Google Tasks vs Remember The Milk on iPhone

What each app is built for

Google Tasks is Google’s checklist. Lists, titles, notes, due dates and times, subtasks, and repeating tasks sync with the same Google account that powers Gmail and Google Calendar. On iPhone, the official app stays thin: one list at a time, limited widgets, no Apple Watch app, and ordinary due-time notifications instead of ringing alarms.

Remember The Milk (RTM) is a dedicated to-do product with its own account. It is known for natural-language capture, lists, tags, priorities, saved searches as Smart Lists, sharing, and long-running web plus mobile sync. Many advanced surfaces (subtasks, unlimited sharing, mobile reminders, widgets, Apple Watch, file attachments via Dropbox or Drive, and automation extras) sit behind the Pro plan. RTM can connect to Gmail and Google Calendar in its own way. It is not a Google Tasks client, and RTM tasks do not appear as Google Tasks inside Gmail or Google Calendar.

Where Google Tasks wins

Stay with Google Tasks when:

• Tasks need to sit beside Gmail threads and Calendar days without retyping
• You want one free Google account checklist across phone, web, and desktop Google surfaces
• Subtasks, due dates, and basic repeats are enough without a second paid plan
• Collaboration means email and meetings, not a separate RTM share workflow

Stock Google Tasks is enough for capture and light review. It is weaker for daily planning on iPhone: no tags or Smart Lists, no folders for lists, no location reminders, thin widgets, and normal iOS banners instead of AlarmKit-style rings. For a wider map, see the compare page.

Where Remember The Milk wins

Choose Remember The Milk when:

• Smart Lists, tags, and saved searches are how you triage work
• You want natural-language entry and denser organization than a Google checklist
• Sharing, reminders, widgets, Apple Watch, or attachments matter, and Pro is acceptable
• You accept RTM’s own sync instead of Google Tasks as the shared backend

RTM often feels more complete as a personal system once Pro is in play. It is the wrong backbone if unfinished work must show in Gmail’s Tasks panel. Confirm current Pro features and cost in the Remember The Milk app or site before you migrate.

The gap most people hit

There is no official two-way sync between Remember The Milk and Google Tasks. RTM’s Google integrations help its own lists talk to Calendar or Gmail-adjacent workflows. They do not turn RTM into the Tasks data that Workspace shows in the Tasks side panel.

That forces a choice: plan in RTM and copy into Google (misses happen when only one app updates), live in Google Tasks and accept the thin iPhone client, or split personal routines in RTM from work follow-ups in Google Tasks. If the pain is duplicate entry, fix the ecosystem first. If the pain is the Google Tasks iPhone app itself, fix the client.

A practical decision rule

Look at the last ten tasks you missed or delayed.

• If most failed because the task never left your email or calendar, stay on Google Tasks (or a Google-synced client).
• If most failed because you needed Smart Lists, tags, or RTM’s Pro surfaces inside one app, Remember The Milk may be worth evaluating on its own terms.
• If most failed because iPhone surfaces were weak (thin widgets, no Watch check-off, quiet banners), keep Google as the data layer and upgrade the shell.

Do not pick RTM hoping it will also become your Gmail Tasks panel. Do not pick stock Google Tasks hoping it will feel like Remember The Milk Pro on iPhone.

When a native Google Tasks app is the middle path

If Google is the source of truth but you want more of the native planning feel RTM users like, a dedicated iPhone client can close part of the gap without abandoning Gmail and Calendar.

ETasks is a native Google Tasks app for iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch. It syncs two-way with Google Tasks, or works locally with no Google account. On top of that backbone it adds real alarms, location reminders, Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets, all-lists view, month/week/day/agenda planning, shared lists, and offline editing. It is not Remember The Milk, and it does not invent Smart Lists inside Google’s web or Android Tasks UI. It is for people who want Google Tasks to stay the source of truth while the phone feels more complete.

Quick answers

Is Google Tasks or Remember The Milk better on iPhone? Google Tasks is better when Gmail and Google Calendar are the home base. Remember The Milk is better when Smart Lists, tags, and Pro extras matter more than a native Google Tasks panel.

Does Remember The Milk sync with Google Tasks? Not as a two-way Google Tasks client. RTM keeps its own account and can integrate with Google services without replacing Tasks in Gmail.

Is Remember The Milk free? There is a free tier. Many advanced features (including several iPhone surfaces) require Pro. Confirm current limits before you migrate.

Can I keep Google Tasks and still get Apple Watch and richer widgets? Yes, with a native client such as ETasks that syncs with Google Tasks instead of replacing it.