Best free ADHD-friendly tools for work

Most "best ADHD apps" lists are long, and half of the apps on them cost money the moment you try the feature you came for. This one is shorter and limited to tools you can use for free, each matched to a specific work problem: not knowing where to start, wanting someone alongside you, losing track of the day, and finding the next task.

A quick note on what this is. It is a practical comparison of free tools for work, not medical advice, and no app treats or diagnoses anything. Different people with ADHD find different things useful, so treat each pick as something to test for a week, not a promise.

Download Plexii free for Mac or Windows if you want to try one of the picks below on a real task. Facts about other tools come from their own sites, checked on 11 November 2026, and free plans change, so check the current limits.

The short version

For "I can't see the first step": Goblin Tools

Goblin Tools is a set of small single-purpose tools, made mostly for neurodivergent people. Its About page (opens in a new tab) says the website is free and will stay free, with a paid Pro tier for costlier features and paid mobile apps. Magic ToDo splits a task into smaller steps, and Compiler turns a rambling braindump into actions.

Use it when "write the quarterly report" is too big to begin. Two cautions from the site itself: most tools use AI and the accuracy of results can vary, so treat the output as a guess. Read each suggested step against what you actually have to deliver, and delete any that do not fit.

For "I want company while I work": Focusmate

Focusmate pairs you with another person on video for a scheduled work session. Its pricing page (opens in a new tab) lists three free sessions per week with no card required. That is enough to test whether working next to a stranger helps you, without paying.

Consider the practicalities first. Sessions are on camera, so check your room and workplace policy, and keep confidential material off screen. Our body doubling apps compared guide goes through what to check, and what body doubling is and how to do it at work covers doing it with a colleague for nothing.

For "I can't get started": a five-minute start in Plexii

Some work is hard to start because it matters. Plexii's help page for hard-to-start desks describes a small card that appears when you open a high-stakes desk you have not started. It asks "What would make this 10% easier right now?" and offers Just 5 minutes. If you would rather just open it, the card steps aside on its own after 15 seconds.

Choosing Just 5 minutes starts a five-minute focus session. The five-minute start guide explains how to make the first action small without pretending the whole project is small.

It does not break the task down for you. Pair it with a task breakdown from Goblin Tools if you need that as well.

For "I forget what's next": a simple task list

Plain task lists are underrated. Todoist's pricing page (opens in a new tab) lists a free Beginner plan with five personal projects, task reminders and flexible list and board layouts. Microsoft To Do's My Day (opens in a new tab) is a daily list that resets each night, with unfinished tasks saved back to your task list. Both are free for personal use. Pick whichever you will open without being reminded to.

Plexii also has a task list. Its Focus view lists what needs you, and you can capture a task from anywhere with ⌘K or by typing @focus. A "Start here" strip at the top points to the next thing to do. See the help pages for capturing a task and the Focus overview.

For "my day has no shape": time blocks

A list says what. A calendar says when. Putting a task into a block on the calendar is a different commitment from leaving it on a list.

• Free and browser-based: Plexii's time-blocking planner needs no sign-up, and what you type stays in your browser. It lays out your day, fits tasks into gaps and exports to a calendar file, CSV or printable sheet. For the method behind it, read how to plan a day you can finish.
• In the Plexii app: drag a Focus task onto today's calendar and it books a 30-minute block. See booking time from Focus.

For "everything lives in different places": one desk per task

If your trouble is that the brief is in one place, the numbers in another and the research in a third, a tool that only handles tasks will not fix that. A Plexii desk holds the document, table, files, notes and live web pages for one piece of work, so you reopen one place instead of reconstructing the context.

Plexii's Focus sessions start a timed session with the desk name as your objective. The Timer work widget beeps as the final minute counts down and sounds an alarm at zero. If you like a weekly check-in, the weekly reset template page walks through building a 30-minute reset desk.

For a longer look at which workspace fits which problem, see ADHD workspace apps for work, compared.

What this list leaves out

• Anything that needs extra setup. This list leans on what works straight away. Plexii's AI features, for example, need credits or your own key, so they are not covered here.
• Apps that mostly add notifications. More pings help some people and overwhelm others. Test any reminder setting before relying on it.
• Big promises. None of these tools will change how your attention works. They reduce friction, which is a smaller and more honest claim.

A one-week trial that does not take over your week

1. Pick the one problem from the table that costs you most.
2. Choose one tool for it. Resist trying all six.
3. Use it on one real task each day for five days.
4. On day seven, decide. Did you start more easily, or lose track less? Keep it if yes. Drop it if you had to remember to use it.

If scattered work is the problem, download Plexii free and make a desk for one task. More guides on focus and follow-through are in the focus and follow-through hub.

Common questions

What is the best free app for ADHD at work? There is no single best one. Goblin Tools helps with breaking tasks down, Focusmate offers free body-doubling sessions, a simple task list covers reminders, and a time-blocking planner gives the day a shape. Match the tool to the problem you have.

Are these tools a treatment for ADHD? No. They are practical aids for work. They do not diagnose or treat anything, and results vary from person to person.

Is Plexii free? Plexii is free to download for Mac and Windows. What's included, and which features need credits or your own key, is on pricing. This list covers only the parts that work without AI credits or a key.

Does Plexii break tasks into steps? Not as its main job. The five-minute start card helps you begin a hard-to-start desk, and the mind map widget can grow an idea into branches. For automatic task breakdown, a dedicated tool such as Goblin Tools is built for it.

Is body doubling free anywhere? Focusmate's free plan includes three sessions a week. You can also body double with a colleague or friend for nothing. See our body doubling guide.

How do I stop trying new apps instead of working? Limit yourself to one tool per problem and trial it for a week on real work. If you are spending more time setting it up than using it, that is useful information.