Catchlight vs Apple Reminders
Apple Reminders is free, built in, and great at nudging you. But it is one app in a set of three, your notes and your to-dos sit apart, and on a standard iCloud account your reminders are not end-to-end encrypted. Here is where a single private place for all of it fits instead.
The short version.
| Catchlight | Apple Reminders | |
|---|---|---|
| Account needed | None. Ever. | Your Apple ID |
| End-to-end encrypted | Yes, on device, always | Not by default; only with Advanced Data Protection |
| UK users | Unaffected; always encrypted | New UK users can no longer enable Advanced Data Protection |
| Note + task + reminder | One unified Take | Reminders and tasks only; notes live in a separate app |
| Where data lives | Your device; optional folder you own | iCloud (Apple-held keys by default) |
| Price | One flat ~£14.99/yr | Free |
| Platforms | iPhone (iOS 18+); more planned | Apple ecosystem |
iCloud encryption details verified June 2026. Standard iCloud Reminders are not end-to-end encrypted; that requires Advanced Data Protection, which new UK users cannot enable. Catchlight is pre-launch; its feature set is subject to change before launch.
Why keep notes and reminders apart?
A reminder rarely arrives on its own. There is usually a note attached to it, the context, the why, the detail. Apple keeps the reminder in Reminders and the note in Notes, so you either split one thought across two apps or pick the one that loses the other half.
Catchlight has one kind of thing, a Take. It can be a note, a task with a checkbox, and a reminder that notifies you, all at once. The nudge and the note are the same object, because they were always the same thought.
Are Apple Reminders private?
On a standard iCloud account, reminders sync without end-to-end encryption, so Apple can access them. Advanced Data Protection extends end-to-end encryption to Reminders, but it is opt-in and, as of 2026, new UK users can no longer turn it on.
Catchlight is zero-knowledge by default. Your Takes, reminders included, are encrypted on your device with a key only you hold. There is no account, and no server of ours in the path.
A reminder is still a thought. It deserves the same privacy as the rest.
Where Apple Reminders is the better choice.
Apple Reminders is the better choice if you want a free, built-in to-do list that is wired deeply into Siri, your lock screen and the wider Apple system, and you are comfortable with standard iCloud handling your data. For pure list-keeping with no privacy concern, it is hard to beat for free.
Where Catchlight is the better choice.
Catchlight is the better choice if you would rather your reminders and the notes behind them lived in one private place, encrypted on your device, with no account and no one able to read them. It is for the person tired of bouncing a single thought between a notes app and a reminders app.
Common questions.
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Are Apple Reminders end-to-end encrypted?
Not on a standard iCloud account, Apple can access them. End-to-end encryption requires Advanced Data Protection, which new UK users can no longer enable. Catchlight encrypts reminders on your device by default.
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Can Catchlight remind me like Apple Reminders?
Yes. A Take can carry a due date and notify you, with snooze and recurring options. The difference is that the reminder and its note are the same item.
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Do I need an account?
No. No account, no email, no sign-up. A 12-word Privacy Phrase on first launch is your key.