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Why not just use Apple's apps?

Fair question. Reminders, Notes, and Calendar are good apps — and free. Here's an honest comparison, what's different, what isn't, and exactly how to bring your data over.

Honest comparison

Side by side.

Every row below names the in-app surface that proves it — verify any claim in under two minutes.

What you needApple's appsMy Daily Tool
Tasks with recurrence + subtasks + prioritiesReminders does this wellPlanner — plus travel-time-aware reminders and a Day Planner that routes errands
CalendarCalendar is excellentPlanner — merges calendars via ICS feeds; Apple Calendar stays usable alongside
Notes + journalNotes is excellentNotes, Journal (mood + photo + prompts), Brain Dump for zero-friction capture
Habits with streaksNot built inHabits — streaks, 30-day heatmap, optional reminders
Health, workouts, sleep, hydrationHealth + Fitness, split across appsHealth Center — one surface, plus Fitbit / Oura / Apple Health connections
Focus sessionsNot built inFocus — Pomodoro, breathe, focus sounds
Budget + subscriptionsNot built inFinance — budget, cashflow, subscription tracking
Built-in AI assistantSiri / Apple Intelligence (system-wide)Assistant — built in, no key, nothing to configure, opt-in per request
GamesApp Store, one by one62 games built in, offline, no ads
PriceFreeFree, forever — no subscriptions, no ads, no IAP
Your dataiCloud (Apple's servers)On your iPhone — zero telemetry, nothing sold, export anytime as JSON

What MDT doesn't do

The honest gaps.

  • 01No Mac app, no iPad layout, no Apple Watch app yet — iPhone only for now.
  • 02No shared / collaborative lists — your data is yours alone; family sync means separate devices with shared calendar feeds.
  • 03No Siri integration and no system-level shortcuts beyond the share target and widgets.
  • 04Apple's apps are deeply woven into iOS (lock-screen suggestions, Spotlight). MDT is an app, not the OS.

Migration

Bring your calendars.

Calendar: export any calendar as an ICS / webcal URL (Apple Calendar, Google, Outlook all support this) and add it in the app's Calendar sync manager — events merge into the Planner through a private proxy. Tasks and notes: recreate the active ones in the Planner (most people carry fewer than twenty live tasks), or paste lists into Brain Dump and sort them tonight. There is no bulk importer and no account to create — the app works the moment it opens.