Alternatives to
9 Best Things 3 Alternatives in 2026
The best Things 3 alternatives depend on whether you prioritize cost, control, or a different workflow.
- Reviewed
- Sep 2026
- Open source
- 2
- Self-hosted
- 1
What you are leaving
Things 3 at a glance
- Pricing model
- One-time purchase per platform: Mac $49.99, iPhone and Watch $9.99, iPad $19.99
- Deployment
- Apple platforms only
- Open source
- No - proprietary
- Self-host
- No
- Free tier
- No - one-time purchase only
- Category
- Task management
- Platforms
- macOS, iOS, iPadOS, Apple Watch and Apple Vision Pro
- Organisation
- Projects, areas, tags and headings
- Sync
- Things Cloud, included with purchase
- Collaboration
- No
Compare at a glance
Things 3 alternatives compared
Short facts side by side. Filter by what matters to your team, then open any row for the full decision brief.
| # | Product | Overlap | Substitutability | Free? | Starting price | Self-host | Open source | Migration | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Todoist | Task management and project organisation | Mostly replaces | Yes | — | No | No | Moderate | |
| 02 | TickTick | Task management and project organisation | Mostly replaces | Yes | — | No | No | Moderate | |
| 03 | Apple Reminders | Task management and reminders | Partial replacement | Yes | — | No | No | Easy | |
| 04 | Any.do | Task management and planning | Partial replacement | Yes | $4.99/month | No | No | Moderate | |
| 05 | OmniFocus | Task and project management | Mostly replaces | No | — | No | No | Moderate | |
| 06 | Vikunja | Task and project management | Partial replacement | Yes | — | Yes | Yes | Moderate | |
| 07 | Super Productivity | Task management and focus | Narrow overlap | Yes | — | No | Yes | Moderate | |
| 08 | Notion | Task tracking within a workspace | Narrow overlap | Yes | — | No | No | Moderate | |
| 09 | Bear | Apple-native productivity | Adjacent tool | Yes | $2.99/month | No | No | Easy |
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Frequently asked
Things 3 alternatives FAQ
- Is Things 3 free?
- No. Things 3 is a one-time purchase per platform with no free tier and no subscription. It costs $49.99 for Mac, $9.99 for iPhone and Apple Watch, and $19.99 for iPad, with a separate price for Apple Vision Pro. You pay once and own the app, but you must buy each platform separately.
- How much does Things 3 cost?
- Things 3 is sold as a one-time purchase per platform: $49.99 for Mac, $9.99 for iPhone and Apple Watch, and $19.99 for iPad. There is no subscription and no recurring fee. If you use multiple Apple devices, you buy each version separately, so a full setup costs around $80.
- What is the best Things 3 alternative?
- Apple Reminders is the closest free alternative for Apple users, with lists, tags and location alerts built in. Todoist and TickTick are the best cross-platform alternatives if you need Windows or Android support. OmniFocus is the closest alternative for power users who want deep project management on Apple devices. Vikunja is the best open source, self-hostable option.
- Is Things 3 available on Windows or Android?
- No. Things 3 is Apple-only, available on macOS, iOS, iPadOS, Apple Watch and Apple Vision Pro. If you need Windows or Android support, Todoist, TickTick, Any.do, Vikunja and Super Productivity all work across platforms. This is the most common reason people leave Things 3.
- What should I check before switching away from Things 3?
- Check whether you rely on Things' project and area structure, since most alternatives use lists, tags or a combination instead. Export your tasks first, as Things exports to plain text and JSON but recurring rules and reminders do not transfer cleanly. If you value the one-time purchase model, note that most alternatives are subscriptions, so the long-term cost may be higher. Finally, test the quick-add experience, since Things is fast and some alternatives are slower.
Switcher Reports
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