Best free productivity apps for Windows and Mac in 2025: a tested shortlist

Paying for software adds up quickly. A note app, a task manager, an office suite and a password manager can easily cost a few hundred dollars a year if you buy premium plans for each. The good news is that the free versions of many well known apps are now capable enough for most students, freelancers and small teams. I have spent more than a decade testing consumer hardware and the software people install on it, and the shortlist below reflects what I would actually put on a new Windows laptop or MacBook today.

Every main pick works on both Windows and macOS, because many readers use one system at work and another at home. Where a tool is limited to one platform, I say so clearly.

What counts as a free productivity app?

A productivity app is software that helps you capture information, plan work, create documents or reduce the time spent on repetitive tasks. Free apps usually fall into three groups, and knowing which one you are dealing with tells you a lot about long term reliability.

• Open source apps publish their code publicly and are typically free with no paid tier at all. LibreOffice and Joplin are examples. They rarely lock features away, but polish and support can vary.
• Freemium apps offer a free plan with limits and charge for extras such as more projects, larger file uploads or team features. Notion and Todoist work this way.
• Ecosystem apps are free because they bring you into a larger platform. Microsoft To Do, Google Docs and Google Calendar fall into this group and require a Microsoft or Google account.

None of these models is automatically better. The question is whether the free limits fit how you work, and whether you can export your data if the terms change.

Which free apps are best for notes and documents?

Obsidian for private, local notes

Obsidian stores notes as plain Markdown files in a folder on your own drive. Markdown is a simple text format where symbols such as # create headings, so your notes stay readable in any text editor even if Obsidian disappeared tomorrow. It is free for personal use, and since early 2025 the company has also made it free for work use, with a commercial license now optional. Linking between notes and a large plugin library make it strong for research and long projects. The catch is that syncing across devices requires either the paid Obsidian Sync service or your own setup through a cloud folder.

Notion for flexible workspaces

Notion combines notes, simple databases, wikis and task boards in one app. The free plan is generous for individuals, though it caps file upload sizes and limits some collaboration features. It suits people who like building their own systems, such as a reading list, content calendar or client tracker. Notion is cloud based, so it needs an internet connection for most work and keeps your data on its servers.

Joplin as an open source alternative

If you want something like Evernote without a subscription, Joplin is worth a look. It is open source, supports encrypted sync through services you already use, and includes a web clipper. The interface is less refined than Notion or Obsidian, but it is dependable.

LibreOffice and Google Docs for office files

For word processing, spreadsheets and presentations, LibreOffice is the most complete free desktop suite. It opens and saves Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint files, works offline and has no account requirement. Complex formatting and macros sometimes shift when files travel between LibreOffice and Microsoft Office, so check important documents before sending them.

Google Docs, Sheets and Slides run in the browser and shine for real time collaboration. A free Google account includes 15 GB of storage shared across Gmail, Drive and Photos. Mac users also get Apple's Pages, Numbers and Keynote at no cost, and Windows users can access them through the iCloud website, although that route is less convenient day to day.

What are the best free task and calendar apps?

Microsoft To Do

Microsoft To Do is a clean, entirely free to do list app with no paid tier. It syncs with Outlook tasks, offers a daily planning view called My Day, and supports shared lists for households or small teams. It is the easiest recommendation for anyone who wants a task list without thinking about limits.

Todoist

Todoist has the best natural language input I have used: typing a task such as pay rent every month on the 1st creates a correctly scheduled recurring task. The free plan limits how many active projects you can have and leaves out reminders and some views, so check the current limits on its pricing page. For one person managing a handful of areas of life, it is often enough.

Google Calendar

Google Calendar remains the most practical free calendar for mixed Windows and Mac households. It works in any browser, syncs with phones, and connects to many other tools. Mac users can add it to the built in Calendar app, and Windows users can view it in Outlook or the browser.

Which free tools handle passwords, files and focus?

Productivity is not only about notes and tasks. Losing ten minutes hunting for a password or a file several times a day quietly eats your week.

• Bitwarden is a password manager that stores your logins in an encrypted vault. Its free plan includes unlimited passwords and sync across unlimited devices, which is rare among competitors. It has apps for Windows, Mac, browsers and phones.
• Google Drive or OneDrive handle file sync. OneDrive is built into Windows and offers 5 GB free, while Google Drive offers the 15 GB mentioned above. Pick the one that matches the ecosystem you already use.
• Clockify is a time tracker with a free plan that allows unlimited tracking and users. Freelancers who bill by the hour will find it useful for checking where time actually goes.
• Excalidraw is a free browser whiteboard for quick diagrams and sketches, handy when explaining an idea on a call.

Which Windows only or Mac only apps are worth installing?

Some of the most useful free utilities exist on just one platform. They do not affect your data portability, so there is little risk in adding them.

On Windows

• Microsoft PowerToys is a free set of utilities from Microsoft. Highlights include FancyZones for snapping windows into custom layouts, a quick app launcher, a color picker and a tool for renaming many files at once.
• Everything by voidtools indexes file names on your drives and finds files almost instantly as you type, which is far faster than the default Windows search for most people.

On Mac

• Raycast replaces Spotlight with a launcher that also handles clipboard history, window management, snippets and calculations. The core app is free, with AI features sold separately.
• Rectangle is an open source window manager that lets you snap windows to halves, thirds or corners using keyboard shortcuts.

How do the top picks compare?

How should you choose and set up a free productivity stack?

The most common mistake I see is installing ten apps in one afternoon and abandoning eight of them within a month. A smaller setup you actually use beats a large one you maintain out of guilt. Here is a simple order to follow.

1. Start with a password manager. Install Bitwarden first and move your logins into it. Everything else becomes easier once signing in stops being a chore.
2. Pick one place for tasks. Choose Microsoft To Do if you want zero limits, or Todoist if fast entry and recurring tasks matter more.
3. Pick one place for notes. Choose Obsidian if privacy and offline access matter, Notion if you want databases and sharing.
4. Match your office suite to your collaborators. If clients send Word files, LibreOffice handles them offline. If your team edits together, Google Docs is smoother.
5. Add one platform utility. PowerToys on Windows or Raycast on Mac gives the biggest speed gain for the least effort.
6. Review after two weeks. Remove anything you have not opened. As a rough practical estimate, most people settle on four to six core apps.

A free app is only a bargain if you can leave it. Before committing years of notes or tasks, check that the app exports to a standard format such as Markdown, CSV or DOCX.

Free plans change over time, and companies sometimes tighten limits after building a large user base. Favoring open source tools or apps that store data in plain files protects you from that risk. With the combination above, you can cover notes, tasks, documents, scheduling and security on both Windows and Mac without spending anything.