Is Things 3 worth it? Our Review

Top Features, Pricing & User Reviews

Things 3 is one of the most powerful to-do list applications on the market.

It offers users a subscription-free experience, allowing them to use the app without worrying about paying for a yearly subscription. Over the years, the software has evolved into a minimal and clean way to manage tasks.

We reviewed, tested, and thoroughly evaluated its performance and features to determine if it's genuinely the best to-do list application for you. By the end of this review, we hope to help you decide if it's the right choice for you.

What is Things 3?

Things 3 is an iOS, macOS, and iPad task management app famous for its speed and functionality. Many people use it to manage their tasks on Apple devices. It allows you to manage tasks, calendars (via Apple Calendar), and personal projects.

Cultured Code, a German-based development company, developed it. Things 3 has a one-off pricing and no subscription.

Who is Things 3 best suited for?

Things 3 is likely best suited for individuals who want to manage their productivity without paying for a yearly subscription. It positions itself as a to-do list application, though it lacks calendar and note-taking features. However, it offers a robust and fast experience for Apple users on iOS and Mac. While it allows users to manage tasks and projects, it doesn't support task-sharing beyond personal use.

For this reason, we recommend it for busy professionals, freelancers, and those who do not need to share tasks externally. Even for casual and everyday use, Things 3 remains a solid option. While it comes with a higher upfront cost, budget-conscious Apple users may still find it a worthwhile solution. It's worth considering if these features align with your needs.

How does Things 3 work?

Things 3 allows you to add tasks and organize them into a "Today" area.

Adding tasks is easy. For Things 3 that don't have a specific date, you can place them in "Today," "This Evening," or "Someday." You can also assign tasks to a future date or add deadlines. This is useful for people who like working with deadlines because it lets you add a second date to focus on when the task needs to be done. You can use the due date as a start date or adjust it however you like.

Unlike apps like Todoist that limit date options, Things 3 does this automatically. You can also add a checklist or label to each task to help with organization, but the main organization happens through creating areas and projects.

Areas act as folders for projects, while projects break tasks down with a more focused goal. You can also add a deadline to a project, which is helpful if you want to set a future goal and work toward completing it. This is something other apps like Todoist or TickTick don’t commonly offer. You can also track your progress and repeat the project if necessary.

One downside is that you can’t share tasks like in other apps, so Things 3 is a personal rather than collaborative tool. There’s also an "Upcoming" area for planning tasks in the next weeks or months, an "Anytime" section to see everything at a glance, a "Someday" area for unscheduled tasks, and a logbook for completed ones. You can also add as many lists as needed and break down projects with section headers, which can be useful for organizing.

Things 3 works on both iOS and Mac.

To sync between devices, you use Things Cloud, which is included with the app and doesn’t require a subscription. Once you’ve paid the one-time fee, you get access for life.

Things 3 Features

Things 3 has various features, so let's explore some of the main ones:

Task Management (A)

Things 3 offers comprehensive task management without going into excessive detail, like creating board views, calendars, or advanced list views with custom options.

Still, it does a solid job. You can add tasks with titles, notes, and even checklists. One feature we particularly like is the ability to add deadlines.

The label feature is also useful because it allows you to filter tasks in the Today view and other project areas. This is helpful if you're working with multiple labels and want a clearer, more organized view. The "This Evening" view is a nice addition, allowing you to separate tasks within the Today section.

Regarding planning, Things 3 makes it easy to see upcoming tasks and move items around. While it’s not the most advanced, features like the Anytime and Someday sections help you manage tasks that don't fit in Today or are less urgent.

The Logbook is a great tool for reviewing completed tasks and tracking progress. Capturing tasks into the Inbox is quick, especially on iOS, where the mobile app runs smoothly, making it easy to add items on the go. Overall, the task management is excellent for personal use.

Calendar Management (C+)

We weren't particularly impressed with the calendar management, but it’s important to note that Things 3 isn’t trying to be a calendar app. The Upcoming area integrates with Apple Calendar, letting you view upcoming events alongside your tasks.

While it works fine, it’s not as robust as we'd like. There’s no calendar view, and while it does the job of showing your tasks and calendar events together, we expect future updates to improve this feature.

Project Management & Areas (A)

This is where Things 3 shines. If Todoist offered the same level of project management, it would likely perform better in this area. You can easily add deadlines and break down tasks within projects, which is a big advantage.

Completing projects in Things 3 is also much more accessible than in Todoist, where lists don’t feel as actionable. The "Areas" feature is another highlight, allowing you to organize tasks into personal or work-related folders. The Mac app was smooth and easy to use during testing, with no issues when creating areas or adding tags. Duplicating or repeating projects is also simple, making this feature highly functional.

In summary, Things 3 excels at task and project management, while calendar management is adequate but could be improved.

Smaller Features in Things 3

There are some additional small features in Things 3 worth highlighting:

Someday View

One of them is the Someday. This allows you to add items you don’t have a specific date for, like a wishlist or future tasks. It helps organize things that aren’t ready to be scheduled yet. While you could add these items to a project without a date, the Someday section feels like a dedicated space for such tasks, making it a nice touch.

Anytime View

Another useful feature we tested is the **Anytime view**. This view lets you zoom out and see all your tasks at once, which is particularly helpful for organizing or prioritizing. You can also apply filters for tags across all tasks, which is great if you follow productivity methods like David Allen's "Getting Things Done."

Quick Entry

Quick Entry is another handy feature, especially on Mac. You can set it up in Settings to quickly add tasks with a shortcut. We used Control-G during our testing, and it allowed for fast task entry. Although Things 3 doesn’t support natural language input, the Quick Entry feature worked well for fast task management.

Cloud Storage

Things 3 Cloud is a storage system that syncs everything across your devices. In our testing, we didn’t encounter any issues, and over the years, Things Cloud has proven reliable for keeping data up-to-date without any syncing problems.

URL Scheme

Things 3 URL scheme is a more advanced feature that lets you create to-dos, view lists, and perform searches using a URL-based system. It requires some technical knowledge and an authentication token, but it's a useful tool for users who want more control.

Pros:

• Fast and reliable
• Works well with iOS and macOS
• Does come with their own cloud sync
• One-off payment versus subscription
• Comes with calendar and personal projects

Cons:

• Less development cycles
• Comes as high upfront cost for many

Pricing:

Things 3 charges $9.99 for iPhone, $19.99 for iPad and $49.99 for macOS.

How much does Things 3 cost?

Things 3 is a one-off cost for download and unlimited use:

Is Things 3 free?

There is no free plan on Things 3 but a 14-day free trial.

Things 3's Pricing Breakdown

One of the key points we emphasize in our review is that Things 3 is actually a solid offering. However, if you're paying $80 upfront for the iPhone, iPad, and Mac versions, it might initially seem expensive.

Since the app requires an upfront fee, you pay all at once rather than through a subscription. But using Things 3 for more than three years becomes much more cost-effective.

This makes it an attractive option for people looking for a long-term solution. If you stick with Things 3 for three to five years, your yearly cost would drop to between $16 and $26, which is quite reasonable for a task management app that delivers on its promises.

Verdict: Things 3

Things 3 is likely the best Apple-focused task management app available.

It's fluid, easy to use, and ideal for those willing to pay an upfront cost and commit to it long-term. If you're not interested in sharing features and primarily need something for personal organization, it's an excellent choice. During our testing, Things 3's performance was incredibly smooth, with the app running flawlessly like butter to us.

The build quality is top-notch, and the overall user experience is well-tuned. Another benefit is that Things 3 continues to receive regular updates, keeping up with the latest iOS features like widgets and standby mode. While a future version like Things 4 may come eventually, Things 3 is still actively maintained, making it a reliable option for Apple users who want a personal task management tool.