Todoist vs Things 3 (2026): Which Task App Wins?

Todoist is a cross-platform, subscription-based task manager built for flexibility, integrations, and team collaboration. Things 3 is a one-time-purchase, Apple-only app built for calm, GTD-style personal task management. The right pick depends on your platforms and how you like to pay.

Key takeaways

• Todoist is a cross-platform subscription tool (Android, Windows, web); Things 3 is Apple-only with one-time, per-platform purchases.
• Things' Mac + iPhone/Watch bundle totals $59.98 upfront, almost exactly one year of Todoist Pro ($60), so "one-time" isn't automatically cheaper long-term.
• Todoist wins on integrations (90+) and native Google/Outlook Calendar sync; Things 3's ecosystem stays inside Apple's own apps.
• Todoist scales for teams via Business plans; Things 3 has no collaboration features.
• For keyboard-first, non-Apple, or habit-tracking workflows, lightweight tools like Dooit fill gaps neither app fully covers.

Todoist vs Things 3: What's the Real Difference?

Screenshot: Todoist website, July 2026.

Todoist is a cross-platform task manager sold as a subscription, built for integrations and team work; Things 3 is an Apple-exclusive app sold as a one-time purchase, built for single-user, GTD-inspired planning. Todoist trades simplicity for reach and power. Things 3 trades platform breadth for polish and focus.

Todoist runs everywhere and connects to over 90+ integrations, from a free tier up to team plans. Things 3 stays inside Apple's walls, is a one-time purchase per platform, and does not run on Windows, Android, Linux, or the web.

Both apps parse natural-language dates, but they differ in depth. Things 3 supports natural-language input in eight languages, while Todoist parses richer metadata in a single string.

Todoist vs Things 3 Comparison Table

Todoist offers tiered subscriptions from $0 to $8/user/month with team features and 90+ integrations across all major platforms. Things 3 charges one-time fees per Apple device from $9.99 to $49.99, with no collaboration and no Android or Windows support. Your choice hinges on teams, cross-platform sync, or Apple-native polish.

Factor	Todoist	Things 3
Pricing model	Subscription ($0 / $5 / $8 per user/mo, yearly)	One-time, per platform ($9.99–$49.99)
Platforms	Web, Android, iOS, Windows, Mac	Mac, iPad, iPhone, Watch, Vision only
Collaboration	Business: up to 1000 members/guests	None
Integrations	90+ including Google/Outlook Calendar	Apple only (Calendar, Reminders, Siri, Shortcuts)
Views	List, board, calendar	Today, Upcoming, Anytime, Someday
Free trial	Free Beginner plan	15-day trial on Mac

Todoist's free Beginner plan includes 5 projects, 3 filter views, and 1 week of activity history. Things 3 sells separately for Mac at $49.99 and iPhone & Watch at $9.99.

Todoist: Best for Cross-Platform Teams and Power Users

Todoist is the stronger pick if you need Android or Windows support, team collaboration, or deep integrations. Its Business plan at $8 per user/month yearly adds shared workspaces, up to 500 team projects, and role permissions. Pro at $5/month yearly unlocks 300 projects, deadlines, and a calendar layout, well beyond Things 3's single-user Apple scope.

• Beginner (free): 5 projects, 3 filters, 1 week of activity history, Smart Quick Add.
• Pro: 300 projects, 150 filters, task duration, deadlines, calendar layout, and unlimited Ramble.
• Business: shared workspace, team folders, granular activity logs, roles, and centralized billing.

Todoist's Calendar integration works on every plan, pulling Google or Outlook events into Today and Upcoming, with a time-blocking calendar layout reserved for Pro and Business.

Things 3: Best for Apple Users Who Want a Calm, One-Time Purchase

Screenshot: Things 3 website, July 2026.

Things 3 suits Mac and iPhone users who want a polished, distraction-free GTD tool without a subscription. It costs $49.99 for Mac and $9.99 for iPhone & Watch, with no recurring fees. But it never leaves Apple's ecosystem and has no collaboration or team features, limiting it to personal use.

Things 3 is a one-time purchase with no subscriptions, and a 15-day free trial is available on Mac. Its structure organizes work into Today, Upcoming, Anytime, and Someday, grouping to-dos under their parent project or area rather than layering filters and labels.

The catch is reach. Things 3 runs only on Apple hardware, so anyone on Windows, Android, or Linux is out.

What Does Things 3 Actually Cost vs a Year of Todoist? (The Math No One Shows You)

A Mac + iPhone Things 3 setup costs $59.98 upfront ($49.99 + $9.99), almost identical to one year of Todoist Pro at $60. Add an iPad and Things 3 gets pricier than Todoist's first year, undercutting the assumption that "one-time is always cheaper" once you own multiple Apple devices.

Here's the derived cost picture, using official prices:

• Things Mac ($49.99) + iPhone & Watch ($9.99) = $59.98, before any iPad or Vision purchase.
• Todoist Pro yearly = $60, essentially the same first-year cost.
• Todoist Pro ($60/yr) is 39% cheaper than the OmniFocus Subscription at $99.99/yr.
• Todoist Business ($96/yr) is 53% cheaper than OmniFocus Pro's $149.99 perpetual license, annualized for comparison.

Things 3 only wins on price in year two and beyond, and only if you never add another platform. Live on one Mac and one iPhone forever, and the one-time model pays off. Add an iPad, and the math flips back toward Todoist for at least the first year.

Which App Has Better Task Organization and Project Management?

Todoist offers more structural depth: up to 300 projects, 150 filters, labels, priorities, and a calendar layout for time-blocking on Pro and Business. Things 3 favors simplicity, organizing tasks under Today, Upcoming, Anytime, and Someday, and nesting to-dos under a parent project or area instead of offering filters or labels.

The design gap is deliberate. Todoist's deadlines, task duration, and calendar layout reward users juggling many simultaneous projects. Things 3's Anytime list keeps everything grouped under its direct parent, which is faster for a single-list-per-day workflow but weaker for complex cross-project filtering.

Does Todoist or Things 3 Work Better for Team Collaboration?

Todoist is the only viable option for teams. Its Business plan supports shared workspaces, up to 500 team projects, 1000 members and guests, roles, and centralized billing. Things 3 has no collaboration or multi-user features. It's built exclusively for individual use.

Todoist Business bundles a shared team workspace, team folders, and granular activity logs. For a founder tracking milestones across a team, or a freelancer sharing project visibility with a client, that ceiling matters. Things 3 offers none of it by design, which keeps it clean but strictly solo.

How Do Integrations Compare: Google Calendar, Outlook, and Beyond?

Todoist integrates with 90+ tools and natively syncs Google or Outlook Calendar events into Today and Upcoming views, with a dedicated calendar layout for time-blocking on Pro and Business. Things 3's integrations stay inside Apple's ecosystem (Calendar, Reminders, Siri, Shortcuts), with no direct Google Calendar or Slack support.

The Calendar integration is available on every Todoist plan, while the time-blocking layout is Pro and Business only. For anyone whose day runs through Slack, Gmail, or Outlook, Todoist's 90+ integrations make it far more connective. Things 3 leans on Apple Calendar and Reminders instead of a third-party integration hub, which works for an all-Apple stack and limits a mixed one.

How Do Natural Language Input and Quick Capture Compare?

Todoist's Quick Add parses full metadata (dates, projects, labels, priorities, and assignees) from one text string, including recurring phrases. Things 3 supports natural-language dates in eight languages and lets iPad users with a hardware keyboard type natural language directly into its Deadline picker, but without Todoist's multi-field parsing.

Todoist reads recurring dates like "every Monday" or "every weekend," and its Quick Add API confirms it captures dates, projects, labels, priorities, and assignees at once. Things 3 supports natural language in English, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Russian, Chinese, and Japanese, and iPad hardware-keyboard users get natural language plus shortcuts in the Deadline picker.

Which Platforms Does Each App Actually Support?

Todoist runs on web, Android, iOS, Windows, and Mac, making it the default for mixed-device households or teams. Things 3 works only on Mac, iPad, iPhone, Apple Watch, and Vision. It does not run on Windows, Android, Linux, or in a browser, which rules it out for anyone outside the Apple ecosystem.

That single fact settles many decisions. Things 3 does not work on Windows, Android, Linux, or the web, so a mixed-OS team or an Android user has no path to it. Todoist's full cross-platform coverage is the practical fallback whenever hardware isn't uniform.

Who Should Choose Todoist and Who Should Choose Things 3?

Choose Todoist if you need Android or Windows support, team collaboration, or deep integrations with Calendar and other tools. Choose Things 3 if you're Apple-only, want a calm GTD-style personal system, and prefer paying once over subscribing. Neither is ideal if your priority is raw speed and keyboard-only minimalism.

• Todoist fits: freelancers juggling clients, founders tracking milestones across teams, and anyone on Android or Windows.
• Things 3 fits: solo Apple users who want polish and a one-time cost instead of a subscription.
• A lighter alternative fits: users frustrated by clutter, subscriptions, or lag in either app.

Disclosure: Dooit is our product. Dooit is a keyboard-first task app with a Kanban/list toggle, natural-language scheduling, habit streaks, and goal tracking by week, month, and year, and every action completes in under 50ms. It runs on a single $9/month plan with a 7-day trial, no tiers or per-platform purchases. The honest tradeoff: Dooit lacks Todoist's 90+ integrations and team scale, and it isn't Apple-native like Things 3. It fits only if speed and minimalism outrank breadth.

How Do Todoist and Things 3 Handle Recurring Tasks, Reminders, and Deadlines?

Todoist supports natural-language recurring dates like "every Monday" or "every weekend," plus custom reminders and deadlines on Pro and Business. Things 3 handles deadlines through its Deadline picker with natural-language support, including on iPad with a hardware keyboard, but lacks Todoist's granular reminder customization and duration tracking.

Todoist's Pro and Business tiers add custom task reminders, deadlines, and task duration, giving complex recurring workflows more control. Things 3 relies on its Deadline picker and natural-language dates rather than custom reminder options. For repeating routines with tight timing, Todoist is the more configurable of the two.

Frequently asked questions

Is Things 3 cheaper than Todoist in the long run?

Not necessarily. A Mac + iPhone Things 3 setup costs $59.98 upfront, nearly identical to one year of Todoist Pro at $60. Things 3 only becomes cheaper in later years, and only if you don't need an iPad, Vision, or additional platforms, which add more one-time costs.

Can Things 3 be used on Windows or Android?

No. Things 3 does not support Windows, Android, Linux, or web browsers. It works only on Mac, iPad, iPhone, Apple Watch, and Vision. Users on non-Apple devices or mixed-OS teams should choose Todoist instead.

Does Todoist or Things 3 support team collaboration?

Todoist does; Things 3 does not. Todoist Business supports shared workspaces, up to 500 team projects, and 1000 members and guests with roles and permissions. Things 3 has no collaboration or multi-user features, making it strictly a personal task manager.

Which app has better Google Calendar integration?

Todoist. It natively syncs Google or Outlook Calendar events into Today and Upcoming views on all plans, with a dedicated calendar layout for time-blocking on Pro and Business. Things 3 relies on Apple's own Calendar app rather than direct Google Calendar integration.

Which app is better for GTD (Getting Things Done)?

Things 3 leans more directly into GTD, with its Today, Upcoming, Anytime, and Someday structure mirroring classic GTD buckets. Todoist can replicate GTD via projects, labels, and filters but requires more manual setup. The choice depends on whether you want built-in GTD structure or customizable flexibility.

Is there a faster, simpler alternative to Todoist and Things 3?

For users prioritizing raw speed over integrations or Apple exclusivity, Dooit offers sub-50ms actions, keyboard shortcuts, natural-language scheduling, and habit streaks for $9/month, though it trades Todoist's integration depth and Things 3's platform polish for minimalism. (Dooit is our product.)

If keyboard speed and a single simple plan matter more than integration breadth, try Dooit free and plan your day without the lag.