Switch from Nirvana
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Relay reads your Nirvana export and keeps the structure. Your next actions arrive as next actions, your Someday list as Someday/Maybe, and your contexts as contexts. Almost nothing arrives in a pile for you to sort again. Before you import, Relay tells you how many items will not land where Nirvana had them.
You already use Getting Things Done. Switching apps usually costs so much because most importers take only your words, and lose your decisions about which list each item is on and which context it needs. Nirvana's export includes the decisions too, and Relay reads them.
Where each Nirvana list goes in Relay
| Inbox | Inbox, not yet clarified, without contexts, energy or time |
|---|---|
| Next | Next Actions |
| Waiting For | Waiting For, with the person you are waiting for |
| Scheduled | Scheduled, on the same date |
| Someday | Someday/Maybe, actions and projects alike |
| Projects | Projects, with their actions still attached |
| Reference | Reference, with each list's entries |
| Logbook | Completed, so finished work stays finished |
Energy, time, due dates and contexts arrive too
- Energy levels, low through high, on every filed action that had one.
- Time estimates, in the same minutes you set them in.
- Due dates, on the day you chose.
- Someday projects, in Someday/Maybe rather than among your active projects.
- Contexts, once you have told Relay which of your labels they are.
Relay asks you one question: which label is which
Nirvana keeps areas, contexts and people in three separate places. But Nirvana's export file lists them all together, with nothing to tell them apart. So Relay shows you your labels once and asks what each one is: a workspace such as Work, a context such as Laptop, or a person such as Sam. Most systems have a handful of labels, and sorting them takes under a minute.
Relay then shows how many items will arrive in each list, and how many items will not land where Nirvana had them. Relay saves nothing until you press Import, and a label you leave unsorted is not imported.
Import from Nirvana in four steps
- In Nirvana, open Settings, then Export, and choose JSON.
- In Relay, open Settings, then Integrations.
- Choose Import from Nirvana, then Choose file, and select the file you just saved.
- Say what each label is, check where each item will go, and press the Import button, for example "Import 240 items".
If the result does not look right, press Undo on the "Imported 240 items" message, and Relay removes the whole import, labels included. The message shows for only a few seconds, but the Import from Nirvana screen keeps an Undo that import button for your last import.
At a glance
| Nirvana | Relay | |
|---|---|---|
| Runs on | ||
| iPhone and iPad | Yes | Yes |
| Android | Yes | Yes |
| Mac | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| Web browser | Yes | Yes |
| Built for GTD | ||
| Inbox, Next Actions, Waiting For and Someday/Maybe built in | Yes | Yes |
| Contexts | Yes | Yes |
| Agenda lists for peoplePartly: people as a kind of tag, without an agenda list | Partly | Yes |
| Sequential projects | Yes | Yes |
| Sub-projects | No | YesOne level |
| Areas, goals, vision and purposePartly: one level above projects | Partly | Yes |
| Reference material kept with its projectPartly: a separate reference list, or notes on the project itself | Partly | Yes |
| Trigger lists you can edit, for the mind sweep | No | Yes |
| Reviews and planning | ||
| Guided weekly reviewPartly: a review list, checklist or reminder, without guided steps | PartlyAI beta, Pro only | Yes |
| Guided daily reviewPartly: a daily list or reminder, without guided steps | Partly | Yes |
| Guided reviews in the phone app | No | Yes |
| Next Actions filtered to the time you havePartly: you set a time filter yourself | Partly | YesHours, calendar and daily review |
| Actions | ||
| Repeating actions | YesPro only | 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 | PartlyAI beta, Pro only | Yes |
| Around the lists | ||
| Google or Outlook calendar in the appPartly: only calendars already on the device | PartlyPhone apps only | Yes |
| Two-way sync with other task apps | No | YesFor items that came from them |
| Home-screen widgets with your lists | Yes | YesNot on Windows or web |
| Workspaces that filter your lists | Yes | Yes |
| Saved custom views | No | NoRelay saves each list's sort and grouping |
| Shared projects | No | Yes |
| Look | ||
| Dark theme | Yes | Yes |
| Choose your own colours | Yes | Yes |
| Price | ||
| Free plan | YesUp to 5 projects | No |
| Buy once, no subscription | No | No |
Sources, checked 10 October 2026
Every cell was checked against Nirvana's own site, help pages, release notes or store listing.
Nirvana: Nirvana apps, Nirvana pricing, Nirvana projects, Nirvana weekly review, Nirvana updates, Nirvana area filter, Nirvana reference lists, Nirvana AI assistant, Nirvana repeating tasks, Nirvana preferences.
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 Relay shows on each task, project and reference item, 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 clarify your Inbox at the times you choose. In the web app, each reminder appears as a banner while Relay is open.
Four things Relay does differently from Nirvana
Relay is not a copy of Nirvana, so some items arrive differently. You will want to know about the four differences below before you move, not after.
- A next action needs a context
- Relay files an action in Next Actions by its context. An action that had no context in Nirvana arrives in your Inbox instead. Before you import, Relay shows a line such as "3 next actions have no context, so Relay keeps them in your Inbox".
- Workspaces group items but do not file them
- Nirvana's areas become Relay workspaces. You use a workspace such as Work to group items, but the workspace does not decide which list an item is on. Relay allows thirty workspaces.
- Repeating tasks arrive once
- A repeating action arrives on its next date, as a single action. Set the repeat again in Relay.
- Reference lists become checklists
- A Nirvana reference list arrives as one item in Reference, with the list's entries as a checklist on that item. A trigger list, for example, stays in one piece instead of arriving as separate items.
Try the import with your own system
The import is the fastest way to see whether Relay suits you, because you are looking at your own work rather than a demo. The import works in every Relay app, and you can undo the import as soon as it finishes.
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