Things 3
- Mac
- $49.99
- iPhone
- $9.99
- iPad
- $19.99
- All three
- $79.97
One-time; free trial from culturedcode.com
Includes the Apple Watch app
A separate purchase
Paid once, no subscription. Things Cloud sync is free.
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.
By Yassine Zeriouh. Prices and features checked on October 25, 2026.
Short answer
Things 3 if you stay on Apple and plan alone. Todoist if you don’t.
Pick Things 3 if every device you use is a Mac, iPhone or iPad, you plan on your own, and you’d rather pay once than every year. It’s the calmer of the two: a clear Today list, a separate spot for this evening, and a Someday pile for everything you aren’t doing yet.
Pick Todoist if you need it on Android, Windows or in a browser, if you share lists with other people, or if you want to start for free. Its quick add reads the date, project, labels and priority from one typed line, and its filters slice hundreds of tasks any way you like.
Both are task managers at heart. If what you’re really planning is a project with phases, see “When neither fits” further down.
Feature comparison
Things 3 vs Todoist
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Platforms
Things 3
Mac, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Apple Vision Pro
Todoist
iPhone, iPad, Mac, Android, Windows, Linux, web, Apple Watch, Wear OS
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Price model
Things 3
One-time purchase per platform, no subscription
Todoist
Free plan, then a monthly or yearly subscription
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Trying it for free
Things 3
Free trial on the Mac only
Todoist
Free Beginner plan with 5 personal projects
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Sync
Things 3
Things Cloud, free, with its own account
Todoist
Todoist account, synced on every platform
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Sharing and teams
Things 3
None: one account, one person
Todoist
Share projects, assign tasks, comment
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Structure
Things 3
Areas, projects, headings, to-dos, checklists
Todoist
Projects, sub-projects, sections, tasks, sub-tasks
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Planning your day
Things 3
Today and this evening, fed by start dates, plus Someday for later
Todoist
Today and Upcoming, fed by due dates; separate deadlines on Pro
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Repeating tasks
Things 3
Set up in a form on each to-do
Todoist
Typed in plain words, like “every other Monday”
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Quick capture
Things 3
Quick Entry from anywhere on the Mac, dates typed in words
Todoist
One line with a date, #project, @label and p1 to p4 priority
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Views
Things 3
Lists only
Todoist
List and board, plus calendar on Pro
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Tags and filters
Things 3
Tags you can filter any list by
Todoist
Labels plus saved filters written as queries (3 free, 150 on Pro)
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Reminders
Things 3
At a set time on any to-do
Todoist
For tasks with a time; custom reminders on Pro
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Calendar
Things 3
Shows your calendar events next to Today and Upcoming
Todoist
Calendar integrations on every plan, calendar layout on Pro
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Attachments
Things 3
None; notes support Markdown
Todoist
Files in comments (5 MB each free, 100 MB on Pro)
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AI
Things 3
None
Todoist
Ramble voice capture (limited on the free plan) and Todoist Assist on Pro
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Look and feel
Things 3
Native on every Apple device and known for its design
Todoist
The same on every platform, and denser
Pricing
One payment for Things against a yearly bill for Todoist
Todoist
- Beginner
- Free
- Pro
- $5 a month
- Business
- $8 per person a month
5 personal projects, 3 filters, board layout, 5 MB per file
Billed $60 a year, or $7 month to month. 300 projects, 150 filters, calendar layout, custom reminders
Billed yearly, or $10 month to month. Adds a shared team workspace
Over time, Things is the cheaper app. All three Apple versions cost $79.97 once, about what 16 months of Todoist Pro cost on the yearly plan. If you only need the iPhone app, Things costs $9.99, less than two months of Todoist Pro paid monthly.
Todoist wins if its free plan covers you, and five personal projects with a board layout is enough for plenty of people. Things 3 has been a one-time purchase since it came out in 2017, with free updates ever since.
Prices checked on October 25, 2026: Things 3 on the App Store · Todoist pricing
Pick Things 3 if
- Every device you use is from Apple.
- You plan alone and never need to hand a task to someone else.
- You’d rather pay once than subscribe.
- You plan by start date: what’s on today, what’s for this evening, what can wait until someday.
- You want an app that stays calm with hundreds of to-dos in it.
Pick Todoist if
- You use Android, Windows, Linux or a browser anywhere in your day.
- You share projects with a partner, your family or a team.
- You want a free plan you can do real work in.
- You capture tasks in one quick line and sort them later with filters.
- You want a board or a calendar next to your lists.
When neither fits
When the thing you’re planning is a project, not a to-do list
Both apps are best at the question “what do I do next?” They’re weaker at “how far along is this project?” A launch, a thesis or a client job has phases, and in Things you build those out of headings, in Todoist out of sections. Neither tracks your progress phase by phase.
That gap is why I build Milestones, the app this site belongs to. Every project is split into milestones, each with its own tasks and progress bar, on iPhone, iPad and Mac, synced through your own iCloud. It isn’t for everyone either: there’s no Android, Windows or web version, and you can’t share a project with other people.
Keep reading
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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.
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Compare
Milestones vs Todoist
A native Apple project planner vs the most-used cross-platform to-do app. They overlap on tasks but diverge on structure, privacy, and where they live.
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Things 3 alternatives
Looking for a Things 3 alternative?
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.
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Todoist alternatives
Looking for a Todoist alternative?
Todoist is fast, runs everywhere and has a generous free plan. People leave it because the subscription adds up, because big projects turn into long lists, or because they want an app that feels at home on Apple devices. Here’s what fits each.
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For solo founders
One founder. Every project. Always one move ahead.
Milestones turns a solo founder’s chaos (product, marketing, fundraising, content) into a few crisp projects with one active milestone each. Native, private, and on every Apple device you carry.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Is Things 3 better than Todoist?
Not across the board. Things 3 is the better fit if you only use Apple devices, plan alone and want to pay once. Todoist is better if you need Android, Windows or the web, share projects with other people, or want a free plan.
Is Things 3 a one-time purchase?
Yes. Things 3 costs $49.99 on the Mac, $9.99 on iPhone (with the Apple Watch app) and $19.99 on iPad, each bought once and separately. There is no subscription, and syncing through Things Cloud is free.
Is Todoist free?
Todoist has a free Beginner plan with up to 5 personal projects, 3 filter views, the board layout and uploads up to 5 MB. Pro costs $5 a month billed yearly ($60) or $7 month to month, and adds 300 projects, 150 filters, the calendar layout and custom reminders.
Can you share lists in Things 3?
No. Things 3 is built for one person: there are no shared projects, no assignees and no comments. Todoist lets you share a project, assign tasks and comment on them, even on the free plan, with up to 5 people in each personal project.
Does Things 3 work on Windows or Android?
No. Things 3 runs only on Mac, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Apple Vision Pro, and there is no web app. Todoist runs on iPhone, iPad, Mac, Android, Windows, Linux, the web, Apple Watch and Wear OS.
Which is better for managing projects?
For small projects both work: Things groups a project’s to-dos under headings with a deadline, Todoist splits projects into sections and sub-projects with a board view. For projects with phases you want to track one by one, a project planner such as Milestones fits better than either.
Planning a project rather than a day?
Milestones splits each project into milestones with their own tasks and progress, on iPhone, iPad and Mac. Free for two projects.
