Things

Things 3 is the elegant Apple-ecosystem task manager built by Cultured Code, a small Stuttgart-based studio that has spent nearly two decades crafting one of the most beloved productivity apps in existence. Released in 2017 as a complete rewrite of the original Things from 2007, Things 3 is the canonical example of macOS/iOS native software: dramatically more beautiful than any cross-platform alternative, with a one-time purchase model that has held firm against the tide of subscription-everything software. What makes Things 3 endure is craft taken to art-object levels. The animations have been tuned for 8+ years. The keyboard shortcuts are perfect. The typography is custom. The interface gets out of your way in a way most software doesn't. Cultured Code ships updates rarely but each release is meaningful. The result is a productivity tool that genuinely sparks joy — Apple Design Award winner three times, including a rare Apple Design Award for elegance. The core feature set: • **Today + Upcoming + Anytime + Someday** — the Things hierarchy of when to do things. Different from project-based PM tools. • **Projects + Areas** — Areas group related projects (Work, Home, Side Projects); projects contain todos • **Heading + Checklists** — break todos into subtasks; heading-grouped lists for structure • **Tags** — multi-dimensional categorisation alongside Areas/Projects • **Quick Entry** — keyboard shortcut from anywhere on macOS to add a todo; lightning fast capture • **Magic Plus button** — drag-anywhere creation on iOS • **Natural language dates** — 'next Tuesday', 'in 2 weeks', 'every Monday' • **Calendar integration** — show calendar events alongside todos in Today/Upcoming • **Reminders sync** — import from Apple Reminders, Siri support for voice capture • **iCloud sync** — sync across Mac, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch via iCloud • **Today widget + Apple Watch app** — at-a-glance access without opening the app • **Shortcuts integration** — automate task creation via Apple Shortcuts For founders + Apple-ecosystem users the use cases: • **GTD (Getting Things Done) practitioners** — Things 3 is arguably the most elegant GTD app ever made • **Solo founders managing personal + work tasks** — Areas separate work from home with single inbox capture • **macOS power users wanting native software** — best-in-class macOS app that feels like a first-party Apple product • **Apple ecosystem users** — Mac + iPhone + iPad + Watch all synced via iCloud • **Designers + creatives** — the aesthetic quality of Things matches design taste • **People moving away from Todoist's gamification** — Things is intentionally minimal, no Karma/streaks/badges • **One-time purchase preference** — escape subscription fatigue The pricing is the unusual story. Things 3 is one-time purchase per platform: Mac $49.99, iPhone $9.99, iPad $19.99. So a full Apple ecosystem setup (Mac + iPhone + iPad) is $79.97 — paid once, used forever, no subscription. Cultured Code has held this pricing since 2017 (8+ years) and has publicly committed to it. There's no Things 4 yet; updates remain free. This is the cheapest serious task manager over a multi-year horizon — if you use Things for 3 years, you've effectively paid $2.22/month vs Todoist's $48/year. Beyond 5 years, the value gap widens dramatically. Where Things 3 wins clearly: it is the most beautiful and crafted task manager that exists; macOS/iOS native performance is dramatically better than cross-platform alternatives; one-time pricing makes it the most cost-effective serious productivity app over a multi-year horizon; the Apple Watch + Today widget integration is excellent; the company's commitment to craft over features means no bloat. Where it loses: Apple-only — no Android, no Windows, no Linux, no web app. No collaboration features whatsoever (Things is intentionally personal-use-only). No integrations with Slack, Gmail, Asana, etc. (only the most basic via Shortcuts). The pace of updates is glacially slow — features the productivity world adopted years ago may never come. My take: Things 3 is the right call if you're an Apple-ecosystem user, value craft over feature breadth, and use task management as a purely personal practice (not collaborative). For solo founders + creative professionals + GTD practitioners + designers who live in Apple's ecosystem, nothing else feels as good. If you need cross-platform support (Android/Windows/web), Todoist is the better choice. If you need team collaboration, Todoist Business or Asana. If you want a tool that aggressively ships features, anything else. But for the specific niche of 'beautiful personal task manager on Apple hardware', Things 3 is unimpeachable — and the one-time $80 makes it the cheapest serious productivity tool over a 5+ year horizon.