Overview

Lists have unlimited hierarchy, so a plan can expand into deeply nested work without hitting a structural ceiling. Focus and hoist, expand-to-level, search, filtering, and controls to hide completed or future tasks help users navigate that depth. The tradeoff is inherent in the format: Checkvist is a better match for people who reason in outlines than for teams seeking a board-centered project interface.

The editor combines keyboard shortcuts with Markdown, code, tables, bulk operations, sorting, and backlinks. Real-time collaboration and export to OPML, plain text, Markdown, or rich text help make lists usable across shared work and other tools.

Key features

Tasks can carry tags, due dates, notes, priorities, attachments, assignees, and progress counters. Keeping those details on outline items makes a nested list capable of holding both structure and task context. However, assignment and repeating tasks are PRO features, and file storage is part of PRO, so the Free plan is less suited to workflows that depend on those capabilities.

Sharing settings are unusually flexible for list-based work: lists can be private or public, read-only or editable, password-protected, and set to expire. Assignment is also available through sharing, but requires PRO. The Web Clipper captures tasks, bookmarks, and notes from web pages and services such as Gmail, Zendesk, Jira, and GitHub, which can reduce friction when turning incoming material into list items.

Integrations include Zapier, Dropbox, Google Calendar sync, Jira, YouTrack, Slack, browser extensions, and an Open API. The MCP server lets AI assistants read and search lists and manage items, but it is restricted to PRO. That gives builders an integration surface beyond the editor, while the paid gate matters for teams that want AI workflows connected to their lists.

The mobile experience is a progressive web app for iOS and Android, with syncing and offline use. That is useful for keeping lists accessible away from a desktop, though it is a web app rather than a separately listed native mobile app.

Checkvist says it does not use tracking tools on its website or in user accounts and does not sell personal data. User, list, and history database data is stored on dedicated servers in Germany; attachments and backups are stored in AWS Ireland. Inactive non-PRO user data is removed after a year of inactivity following two email warnings, a retention policy Free users should factor into long-term storage decisions.

Pricing

The Free plan costs 0.00 USD per free, billed forever. It includes unlimited hierarchical lists, unlimited sharing and collaboration, email task creation, Markdown, notes, due dates, tags, the mobile offline web app, browser extensions, and the Open API. It is a strong starting point for individuals and collaborators who can work without task assignment, recurring tasks, file storage, or PRO backups.

PRO costs 3.90 USD per month, billed $39/year, per person. It adds 2 GB file storage, task assignment, repeating tasks, Google Calendar synchronization, Slack save, MCP access, advanced sharing, and 30-day and Dropbox backups. The per-person price makes the cost rise with a team, but this is the relevant tier for users who need those task, backup, or AI integration capabilities.

PRO team costs 6.90 USD per month, billed $69/year, per person, and is marked “COMING SOON.” It is intended for centralized data ownership, user management, group access rights, spaces, and priority support; it is not an available choice for teams to rely on now.

A 14-day trial provides all PRO features without a credit card, then downgrades the account to Free. That gives prospective users a low-friction way to assess paid features, but the post-trial return to Free means any workflow relying on PRO capabilities needs a paid plan afterward.

Platforms

Checkvist supports the web, Android and iOS through its progressive web app, browser extensions, and an Open API. Offline access is supported on mobile. The API and integrations make it more adaptable to existing toolchains than a standalone outline, while the platform list does not include desktop applications.

Who it's for

Checkvist is a good fit for individuals and teams who naturally break work into nested lists, need task metadata alongside that structure, and value flexible sharing or API access. Its Free plan can support core collaborative outlining without a subscription. Teams that need assignment, recurring tasks, backups, or MCP access should budget for PRO per person; those seeking a board-first workflow or an available centralized team tier should look elsewhere.

Pros and cons

Pros: Unlimited hierarchical lists and extensive navigation controls let outlines grow while remaining workable.
Pros: The Free plan includes unlimited sharing and collaboration, the Open API, and offline mobile use, so core list workflows need not begin with a paid seat.
Pros: Sharing permissions, passwords, and expiration times give list owners meaningful control over access.
Cons: Assignment, repeating tasks, file storage, backups, and MCP access are paid, limiting the Free plan for more operational workflows.
Cons: PRO is priced per person, so paid team use scales with the number of users.
Cons: PRO team is marked “COMING SOON,” so its ownership and access-management features cannot yet be the basis of a rollout.

Alternatives

Choose Dynalist if broad platform coverage, including Linux, macOS, and Windows, matters; its Free plan includes unlimited items and documents, while Checkvist's free offering emphasizes collaboration and API access.

Workflowy is another freemium option with broader listed desktop and mobile platform coverage, but its Basic plan caps use at 100 nodes per month; Checkvist is the better fit when unlimited hierarchical lists matter.

Pick outl if a free, MIT-licensed option with self-hosting is the priority.

Legend is worth considering if a defined free allowance of 10 Panes and unlimited documents and items fits better than Checkvist's task-focused list structure.

Logseq is a free alternative for personal use if that positioning fits your workflow better than Checkvist's collaboration and task-management emphasis.

Indenta is a free option maintained as a personal project by one software engineer in Japan.

Tana may suit readers looking for a freemium alternative with a Free plan that includes a monthly AI-query allowance.

Tine is another free alternative.

For broader browsing, see Outliner Software, To-do list apps, and Outlining Software.

Verdict

Choose Checkvist if your work belongs in deep, keyboard-driven lists and you want sharing, task context, and API access without paying for core outlining. The main reason to move to PRO is access to assignment, recurring tasks, backups, and MCP, with per-person billing as the cost. Look elsewhere if your team depends on a board workflow or needs the promised centralized team controls immediately.

	Checkvist	Focuster
Free plan	Yes	No
Free trial	Yes	No
Paid from	$3.90/mo	—
Open source	No	No
Platforms	Android, api, extension, iOS, Web	iOS, Web
Free plan	Yes	No
Paid from	$3.90/user/mo	—
Recurring tasks	—	Yes
Calendar sync	—	Yes
Supported platforms	—	web, ios

Checkvist vs Focuster

Checkvist

Focuster