Worth being precise about what 'free prioritisation' means. Free task apps are plentiful; free apps that decide what matters are not, because ranking with a language model has a per-use cost.
Match your reason to the right tool
| Your reason | Best fit | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Free and already in your email | Google Tasks | Inside Gmail and Google Calendar, nothing to install. |
| Free and in Microsoft 365 | Microsoft To Do | Syncs with Outlook flagged email. |
| Free on Apple devices | Apple Reminders | Siri capture, location and time triggers. |
| Best free tier with real features | TickTick | Timer, habits and calendar view on the free plan. |
The comparison
| App | What it automates | Price (Aug 2026) | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lumin | AI prioritisation from an unstructured brain dump | USD9/month or USD90/year; 7-day free trial, no card | Deciding what deserves attention first |
| Google Tasks | Minimal manual lists | Free with a Google account | You want the lightest possible list attached to Gmail |
| Microsoft To Do | Manual lists with My Day | Free with a Microsoft account | You're in Microsoft 365 all day and want something free and simple |
| Apple Reminders | Manual lists with location and time triggers | Free on Apple devices | You're all-Apple and want something free that Siri can capture into |
| TickTick | Manual lists plus calendar and Pomodoro timer | Free tier; Premium around USD36/year | You want a timer, habits and tasks in one app and you're happy to prioritise yourself |
| Reclaim.ai | AI calendar defence and habit scheduling | Free tier; paid from around USD10/user/month | Meetings are eating your week and you need focus blocks defended automatically |
Pricing checked August 2026. Vendors change plans often — follow the link in each row to confirm current pricing before you buy.
Where each one is genuinely better
Google Tasks
Strength: Free and sits inside Gmail and Google Calendar where you already are.
Limitation: Deliberately minimal. No prioritisation, no context, barely any structure.
Choose Google Tasks instead of Lumin if you want the lightest possible list attached to Gmail.
Microsoft To Do
Strength: Free, and integrates with Outlook flagged email if you live in Microsoft 365.
Limitation: Basic. My Day is a manual daily pick with no help deciding.
Choose Microsoft To Do instead of Lumin if you're in Microsoft 365 all day and want something free and simple.
Apple Reminders
Strength: Free, deeply integrated with Siri, and much improved in recent releases.
Limitation: Apple-only, and no help with what to do first.
Choose Apple Reminders instead of Lumin if you're all-Apple and want something free that Siri can capture into.
TickTick
Strength: Best value in the category. Built-in Pomodoro timer, habit tracking and calendar view in one app.
Limitation: Feature density becomes its own maintenance burden. Prioritisation is still entirely manual.
Choose TickTick instead of Lumin if you want a timer, habits and tasks in one app and you're happy to prioritise yourself.
Reclaim.ai
Strength: Excellent at protecting focus time and auto-scheduling recurring habits around meetings.
Limitation: Calendar-first, not task-first. It defends time; it does not tell you what deserves the time.
Choose Reclaim.ai instead of Lumin if meetings are eating your week and you need focus blocks defended automatically.
Where Lumin is the wrong choice
No team features, no calendar auto-scheduling, no time tracking. It answers 'what first', not 'when exactly'. If any of those is what you actually need, one of the tools above will serve you better. We would rather you bought the right thing than churned in a month.
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Frequently asked questions
Is there a completely free AI task prioritiser?
Not a sustainable one. Ranking tasks with a language model costs money per request, so apps that do it either charge, cap usage, or run at a loss. Be sceptical of unlimited free AI prioritisation — check what the limit actually is.
What's the best free task app overall?
TickTick's free tier gives the most usable features. Apple Reminders and Google Tasks are better if you want the least friction inside an ecosystem you already use.