Things 3 alternatives
Things 3 is one of the best to-do apps on Apple devices. People leave it for three reasons: they need Windows or Android, they need to share with someone, or their lists have turned into projects. Here’s what fits each.
Free for two projects · Works on iPhone, iPad, and Mac. By Yassine Zeriouh. Prices and features checked on October 25, 2026.
Milestones is the app this site belongs to, so it’s listed first and held to a harder standard below. The others are where people most often go from Things, each for a different reason.
Projects with phases: launches, theses, client work
Every platform, shared projects, filters
Deep GTD: defer dates, reviews, custom perspectives (Pro)
Tasks alongside habits and a Pomodoro focus timer
Simple lists you share with family
A free list app for Windows and Android
Prices from each app’s own site or the App Store, checked on October 25, 2026.
Feature comparison
Things 3 is built around your day; Milestones is built around a project’s phases. Where each one is ahead, row by row.
Built for
Milestones
Projects split into milestones, each with its own tasks
Things 3
Your day: what to do today, this evening, someday
Structure
Milestones
Project, milestone, task, plus tags
Things 3
Area, project, heading, to-do, plus checklists
Dates on phases
Milestones
Every milestone has its own due date
Things 3
Headings have no dates; a project can have a deadline
Progress
Milestones
A progress bar for every milestone and every project
Things 3
A progress circle per project; headings show none
Task states
Milestones
To do, in progress, done
Things 3
Open, completed, canceled
Daily lists
Milestones
Today, Upcoming and Inbox
Things 3
Today, This Evening, Upcoming, Anytime and Someday
Boards
Milestones
Kanban board for any project, and for Today, Upcoming and Inbox (Pro)
Things 3
No board view
Quick capture
Milestones
Dates, #tags and !1 to !3 priorities typed in one line; Quick Entry on the Mac
Things 3
Quick Entry with Autofill on the Mac; dates typed in words
Repeating tasks
Milestones
Yes, with Pro
Things 3
Yes, included
Sync
Milestones
Your own iCloud, no extra account
Things 3
Things Cloud, free, with its own account
Platforms
Milestones
iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch
Things 3
Mac, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Apple Vision Pro
AI assistants
Milestones
A local MCP server on the Mac lets Claude and other agents read and add projects (Pro)
Things 3
None
Trying it
Milestones
Free for two projects, no time limit
Things 3
Free trial on the Mac only
Price
Milestones
Pro $5.99 a month, $29.99 a year or $79.99 once; one purchase covers iPhone, iPad and Mac
Things 3
$49.99 Mac, $9.99 iPhone, $19.99 iPad, each paid once
Why switch
In Things, a big project becomes one long list split by headings, and headings have no dates of their own. In Milestones each phase is a milestone with its own due date, its own tasks and its own progress bar, so you see which phase is running late instead of how many to-dos are left.
Every milestone and every project shows how much of it is done, in the sidebar and inside the project. Marking one milestone as active keeps the phase you’re working on in front of you, and Pro lets a project run several active milestones at once, or none.
Milestones is free for two projects with no time limit, and archived projects don’t count toward that. One App Store purchase covers iPhone, iPad and Mac, and your projects sync through your own iCloud, with no Milestones account to create. Things needs a Things Cloud account to sync.
A task in Milestones is to do, in progress or done, and Pro adds a Kanban board for any project and for Today, Upcoming and Inbox, where you drag a task from one column to the next. A to-do in Things is open, completed or canceled, with nothing in between.
Honest trade-offs
Things 3 is better than Milestones at several things. If these matter most to you, stay with it.
Compare
Milestones vs Things 3
A milestone-driven project planner vs the most polished GTD task manager on Apple platforms. Both are native, both respect you; they’re just for different jobs.
Head to head
OmniFocus vs Things 3
The two best-known GTD apps on Apple devices, built for different people: OmniFocus is a system you configure and grow into, Things 3 is a calm list you can learn in an afternoon.
Head to head
Things 3 vs Todoist
Two of the best-loved to-do apps, built on opposite bets: Things 3 is a one-time purchase that lives only on Apple devices, Todoist is a subscription that runs everywhere and starts free.
Use case · Launch checklist
An app launch checklist you’ll actually finish.
Every step from six weeks out to the week after release for an iPhone, iPad or Mac app, with the mistakes I made shipping Milestones. Then plan it as a project with one milestone per phase.
More alternatives: Linear alternatives · OmniFocus alternatives · Todoist alternatives
FAQ
Yes, several. Apple Reminders is free and already on your iPhone, iPad and Mac. Microsoft To Do is free with a Microsoft account. Todoist and TickTick have free plans with limits, and Milestones is free for two projects. Things itself has no free plan, only a trial on the Mac.
No. Things 3 runs only on Mac, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Apple Vision Pro, and it has no web app. If you need Windows or Android, Todoist, TickTick and Microsoft To Do run there, and OmniFocus reaches them through its web app. Milestones is Apple-only as well.
No. Things 3 is a one-time purchase per platform: $49.99 on the Mac, $9.99 on iPhone (with the Apple Watch app) and $19.99 on iPad, as listed on the App Store on October 25, 2026. Syncing through Things Cloud is free and uses its own account.
Not automatically: Milestones has no importer for Things. Most people move only the projects that are in flight, turning headings into milestones as they go, and keep Things for errands and daily to-dos. The two apps run side by side without getting in each other’s way.
It depends on the kind of project. For deep GTD with reviews and defer dates, OmniFocus. For projects you share across platforms, Todoist. For a project you split into phases with dates and progress, such as an app launch or a thesis, that’s the case Milestones is built for.
Milestones is free for two projects, and archived projects don’t count toward that. Pro unlocks unlimited projects, repeating tasks, Kanban boards and widgets for $5.99 a month, $29.99 a year or $79.99 once, and one purchase covers iPhone, iPad and Mac.
Free for two projects on iPhone, iPad and Mac. Keep Things for your day and see whether your next launch fits better in milestones.
