Can I have goals without pledges?

Not really! Pledges are the bread and butter of Beeminder, the way we motivate you to get stuff done.

That said, Beemium subscribers can have pledgeless goals by setting a pledge cap of $0 on any goal (new or existing). While these goals still technically have pledges (so you'll still receive legitimacy checks), a $0 derailment costs $0, so you won't be charged anything if the goal derails!

You can adjust the $0 pledge cap to put a real pledge on the goal anytime, if you change your mind later. The reverse is also true -- you can step down an existing goal's pledge to $0 (with the usual seven-day wait on changes that make your goal easier), then cap it there.

These features only apply to Beemium subscribers. We don't necessarily recommend this method, but it can be useful in some situations, e.g. when you want to beemind the same thing in two different ways, and want to avoid double jeopardy!

Keywords: pledgeless goals, toothless goals, freebees