Plainlist
Love Things.
Want the file, not the database.
Things 3 is a beautiful, pay-once Mac app — no argument there. Its tasks live in a proprietary database; Cultured Code provides export routes, but not a direct TaskPaper or todo.txt export. Plainlist keeps everything in one plain-text file you own — so you can open, back up, diff, or edit your tasks outside the app — synced through whatever cloud folder you already use.
Free trial · no account · pay once · macOS 12+
Mac-only today, with Windows, iOS, and Android coming soon. Things still wins on iPhone, iPad, and Watch until then.
Today: - finish the pitch deck @me 10:00 - call the accountant @due(Jul 17) Upcoming: - renew the domain - quarterly review prep # No lock-in — open this file in any editor
Things 3 gives you a beautifully structured database; Plainlist gives you calm structure in a plain-text file you can read directly. Things is beloved for its design and its Areas/Projects/tags model that keeps your day focused. Cultured Code provides SQLite database exports, PDF printing, and automation routes, but not a direct TaskPaper or todo.txt export. Plainlist uses the same calm philosophy — plan by day or time, focus on today — but your tasks are TaskPaper-compatible text in a file you control. Where Things still wins: its iOS and Apple Watch experience is more polished, and its natural-language scheduling is smoother. Where Plainlist wins: you can open your plan in Vim or VS Code, diff it in Git, and choose your own sync folder. For developers and text-file people, that difference is the whole difference.
Who this is for
Why people leave Things (the app isn't the problem).
People leave Things for the database, not the design. Things 3 is genuinely one of the best-designed task managers on the Mac, and it's pay-once, so this isn't a "save money" pitch — it's about ownership. Your to-dos sit in Cultured Code's own database format. Cultured Code provides an SQLite database export, PDF printing, and automation paths, but none is a direct TaskPaper or todo.txt export. That's a fine trade until the day you want to diff tasks in Git, edit them as text, or simply read your plan without special software. A closed database is the wrong shape for any of that.
Plainlist is for the Things user who loves the calm and the structure but wants the tasks stored as a file they can open in any editor, back up themselves, and sync through the cloud folder they already trust. The page follows that spine: first what ownership actually buys you, then the honest migration path, and only then a feature-by-feature table — including the rows where Things clearly wins.
What ownership buys you
Three things a file gives you that a database can't.
Three specific capabilities you gain the moment your tasks stop being a closed store — portability, your own sync, and scriptability. Not "we're better" — concrete differences.
Your tasks outlive the app
Where Things keeps a proprietary database, Plainlist keeps a single .todo file. Open it in Vim, VS Code, or TextEdit; if the app ever disappears, your plan still opens anywhere. The file is TaskPaper-compatible plain text, so there is no format lock-in either.
Sync your own way
Things routes through Things Cloud; Plainlist uses whatever folder you already sync — iCloud Drive, Dropbox, or Git. You choose the transport, you control the history, and you can see the file on any device that reads text.
Script and inspect
A text file can be grepped, diffed, committed, and processed by any tool that reads UTF-8. Your task list becomes something you can automate around instead of a box only the app can open.
Moving over
Migration is manual — and we won't pretend otherwise.
Things can export its data, but it has no native export to plain text, so moving to Plainlist is a manual copy-paste job — and that's an honest trade-off, not a hidden cost. Things 3 can provide an SQLite database export, PDF printing, and automation routes, but not a one-click TaskPaper or todo.txt export. Moving active projects and tasks into a .todo file means selecting and copying them, then re-adding any dates and tags you need. For most people this is a one-time 20–30 minute task; for power users with thousands of archived tasks it's more work. What you get in exchange is a file that never needs migrating again — the format is open, so no future version of any app can hold your data hostage.
Practical path
- Copy one active Things list's text.
- Paste into a new
.todofile. - Add
-bullets and any @tags you want.
Then plan
- Give today's tasks a
@start. - Switch to Focus for the next action.
- Let Done become your log.
# Pasted from Things, then lightly reshaped Website relaunch: - write new home copy @start(2026-07-18) @est(2h) - pick hero screenshot @est(20m) - review with designer @due(Jul 22) Personal: - renew passport @every(10 years)
Supporting detail
Plainlist vs Things 3, feature by feature.
Feature-for-feature, Plainlist matches Things on planning and ownership, while Things wins on mobile polish and design refinement. Checked 2026-09-02 (Things is a one-time purchase per platform; Things Cloud sync is free).
@every or @quota, streak + history🎯 + @spanWhere Things still wins: the iOS and Apple Watch apps are more polished, its UI is more refined, and its natural-language scheduling is smoother. If you live on your iPhone, Things is the better daily driver today.
Which one is you
Plainlist is the right call if…
Switch to Plainlist if owning your data, scripting your tasks, or paying once without a closed format matters more than having a mobile app today.
You're a good fit if you
- Keep tasks in Git or want to
- Use Vim, VS Code, or any text editor daily
- Want habits and goals in the same file as your day
- Trust your own sync (iCloud/Dropbox) over a vendor cloud
- Want to stop wondering whether your task database will outlive the app
The honest trade-off
Things is more app; Plainlist is more file. Things gives you more platforms, more polish, and mobile and Watch today. Plainlist gives you your day as a plain-text document you own, with a fast planner on top, on macOS for now. If those matter, the macOS-only limitation is temporary and the file is permanent.
Honest cons
You should NOT switch if…
Stay with Things if you're iPhone-first, love its design polish, or don't want to do a manual migration. Plainlist isn't for everyone; it's for people who want the file.
Stay with Things 3 if…
Does Plainlist work on iPhone, iPad, or Apple Watch?
Not yet, but Windows, iOS, and Android are all coming soon. Things has excellent native apps across Apple devices today; Plainlist is Mac-only for now.
Is Plainlist as polished as Things 3?
No — Things' interface polish is genuinely best-in-class. Plainlist is a plain-text file with two extra views (Plan and Focus); it will feel plainer.
Does Plainlist sync as easily as Things Cloud?
Not out of the box. Things Cloud just works with zero setup. Plainlist syncs through whatever cloud folder you choose — iCloud, Dropbox, or Git — so you pick and manage the folder yourself.
Can I import my existing Things 3 tasks automatically?
No, there's no one-click importer. Things can export an SQLite database, PDFs, and data through automation, but not directly as TaskPaper or todo.txt. Moving active tasks into the plain-text outline is still a manual copy-and-tidy job.
Does Plainlist send reminders or support shared lists?
No. Plainlist is single-user, file-first, and doesn't push notifications or support list sharing.