What is OmniFocus?
OmniFocus is a task manager built around Getting Things Done: capture into an Inbox, organise into projects and tags, and work from a Forecast view that shows what is actually available now. Its distinguishing feature is Custom Perspectives, which let you save a particular filter, grouping and sort as a view you can return to — that is what makes it suitable for elaborate workflows rather than a flat to-do list. It is made by The Omni Group and sold both as a perpetual licence, with Standard at $74.99 and Pro at $149.99, and as a $99.99-a-year subscription. One purchase covers Mac, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Apple Vision Pro, and there is a free 14-day trial.
Verified product facts
- Type
- task managerEditorially reviewed
- Platform
- macOS
- Apple Silicon
- Yes
- Pricing
- One-time purchaseDeveloper-stated
- Price
- USD 74.99(US App Store)Developer-stated
- Developer
- The Omni GroupDeveloper-stated
- Relationship to Nuanyue
- Third-party product — not published by NuanyueEditorially reviewed
- Licence
- proprietary
- Current version
- 4.9.2Developer-stated
- Official website
- www.omnigroup.com/omnifocus/
Last updated . Facts marked developer-stated come from the developer and are not independently confirmed; editorially reviewed marks a Nuanyue judgement.
Key features
What OmniFocus does at a glance.
Inbox
For capturing tasks quickly, with a keyboard shortcut from anywhere in macOS
Projects
With sequential or parallel action ordering, and defer dates that keep work out of view until it is actionable
Tags
For cross-cutting contexts, usable in filters alongside projects and due dates
Forecast view showing what is coming
Up, so the day can be planned around what is available now
Custom Perspectives
Save a filter, grouping and sort as a reusable view
Built-in weekly review workflow
For working through stalled projects
Notification integration
With macOS and iOS for due and deferred items
Sync through the Omni Sync Server or your own WebDAV server
Universal purchase
Covering Mac, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Apple Vision Pro
What you can use OmniFocus for
- Running a full Getting Things Done system rather than a flat task list
- Keeping a large project list where the next action has to be surfaced reliably
- Working a weekly review where stalled projects need to be found and moved on
- Splitting work by context with tags while keeping projects as the primary structure
- Keeping tasks in step across a Mac, an iPhone and an iPad
Who is OmniFocus for?
- People who have committed to a GTD-style workflow and want the tool built for it
- Anyone with a project list large enough that a simple to-do app stops working
- Users who would rather buy a licence once than pay a subscription indefinitely
Who is OmniFocus not for?
- Anyone who wants a simple list of tasks — Things is easier to start with and harder to over-configure
- People who need a cross-platform tool that works the same on Windows and Android, where Todoist is the better fit
- Users on macOS 15.1 or earlier, since the current release requires macOS 15.2
Limitations
- The current release requires macOS 15.2, which rules out Macs that cannot run the newest macOS
- The Omni store page states a macOS 14 requirement for the same licence while the buy page states macOS 15.2. The shipped 4.9.2 app declares 15.2, which is what Nuanyue records
- The perpetual licence covers version 4.x only. Major upgrades are discounted rather than included, which is the difference between it and the subscription
- Pro features are a separate licence tier; the Standard licence is not simply a trial of Pro
- There is no Windows or Android app. OmniFocus for the Web is the only route on those platforms, and it is sold separately from the perpetual licence
- Sync requires an Omni account or a WebDAV server you run yourself
Strengths and trade-offs
What OmniFocus does well, and what to weigh before choosing it. Points marked developer-stated come from the developer’s own material and have not been independently confirmed.
Strengths
- Custom Perspectives let a complex filter, grouping and sort be saved as a reusable view, which is what separates it from a flat to-do list.Developer-stated
- A perpetual licence is available: $74.99 for Standard or $149.99 for Pro, covering all 4.x updates, with no subscription required.
- One purchase is a universal licence covering Mac, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Apple Vision Pro.
- Forecast and defer dates surface what is actionable now rather than showing the whole list.Developer-stated
- Sync works through the Omni Sync Server or your own WebDAV server, so the data does not have to live with the vendor.Developer-stated
Trade-offs
- Requires macOS 15.2, which excludes Macs that cannot run the newest macOS release.
- The perpetual licence covers 4.x only, so the next major version is a discounted purchase rather than a free upgrade.
- The vendor's own store page and buy page state different macOS requirements for the same licence.
- Apple platforms only. Windows and Android users need the separately sold web app.
First-use experience
What the app asks of you when you set it up. Only established facts appear here; anything we could not confirm is left out rather than guessed at.
- Installation
- Download the disk image from omnigroup.com and drag OmniFocus into Applications, or install it from the Mac App Store. The current build is 4.9.2.
- First launch Developer-stated
- OmniFocus opens in a free 14-day trial with full functionality. Buying a licence afterwards is what removes the trial limit; there is a 30-day money-back guarantee on purchases.
- System integration Developer-stated
- Registers a system-wide capture shortcut for adding to the Inbox from any app, and uses macOS notifications for due and deferred items. Sync is configured to the Omni Sync Server or a WebDAV account.
- Apple Silicon
- Supported
What it is
OmniFocus is The Omni Group’s task manager, and it is built for one specific method: Getting Things Done. Capture goes into an Inbox, work is organised into projects and tags, and a Forecast view shows what is actually available now rather than everything on the list. The site quotes David Allen, who wrote the book the method comes from.
The feature that does the most work is Custom Perspectives. A Perspective saves a particular filter, grouping and sort as a named view you can return to, which is the difference between a tool that helps you decide what to do next and a tool that just holds a list. Defer dates do something similar at the item level: a task with a defer date stays out of view until it becomes actionable.
That configurability is also the cost. OmniFocus rewards investment and punishes casual use; Things, which Nuanyue compares it against, deliberately offers the opposite trade.
What it costs
There are two ways to buy it. A perpetual licence is a one-time purchase: $74.99 for Standard, $149.99 for Pro, including all 4.x updates, with future major upgrades discounted. Or a subscription at $99.99 a year, which includes OmniFocus for the Web and carries no major-version upgrade cost.
The perpetual licence is the interesting option for anyone who dislikes subscriptions, and it is genuinely perpetual rather than a long trial — but note what it covers. Version 4.x, not version 5. The subscription is the route that includes major upgrades.
Either way, one purchase is a universal licence covering Mac, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Apple Vision Pro. OmniFocus for the Web is sold separately at $4.99 a month or $49.99 a year, and it is the only way to use OmniFocus on Windows or Android. A 14-day free trial covers the whole app, and purchases carry a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Requirements
The current release requires macOS 15.2. That is the figure on the Omni buy page,
it matches the /software/macOS/15/ path the installer is served from, and the
shipped 4.9.2 app declares the same minimum. The Omni store page states macOS 14
for the same licence, so the vendor’s own pages disagree; Nuanyue records the
figure the app itself declares.
Sync is configured either to the Omni Sync Server or to a WebDAV server you run yourself, which matters if you would rather your task database did not sit with the vendor. OmniFocus 4.9.2 was published to the Mac App Store on 22 September 2026.
Release history
Dated releases recorded for OmniFocus, newest first, each with the source it was read from.
4.9.2
Current release, published to the Mac App Store on 22 September 2026.
Source: Mac App Store
Questions about OmniFocus
How much does OmniFocus cost?
The v4 Standard licence is $74.99 and the v4 Pro licence is $149.99, both one-time and including all 4.x updates. Alternatively the OmniFocus subscription is $99.99 a year and includes OmniFocus for the Web. There is a free 14-day trial.
Is OmniFocus a subscription?
Not necessarily. The Omni Group sells a perpetual licence as well as a subscription. The perpetual licence covers version 4.x; the subscription includes the latest Pro version and has no major-version upgrade cost.
Which macOS version does OmniFocus need?
The current release requires macOS 15.2, according to the Omni buy page. The Omni store page states macOS 14 for the same licence, so the two first-party pages disagree.
Does one licence cover the iPhone and iPad as well as the Mac?
Yes. OmniFocus 4 is a universal purchase covering Mac, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Apple Vision Pro.
Does OmniFocus work on Windows or Android?
Only through OmniFocus for the Web, which is a separate subscription at $4.99 a month or $49.99 a year. There is no native Windows or Android app.
How does OmniFocus differ from Things?
Both are Apple-only task managers sold as one-time purchases. Things favours a simple, fixed structure while OmniFocus is built for deeper, configurable workflows through tags, defer dates and Custom Perspectives.Editorially reviewed
Competitors
Direct competitors: overlapping features aimed at the same users.
Todoist
Cross-platform task manager with projects, filters and team workspaces.
Both are task managers used for personal productivity, but OmniFocus is Apple-platform-only and licence-based while Todoist is cross-platform and account-based.
TickTick
Simple and effective to-do list and task manager that helps you organize all aspects of life.
Both manage tasks and projects with recurring items and reminders, but TickTick is cross-platform and subscription-based while OmniFocus is Apple-only with a perpetual licence option.
Compared with
Head-to-head comparisons Nuanyue has published.
Things
Delightful and easy to use task manager.
Both are Apple-only, one-time-purchase task managers; Things favours a simple fixed structure while OmniFocus is built for deeper, configurable workflows.
Links
Sources
Facts on this page are checked against the sources below. Last updated .
