Things 3 for Mac Review
Quick Verdict
Quick verdict: Things 3 is the best Apple-only task manager for personal productivity in 2026. Based on feature analysis, the design is widely regarded as best-in-class, the GTD workflow is native and complete, and Things Cloud sync is fast and reliable across Mac, iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch. The one-time purchase model — $49.99 for Mac, $19.99 for iPad, $9.99 for iPhone — saves years of subscription fees. The lack of Windows, Android, collaboration, and kanban features limits its appeal to solo Apple users, but for that audience it is unmatched.
Testing Summary
Based on product documentation, feature analysis, pricing comparison, and workflow evaluation, this review covers Things 3's Inbox, Areas, Projects, Today, Upcoming, Logbook, Magic Plus, natural language quick entry, and cross-device Things Cloud sync. Pricing is compared against Todoist Pro and TickTick Premium. Usability is evaluated through workflow analysis of GTD weekly reviews, multi-step project launches, and cross-device capture. This is an independent editorial review; no review license was provided by Cultured Code, and the analysis is based on the publicly available Mac and iOS versions.
We follow the ToolStep testing protocol for all reviews, measuring performance, build quality, ease of use, and value across real-world scenarios.
Performance Evaluation
Based on product documentation, Things 3's main strength is app responsiveness. The Mac app opens quickly from cold launch, and switching between Today, Upcoming, and Anytime views is effectively instant. Creating a new task, typing the title, and pressing Enter is fast — natural language parsing converts "Call Sarah tomorrow at 2pm" into a task with the correct date and time without manual field editing. The parser handles most natural date/time phrases, with occasional ambiguity on phrases like "next Friday" when today is already Friday. Things Cloud sync is the second standout. Based on product documentation, sync completes in seconds over Wi-Fi and longer over cellular, with conflict-free merging across devices. By comparison, Todoist sync is also fast, and TickTick occasionally requires a manual refresh to surface changes made on another device based on community reports. The Apple Watch app mirrors the iPhone's task list with a short sync delay, which is fast enough for glanceable check-ins during the day. The weak point is bulk operations. Based on feature analysis, there is no undo for bulk operations — if you accidentally change the wrong field, you have to manually revert each task. Reorganizing a large project with 50+ tasks can feel sluggish. Things 3 is built for individuals managing dozens of tasks per day, not hundreds — at 500+ active tasks, the UI starts to feel cramped.
Build Quality
Product Quality / Reliability: Things 3 is a mature, stable product with seven years of active development behind it. The app is built on Apple-native frameworks (Swift, Core Data, CloudKit) rather than cross-platform web tech, which is why it feels faster and more polished than Electron-based competitors like Todoist. The trade-off is the Apple-only limit — there is no Windows, Android, or web version, and Cultured Code has stated a port would require a full rewrite. Update frequency is slow but stable. Based on the public release history, Cultured Code ships compatibility updates for every macOS and iOS release, but major feature updates are rare — Things 3 launched in 2017 and has not had a headline new feature since Magic Plus in 2020. The cadence is significantly slower than Todoist (monthly) or TickTick (every 6 to 8 weeks), but the app has remained fully functional across seven macOS versions, which is unusual longevity for a productivity app. Ecosystem maturity is the main weakness. Based on feature analysis, Things 3 has no plugin system, no API for third-party automation, and a limited URL scheme that supports basic actions (create task, open list). There is no native integration with Slack, GitHub, Linear, or any project management tool — you can use Apple Shortcuts to bridge some gaps, but it is not seamless. The Apple-native design means Things 3 pairs cleanly with Apple Calendar, Apple Reminders, and Apple Mail, but a user who lives in a multi-platform or team workflow will hit walls quickly. The lack of collaboration features is structural, not a roadmap gap — Things 3 is designed as a single-user app and will likely remain so.
Ease of Use
Based on feature analysis, Things 3 has a moderate learning curve for new users and a low floor for basic task capture. Opening the app and typing a task into the Inbox requires zero training — it works like Apple Reminders with better design. Reaching full GTD fluency — using Areas, Projects, Headings, Today, Upcoming, and Someday as a coherent system — takes several hours of use. By contrast, OmniFocus 3 has a steeper learning curve, and Todoist is faster to learn. Beginner friendliness is strong on the surface but shallow once you dig in. The default views (Inbox, Today, Upcoming, Anytime, Someday, Logbook) are self-explanatory and match natural mental models. The design is exceptional — typography, spacing, animations, and color are widely regarded as the best of any task app. But there is no in-app onboarding tour, no template library, and no guided setup for GTD workflows. A user who does not already know what "Areas" or "Someday" mean will have to read external documentation. The help menu links to Cultured Code's website, which is thorough but not integrated into the app. Setup experience is fast but paid. Based on product documentation, after purchasing from the Mac App Store, the app downloads, launches, and syncs with Things Cloud in minutes. There is no trial and no free tier, so the setup experience requires a $49.99 commitment on Mac before you can test the app — a friction point that Todoist and TickTick do not have. The Mac App Store's 14-day refund policy in most regions offsets the risk, but only if you know to request a refund in time. Once installed, the iPhone and iPad apps sync automatically once you sign in to the same Things Cloud account. The Apple Watch app installs automatically and requires no setup beyond granting notification permissions.
Value Analysis
At $49.99 for Mac, $19.99 for iPad, and $9.99 for iPhone, Things 3 uses a one-time purchase model that is increasingly rare in the task manager category. The total cost of all three platforms is $79.97 — paid once, owned forever, with Things Cloud sync included free. Against the subscription competition, the math is decisive: a single year of Todoist Pro ($48) plus two more years ($96) costs more than owning Things 3 on every Apple platform for life. TickTick at $3/month reaches the same $79 break-even point in just over two years, and you still do not own the app. The longer-term value depends on Cultured Code's update cadence. Things 3 has shipped free updates for over seven years since the 2017 launch, including compatibility updates for every macOS and iOS release. A future Things 4 would likely be a new paid upgrade, but it has not been announced and Things 3 remains fully supported in 2026. The lack of a free tier and no trial is the main value friction — you commit $49.99 before testing — but the Mac App Store's 14-day refund policy in most regions offsets the risk. For Apple-only users who plan to keep the app for years, Things 3 is the strongest value in the task manager category.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Award-winning design with thoughtful typography, smooth animations, and a clean three-pane layout that feels native on Mac and iOS
- One-time purchase per platform — no subscription, no recurring fees, no feature gates over time
- Natural language quick entry parses "tomorrow at 9pm" and "every Friday" into properly dated and recurring tasks
- Project areas and headings let you organize large projects hierarchically with collapsible sections and per-section checklists
- Things Cloud sync is fast and reliable across Mac, iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch with no setup beyond signing in
- Today, Upcoming, Anytime, Someday, and Logbook views cover the full GTD workflow without forcing a single workflow
- Magic Plus gesture on iPad and iPhone lets you drag a new task into any list with one finger, no menu navigation
Cons
- Apple-only — there is no Windows, Android, or web version of Things 3
- No real-time collaboration or shared projects — Things 3 is a single-user app only
- No kanban board or calendar view — tasks live in lists, not cards on a board
- No time tracking, no custom fields, no dependencies between tasks — pure task management only
- Separate one-time purchases for Mac ($49.99), iPad ($19.99), and iPhone ($9.99) add up to $80 for all platforms
- No free tier and no trial — you pay per platform before you can test the full app
Specs
| Spec | Value |
|---|
Who Should Buy
Best For
- Apple-only users who want a beautiful, fast, native task manager for Mac, iPhone, and iPad
- Personal productivity practitioners who follow GTD (Getting Things Done) and want areas, projects, and contexts
- Freelancers and solopreneurs who manage personal tasks and projects without team collaboration needs
- Users who want a one-time purchase instead of a recurring subscription for their task management
- People who value design and want an app that feels like a polished native Apple experience
Not For
- Windows or Android users — Things 3 is Apple-only with no web version
- Teams and anyone who needs shared projects, comments, or real-time collaboration — Things 3 is single-user only
- Project managers who need Gantt charts, dependencies, kanban boards, or custom fields
- Time trackers — Things 3 has no built-in time tracking or estimate-vs-actual reporting
- Budget buyers who want a free tier — Things 3 requires a one-time purchase per platform with no trial
Alternatives
- Todoist vs TickTick — Two popular cross-platform alternatives to Things 3 with subscriptions.
- Linear Review — A team-focused task manager for software projects.
- Notion vs Obsidian — Notes apps that can double as lightweight task managers.
FAQ
Is Things 3 a one-time purchase or a subscription?
Things 3 is a one-time purchase per platform. The Mac version is $49.99, the iPad version is $19.99, and the iPhone version is $9.99 — paid once, owned forever, with no recurring fees. Things Cloud sync is included free with each purchase. Cultured Code has shipped free updates to Things 3 for over seven years since the 2017 launch, though Things 4 (if released) would likely be a new paid upgrade. There is no free tier and no trial — you pay per platform before testing the app.
Does Things 3 work on Windows or Android?
No. Things 3 is Apple-only — it runs on Mac, iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch, and requires macOS 11 or later and iOS 13 or later. There is no Windows app, no Android app, and no web version. The developer, Cultured Code, has stated that Things 3 is built on Apple-native frameworks (Swift, Core Data) and a port would require a full rewrite. If you use Windows or Android, consider Todoist, TickTick, or Microsoft To Do instead.
How does Things 3 compare to Todoist?
Things 3 and Todoist are both excellent task managers, but they differ in philosophy. Things 3 is a one-time-purchase Apple-only app with a beautiful native design and a strong GTD workflow. Todoist is a cross-platform subscription service ($4/month for Pro) with natural language input, team collaboration, and integrations. Choose Things 3 if you are Apple-only and want to own your app; choose Todoist if you need cross-platform access, collaboration, or integrations. See our Todoist vs TickTick comparison for the deeper breakdown.
Does Things 3 support GTD (Getting Things Done)?
Yes, natively. The Inbox captures quick entries, Areas group projects by life context (Work, Personal, Family), Projects hold multi-step work with headings and checklists, the Today view surfaces what to do today, and the Someday bucket holds ideas without deadlines. Weekly reviews are easy with the Logbook showing completed work. The only GTD gap is no native contexts (e.g., @computer, @phone), but most users replace contexts with tags or headings.
Is Things Cloud sync reliable?
Yes. According to product documentation, Things Cloud sync is fast and reliable across Mac, iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch, with conflict-free merging across devices. Things Cloud is included free with each platform purchase — there is no separate sync subscription. Cultured Code uses end-to-end encryption for sync, so your task data is not readable on their servers. If you only use Things 3 on one device, you can skip Things Cloud entirely.
Final Verdict
Final Verdict: Things 3 is the best Apple-only task manager for personal productivity in 2026, with award-winning design, a complete native GTD workflow, and reliable Things Cloud sync across Mac, iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch. Based on pricing analysis, the one-time purchase model ($49.99 Mac, $19.99 iPad, $9.99 iPhone) is the strongest argument for the app — it saves years of subscription fees compared to Todoist or TickTick. The lack of Windows, Android, collaboration, and kanban features limits its appeal, but for solo Apple users who want to own their app, Things 3 is unmatched. Our rating: 4.7/5.
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