Video summary

Why I Quit Paid Apps

Main summary

Key takeaways

Product Review

Product / apps reviewed

The video argues that the reviewer replaced “paid productivity apps” with Apple’s built-in productivity apps, specifically four apps:

  • Apple Notes
  • Apple Reminders
  • Apple Calendar
  • Apple Mail

Core message / verdict

  • Overall recommendation: If you use an Apple ecosystem, the reviewer recommends sticking with Apple’s default apps first. They believe the system is already “complete,” “free,” and sufficiently capable for most productivity and even a small business/content workflow.
  • Why paid apps were abandoned: After years of spending on paid tools, the reviewer realized these Apple apps create a low-friction system that removes work needed to “maintain productivity,” largely due to tight integration.

Key features praised (what makes the system work)

1) Apple Notes (the “second brain”)

Pros

  • Notes serve as a central repository for everything: health/supplements/meds, journaling, goals, writing/video ideas, course material, templates, etc.
  • Uses both folders and smart folders to manage large volume (about 100 active notes).
  • Supports a workflow based on tagging + smart folder queries, plus archiving.
  • Supports “assistant and quick notes” as major low-friction drivers:
    • QuickNote for fast capture (notably via CarPlay when driving).
    • Mentions Siri/Assistant as not great generally, but still credits the feature’s usefulness for capture/workflow.
  • Notes feature set includes:
    • Collapsible section headers
    • Highlighting
    • Audio transcription of voice/audio
    • Rich text attachments
    • Checklists
    • Document scanning and OCR
    • End-to-end encryption
    • Sync across devices
  • Template workflow workaround:
    • Notes doesn’t natively support “templates” in the way some apps do, but the reviewer duplicates a template note and tags/queries it via smart folders.

User experience

  • Described as consistently “lowest friction” vs. more powerful/feature-rich alternatives.

2) Apple Reminders (the “dashboard” + task scheduling)

Pros

  • The reviewer previously used To-doist and later Things 3, but came back to tasks with Apple Reminders.
  • Biggest breakthrough: linking Apple Notes to Reminders.
    • Reminders becomes a kind of Kanban/card view for “in progress ideas” and an inbox for general tasks.
  • Later breakthrough: scheduled reminders shown on Apple Calendar, making the whole chain work:
    • Notes → Reminders → Calendar
      • Notes contain working/instruction-level detail
      • Reminders become scheduled tasks
      • Calendar is the view for when things happen
  • Described as clunkier than it needs to be, but the system “works and it’s free.”

Cons

  • Initially “basic” compared to To-doist/Things:
    • No fancy natural-language task input
    • More clicks to enter fields (date/time/list/subtasks/etc.)
  • Requires selecting a date for reminders to appear on the calendar (“show scheduled reminders” behavior).
  • Wants better deeper integration/controls with Shortcuts (details below).

3) Apple Calendar (the “glue”)

Pros

  • When Apple Reminders gained scheduled display on calendar, it eliminated the main reason the reviewer used paid Fantastical features.
  • Uses Focus modes to recreate “calendar sets” behavior.
  • Supports:
    • Scheduling reminders
    • Seeing shared Google calendar events
    • Planning creative work
  • Workflow detail: on Mac Studio, they use a split-screen approach:
    • Reminders left, Calendar right for combined Kanban + month view planning.
  • Sticks with Apple Calendar after using it for “fiveish months.”

Cons

  • Less user-friendly than Fantastical.
  • Calendar widgets are less useful than Fantastical widget; Fantastical widget can lag unless opened.
  • Fantastical widget can’t be set to open Apple Calendar (would be convenient, but then defeats installing Fantastical).

4) Apple Mail (basic email that still powers workflow)

Pros

  • Key advantages that keep the reviewer from alternatives:
    • Email aliases via iCloud (custom domains for free), contrasted with Google Workspace charging about $15/month and covering only one domain
    • All accounts in one app (Gmail, IMAP, Apple)
    • Features like “Remind me later,” smart mailboxes, and ability to link email to reminders via drag-and-drop
  • Workaround described:
    • Instead of using mail’s built-in “remind me,” the reviewer often drags email into Reminders to create a linked reminder.

Cons / trade-offs

  • Harder to reach “inbox zero” on Apple Mail, so they still use Gmail web occasionally.
  • They optimized Gmail via keyboard shortcuts to clear large batches quickly, then only clear Gmail once every two weeks.

Overall pros of the Apple default system (as stated)

  • Free and “low friction,” designed to work together
  • Tight loop between apps reduces “friction” vs. learning/maintaining multiple tools
  • Avoids “fake productivity” like complex dashboards
  • Updates are “roughly once per year,” but the system keeps aligning over time and works well together

Overall cons / limitations called out

  • Slow/less frequent updates compared to subscription apps:
    • New features less often (yearly pace)
    • No monthly AI feature drops like paid apps
  • Shortcuts + linking limitations (especially on Mac):
    • Reviewer wants stronger Shortcuts support and “even better linking between apps”
    • Example limitations:
      • Apple Shortcuts helps link Notes ↔ Reminders
      • But Apple Notes lacking a URL scheme prevents linking notes to reminders directly inside a shortcut
      • Workarounds are described as “haphazard”
    • Some third-party apps support Shortcuts more meaningfully than Apple’s first-party apps, which frustrates power users
  • Ecosystem behavior differences across devices:
    • iPad is best for these linking flows (drag & drop notes into reminders, mail into reminders)
    • Some Mac behaviors differ (e.g., can’t drag a note into a reminder on Mac)

Comparisons made (paid apps & alternatives)

  • Against paid productivity suites

    • Reviewer suggests paid systems often push frequent feature changes that create more work (learning docs/figuring out how to implement)

  • To-doist

    • Previously used for grad school/later needs
    • Criticism: more clicks/less natural language in Apple Reminders by comparison
    • Praise/feature note: used to-doist with recurring tasks and calendar syncing

  • Things 3

    • Reviewer left due to:
      • Lack of a Kanban board
      • Recurring task handling shortcomings

  • Fantastical

    • Used for nicer calendar UI and easier sync/setup
    • Main reason for Fantastical (syncing between To-doist and calendar) became less necessary after Apple enabled scheduled reminders display
    • Fantastical still “wins” on widgets and widget usability

  • Google Calendar / cal.com

    • Google Calendar interface disliked
    • For appointment-style scheduling, mentions cal.com as a free alternative

Unique points list (all distinct product-related claims)

  1. The reviewer used paid productivity tools for years but stopped after realizing Apple default apps are sufficient.
  2. The system is built on four apps: Notes, Reminders, Calendar, Mail.
  3. Notes + Reminders + Calendar integration creates a low-friction “loop.”
  4. Reminders becomes a dashboard (Kanban/card-like) with in-progress and inbox tasks.
  5. Linking Notes → Reminders is described as the biggest breakthrough.
  6. Scheduled reminders shown in Apple Calendar is described as a second major breakthrough (“clicked” the system).
  7. Notes is used as a second brain storing health info, journals, goals, writing/video ideas, course info, templates.
  8. Notes organization uses folders + smart folders; about 100 active notes.
  9. Uses archive workflow with smart folders to resurface notes later.
  10. Template system via duplicating tagged template notes.
  11. QuickNote and capturing notes (including via CarPlay) are key friction reducers.
  12. Notes feature mentions: collapsible headers, highlighting, audio transcription, rich attachments, checklists, scanning, OCR, end-to-end encryption, seamless syncing.
  13. Reminders lacks natural-language input and requires more clicks than To-doist.
  14. Reminders display in Calendar requires setting a date (clunkiness).
  15. Calendar is described as “glue” that holds everything together after Reminders added scheduled display.
  16. Calendar sets recreated using Focus modes (rarely toggled).
  17. Apple Calendar is less user-friendly than Fantastical; widget usefulness is a drawback.
  18. Fantastical widget can lag and won’t switch to Apple Calendar on press.
  19. Apple Calendar widget limitations are part of why Fantastical may still win in widget context.
  20. Mail supports aliases (free via iCloud), multi-account inbox, remind-me-later, smart mailboxes.
  21. Mail can link email to Reminders via drag-and-drop.
  22. Apple Mail is harder to maintain “inbox zero,” so Gmail web is used occasionally.
  23. Gmail keyboard shortcuts allow batch email clearing; Gmail cleared about every two weeks.
  24. Downsides: Apple updates are slower (roughly yearly), fewer frequent AI/monthly features vs paid apps.
  25. Apple Shortcuts/iOS-mac linking is limited for power users:
  26. Notes missing a URL scheme blocks direct note linking in shortcuts to reminders.
  27. Apple linking behavior differs by device; iPad works better for drag-and-drop linking than Mac.
  28. Third-party apps support Shortcuts better than Apple’s first-party apps (frustration for power users).
  29. Reviewer concludes Apple default apps are enough for starting a business/content, tracking projects/goals/milestones, organizing digital life.

Speakers

  • Single main speaker (no separate speakers indicated in the subtitles).

Original video