By The TaskFire Team · Updated October 2026
Short answer: A smart list is a saved filter that automatically gathers tasks from all of your lists based on rules you choose, such as due date, tag, priority, star or who a task is assigned to. Tasks stay in their original lists. The smart list just shows you the ones that match, and it updates itself as tasks change.
Regular lists are great for grouping tasks by area, like Work, Home or Groceries. But a lot of the time you don’t want to see one area. You want to see what’s due this week across everything, or every task tagged #errands, or everything you’ve assigned to your teammate. That’s what smart lists are for.
What is a smart list?
Think of a smart list as a saved search that never stops running. You set the rules once, and from then on the list fills and empties itself:
- A regular list is a place where tasks live. Each task belongs to exactly one list.
- A smart list is a view. It doesn’t own any tasks. It shows every task, from any list, that matches its filters.
So a task called “Send Q4 report” can live in your Work list and still show up in your “Today” and “Important” smart lists at the same time. Complete it once and it disappears from all of them.
Why use smart lists?
- Focus. See only what matters right now instead of scrolling through every list.
- No manual sorting. Tag, star or date a task as you add it, and it lands in the right views automatically.
- One view across work and home. Pull tasks from several lists into one place without moving them.
- Better reviews. Build a list of what you finished last week, or what has no due date yet, and clean it up.
Smart lists that come with TaskFire
Every TaskFire account starts with a set of smart lists you can use as-is, edit or duplicate:
| Smart list | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Everything | All of your tasks, from every list |
| Focus | Tasks that are overdue, due today, or coming up soon |
| Important | Every task you’ve starred |
| Someday | Tasks with no due date |
When you add a new smart list, you can start from one of these suggestions:
| Suggested smart list | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Today | Tasks due today |
| Next seven days | Tasks due between now and seven days from now |
| Overdue | Tasks whose due date has passed |
| Assigned to you | Tasks assigned to you across all your shared lists |
| Projects | Every task that’s a project (has subtasks) |
| Recently modified | Tasks changed in the last three days |
Tip: “Today” shows only tasks due today. If you also want overdue tasks there, change its due date filter to “before tomorrow”, or use Focus instead.
The filters you can combine
A custom smart list can match any combination of these filters:
- Tags: tasks with any tag, no tag, or specific tags. Choose “match all” (a task must have every tag you pick) or “match any” (one is enough).
- Due date, start date, completed date and modified date: no date, any date, on a date or range, before a date, or after a date. Ranges can be fixed (June 1 to June 30) or relative (the next 7 days, or the last week).
- Priority: none, low, medium or high, or any combination.
- Starred: only starred tasks, or only tasks that aren’t starred.
- Task name and note: words or phrases in the title or the notes, matching all of the terms or any of them.
- Task type: normal tasks, projects or checklists.
- Task action: tasks with a URL, a contact or a location (or none).
- Assigned to: unassigned tasks, tasks assigned to anyone, or tasks assigned to specific people on your shared lists.
Each smart list also has its own settings:
- Lists: which of your lists it draws from. All lists are included by default; untick any you want to leave out.
- Show list names: shows which list each task belongs to.
- Completed tasks: show active tasks only, completed only, or both, and how far back completed tasks go.
- Sort: app default, due date then priority, priority then due date, or alphabetical.
- Show subtasks: shows matching subtasks directly instead of just their parent project.
- Use task start dates: lets a task appear once its start date arrives, before it’s due.
- New task defaults: the due date and list given to tasks you add while viewing the smart list.
- Name, color and icon, so you can tell your smart lists apart at a glance.
10 smart list ideas you can build in TaskFire
- This week at work: due date within the next 7 days, Lists = Work only. Make a matching “This week at home”.
- Errands: tag = #errands. Pair it with location reminders for the store.
- Quick wins: tag = #5min, active only, sorted by priority.
- High-priority and starred: priority = high, or starred. Your “do these first” list.
- One person’s tasks: task name contains “Emma” (or “Emma” or “Jack”, match any) to see everything for one child or client across all lists.
- Delegated: Assigned to = your teammate or partner, so you can follow up.
- Unassigned in shared lists: Assigned to = unassigned, so nothing in a shared list falls through the cracks.
- Reading and links: task action = URL. Every article or link you saved as a task.
- Weekly review: completed only, completed in the last week. A quick look at what got done.
- Needs a date: due date = no date. Use it to triage your Someday pile once a week.
How to create a smart list in TaskFire
Smart lists work the same way on iPhone, iPad, Mac and the web, and they sync across all of them.
- Start a new smart list. Create a new smart list from your lists.
- Pick a starting point. Start from one of the suggested smart lists (such as Today, Next seven days or Overdue) or build a custom one.
- Name it and pick a color and icon.
- Choose the lists it should pull from. Leave all of them selected to search everything.
- Choose your filters, for example a tag, a due date range or a priority. Choose whether tasks must match all or any of your tag or text terms.
- Adjust the settings: completed tasks, sort order, subtasks and start dates.
- Save it. The smart list fills itself right away and keeps updating as you add and change tasks.
Plans: Smart lists and tags are included with TaskFire Premium ($2.99 a month, or $30 a year) and Teams. New accounts get 14 days of Premium free, so you can try them before you decide. Compare plans.
Smart lists in other apps
Smart lists aren’t unique to TaskFire, and the idea works the same way everywhere:
- Apple Reminders has built-in Smart Lists (Today, Scheduled, All, Flagged, Completed, Assigned to Me) and lets you create custom ones filtered by tags, dates, times, locations, flags and priority. On iPhone you add a list, tap List Type and choose Smart List (Apple Support, checked Oct 16, 2026).
- TickTick calls its custom smart lists “Filters,” a Premium feature (TickTick Help, checked Oct 16, 2026).
- Todoist calls them “filter views.” The free plan includes 3 and Pro includes 150 (Todoist pricing, checked Oct 16, 2026).
TaskFire’s take is built for mixing personal and shared work: filters for who a task is assigned to, start dates, task types and notes, all on iPhone, iPad, Mac and in your browser. For a broader comparison, see our guide to the best to-do list apps.
Frequently asked questions
What is a smart list?
A smart list is a saved filter that automatically shows tasks from all of your lists that match rules you set, such as due date, tag, priority or assignee. The tasks stay in their original lists, and the smart list updates itself as tasks change.
What’s the difference between a list and a smart list?
A regular list is where a task lives, and each task belongs to one list. A smart list is a view that doesn’t hold tasks. It shows every task, from any list, that matches its filters, so one task can appear in several smart lists at once.
Does deleting a smart list delete my tasks?
No. A smart list only shows tasks, so deleting it doesn’t delete or move any of them. They stay in their original lists.
Can a task be in more than one smart list?
Yes. A task that’s starred, due today and tagged #work can show up in Important, Today and a #work smart list at the same time. Complete it once and it’s done everywhere.
Are smart lists free in TaskFire?
Smart lists and tags are included with TaskFire Premium ($2.99 a month or $30 a year) and the Teams plan. New accounts get 14 days of Premium free.
Do smart lists sync across my devices?
Yes. Smart lists sync with your TaskFire account across iPhone, iPad, Mac and the web app.
What is a smart list in Apple Reminders?
In Apple Reminders, a Smart List collects reminders from across your lists by tags, dates, times, locations, flags or priority. TaskFire smart lists work the same way, with extra filters like start date, task type and note text, and they also work in a web browser.
Build your first smart list in two minutes. TaskFire is free to start, and new accounts get 14 days of Premium, smart lists included. Download on the App Store · Open the web app · See plans