- [ ] call the bank about the mortgage @phone +house 🛫 2026-11-02 📅 2026-11-06
An OmniFocus alternative with real Windows and Android apps
OmniFocus is built for the Mac, iPhone and iPad. On a Windows PC or an Android phone, Omni points you to OmniFocus for the Web, which runs in a browser and needs a subscription. TaskForge installs on all of them, and a task keeps its @context, +project, start date and due date on one line of a markdown file. Read this before you switch: nothing imports from OmniFocus, there is no weekly Review mode, and building your own saved views (TaskForge calls them spaces) is Premium, as are reminders.
- Apps for Windows, Android, iPhone, iPad and Mac
- @contexts, +projects and start dates on the line
- No import from OmniFocus and no Review mode
- An App Store purchase does not cover Android or Windows
- Windows has no widgets or calendar events yet
Where OmniFocus runs, and what Omni offers on Windows and Android
OmniFocus 4 is sold as a purchase or a subscription for the Mac, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Apple Vision Pro. There is no Windows or Android app to install. Omni's product page says it "is available on Android or PC with OmniFocus for the Web", which runs in a browser with an active connection.
OmniFocus for the Web needs an OmniFocus Subscription and an Omni Account, and it reads your data from Omni Sync Server, so a database you sync to your own WebDAV server does not show up there. Omni's manual describes it as working from any desktop computer with a modern browser, and lists Review and notifications as not supported on the web yet. One naming note: OmniFocus 3 replaced contexts with tags, so what this page calls an @context, OmniFocus calls a tag.
Checked against Omni's own pages in October 2026:
Context, project and start date on one line
The line at the top of this page is one task. @phone is the context, +house the project, 🛫 2026-11-02 the start date (the first day you can work on it) and 📅 2026-11-06 the due date. A task can carry several contexts, and #tags sit beside them. Quick add reads the same pieces as you type: "call the bank @phone +house starts monday" fills in the context, the project and the start date.
What a list shows is up to its space, and a space can filter, sort and group by context, project or any date. With Premium you can build one that leaves out tasks whose start date is after today, or tasks still waiting on another task (⛔ marks that dependency), so the list holds only what you can do now. The line itself lives in a plain .md file, so the same task opens in Obsidian or any text editor.
OmniFocus and TaskForge, side by side
The OmniFocus column is as of October 2026, from the Omni pages linked above.
| Feature | OmniFocus | TaskForge |
|---|---|---|
| Mac, iPhone, iPad | Native apps | Native apps, from the App Store or as a direct Mac download |
| Windows PC | OmniFocus for the Web in a browser, with a subscription | A Windows app for Windows 10 version 1809 or later, x64 and ARM64. No widgets or calendar events yet |
| Android phone | OmniFocus for the Web, no Android app | App from Google Play, Android 11 or later, with home screen widgets and Quick Settings tiles |
| Apple Watch, Vision Pro | Native apps | No app |
| Account | An Omni Account for Omni Sync Server and the web version | None |
| Where tasks live | The OmniFocus database | Markdown files in a folder you choose |
| Contexts | Tags, several per item | @contexts, several per task, plus #tags |
| Saved views | Built-in perspectives, plus custom perspectives | Spaces. The built-in ones are Free; your own are Premium |
| Weekly review | A Review perspective in the Apple apps | None built in |
| Reminders | In the Apple apps, not on the web yet | Premium, at the due time or before a due, scheduled or start date |
What is free and what needs Premium
Free: the task list in every format, contexts, projects, start and due dates, adding, editing and completing tasks, recurring tasks, quick add, the built-in spaces including a Kanban board, the calendar with your device's calendar events (not on Windows yet), and the Daily note widget.
Premium: your own spaces and changes to the built-in ones, reminders and every other notification, the Spaces and calendar widgets, default contexts and projects for new tasks, creating and editing calendar events, and bulk edits.
Premium is a subscription or a one-time lifetime purchase, priced by country. A purchase stays with the store you made it in. One App Store purchase covers iPhone, iPad and the Mac App Store build, but not Android or Windows: Google Play is a separate purchase, and Windows Premium is bought through a web checkout. The App Store and Google Play offer a free trial on plans where they have one, once per customer; the Windows build has no trial.
When OmniFocus fits better
OmniFocus has years of depth that TaskForge does not try to match. Stay with it if one of these is the reason you use it.
You rely on the weekly Review
OmniFocus has a Review perspective for checking on each project and deciding what comes next. TaskForge has nothing like it. You can build a space that lists projects, but nothing walks you through them.
You live on Apple devices
If every device you own is Apple, OmniFocus already runs on all of them, including Apple Watch and Vision Pro. TaskForge has no Watch app.
A browser on the work PC is enough
If you only need your list on a Windows machine for part of the day, OmniFocus for the Web keeps everything in one app, provided you have the subscription and sync with Omni Sync Server.
A big database you would have to rebuild
TaskForge cannot read or import OmniFocus data. Years of projects and tags would have to be written out again by hand.
Moving a project over
TaskForge does not read the OmniFocus database and has no importer. You move work by writing it as markdown: a heading or a file per project, one - [ ] line per action, with its @context, +project and dates on the line. Dates and contexts can also be added in the app afterwards.
Start with the one or two projects you are working on this week rather than the whole database. Nothing in TaskForge touches OmniFocus, so you can keep both while you decide.
One file with a heading per project works, and so does one file per project. 🛫 is the start date, 📅 the due date.
Where it runs
- Windows: a signed installer from this site, Windows 10 version 1809 or later, including Windows 11, on x64 and ARM64. It can sit in the system tray. No widgets, and no calendar events yet.
- Android: from Google Play, Android 11 or later. Six home screen widgets and five Quick Settings tiles, including one for adding a task.
- iPhone and iPad from the App Store, iOS 15.6 or later.
- Mac from the Mac App Store or as a direct download, macOS 13 or later.
TaskForge has no account and no sync server. A sync tool you choose moves the folder between devices: iCloud Drive works on iPhone, iPad and Mac, while Android and Windows use Syncthing, Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive or similar. Pick one service per folder, because two services fighting over the same files can corrupt them.
Questions about OmniFocus on Windows and Android
Is there an OmniFocus app for Windows?
No. Omni offers OmniFocus for the Web, which runs in a browser on a Windows PC. It needs an OmniFocus Subscription and an Omni Account, and as of October 2026 it does not support Review or notifications.
Is OmniFocus available on Android?
Not as an app. Omni points Android users to OmniFocus for the Web, and its manual describes the web version as built for desktop computers with a modern browser.
Can TaskForge import my OmniFocus database?
No. There is no importer. You move a project by writing its actions as - [ ] lines in a markdown file, with @contexts, +projects and dates on each line.
Does TaskForge have contexts?
Yes. Type @phone or @errands on a task and it becomes a context, and a task can have several. Spaces can filter and group by context. OmniFocus users know these as tags.
Does TaskForge have start dates?
Yes. 🛫 marks the start date on the line, or type "starts monday" in quick add. To hide tasks until their start date, build a space that leaves out future start dates; creating your own spaces is Premium.
Is there a weekly review?
No. TaskForge has no Review mode. A space can list your projects or overdue tasks, but nothing schedules or tracks reviews.
Does one purchase cover my Mac, my PC and my Android phone?
No. An App Store purchase covers iPhone, iPad and the Mac App Store build. Google Play and the Windows web checkout are separate purchases.
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.
Put your projects and contexts on Windows and Android
Free to download. Start fresh with a few sample tasks, or open a folder you already have.