Apple Reminders is free, already on your Mac and iPhone, and better than it used to be. So why look for an Apple Reminders alternative at all? Usually for one reason: you want to jot something down, or check what’s next, without switching to another window and losing your train of thought.
SideList is a small to-do list that sits in your Mac’s menu bar and opens with one click. Here’s an honest comparison, including when Reminders is the better choice.
What Apple Reminders does well
Reminders is a genuinely good app, and it’s free. According to Apple’s documentation, it can:
- Add subtasks, tags and sections, and build custom Smart Lists from those tags.
- Remind you at a date and time, when you arrive at or leave a place, and on repeating schedules.
- Share a list with other iCloud users and assign reminders to people on that list.
- Sync through iCloud and open on the web at iCloud.com, so you can reach your reminders from almost any browser.
If you rely on shared lists or location alerts, SideList is not a replacement.
How SideList is different
Most task apps are built to manage everything. SideList is built for what matters now:
- It lives in the menu bar. The list is one click away: open it, add or tick off a task, and you’re back in your document without switching apps.
- Capture takes a second. No form to fill in: type the task, press Return, done. Add an emoji if it helps.
- Short, focused lists. You can keep several lists (work, home, this afternoon) and drag tasks to reorder them or move them between lists. There are no projects, tags or subtasks on purpose.
- A searchable archive. Completed tasks go to a searchable archive; restoring one sends it back to its original list.
- Simple reminders when you need them. Local notifications, and SideList only asks for permission if you use them.
- Private by design. No account, no ads, no analytics. The App Store privacy label reads “Data Not Collected”. Your tasks sync through your own private iCloud; we don’t run any servers.
It also works offline, can launch at login and shows a pending-task count. It’s a 4.4 MB native Swift and SwiftUI app.
SideList vs Apple Reminders at a glance
Reminders details come from Apple Support.
| SideList | Apple Reminders | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $5.99 once (universal purchase) | Free, included with your devices |
| Platforms | Mac, iPhone, iPad, Apple Vision | Apple devices, plus iCloud.com in a browser |
| Lives in the Mac menu bar | Yes, that’s the point | No, it’s a regular windowed app |
| Account | None needed | Apple Account for iCloud sync |
| Privacy | App Store label: Data Not Collected | Stored in your iCloud with Apple |
| Works offline | Yes | Apps run on device; iCloud sync needs a connection |
| Tags, subtasks, Smart Lists | No | Yes |
| Location-based alerts | No | Yes |
| Repeating reminders | No | Yes |
| Shared lists with other people | No | Yes, with assignments |
Who each one is for
Stay with Apple Reminders if you share a shopping list at home, need alerts when you reach a place, depend on repeating reminders, or want your tasks on a Windows PC through iCloud.com.
Try SideList if you work on a Mac all day and want a menu bar to-do list within reach, a short list for today instead of a catch-all, or an app with no account that you pay for once. See also our guide to to-do apps without a subscription.
Using SideList and Reminders together
You don’t have to choose:
- Reminders holds the long-term and shared stuff: the family shopping list, “renew passport” with a date, weekly chores, the pharmacy location alert.
- SideList holds today: the three or four things you’ve decided to finish.
Each morning, move a few items into SideList. More on this in our guide to a focus to-do list.
Weighing a bigger task manager? See SideList as a Things 3 alternative.
Answers before you buy
Is SideList a good Apple Reminders alternative on Mac?
It is if what you want is a quick to-do list in the menu bar for the things you’re doing now. It is not a full replacement if you rely on shared lists, tags, subtasks, location alerts or repeating reminders, which Reminders handles and SideList does not.
Does Apple Reminders have a menu bar list on Mac?
Reminders runs as a normal app with its own window, plus widgets and keyboard shortcuts. SideList is designed the other way round: the list itself lives in the menu bar and opens with a single click.
Do I need an account to use SideList?
No. There’s no sign-up. If iCloud is enabled on your devices, SideList syncs your lists through your own private iCloud. The developer has no servers and the App Store privacy label is Data Not Collected.
Does SideList work on Windows, Android or the web?
No. SideList is native to Apple platforms only: Mac (macOS 13.5 or later), iPhone and iPad (iOS and iPadOS 17.6 or later) and Apple Vision (visionOS 1.3 or later). If you need your tasks in a browser on a non-Apple computer, Reminders on iCloud.com covers that.
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