Yes, Slack has to-do lists. In fact, there are three distinct ways to track tasks inside Slack, each with different trade-offs. This guide compares all three so you can pick the right approach for your team.
Slack Lists (paid plans)
Slack introduced Lists as a built-in task tracking feature. Lists let you create structured task boards with custom fields, assignees, due dates, subtasks, and status tracking directly inside Slack.
What you get:
- Kanban-style task boards inside Slack
- Custom fields and statuses
- Assignees and due dates
- Subtasks with their own assignees and due dates
- Filtering, sorting, and multiple views
- Workflow-based automations for due date reminders
The catch: Lists requires a paid Slack plan (Pro, Business+, or Enterprise Grid). If your team is on the free plan, Lists is not available. There's also a limit of 1,000 items per list on Pro and Business+ plans.
Canvas checklists (any plan)
Slack Canvas (which replaced the older "Create a post" feature) lets you create documents with checklist formatting. You can use these as simple to-do lists.
How to create one:
- Open any Slack channel or direct message.
- Click the Canvas icon (the notebook icon) to create or open a Canvas.
- Type
/to open the insert menu, then select "Checklist" to add a to-do list. - Add your tasks as checklist items. Anyone with access to the Canvas can check items off.
What you get:
- Simple checkbox lists
- Shared with channel members
- Rich text formatting (headings, links, mentions)
What's missing: No assignments, no due dates, no reminders, no recurring tasks, no subtasks. Canvas checklists are plain lists without task management features. They work for quick shared lists but become hard to manage as your team grows.
Note on availability: Canvas is available on all Slack plans, but free plan workspaces have limitations on how many canvases you can create and access.
Task management apps (free options)
For teams that need real task management features inside Slack, dedicated apps fill the gap. Apps like Let's Do add full to-do list functionality to Slack without requiring you to leave the app or upgrade your Slack plan.
What you get with a task app like Let's Do:
- Shared to-do lists in any Slack channel
- Task assignments to team members
- Due dates with automatic reminders
- Recurring tasks (daily, weekly, custom schedules)
- Subtasks and descriptions
- Pinned lists for channel-level visibility
- Personal to-do lists in the app home
- Team overview dashboard
Let's Do works on Slack's free plan and offers a free 14-day trial. After that, plans start at a flat monthly price regardless of team size. Other options in this category include Workast and Asana's Slack integration.
Side-by-side comparison
| Feature | Slack Lists | Canvas | Let's Do |
|---|---|---|---|
| Works on free Slack plan | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Task assignments | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Due dates | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Reminders | Via automations | ✗ | ✓ |
| Recurring tasks | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Subtasks | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Channel-based lists | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Team overview / dashboard | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
Which approach should you pick?
Use Slack Lists if your team already has a paid Slack plan and you want a built-in solution without adding another app.
Use Canvas checklists for quick, informal lists that don't need assignments or due dates. Great for meeting notes or brainstorm lists.
Use a task management app if you need assignments, due dates, recurring tasks, or reminders. Especially useful if your team is on Slack's free plan, since Lists is not available.
For more on managing tasks in Slack, see our complete guide to task management in Slack.