Chiri is a free, native Mac task manager that stores your to-dos directly on any CalDAV server, meaning your tasks live alongside your calendar data rather than inside a proprietary cloud silo.
What is Chiri?
Chiri is a lightweight Mac application that manages tasks using the open CalDAV protocol — the same standard that powers iCloud Calendar, Nextcloud, Fastmail, and a hundred other calendar services. Instead of locking your data inside a walled garden, Chiri writes VTODO entries to a CalDAV account you already control. Open the app, point it at your server, and your task list travels with you wherever that account syncs — iPhone via Reminders, Linux via GNOME To Do, any client that speaks CalDAV.
If you have ever felt uneasy about a subscription task app holding your productivity data hostage, Chiri's architecture is a breath of fresh air. Your tasks are yours, stored in an open format, on a server you trust.
What does Chiri do best?
Chiri excels at bridging the gap between calendar infrastructure and task management — something almost no mainstream to-do app bothers to do well. Where apps like Things 3 and OmniFocus build their own sync layers, and Todoist or Notion use proprietary APIs, Chiri slots into the scheduling stack you already have. If your organisation runs Nextcloud or you self-host Radicale, Chiri just works — no extra accounts, no monthly fee, no export dance when you decide to leave.
The interface is deliberately quiet. There is no project hierarchy with twenty nesting levels, no Kanban board demanding a methodology overhaul. You get a clean list, due dates, and the confidence that every save goes straight to your CalDAV store. For power users who already think in calendar terms — scheduling tasks the same way they schedule meetings — that simplicity is a feature, not a shortcoming.
- Protocol-native storage: tasks written as VTODO entries, readable by any compliant client
- Zero vendor lock-in: point it at iCloud, Fastmail, Nextcloud, Radicale, or any CalDAV host
- Lightweight footprint: no background sync daemon hammering your network; syncs on demand
- Free to download: no trial limits, no feature paywalls, no account required to use the app itself
Is Chiri free?
Yes — Chiri is free to download and use with no paywalled tiers. The project is hosted on GitHub, so you can inspect the source, report issues, and follow development transparently. The only "cost" is the CalDAV server you connect it to, and if you use iCloud, Fastmail, or a self-hosted instance you already pay for, that cost is zero on top of what you spend today.
Who should use Chiri?
Chiri is a natural fit for privacy-conscious users, self-hosters, and developers who want their task list to behave like the rest of their open-standard data. If you run Nextcloud for file sync and Radicale for contacts, adding Chiri to your setup keeps every data type under the same roof and the same backup strategy.
It is also a compelling choice for anyone who finds Things 3 or OmniFocus overkill for day-to-day tasks but wants something more intentional than a plain text file. The CalDAV sync means tasks surface in Apple Reminders on your iPhone automatically — a detail that makes Chiri punch above its weight in a daily workflow.
Where Chiri is not the right tool: heavy project management, team collaboration, or anywhere you need subtasks, recurring templates, or rich Markdown notes inside individual to-dos. For that depth, OmniFocus or Notion are better fits.
What are the best Chiri alternatives?
The closest open-protocol alternative is Apple Reminders, which also speaks CalDAV natively and ships with every Mac — though its UI is geared toward casual use and it hides advanced CalDAV account configuration. On the premium end, Things 3 offers one of the most polished task UIs on the Mac but uses its own sync and costs money upfront. OmniFocus is the power-user benchmark with scripting, perspectives, and forecast views, but it is expensive and far heavier than most people need. Todoist sits in the middle — cross-platform, well-designed, subscription-priced — but again uses a proprietary backend. Chiri's distinctive position is the only option in this group that treats CalDAV as a first-class citizen rather than an afterthought export format.
How does Chiri compare to Apple Reminders?
Both apps use CalDAV under the hood, but they serve different audiences. Reminders is deeply integrated with Siri, Shortcuts, and the iPhone widget layer — it wins on system-level polish and zero-setup convenience for iCloud users. Chiri is the better choice when you want to connect a non-Apple CalDAV server, when you prefer a dedicated Mac-native interface separate from the Reminders ecosystem, or when you are running a mixed-OS household and need tasks to sync cleanly to a neutral CalDAV host that every device can reach equally well.
