Apple Reminders vs Priorities
We give Apple Reminders a 3.8 GPA and Priorities a 2.6, out of 4.0. Apple Reminders grades higher on the free plan, features and ease of use. They get the same grade on value for money and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Apple Reminders
Apple's free to-do app for iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Watch
Free
Priorities
Page-based to-do lists for iPhone and iPad with a web companion
From $4.99 one-time
How we grade them
| 3.8GPAApple RemindersExcellent | 2.6GPAPrioritiesGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AThere's nothing to buy. The app is listed as free on the App Store with no paid tier, and that covers Smart Lists, tags, subtasks, shared lists, location reminders and iCloud sync. | A$4.99 once, with Family Sharing and no in-app purchases listed. Paid to-do apps typically start around $3.99 a month, so the whole app costs about what one month does elsewhere. The web app is described as free on top. |
| Free plan and trial | AEvery feature is free on iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch and Apple Vision Pro, plus a browser version at iCloud.com. No limits to hit and no upgrade to be sold. | FNothing is free. There's no free version and no trial, so the $4.99 comes before you've seen a single screen. It's a small bet, but it's still a bet. |
| Features | ASmart Lists that fill themselves by tag, date, place or flag. Subtasks, sections and a column view for simple kanban. Alerts on arriving somewhere or messaging a person. Shared lists with assignments, grocery lists that sort themselves, and templates. Type "Jog every other morning" and it sets the repeat. | BPages holding lists and sub-tasks, repeats as fussy as the third Sunday of the month, reminders, templates and shared pages. Solid basics. But creating tasks by email is marked deprecated, and Apple Calendar is the only thing it hooks into. |
| Ease of use | A4.8 from about 1 million App Store ratings. It's already on the phone, so there's nothing to install, and commenters say they add things just by telling Siri. | BIt's an app you install and use: one Add button takes a task or a whole list, with the due date, alert and notes on the same screen. There's no rating on record to go by, so it stops at a B. |
| Platforms and integrations | BiPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch and Apple Vision Pro, plus iCloud.com in a browser for everything else. But no Android or Windows app, and on the web you can only edit a reminder's title, notes, day or location alert and flag. | BiPhone and iPad, plus a web app at my-priorities.com so your lists open in any browser, and due dates sync to Apple Calendar. But there's no Android or Windows app, and the Mac option is just the iPad app, not verified for macOS. |
| Best for | free to-do lists if everything you own is Apple | a pay-once list app for iPhone and iPad |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Apple Reminders and Priorities. How we grade
Where they differ
- Apple Reminders is free. Priorities starts at $4.99 one-time purchase.
- Apple Reminders has a free plan. Priorities does not.
- Only Apple Reminders lists a macOS app.
- Priorities can be bought with a one-time purchase.
- Apple Reminders also covers natural-language input and kanban boards.
In commoniOSWebTemplatesTasks
At a glance
| Apple Reminders | Priorities | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Paid |
| Starts at | Free | $4.99 one-time purchase |
| Free plan | The app is listed as free on the App Store, with no paid tier: lists, Smart Lists, tags, subtasks, shared lists, location-based reminders and iCloud sync. | None |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| iOS | ||
| Made by | Apple | Hand Carved Code, LLC |
| Price read from | apps.apple.com | apps.apple.com |
| Checked | Oct 5, 2026 | Oct 9, 2026 |
Who each one suits
Apple Reminders
- People who use only Apple devices
- Shared grocery and household lists among iCloud users
- Location-based reminders and adding tasks by voice with Siri
Priorities
- iPhone and iPad users who prefer to pay once for a to-do app
- Sharing a shopping or chore list with another person
- Reusing the same list as a template, such as for travel
Worth knowing
Apple Reminders
- Apps are listed only for Apple devices; on anything else, reminders are reached in a web browser at iCloud.com.
- On iCloud.com a reminder's title, notes, day or location alert and flag can be edited; Apple directs you to the app for other details.
- Sync and shared lists depend on iCloud, and collaborators need to use iCloud as well.
- Apple notes that certain features are available only in select languages and regions.
Priorities
- No Android, Windows or native Mac app: the App Store lists iPhone and iPad, and marks the Mac option as the iPad app, not verified for macOS.
- There is no free version or trial; the app is a $4.99 purchase.
- Priorities Online needs a Priorities Cloud sync account, which the support page says is created inside the iOS app.
- The support page marks creating tasks by email as deprecated, with an end date of 12/31/2020.
Key features
Apple Reminders
- Smart Lists
- Built-in lists such as Today, Scheduled, Flagged and Assigned to Me fill themselves. Custom Smart Lists gather reminders by tag, date, time, location, flag and priority.
- Tags, subtasks and sections
- Reminders can carry tags and subtasks. A list can be divided into sections and shown in a column view, which Apple suggests for simple kanban boards.
- Time, location and Messages alerts
- A reminder can repeat daily, weekly or at a custom interval, fire on arriving at a place or getting in the car, or appear the next time you message a tagged person.
- Shared lists and assignments
- Everyone on a shared list can add and complete reminders, changes show up for all collaborators in real time, and reminders can be assigned to people on the list.
- Grocery lists and templates
- Grocery lists group items into sections such as dairy and produce on their own. Any list can be saved as a template and shared with others through a link.
- Natural language and Apple Intelligence
- A typed phrase such as "Jog every other morning" sets the schedule. Apple Intelligence can sort a list into categories and suggest tasks from shared text or web pages.
Priorities
- Pages, lists and sub-tasks
- Color-coded pages separate areas of life. Each page holds lists with sub-items and tasks with sub-tasks, and pages are reviewed by tapping or swiping.
- Fast Add
- A single button adds tasks or whole lists of items, and alerts, due dates, due times and notes can be set from the same Add screen.
- Repeating tasks
- Tasks can repeat every day, every few days, on a weekday, on a pattern such as the third Sunday of the month, or a set time after the current one is completed.
- Starred items and reminders
- Starred items collect on the Priorities page and set the badge count on the app icon. A reminder time triggers a popup, a sound alert or both.
- Priorities Cloud and page sharing
- A sync account backs data up to the vendor's server, syncs iOS devices, shares chosen pages with other users and opens tasks in the Priorities Online web app.
- Templates and calendar integration
- A page can be saved as a template for reuse, such as a grocery or travel list, and tasks with due dates sync to the device's calendar.
Plans
Apple Reminders
Free$0
Every feature of the app on iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch and Apple Vision Pro, plus browser access at iCloud.com.
Priorities
Priorities$4.99
one-time purchase
One App Store purchase for iPhone and iPad, with Family Sharing and no in-app purchases listed. The vendor describes the Priorities Online web app as free.
