GoodTask

GoodTask is a better front end for the Reminders and Calendar databases you already have. It keeps nothing of its own: every task you create lands in Apple Reminders, so Siri, Shortcuts, the widget, the watch and your iPhone all keep working, and there is no second sync service to go wrong.

On top of that it adds most of what Apple left out. Smart lists assembled from filters on tags, dates and text. Quick Actions that push a task to tomorrow or swap its list in one click. Recurring tasks that repeat from when you finished rather than when they were due. Templates, and board, list, week and month views that put calendar events next to the tasks.

$39.99 once on the Mac App Store. The developer has said plainly on his own forum that this is a one-time purchase in both stores, with optional supporter purchases for people who want to contribute — nothing is paywalled behind them. The iPhone and iPad app is a separate purchase, and the app is on Setapp if you already subscribe there.

The cost of building on Apple's stores is that you inherit Apple's limits: anything Reminders cannot represent, GoodTask cannot either, and iCloud sync is Apple's to get right or wrong.

If stock Reminders already does what you need and you just want it to look nicer, stay where you are. Buy this at the point where you are fighting filters and repeating tasks.