Productivity
Things
Task manager for Apple devices.
What it is
Things is a personal task manager for Mac, iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch, and an Apple Design Award winner. The day is organised around a Today list that shows calendar events from the calendars you choose grouped above your to-dos, with a separate This Evening list for work that can only happen later, and an Upcoming list covering scheduled to-dos, repeating to-dos, deadlines and events for the days ahead. Projects can be split with headings that act as categories or milestones and can be dragged, archived or rearranged as a group, while checklists break a single to-do into its steps. Scheduling goes through a Jump Start popover with natural language date recognition, and Quick Find searches projects, to-dos and tags as you type.
Things pricing
Things does not publish a plan ladder we could verify. Pricing not verified.
Prices read from the vendor's own pricing page on 2026-09-09. Vendors change plans without notice — check the source before you budget.
Key features
Today and This Evening
Daily list showing chosen calendar events above to-dos, with a separate evening list.
Upcoming list
Scheduled to-dos, repeating to-dos, deadlines and calendar events for the days ahead.
Headings and checklists
Projects split into draggable, archivable headings; single to-dos split into steps.
Jump Start scheduling
Date popover with natural language recognition for terms like tomorrow or Saturday.
Quick Find
Type-ahead search across projects, to-dos and tags, including app-wide tag filters.
Strengths and trade-offs
What works well
- Design clarity that reduces friction
- One-off purchase per platform
- Excellent keyboard support on Mac
Where it falls short
- Apple only, and paid per platform
- No collaboration at all
- No built-in calendar
Who it is for
Individuals on Apple hardware who want a considered personal task system.
Pick it or skip it
Pick 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 it 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
Our verdict
The most refined personal task manager. Buy it knowing it will never be a team tool.
Closest alternatives we track
Same category, ordered by verified starting price.
Frequently asked questions
- Who is Things best for?
- Individuals on Apple hardware who want a considered personal task system.
- What are the main drawbacks of Things?
- The trade-offs we noted: Apple only, and paid per platform; No collaboration at all; No built-in calendar.
- When should you not use Things?
- 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.
What we checked
- Public APIOffers a documented API you can build against.No
- Mobile appHas a native app for iOS or Android, not just a mobile website.Yes
- Open source / self-hostableSource is open and the tool can be run on your own infrastructure.No
- SSO (SAML)Supports SAML single sign-on on at least one plan.No
“Not checked” means exactly that — we have not verified it, and we do not guess.
Evidence and freshness
Status: Source listed, figures not recordedReviewed: 2026-09-09
- Cultured Code — Things ↗
Checked 2026-09-09 · Supports: Positioned as a personal task manager for planning your day and managing projects, Sold per platform: Things for Mac, for iPhone, for Apple Watch, for iPad, for Vision Pro — separate products with separate prices, Apple platforms only; no Windows, Android or web client listed, Twice honored with the Apple Design Award, One-time purchase through the App Store rather than a subscription, Supports Shortcuts, keyboard shortcuts, fast sync and Markdown notes in projects and tasks
Limit: Vendor product page was reviewed by an editor on this date; this record is not a ToolCompare benchmark. Prices and limits change. No price is quoted: the page links out to the App Store to 'view in your currency' and showed a temporary Mac discount when fetched.
Compare Things with alternatives
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Same job, different pricing. Verified starting price first.
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