Yes, Slack has to-do lists, with one catch. Since October 2026 every plan has To-dos, a personal list in your sidebar. It's just for you. You can't assign a to-do to a teammate. Slack Lists, the built-in option with assignees and due dates, is only on paid Slack plans. On the free plan, shared team to-dos mean canvas checklists without assignees, or a task app like Let's Do. This guide compares all four so you can pick what fits your team.
Slack To-dos (any plan, personal only)
In October 2026 Slack replaced its Later tab with To-dos. It's a personal to-do list in your sidebar and it's on every plan, including free. Slack is rolling it out gradually and your workspace might not have it yet.
How to add one:
- Hover over a message or file and click Add to-do. On mobile, tap and hold it and tap To-dos.
- Or open the To-dos tab and click Add To-do to write one from scratch.
- Add a reminder if you want a notification when it's due. Check it off when you're done.
What you get:
- A personal list in the To-dos tab
- Messages and files saved as to-dos
- A reminder and due date on each to-do
- Your personal reminders in the same place
What's missing: It's your list only. You can't assign a to-do to a teammate or share a list with a channel. For that you need Lists on a paid plan, or an app.
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 recurring tasks, no subtasks. You can add a date to a canvas and set a reminder for yourself. Nobody else gets reminded. 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. On the free plan, canvases are limited to channels and DMs.
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. If you're deciding between a Slack-native app and a full PM tool, see our comparison of Slack vs Asana, Jira, and Monday.
Side-by-side comparison
| Feature | Slack To-dos | Slack Lists | Canvas | Let's Do |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Works on free Slack plan | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Task assignments | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Due dates | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Reminders | For yourself | Via automations | ✗ | ✓ |
| Recurring tasks | — | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Subtasks | — | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Channel-based lists | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Team overview / dashboard | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
— means Slack's help center doesn't mention it for To-dos.
Which approach should you pick?
Use Slack To-dos for your own follow-ups, like messages to answer or things to check on Friday. It's free and already in your sidebar.
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.
Frequently asked questions
Does Slack have a to-do list?
Yes. Since October 2026 every Slack plan has To-dos, a personal to-do list in the sidebar where you save messages and set reminders for yourself. You can't assign those to teammates. For shared task lists with assignees and due dates, Slack Lists is available on paid plans. On any plan you can also make simple checklists in a canvas, or use a Slack app like Let's Do for assignments, due dates and recurring tasks.
What is the best to-do list app for Slack?
The best to-do list app depends on your needs. Let's Do is built specifically for Slack and offers shared to-do lists in channels, task assignments, due dates, recurring tasks, and subtasks. Other options include Workast and Asana's Slack integration. Let's Do works on Slack's free plan and has a flat monthly price regardless of team size.
Can I use a to-do list in Slack for free?
Yes, for your own to-dos. The To-dos tab is on every Slack plan, including free. Canvas checklists are free too. They have no assignees or reminders for others. Slack Lists, the built-in shared option with assignees, needs a paid plan. For assignments and due dates on Slack's free plan, apps like Let's Do work with the free tier.
Can I assign tasks with a due date in Slack for free?
Not with Slack's built-in tools. To-dos is personal. Lists has assignees and due dates on paid plans only. Reminders only work for yourself or a channel. An app like Let's Do lets you assign a to-do to a teammate with a due date on Slack's free plan. They get a reminder on the day.