A free plan is a genuine offer, but it is also a boundary. The tool you build a habit around today can stop you tomorrow at a limit you never read. Five minutes on the plan page before you start saves the migration later.
Find the limit that ends your use case. Every free plan has one: a number of projects, exports per month, records in a database, or a watermark on output. Look for the specific number that your actual work will hit first, not the feature list that looks generous.
Check whether the limit is monthly or forever. Ten exports a month renews; ten exports total does not. The difference decides whether the free plan is a usable tier or only a trial with extra steps.
Read the export story. If you ever leave, can you take your data with you? A free plan that exports clean files is a safe place to start. One that locks your content inside until you pay is a reason to choose differently.
Watch what happens to your existing work when you cross the line. Some tools block new items but keep old ones safe; others hide or watermark what you already made. The plan page or its FAQ usually says which.
Keep the plan page link with your notes. Limits change, and the page you read today is the one you will want to quote later. Tools we list show their free tier clearly, which is part of why they are on the list.
Every tool we list is one we would sit through this test with ourselves. See the full list on the home page.