Relay vs FacileThings
Both are built for Getting Things Done, and both walk you through the method rather than leaving you to build it. The biggest differences are where they run and how long they have existed. FacileThings runs in a browser, with apps for iPhone, iPad and Android, and has been around for about 15 years. Relay has native apps for iPhone, iPad, Mac, Android and Windows, runs in any browser too, and was released in 2026.
We make Relay, so we have tried to be fair rather than flattering. Where FacileThings is better, this page says so.
At a glance
| FacileThings | Relay | |
|---|---|---|
| Runs on | ||
| iPhone and iPad | Yes | Yes |
| Android | Yes | Yes |
| Mac | No | Yes |
| Windows | No | Yes |
| Web browser | Yes | Yes |
| Built for GTD | ||
| Inbox, Next Actions, Waiting For and Someday built in | Yes | Yes |
| Contexts | Yes | Yes |
| Agenda lists for people | Yes | Yes |
| Sequential projects | Yes | Yes |
| Sub-projects | Yes | YesOne level |
| Areas, goals, vision and purpose | Yes | Yes |
| Reference material kept with its project | Yes | Yes |
| Trigger lists you can edit, for the mind sweep | Yes | Yes |
| Reviews and planning | ||
| Guided weekly review | Yes | Yes |
| Guided daily reviewPartly: a daily list or reminder, without guided steps | Partly | Yes |
| Guided reviews in the phone app | No | Yes |
| Next Actions cut to the time you havePartly: you filter by how long each action takes yourself | Partly | YesHours, calendar and daily review |
| Actions | ||
| Repeating actions | Yes | Yes |
| Checklists inside an action | Yes | Yes |
| Snooze an Inbox itemPartly: a later date, but not one that returns it to the Inbox | Partly | Yes |
| AI help clarifying the next actionPartly: one narrow place, a beta, or a paid add-on | Partly | Yes |
| Around the lists | ||
| Google or Outlook calendar in the app | Yes | Yes |
| Two-way sync with other task apps | No | YesItems brought in from them |
| Home-screen widgets with your lists | No | YesNot on Windows or web |
| Workspaces that filter your listsPartly: a filter on some views only | Partly | Yes |
| Saved custom views | No | NoEach list keeps its own sort and grouping |
| Shared projects | No | No |
| Look | ||
| Dark theme | YesNew app only, in beta | Yes |
| Choose your own coloursPartly: light and dark only | PartlyNew app only, in beta | Yes |
| Price | ||
| Free plan | No | No |
| Buy once, no subscription | No | No |
Sources, checked 10 October 2026
Every cell was checked against FacileThings's own site, help pages, release notes or store listing.
FacileThings: FacileThings pricing, FacileThings on the App Store, FacileThings weekly review, FacileThings perspective, FacileThings projects, FacileThings mind sweep, FacileThings agendas, FacileThings reference material, FacileThings tickler file, FacileThings routines, FacileThings, October 2025.
Also in Relay
- Pin an item for today, tomorrow or this week, and it shows in Engage and the daily review.
- Your own sections in Someday/Maybe.
- Choose which sections each task, project and reference item shows, for one item or as the default.
- A default workspace for new items on each device.
- On a phone, choose the screens in the bottom bar.
- Reminders to process your Inbox at the times you choose. In the web app they show as a banner while Relay is open.
Side by side
| FacileThings | Relay | |
|---|---|---|
| Native apps | iPhone, iPad and Android | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Android, Windows |
| On a computer | In the browser | Mac and Windows apps, or the web app in any browser |
| Price | $12 a month, or $84 a year. Also 3 months for $27 and 6 months for $48 | €8 a month, or €5 a month billed yearly, everything included |
| Trial | 30 days, no card needed | 30 days, no card needed |
| The workflow | Capture, Clarify, Organize, Reflect and Engage. Clarify has a guided and a quick mode | A step-through Clarify for each Inbox item, then Engage for what to do now |
| Weekly review | Ten guided steps, with a personal checklist you can add to any step | A guided twelve-step review on every platform, plus a daily review |
| Mind sweep | A guided Mind Sweep with trigger prompts you can edit, spread over several sessions if you like | Trigger lists you can edit, in the weekly review's first step |
| Contexts | #tags for places and tools, @names for people, plus time, energy and priority | Contexts, several per action, with separate energy and time fields |
| Projects | Sequential and Kanban modes, subprojects, and actions that wait on other actions | Parallel or sequential, with an outcome and sub-projects |
| Project planning | Natural Project Planning in five steps, with optional AI suggestions | Project Brainstorm: the natural planning model in five stages |
| Higher horizons | Purpose and principles, vision, goals and areas of focus | Areas, goals, vision and purpose as their own levels |
| Calendars | Google and Outlook, synced both ways | Google and Outlook calendars shown beside your actions, and Apple Calendar in the iPhone, iPad and Mac apps |
| Capture | In the app, the phone apps, email to an inbox address, Evernote, Zapier | Quick add, email to Inbox and paste a list everywhere, home-screen widgets and the share sheet on Android, iPhone and iPad, a shortcut on Mac and Windows |
| Connects to | Zapier, Evernote, Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox and Box. An MCP server for AI assistants and an API, both in beta | Two-way sync with Google Tasks, Microsoft To Do, Todoist, Notion and Linear, and with Apple Reminders through the iPhone, iPad and Mac apps |
| Other people | Agendas per person. Delegate to other FacileThings users, or by email to anyone | Agenda lists per person, and Waiting For with who has it and since when. Nothing is sent to them |
| Around since | About 15 years. A small company founded in the UK, now based in Spain | 2026. Built and hosted in Switzerland |
FacileThings is rebuilding its app
FacileThings is replacing its app with one built from scratch. The new version opened to everyone as a beta in September 2026. It runs in the browser and keeps working when your connection drops, and the classic app now gets maintenance updates only. FacileThings says phone and desktop versions of the new app will follow.
Where FacileThings is stronger
- A long record
- FacileThings has been built around GTD for about 15 years, and its guides teach each stage of the method in detail. Relay is a young app, released in 2026.
- Working with other people
- Delegate a task to another FacileThings user and it lands in their Inbox. Delegate to someone outside and they get an email with a page where they can tick off the checklist, report progress and reply. Relay tracks delegated work in Waiting For, but sends nothing to anyone.
- Your calendar app
- Dated items in FacileThings sync both ways with Google and Outlook calendars, so they show up in your calendar app too. Relay shows your calendars beside your actions, but your scheduled actions stay in Relay.
- Shaping projects
- Projects can run as Kanban boards, and any action can wait on another, even one in a different project. Relay has sequential projects but no Kanban and no links between separate actions.
- Automation
- Zapier, plus an MCP server and an API, both in beta. Relay has none of these.
Where Relay is stronger
- Apps on your computer
- Relay has native apps for Mac and Windows. While Relay is running, Control+Option+N on a Mac, or Ctrl+Alt+N on Windows, opens a capture box over whatever you are working in. FacileThings runs in the browser on a computer.
- The same system on every device
- Reviews, horizons and processing work the same on iPhone, iPad, Mac, Android, Windows and the web, every device captures into the same Inbox, and your phone gets home-screen widgets. The weekly review, step by step.
- The task apps you already use
- Two-way sync with Google Tasks, Microsoft To Do, Todoist, Notion and Linear, and with Apple Reminders through the iPhone, iPad and Mac apps, so other apps can stay as ways in. Everything arrives in your Inbox first, and nothing is filed for you.
- Price
- Relay is €60 a year or €8 a month. FacileThings is $84 a year or $12 a month.
Which to pick
If you work in a browser most of the day, hand tasks to other people, or want your dated items in Google or Outlook Calendar, stay with FacileThings. It is a thorough GTD tool with a long record.
If you are looking for a FacileThings alternative because you want native apps on your Mac, Windows PC and phone, widgets on your home screen, or two-way sync with the task apps you already use, try Relay.
Relay has no FacileThings importer. To move across, copy the actions and projects you want to keep and paste them into quick add in Relay. Relay asks whether to add each line as its own task, and they all land in your Inbox to process. Project names come across as items too: turn each one into a Relay project as you reach it.
Sources, checked 8 October 2026: FacileThings, FacileThings pricing, About FacileThings, How it works, Clarify, Tags and contexts, Perspective, The Weekly Review, The Mind Sweep, The Engage stage, Project management, Natural Project Planning, Predecessor actions, Collaborators, Capturing by email, Google Calendar, Outlook Calendar, Zapier, MCP server, The new FacileThings, August 2026 update, What's new, Relay pricing. FacileThings is a product of FacileThings S.L., which is not affiliated with Relay.
Try Relay for a month
Bring a few real projects across and run one weekly review in Relay. That is the comparison that counts.
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Relay runs on iPhone, iPad, Mac, Android and Windows, and in any browser. To see how it compares with other GTD apps, see Compare GTD apps.