tasks, and research links across a laptop and phone, Lite Plus+ covers a lot of ground at zero cost.
The Chrome Extension: A Research Tool Todoist Doesn't Have
Students live in browser tabs. A syllabus here, a journal article there, a Canvas assignment buried three clicks deep. Todoist has a browser extension that can add tasks, but it's focused on task creation — you're entering text, not capturing the page itself.
TaskLoco's Chrome extension does something more useful for research-heavy work: it captures the entire webpage you're looking at in one click and turns it into a note, instantly. You're reading a source for a paper — click, it's saved. You find a useful resource page — click, it's in your notes. No copy-pasting URLs, no switching apps, no losing the tab in a browser window that somehow has 47 tabs open.
The extension is part of the free Lite Plus+ tier. You don't need Premium to use it. Sign in with Google, install the extension, and one-click capture works immediately across your research workflow.
What Todoist Does Better — And When That Actually Matters for Students
Natural-language task input is Todoist's clearest advantage and it's a real one. Typing a task in plain English and having the date, time, and recurrence parsed automatically is faster than filling in fields. TaskLoco doesn't have this. If you process your task list by typing quickly and thinking in sentences, Todoist's input method will feel more natural.
Todoist also has an established ecosystem of third-party integrations — connections to tools like Google Calendar, Slack, and various automation platforms. TaskLoco has limited integrations. If your workflow depends on hooking your task manager into other apps via API or automation, Todoist is the more connected option today.
For students who need Gantt charts, task dependencies, or formal project timelines — for a capstone project or thesis with overlapping workstreams — neither Todoist free nor TaskLoco is the right tool. You'd want something built specifically for project management with those features. TaskLoco is built around notes and tasks, not project dependency mapping.
But for the majority of student use cases — tracking assignments, managing readings, attaching files to tasks, sharing notes with study partners, and actually getting reminded to do things — TaskLoco covers the ground that matters, and covers it at a price point (including completely free) that respects a student budget.
The Honest Comparison
| Feature | TaskLoco | Todoist |
|---|---|---|
| Truly free tier — no account needed | Yes — Lite (native app, 20 notes, no sign-in, no data collection) FREE | No — free plan requires account creation |
| Free synced tier | Yes — Lite Plus+ (web app + Chrome extension, 30 notes, Google sign-in, syncs across devices) FREE | Yes — free plan syncs tasks across devices |
| Native iPhone & Android app | Yes — TaskLoco Lite is a native app (20 notes, no sync, no sign-in) | Yes — full-featured native app on iOS and Android |
| Natural-language task input | Not available | Yes — a genuine strength, available on free and paid plans |
| Chrome extension — webpage capture | Yes — one-click capture of any webpage, free with Lite Plus+ FREE | Task-creation extension only — does not capture full webpage content |
| Reminders (free tier) | Premium only — push notifications that deep-link to the original note | Paid plans only |
| Reminders (paid tier) | Push notification reminders deep-linking to the original note; optional email and SMS add-on | Reminders available on paid plans |
| File attachments | Premium — 10GB included, stackable storage add-ons available | Limited on free; available on paid plans |
| Team / note sharing | Premium — recipients clone shared notes and own their copy; no permissions setup needed | Collaboration available on paid plans |
| Calendar view | Premium — full calendar view of tasks and events | Available on paid plans |
| Unlimited notes/tasks | Premium — unlimited notes, tasks, and calendar events | Task limits on free; unlimited on paid |
| Privacy — no account option | Yes — Lite stores data on device only, completely anonymous, zero account required FREE | Account required for all tiers |
| Third-party integrations | Limited integrations | Extensive integrations with popular apps and automation tools |
| Gantt charts / project dependencies | Not available | Not in core Todoist — requires separate tools |
| 7-day free trial (paid tier) | Yes — no charge until day 8, cancel anytime | Trial available |
| Charter pricing lock | 50% off regular price locked for life — first 500 subscribers only | No equivalent offer |
Who Should Use Each
Use the TaskLoco if…
- You want a free tool that requires zero account or sign-in — TaskLoco Lite is fully anonymous
- You research online heavily and want one-click Chrome extension capture of webpages
- You need reminders that push to your phone and link directly back to the exact note
- You're doing group projects and need to share notes without setting up permissions
- You want to attach lecture slides, PDFs, or photos to individual tasks
- You'll eventually need paid features and want to lock in the lowest possible price before 500 charter spots are gone
Use Todoist if…
- Your workflow depends on natural-language task entry — typing tasks in plain English and having dates parsed automatically
- You rely on deep integrations with third-party apps and automation platforms
- Your institution already provides a Todoist Education subscription at no cost to you
- You need task dependencies or formal project timeline features for a complex capstone or thesis
TaskLoco Premium is regularly $9.99/month per person. Right now, charter members can lock in 50% off the regular price — forever. That means $4.99/month per person today. And if our price ever goes up, you still pay half. Always.
Code CHARTER50 auto-applies at checkout. First 500 spots only — once they're gone, this offer is gone permanently. Act fast while spots last.
Every Premium subscription includes unlimited notes, 10GB file storage, reminders, calendar, and team sharing. Each team member requires a separate subscription. 7-day free trial — no charge until day 8. Cancel anytime.
Free Options: TaskLoco vs Todoist
TaskLoco Lite
- Native iPhone & Android app
- Completely anonymous — no sign-in
- Data stays on your device
- Up to 20 notes
- Free forever
TaskLoco Lite Plus+
- Web app + Chrome extension
- Sign in with Google
- Wall syncs across all devices
- Up to 30 notes
- Free forever
Lock In 50% Off — Forever
7-day free trial. No charge until day 8. CHARTER50 auto-applies at checkout.
🔒 Lock In My Charter SpotSee TaskLoco in Action
Frequently Asked Questions
Is TaskLoco actually free for students?
Yes — two tiers are completely free. TaskLoco Lite is the native iPhone and Android app: 20 notes, no sign-in, no account, nothing collected. TaskLoco Lite Plus+ is the web app and Chrome extension: 30 notes, syncs across all your devices, free with a Google sign-in. Neither free tier includes reminders, file attachments, or team sharing — those are Premium features. But for notes, tasks, and web research capture, both free tiers are genuinely usable with no subscription wall.
Does TaskLoco Lite require an email or account?
No. TaskLoco Lite — the native app in the App Store and Google Play — requires absolutely nothing. No email, no account, no sign-in. It stores up to 20 notes as a file on your device. It never syncs to any server. For students who don't want another account or who care about privacy, this is one of the only productivity apps that genuinely offers a zero-account option.
What does the TaskLoco Chrome extension do?
The Chrome extension captures any webpage you're viewing in a single click and saves it as a note in TaskLoco. For student research — journal articles, syllabus pages, Canvas assignments, useful reference links — this is a faster workflow than copying URLs or switching apps. The Chrome extension is part of the free Lite Plus+ tier, so you don't need a paid subscription to use it.
How do TaskLoco reminders work for students?
TaskLoco Premium reminders are delivered as push notifications to your phone and computer. The key feature for students: each reminder deep-links directly back to the original note — so tapping the notification takes you straight to the assignment or task it's about, no searching required. Optional email notifications are also available, and SMS is an optional add-on.
Can I share notes with study partners or group project teammates?
Yes — with TaskLoco Premium. Team sharing works like sending an email: you share a note, your teammate receives it, and they can clone it and make it their own copy to work from. There are no permissions to configure, no access levels to manage, and no admin setup required. Each team member needs their own subscription.
What's the difference between TaskLoco Lite and Lite Plus+?
TaskLoco Lite is the native iPhone and Android app. It stores up to 20 notes directly on your device, requires no sign-in, and never syncs to any server — fully anonymous. TaskLoco Lite Plus+ is the web app and Chrome extension. It requires a Google sign-in, syncs up to 30 notes across all your devices through the browser, and includes the one-click Chrome extension for capturing webpages. Neither tier includes reminders, file attachments, or team sharing — those are Premium features.
How much does TaskLoco Premium cost for students?
$9.99/month per person (currently $4.99/month per person for first 500 charter members with code CHARTER50)
Born in Brooklyn. Powered by AWS. Your data stays yours.
TaskLoco is available on iPhone, Android, Chrome, and every web browser.