Plainlist
Reminders is great
at reminding.
Add the planning.
Apple Reminders is free, built in, and syncs everywhere — the best place there is for a grocery list or a 3pm alert. Plainlist isn't a replacement for that. It's the surface you switch to when you want to shape a whole working day from a plain-text file you own, on your Mac, with no cloud account. Many people run both.
Free trial · no account · pay once · macOS 12+
Mac-only today, with Windows, iOS, and Android coming soon. Reminders still wins on iPhone and Watch until then.
Morning: - deep work: spec draft @me 09:00 - reply to landlord 10:45 Afternoon: - gym 17:00 - groceries @due(today) # All local. No iCloud account required.
Plainlist keeps Reminders' simplicity but adds a real Plan calendar and Focus mode on top of the same kind of task list — without iCloud lock-in. Apple Reminders is free, syncs everywhere Apple, and handles the basics well. What it does not do is plan: you get lists and dates, but no way to see your week laid out or to separate "today's plan" from "everything else." Plainlist gives you a Plan view (day/3-day/week grid with anytime lanes and timed blocks) and a Focus view (today only) over the same tasks. It also adds habits (@every(mon/wed/fri) or @quota(3/week)) and goals with @span that Reminders simply does not have. Reminders still wins on price (free), on Siri integration, and on being preinstalled everywhere Apple. But if your to-do list keeps overflowing and you need actual planning — not just a list — Plainlist is the upgrade that still keeps everything in a file you own.
Setting the record straight
This isn't a takedown of Reminders.
Reminders is genuinely great at what it does — simple lists and timely alerts — and you should keep it for that. It's preinstalled, it's free, it works with Siri, and it syncs through iCloud without any setup. For a grocery list, a reminder to call the dentist, or a shared household list, nothing beats it.
The problem isn't what Reminders does; it's what it stops at. A list is not a plan. When your day has meetings, deadlines, estimates, and a backlog, "here is your list, sorted by date" stops being enough. That's the gap Plainlist fills — not by replacing Reminders, but by adding the planning surface on top of the same kind of task list.
How they fit together
Keep one for pings. Use the other to plan.
Use Reminders for time-based alerts and shared lists; use Plainlist for shaping the day and week. The two coexist because they solve different problems: Reminders tells you when, Plainlist tells you what and in what order.
Keep Apple Reminders for
Quick pings that must reach your phone
- Time & location alerts — “remind me when I get home.”
- Shared household lists — groceries, packing, errands with family.
- Anything you capture on iPhone or Watch and need synced everywhere instantly.
Switch to Plainlist to
Shape and focus a working day on your Mac
- Time-block the day with
@startand@eston a Plan timeline. - Work one task at a time in Focus, with your goal pinned above it.
- Keep it in a file you own — local, no account, yours to back up.
What Plainlist adds
The three things Reminders doesn't do.
Reminders lacks a real Plan view, a Focus mode, and any way to own your data as a file — that's what Plainlist adds.
A visual plan, not just dates
Reminders shows lists sorted by date; Plainlist shows your tasks on a day/3-day/week grid with anytime lanes and timed blocks. Overload becomes visible — Tuesday with six tasks and Wednesday with one is obvious at a glance.
A Focus mode for today
Reminders shows everything; Plainlist has a Focus view that shows only today's plan and the next action. For days when the list is long, that's the difference between working and drowning.
Your data as a file
Reminders lives in iCloud and has no open format. Plainlist keeps everything in a .todo text file you own — openable in Vim, VS Code, or TextEdit, syncable through any folder you choose, and yours even if the app disappears.
Supporting detail
Plainlist vs Apple Reminders, side by side.
Reminders wins on price, Siri, and being everywhere Apple; Plainlist wins on planning, habits, goals, and data ownership.
@every / @quota🎯 + @span@est, @p1Moving over
You don't have to move everything.
Start with one project or one day in Plainlist, keep the rest in Reminders, and let the file prove itself. Open a .todo file, type the next day's work as plain lines, and use the Plan and Focus views for that day only. If it doesn't fit your brain, nothing lost — Reminders is still there. If it does, you migrate gradually: move the planning-heavy lists over, keep the ping lists where they are.
Practical path
- Open the list that's really “work,” copy the items.
- Paste into a new
.todofile as-lines. - Group them under project headings.
Then plan
- Add
@starttimes to today's tasks. - Use
@everyfor recurring routines. - Switch to Focus and begin.
# Copied the "work" list, left the rest in Reminders Errands: - pick up prescription @due(today) - return library books @start(2026-07-18) Routines: - water the plants @every(3 days) - weekly review @start(2026-07-19T18:00) @est(30m)
Honest cons
You should NOT switch if…
Stay with Reminders if you only need simple lists and alerts, or if everything you do lives inside the Apple ecosystem on iPhone. The honest fit is: Mac-based knowledge workers who plan their day in blocks and want the plan to be a file they own.
Stay on Apple Reminders if…
Does Plainlist work on iPhone and Apple Watch?
Not yet, but Windows, iOS, and Android are all coming soon. Reminders is everywhere in the Apple ecosystem and syncs automatically today; Plainlist is Mac-only for now.
Is Plainlist free like Reminders?
No. Reminders is built in at no cost. Plainlist is a paid app — pay once, but still a purchase.
Does Plainlist send location or time-based alerts?
No. Location and time alerts are Reminders' core strength. Plainlist doesn't send push notifications or ring alarms.
Can I share lists with family on Plainlist?
No. Reminders does shared lists and assignments well. Plainlist is single-user and single-file.
Can I import my Reminders lists automatically?
No. Migration is manual copy-and-tidy, and the day-to-day is editing a plain-text outline, not tapping checkboxes.