Things vs TickTick

What Things is

Things is a task manager for Apple devices with a carefully designed structure of areas, projects and today view.

What TickTick is

TickTick combines tasks, habits, a calendar and a Pomodoro timer in one app across every platform. Putting habits, tasks and a timer in the same app means the day is planned in one place rather than three. The cost is that none of those parts goes as deep as a dedicated tool, which shows if you need real project structure.

What TickTick is built to do

Tasks with natural-language input

Parses dates and repeats from typed text when creating a task.

Habit tracking

Tracks recurring habits and streaks alongside one-off tasks.

Calendar view

Shows tasks and events together, with two-way calendar sync.

Choose Things if

• People who want to own a task manager outright instead of renting it — Things is a one-time purchase per platform, not a subscription
• Apple-only users: it ships for Mac, iPhone, Apple Watch, iPad and Vision Pro, with sync across those devices
• Anyone who values interface craft — the app has twice won an Apple Design Award

Skip Things if

• Your team is mixed-platform: there is no Windows, Android or web version, so shared workflows break down
• You want one purchase to cover everything — Mac, iPhone/Watch, iPad and Vision Pro are sold as separate apps
• You need collaboration, assignees or shared projects; Things is built as a personal task manager

Choose TickTick if

• People who want a fast cross-platform to-do app: the free tier syncs and supports natural-language input
• Users who need calendar views, durations and email reminders for US$49.99 a year
• Anyone who outgrows 9 lists or 99 tasks per list

Skip TickTick if

• You are a heavy list maker on Free — the caps are 9 lists and 99 tasks per list
• You want a monthly plan in USD: the upgrade page lists an annual price
• You need team features like shared projects with roles; TickTick is personal-first

Things: pros & cons

• Design clarity that reduces friction
• One-off purchase per platform
• Excellent keyboard support on Mac
• Apple only, and paid per platform
• No collaboration at all
• No built-in calendar

TickTick: pros & cons

• Tasks, habits and calendar together
• Works on every platform including web
• Inexpensive premium tier
• Interface is dense with features
• Collaboration is limited
• Calendar view requires premium