Todoist Beginner 5 projects: when indies should buy Pro

When personal tasks and client follow-ups collide, indie builders often search whether Todoist Beginner’s five projects are enough. This article does not compare Trello, Asana, and Todoist. It only covers Beginner’s official caps and when Pro is justified. Facts are anchored to Todoist pricing and Pro pricing help as of 2026-09-28.

What a Beginner account includes

Beginner includes 5 personal projects, Smart Quick Add, task reminders, list and board layouts, 3 filter views, 1 week of activity history, and integrations. The table lists 5 MB uploads versus 100 MB on Pro, 3 filters versus 150, and 1 week history versus full history. Pro adds 300 projects, calendar layout, task duration, custom reminders, Task Assist, Deadlines, and unlimited Ramble. Since 2025-12-10 Pro is $7/month or $60/year. Five projects usually hit first, then three filters.

Carve five projects that survive a quarter

Use Inbox, Product, Clients, Admin, and Learning. Keep the fifth slot seasonal, then archive. Do not open one project per client—use labels and filters. Reserve the three filters for executable today, waiting on others, and revenue this week. Import open work only.

Reminders, attachments, and history

Reminders on Beginner cover ship and renewal dates. Custom reminders and duration are Pro. Link files over 5 MB. Write decisions into comments because history is only one week. Occasional Ramble is not an upgrade reason by itself.

When to buy Pro—and when to wait

Buy Pro for a stable sixth project, filter pressure, large attachments, or calendar/Deadlines as the main workflow. Wait when the five-project skeleton works solo. After upgrading, choose yearly $60 versus monthly $7 intentionally.

Read this beside comparison articles

Toolvori’s PM comparison covers tool shape. This page answers Beginner quota only. Document naming and archive day, recheck pricing quarterly, and prefer labels over new projects until structure breaks.

Keep the official numbers on a pinned ops note with a review date and source URL. When someone claims the free tier is always enough or that you must upgrade today, open the note instead of arguing from memory. Write upgrade triggers as a checklist: two consecutive weeks at the ceiling, mainline delivery blocked, link-out discipline already exhausted, and a paid feature that maps to the exact gap. Pay only when two of the four are true. Even as a solo builder, leave the checklist for your future self so release week does not trigger impulse subscriptions.

Pick one light monthly review: current usage, broken outbound links, and whether guests or collaborators are still needed. A single memo is enough. The conclusion should be stay on free, clean up and wait another month, or start a paid evaluation—with the next review date written in the same paragraph.

Keep the official numbers on a pinned ops note with a review date and source URL. When someone claims the free tier is always enough or that you must upgrade today, open the note instead of arguing from memory. Write upgrade triggers as a checklist: two consecutive weeks at the ceiling, mainline delivery blocked, link-out discipline already exhausted, and a paid feature that maps to the exact gap. Pay only when two of the four are true. Even as a solo builder, leave the checklist for your future self so release week does not trigger impulse subscriptions.

Pick one light monthly review: current usage, broken outbound links, and whether guests or collaborators are still needed. A single memo is enough. The conclusion should be stay on free, clean up and wait another month, or start a paid evaluation—with the next review date written in the same paragraph.