Guides
Get more from Alcove
Short, practical guides to a calmer day on your Mac, iPhone and iPad, written by Basil, who makes Alcove.
Guides
Meeting notes in Malayalam, Hindi, Tamil and other Indian languages, on Mac and iPhone
Record a meeting in Malayalam, Hindi, Tamil or 11 other Indian languages and get the transcript in the language's own script, made on your Mac or iPhone.
Meeting notes on Mac and iPhone: record a meeting, get the transcript, speakers and a summary
Record a call or meeting and get a note with the recording, who said what, and a summary with action items. Transcribed on your device.
A to-do list app for iPhone and iPad with widgets, alarms and no subscription
Alcove for iPhone and iPad: quick add in plain words, widgets you can tick, alarm reminders, boards, a calendar and notes. One purchase, no subscription.
How to make a to-do list on a Mac: four ways, from built-in to menu bar
Make a to-do list on your Mac with Reminders, Notes, Stickies or a menu bar app, and keep it on your desktop. Step by step, with the shortcuts for each.
A to-do list that floats on top of other windows on your Mac
Keep a to-do list on top of every window on your Mac, even full-screen apps. How Alcove's floating lists and notes work, and other ways to do it.
To-do list widgets on your Mac desktop
Add a to-do list widget to your Mac desktop, from Reminders or Alcove: today's tasks and what's next, ticked off without opening the app. macOS 14 or later.
How to make a reminder ring like an alarm on iPhone
On iOS 26 and 27 a to-do reminder can ring like an alarm, through silent mode and Focus. How to set it up in Alcove and Apple Reminders, and apps that ring.
Time blocking on Mac and iPhone with an hour grid
Time blocking means giving each task a slot on your calendar. How to do it on Mac and iPhone with an hour grid, task lengths and your calendar events.
How to plan your week in 20 minutes on Mac and iPhone
A simple weekly planning routine that takes 20 minutes: clear your inbox, look back, choose what matters, and place it on the calendar. With steps for Alcove.
Speak your to-do list: turn a voice ramble into separate tasks
Brain dump out loud and get separate tasks, each with its date, time and list. How Alcove's Speak tasks works on iPhone, iPad and Mac, and other ways to do it.
Getting Things Done on Mac and iPhone: a simple GTD setup
Getting Things Done without the overhead. How to set up capture, clarify, organise, reflect and engage in Alcove on Mac, iPhone and iPad, in about ten minutes.
Attach files and pictures to tasks and notes, on every device
Attach files, pictures, links and snippets to tasks and notes in Alcove. Drag them in, choose them or paste them, and they sync through your own iCloud.
A weekly review checklist you can finish in 30 minutes
A free GTD weekly review checklist and template to copy, with a time for each step, a 15-minute version for busy weeks, and how to run it on Mac and iPhone.
A private to-do list for Mac and iPhone, no account needed
Which to-do apps need an account, where your tasks are stored and where AI features run. Alcove needs no account and syncs through your own iCloud.
Shortcuts automations for your to-do list on iPhone and Mac
Shortcuts recipes for your to-do list: hear today's tasks when your alarm stops, capture from the Action button, move leftovers to tomorrow, and more.
How to plan your day in 10 minutes on Mac and iPhone
A 10-minute daily planning routine: check your calendar, empty your head, pick a few tasks and give them time. Plus the 1-3-5 rule and the Ivy Lee method.
Keep notes and tasks together on Mac, iPhone and iPad
Link a note to a task so meeting notes, checklists and plans sit beside the work they belong to on Mac, iPhone and iPad. How it works in Alcove, and other ways.
Plan your day and week with Claude and your to-do list
Copy-paste prompts that let Claude plan your morning, sort a brain dump and review your week from your real tasks in Alcove, starting with read-only access.
How to keep your to-do list in the Mac menu bar
Keep today's tasks one click away in the Mac menu bar. Open your list over any app, tick things off, check the month and read notes without switching windows.
Add a task from any app on your Mac with one shortcut
Press Option-Space anywhere, type the task the way you'd say it, and Alcove fills in the day, time, length, list, tag, priority and repeat. Here's the syntax.
Notes that do the maths: sums, tables and budgets
Notes that do the math: end a line with = and Alcove works it out. Tables total every row and column, and a budget row shows what's left.
A personal kanban board for your tasks on Mac, iPhone and iPad
Boards in Alcove turn tasks into cards you drag from To do to Done. Every card is a real task, so finishing one ticks it off in its list and in Today.
Finish tasks from your iPhone Home Screen with widgets
Alcove's eight widgets for the Home Screen, Lock Screen and Mac desktop. Tap a ring to finish a task without opening the app, and see today's count at a glance.
Connect Claude or another AI assistant to your to-do list with MCP
Alcove's Mac app runs a local MCP server, so AI assistants like Claude can read and add your tasks. It's off until you turn it on, and every request is logged.
Repeating tasks: daily, weekday, weekly and custom routines
Set a task to repeat every day, every weekday, every 3 days or every Tuesday and Thursday. How repeating tasks work in Alcove, from quick add to end dates.
Alcove keyboard shortcuts for Mac and iPad
Every Alcove keyboard shortcut in one place: quick add and quick note from any app, moving through lists, setting priority and dates, and iPad commands.
Siri and Alcove: every phrase that works
Add tasks, speak several at once, hear your day and take notes with Siri. Every phrase Alcove understands, and what changes with Siri AI in iOS 27.
How Alcove compares
Honest comparisons with other to-do apps, with prices and features checked on their own websites.
Alcove vs OmniFocus: a calm daily list or a full GTD system?
OmniFocus is the deepest GTD app on Apple devices. Alcove is a calm menu bar list with notes and boards. How they compare on price, features and learning curve.
Alcove vs Microsoft To Do: free everywhere, or built for your Mac?
Microsoft To Do is free everywhere and works with Outlook. Alcove lives in the Mac menu bar with notes, boards and a calendar, paid once. How they compare.
Alcove vs Things 3: which to-do app fits your Mac?
Alcove and Things 3 are both calm, one-time-purchase to-do apps for Apple devices. How they differ on the menu bar, boards, notes, price and platforms.
Alcove vs Todoist: menu bar calm or everywhere teamwork?
Todoist runs everywhere and suits teams. Alcove lives in the Mac menu bar with notes that calculate and no subscription. How they compare on price and features.
Alcove vs TickTick: focused and calm, or everything in one app?
TickTick packs habits, a focus timer and many views into one app. Alcove keeps a calm day in the Mac menu bar with notes that calculate. How they compare.
Alcove vs Apple Reminders: when is the free app enough?
Apple Reminders is free, built in and shares lists, and iOS 27 adds plain-language entry. Alcove adds a menu bar popup, boards and notes that calculate.
Best apps and alternatives
Round-ups of to-do apps for Mac, iPhone and iPad, and of alternatives to the best-known ones.
The best to-do list apps for iPhone and iPad
The best to-do list apps for iPhone and iPad compared on price, iPad support, alarms and iOS 27: Things 3, Todoist, TickTick, Reminders, Alcove and more.
Things 3 alternatives for Mac and iPhone in 2026
Looking for a Things 3 alternative? Seven apps compared, from free Apple Reminders to OmniFocus, including one-purchase options for Mac, iPhone and iPad.
Todoist alternatives for Mac and iPhone, with and without a subscription
Todoist alternatives for Mac and iPhone after the December 2025 price rise, including free apps and one-time purchases. Prices checked October 2026.
The best menu bar to-do list apps for Mac
Menu bar to-do apps for Mac compared, from free TaskTab and Reminders MenuBar to MenuToDo, TickTick and Alcove, plus what Things 3 and Todoist offer there.
To-do list apps without a subscription for Mac and iPhone
One-time purchase to-do apps for Mac, iPhone and iPad, and free ones. What each costs for all three devices, against Todoist or TickTick over five years.
The best personal kanban apps for Mac and iPhone
Kanban board apps for one person on Mac, iPhone and iPad compared, from free Apple Reminders columns to Kan Do, MenuToDo, TickTick, Trello and Alcove.
Apple Reminders alternatives for iPhone and Mac
Outgrown Apple Reminders, even after iOS 27? Alternatives for iPhone and Mac, from GoodTask, which builds on Reminders, to Things 3, Todoist and Alcove.
TickTick alternatives for Mac and iPhone
TickTick alternatives for Mac and iPhone after Premium rose to $49.99 a year: Todoist, Things 3, Any.do, Microsoft To Do, OmniFocus and Alcove.
To-do apps that work with Claude and other AI assistants
Which to-do apps Claude can read and update: official and community MCP servers, local or remote, and which Claude apps each works in. Checked October 2026.
OmniFocus alternatives for Mac and iPhone
Simpler, cheaper or cross-platform alternatives to OmniFocus for Mac, iPhone and iPad: what you keep, what you give up, and prices checked October 2026.
What to-do apps cost: Things 3, Todoist, TickTick, OmniFocus
Current prices for Things 3, Todoist, TickTick, OmniFocus and Any.do, what each free plan leaves out, and the 1-, 3- and 5-year cost. Checked October 2026.
Daily planner apps for Mac and iPhone, compared
The best daily planner apps for Mac, MacBook and iPhone, with tasks beside your calendar, compared on planning, platforms and price, no-subscription ones too.
Things 3 vs Todoist: which to choose on Mac and iPhone
Things 3 and Todoist compared on five-year cost, platforms, calendar, sharing, AI assistants and switching, from each app's own pages in October 2026.
Things 3 vs Apple Reminders: is Things worth paying for?
Apple Reminders gained alarms in iOS 26.2 and plain-language entry in iOS 27. When Things 3 is still worth $79.97 for all your devices, and when free is enough.
The best to-do list apps for Mac in 2026, compared
Nine Mac to-do apps compared on price, subscriptions, the menu bar, calendars, boards and notes: Things 3, Todoist, TickTick, OmniFocus, Alcove and more.