Plainlist
Content library
Choose a planning system with the trade-offs visible.
Honest comparisons and practical guides for people who want a simpler planning system.
Comparisons
Each page covers the honest trade-off, a migration path, and a feature-by-feature table.
Todoist →
Text-first planning in a file you own, with no subscription.
Things 3 →
Same calm structure, but your tasks are a plain-text file you own.
Apple Reminders →
A real Plan view and Focus mode on top of what Reminders keeps simple.
Obsidian (+ Tasks) →
The day planner already built in — no Tasks + Dataview + Calendar plugin stack.
TickTick →
Your day and its rhythms in one file, not a bundled subscription.
Notion →
A finished planner, not a database and template you build yourself.
NotePlan →
A focused task file instead of a connected notes, calendar, and reminders workspace.
TaskPaper →
Compatible outline grammar, plus a dedicated day-planning surface.
The short answer for each app
Each answer is self-contained. Click through for the full feature-by-feature table and migration path.
Plainlist vs Todoist — which one fits?
If you want a task file you own and do not want a subscription, Plainlist is an alternative to Todoist's paid plan. Todoist is excellent at cross-platform capture, and Smart Quick Add is available on its free Beginner plan. Its free plan also includes task reminders, labels, and three filter views; Pro adds Calendar layout, more filters, custom reminders, task duration, and other capacity/features. Plainlist offers text-first capture and planning features for $19.99 once, while Todoist keeps tasks in its cloud service. The trade-offs are real: Plainlist is macOS-only today, and it does not offer Todoist's team collaboration or broad desktop, web, iOS, and Android availability. If you want a file you can open in any editor, Plainlist may fit. If you need cross-platform sync and collaboration now, stay with Todoist.
Plainlist vs Things 3 — same calm, file you own
Things 3 gives you a beautifully structured app-managed database; Plainlist gives you a plain-text file you own. Things 3 is beloved for its design and its Areas/Projects/tags model that keeps your day focused. It is a one-time purchase, but Cultured Code sells the Mac, iPhone, iPad, and Vision apps separately; prices also vary by App Store region. Plainlist uses a similarly calm philosophy—plan by day or time and focus on today—but keeps tasks as TaskPaper-compatible text in a file you control. Things still wins on its polished iPhone and Apple Watch experience. Plainlist wins if opening, searching, versioning, or moving the working file matters to you.
Plainlist vs Apple Reminders — a real plan view
Plainlist keeps Reminders' simplicity but adds dedicated Plan and Focus views over a plain-text file you own. Apple Reminders is free, syncs across Apple devices, and handles the basics well. Scheduled Reminders can now appear in Apple Calendar, including timed reminders in the daily schedule, so it is not accurate to say Reminders cannot be seen on a calendar. The distinction is that Reminders does not offer Plainlist's dedicated planning workspace with timed blocks, anytime lanes, and a separate Focus view. Plainlist also has a dedicated text-based habits and goals model; Reminders supports repeating reminders but not a dedicated habit or goal-tracking system. Reminders still wins on price, Siri integration, and being preinstalled across Apple devices.
Plainlist vs Obsidian — the planner is built in
Skip the Tasks + Dataview + Calendar plugin stack; Plainlist puts the day planner directly into the same outline grammar you'd use in Obsidian. Obsidian is a fantastic notes app, and with the Tasks, Dataview, and Calendar plugins you can assemble a task system — if you enjoy maintaining it. That's the catch: you're building and debugging your own planner. Plainlist uses the same markdown-outline feel (TaskPaper-compatible grammar: projects end in a colon, tasks start with a dash, tags are plain @words) but the planning is native: Plan, Focus, Goals, Habits, Done — all derived from the file, no plugins, no queries to maintain. Obsidian still wins for note-taking depth, graph view, and its plugin ecosystem; Plainlist wins when what you actually want is a finished day planner that reads like a text file. If you already live in Obsidian for notes, Plainlist can sit next to it as the planner without replacing your vault.
Plainlist vs TickTick — your rhythms in one file
TickTick bundles tasks, habits, pomodoro, and calendar features; Plainlist keeps tasks, habits, and goals in the same .todo file you own. TickTick is a genuine all-in-one with cross-platform apps. Its current US upgrade page lists Premium at $49.99/year; the free plan includes a basic calendar view and up to five habits, while Premium expands capacity and adds multiple calendar views. Plainlist covers tasks, planning, habits, and goals for $19.99 once, with the difference that the working data is a plain-text file. TickTick's habit tracker and pomodoro are more feature-complete; Plainlist's habits (@every/@quota with streaks and week/month history) live in the same file as your day. If cross-device calendar and pomodoro features are essential, TickTick remains the stronger fit.
Plainlist vs Notion — a finished planner
Notion is a database you build; Plainlist is a planner that is ready to use without a template. Notion can support daily planning, recurring tasks, goals, and habits, but these workflows require a database, templates, and sometimes automations or Notion Calendar setup. Plainlist is the opposite: a finished planner with Plan, Focus, Goals, Habits, and Done views that work the moment you open it, with a plain-text working file. Notion still wins for all-in-one workspaces—docs, wikis, databases, and teams—and its generous free tier. If tasks are the only thing you use it for, Plainlist may be the simpler fit.
Plainlist vs NotePlan — focused task file or connected workspace?
Choose NotePlan when notes, Apple Calendar, Reminders, and native mobile apps belong in the same workspace. Choose Plainlist when you want a narrower planner over one readable task file. The full comparison covers files, planning model, calendar integration, platforms, price, and a low-risk one-week test.
Plainlist vs TaskPaper — planning on top of the grammar
TaskPaper gives you the outline grammar; Plainlist adds a day-planning surface, goals, habits, and recurrence on top of compatible text. If you're a TaskPaper user, your files already open in Plainlist as-is, because the grammar is identical: projects end in a colon, tasks start with a dash, and tags are @words. TaskPaper has powerful folding, focus, filtering, and scripting, but it does not provide Plainlist's dedicated time-grid Plan view or its built-in goals, habits, and weekly Done log. TaskPaper is a paid Mac app, not a multi-platform service. If TaskPaper plus your own scripts already works, do not switch; Plainlist is for people who want a finished planning surface over the same style of text file.
How to choose (quick criteria)
- Platform: macOS only today (Windows, iOS, and Android planned). If you need Android or Windows now, Todoist or TickTick.
- Data ownership: file you own → Plainlist, TaskPaper, or Obsidian. Cloud-first → Todoist, Notion, TickTick.
- Budget: free → Apple Reminders. Pay once → Plainlist ($19.99) or Things 3 (separate Apple-platform purchases; check your App Store). Subscription → Todoist, TickTick, Notion.
- Planning style: want a visual week and focus mode → Plainlist, Things 3, or Sunsama-style tools. Happy with lists → Reminders, Todoist.
Guides
For people new to the plain-text approach, or evaluating whether Plainlist fits their brain.