- [ ] pick up the prescription #remind-before-due-30m ⏰ 17:30 📅 2026-06-13
An Apple Reminders alternative that also runs on Android and Windows
Apple Reminders lives on iPhone, iPad and Mac. Switch to an Android phone, or sit down at a Windows PC, and what Apple offers you is a web page. TaskForge is one app on all five systems, and every task is a line in a markdown file on your own device. One thing up front: the list is free, but the reminders that buzz your phone need Premium.
- iPhone, iPad, Mac, Android and Windows
- Tasks in markdown files, no account
- Reminders and notifications are Premium
What Apple Reminders gives you away from Apple devices
There is no Reminders app for Android or Windows. Apple's route is Reminders on iCloud.com: open icloud.com/reminders in a browser on a phone, tablet or computer and sign in with your Apple Account.
There you can create, complete and search reminders, add and delete lists, and share a list. It is still a browser tab, so you get no widget on the Android home screen and nothing in the Windows tray. And iCloud for Windows does not bring your reminders into Outlook.
Checked against Apple's support pages in October 2026:
A reminder you can read in the file
The line at the top of this page is a whole task, reminder included. ⏰ 17:30 and 📅 2026-06-13 are the due time and date. The #remind-before-due-30m tag is the reminder: half an hour before it is due. TaskForge writes that tag when you set a reminder in the app, so the reminder goes wherever the file goes.
If you keep one note per task instead, the reminders sit in a reminders property in that note's frontmatter. There is no TaskForge database behind either one.
A task can remind you:
- at its due time
- a set time before its due, scheduled or start date
- at a time you pick
The notification has buttons to complete the task or snooze it for 10 or 30 minutes.
Apple Reminders and TaskForge, side by side
The Apple Reminders column is as of October 2026, from the Apple pages linked above.
| Feature | Apple Reminders | TaskForge |
|---|---|---|
| Android | No app. The web version at iCloud.com | App from Google Play, with widgets and Quick Settings tiles |
| Windows | No app. The web version at iCloud.com | App from this site, with a system tray icon. No widgets |
| iPhone, iPad and Mac | Built in | App Store and Mac App Store, or a direct Mac download |
| Where tasks live | iCloud, under your Apple Account | Markdown files in a folder you choose |
| Account | Apple Account | None |
| Price | Free | Free app. Reminders, notifications and task widgets are Premium |
| Location reminders | Yes, on arriving or leaving | No. Reminders are tied to dates and times |
| Shared lists | Yes, and you can assign reminders to people | No |
| Siri | Built in, on iPhone and Apple Watch | Siri and Shortcuts actions on iPhone and iPad |
| Apple Watch | Yes | No Watch app |
| Obsidian | No | Opens an Obsidian vault, or any folder without one |
What is free and what needs Premium
Free: the task list in every format, adding, editing and completing tasks, recurring tasks, quick add, the built-in spaces including a ready-made Kanban board, the calendar with your device's events, and the Daily note widget.
Premium: reminders and every other notification (daily summaries, calendar event alerts and the app badge), the task and calendar widgets, your own spaces, creating and editing calendar events, and bulk edits.
Premium is a subscription or a one-time lifetime purchase, priced by country. Store builds offer a free trial where the store has one, once per customer; the Windows build has none. A purchase stays with the store you bought it from. An App Store purchase covers iPhone, iPad and the Mac App Store build, but not Android or Windows, so if you are leaving the iPhone, buy on the device you are moving to.
When Apple Reminders fits better
If every device you own has an Apple logo on it, Reminders is hard to beat. These are the cases where we would tell you to stay.
You want it free
Reminders costs nothing and is already installed. The TaskForge list is free too, but a reminder that actually goes off needs Premium.
Reminders that fire at a place
Reminders can alert you when you arrive somewhere or leave. TaskForge has no location reminders at all.
A shopping list the whole family edits
Reminders shares a list and lets you assign items to people. TaskForge has no accounts, so there are no shared lists or assignees. Two people can share a synced folder, but nothing stops them editing the same line at the same moment.
Siri and Apple Watch
Ask Siri to remind you when you leave the office and Reminders handles it, on your phone or your Watch. TaskForge has Siri and Shortcuts actions on iPhone and iPad, and no Watch app.
Moving your lists over
TaskForge does not read or import Apple Reminders. You move a list by writing it into a markdown file, one - [ ] line per item. A grocery list takes a minute. Dates and reminders can go on the line, as below, or be added in the app afterwards.
Nothing in TaskForge touches your iCloud reminders, so you can leave them where they are while you try it.
One file with a heading per list works, and so does one file per list. 🔁 marks a repeat rule.
Where it runs
- iPhone and iPad: from the App Store, iOS 15.6 or later. Widgets need iOS 17.
- Mac: from the Mac App Store or as a direct download, macOS 13 or later, with a task list in the menu bar.
- Android: from Google Play, Android 11 or later, with home screen widgets and Quick Settings tiles for adding a task.
- Windows: a signed installer from this site, Windows 10 version 1809 or later, including Windows 11, on x64 and ARM64. No widgets; it can sit in the system tray instead.
TaskForge has no account and no sync server. A sync tool moves the folder between devices. Between Apple devices that can be iCloud Drive, with nothing to set up. TaskForge on Android and Windows has no iCloud path, though, so a folder shared between an iPhone and an Android phone or a PC goes through Dropbox, Google Drive or OneDrive. Syncthing has no iPhone app, so it only fits Android and PC. Pick one service per folder, because two services fighting over the same files can corrupt them.
Questions from people leaving Apple Reminders
Is there an Apple Reminders app for Android?
No. Apple makes no Reminders app for Android. You can open icloud.com/reminders in the phone's browser and sign in with your Apple Account to see and edit your lists there. TaskForge is an Android app with widgets and Quick Settings tiles, but it is a separate list: it does not read your iCloud reminders.
Can I use Apple Reminders on Windows 11?
Only in a browser, at icloud.com/reminders. Apple says iCloud for Windows does not show iCloud reminders in Outlook. TaskForge has a Windows app for Windows 10 version 1809 or later, which includes Windows 11, on x64 and ARM64 PCs.
Can TaskForge import my Apple Reminders?
No. There is no import from Apple Reminders, and TaskForge never reads your iCloud reminders. You move a list by writing it into a markdown file as - [ ] lines, like the Reminders.md example on this page.
Are reminders free in TaskForge?
No. Reminders, like every notification in the app, are Premium. The list itself is free: adding, editing and completing tasks, recurring tasks and quick add cost nothing. Store builds offer a free trial where the store has one.
Does one purchase cover my iPhone and my new Android phone?
No. A purchase stays with its store. An App Store purchase covers iPhone, iPad and the Mac App Store build. Google Play and the web checkout used on Windows are separate purchases.
How do my tasks get from my iPhone to my Windows PC?
Through the folder. TaskForge has no sync service, so you keep the folder in a service both devices can reach, such as Dropbox, Google Drive or OneDrive (Syncthing has no iPhone app), and both apps read the same files. TaskForge uses iCloud Drive on Apple devices only.
Do I need Obsidian?
No. TaskForge works on any folder of markdown files, or it can make a new one with a few sample tasks. If you already keep an Obsidian vault, it opens that as well.
Get your list on the phone or PC you are moving to
Free to download. Start fresh with a few sample tasks, or open a folder you already have.