Best Apple Reminders Alternatives for Mac (2026)

What to look for in a Apple Reminders alternative

Low or no cost — if you're leaving Apple Reminders, subscription fatigue is likely a factor
Local data storage — your tasks shouldn't depend on someone else's uptime
Keyboard shortcuts — the faster you can capture and triage, the better
Mac-native feel — not a web app wrapped in a browser

The best Apple Reminders alternatives

Our top pick

SuperTasks

Free, keyboard-first, and local-first. Every action reachable from the keyboard via 22+ shortcuts and a ⌘K command palette. Your data lives in a SQLite file on your Mac — no account, no cloud, no subscription. The strongest free alternative to Apple Reminders for Mac power users.

Completely free — no trial, no tier, no upgrade nag
No account required — open the app and go
All data stored locally in SQLite on your Mac
22+ keyboard shortcuts with Vim-style j/k navigation

Free

Todoist

The most popular upgrade path from Reminders. Cross-platform, natural language dates, and a much stronger feature set. Requires an account and a subscription for full functionality.

Free / $4–8/mo

Things 3

A polished, local-first Mac task manager that feels like a natural Apple-quality upgrade from Reminders. $49.99 upfront, Mac/iPhone/iPad only, no cloud account required.

$49.99 one-time

TickTick

A solid middle ground between Reminders and a full task manager. Cross-platform, better free tier than Todoist, and includes a built-in calendar view. Cloud-based.

Free / $2.99/mo

Quick comparison

	SuperTasks	Apple Reminders
Price	$0	Free (included with macOS)
No account needed	✓	✓
Local storage	✓	✗
Keyboard-first	✓	✗
Command palette	✓	✗
Custom filtered views	✓	~
Open data format	✓	✗
Works offline	✓	✓
Free forever	✓	✓

Why people switch from Apple Reminders

Apple Reminders is too basic for a real task management workflow
Need keyboard shortcuts and a command palette
Want priority levels, hold-until dates, and project organization
Frustrated by the lack of custom filtered views

Frequently asked questions

What can SuperTasks do that Apple Reminders can't?+

SuperTasks adds 22+ keyboard shortcuts, Vim-style navigation, a command palette (⌘K) for every action, four priority levels, hold-until dates (snooze a task to a future date), split views with custom AND/OR filters, project organization, and an undo stack. It's a serious task management tool rather than a reminder app.

Does SuperTasks sync with iPhone like Apple Reminders?+

Not yet — iOS sync is on the roadmap. Right now SuperTasks is Mac-only. If cross-device sync is essential to your workflow today, Todoist or Things 3 are better fits. If you primarily work on your Mac and can wait for iOS sync, SuperTasks is worth using now.

Is SuperTasks harder to set up than Apple Reminders?+

No — you download the .dmg, drag to Applications, and press C to add your first task. No account creation, no setup wizard, no onboarding email. It's as frictionless as Reminders, just significantly more capable.

Also see: SuperTasks vs Apple Reminders: full comparison →

Switch to SuperTasks — it's free

No account. No subscription. Keyboard-first. Download and be productive in under a minute.

Download for Mac — Free

macOS 12+ · Apple Silicon · ~25 MB · No account needed