OmniFocus 3
Taking task management to task
Free, offers in-app purchases FROM The Omni Group, omnigroup.com NEEDS macOS 10.13 or later
Over the years, OmniFocus has gained powerful tools for task and project management – some unrivalled in its field. OmniFocus 3 for Mac carries that torch even further, proving a worthy addition or alternative to the iOS version that we reviewed – and gave four stars to – back in issue #329.
In OmniFocus 3, one of the largest changes is the retiring of rigid Contexts – a system of sorting tasks and projects into a single category – in favour of Tags. This allows for tasks to be sorted and surfaced in multiple situations, such as ‘errands’, ‘work’ and ‘shopping list’. One of the core values of OmniFocus is being able to view tasks in multiple ways, so this opens up some doors.
Another major addition to this version is support for Omni Automation. This goes beyond Apple Script to support JavaScript, a more diverse and powerful system for automating OmniFocus.
Even in version 3, though, it feels difficult for new users to get started. While it does offer a little to familiarise new users, the developer could do more to help those who are new to the app.