10 Best Things 3 Alternatives in 2026 (For Every Use Case)
Looking for a Things 3 alternative? Compare the best task managers for AI scheduling, calendar views, automation, teams, and cross-platform use.
Things 3 is beautiful. Objectively, measurably, award-winningly beautiful.
Its animations are liquid smooth. Its typography is perfect. Its design language feels like it came directly from Apple’s Human Interface Guidelines. Using it is genuinely pleasurable—checking off tasks delivers a dopamine hit that makes productivity feel rewarding instead of draining.
But if you need AI scheduling, automatic task capture, calendar integration, or team collaboration, Things 3 can’t help you.
This isn’t a criticism. Things 3 does exactly what it sets out to do: provide an elegant, manual task management system for individuals in the Apple ecosystem. It does this brilliantly. But it’s deliberately simple, resolutely manual, and intentionally focused on solo use.
If you’re searching for a Things 3 alternative, you probably love its design but need capabilities it doesn’t offer. Maybe you want AI to handle scheduling decisions. Maybe you need tasks and calendar events in one view. Maybe your workflow has outgrown manual task entry. Or maybe you just need Windows support because your company switched from Mac.
This article respects what Things 3 does well while honestly exploring what it doesn’t do—and which alternatives fill those gaps without completely sacrificing the quality you’ve come to expect.
What Things 3 Does Brilliantly
Before discussing alternatives, let’s acknowledge what makes Things 3 exceptional:
Design excellence. Things 3 won the Apple Design Award twice for good reason. Every pixel is intentional. Every animation serves a purpose. The interface is so polished that competitors reference it as the benchmark to beat.
Lightning-fast performance. Things 3 opens instantly. Searches return results immediately. Syncing happens in milliseconds. There’s zero lag between thought and action—critical for capturing fleeting ideas.
Simple, elegant GTD implementation. Areas, Projects, Tasks—that’s it. No overwhelming feature lists. No configuration paralysis. The Getting Things Done methodology implemented so clearly that you understand it within minutes.
Beautiful typography and animations. The task completion animation alone brings joy. Smooth transitions between views. Perfect font choices. Visual hierarchy that guides your eye naturally.
Thoughtful keyboard shortcuts. Power users can navigate entirely by keyboard. Quick Entry works from anywhere in macOS. Every action has an intuitive shortcut.
Native Apple ecosystem integration. iCloud sync is flawless. Apple Watch app is genuinely useful. Handoff works perfectly. Siri integration is reliable. It feels like an Apple app because it follows Apple’s standards religiously.
One-time purchase. No subscription anxiety. Pay once ($80 for iPhone + iPad + Mac), own forever. In an era of subscription fatigue, this pricing model has genuine appeal.
Why People Look for Things 3 Alternatives
Things 3 is exceptional at what it does. But what it does is deliberately limited. Here’s what users consistently need that Things doesn’t provide:
No AI or smart scheduling. Everything in Things 3 is manual. You decide what to work on, when to schedule it, and how to prioritize it. There’s no AI suggesting optimal times, learning your patterns, or automatically adapting your schedule. For users with decision fatigue or unpredictable energy, this manual approach becomes exhausting.
Limited calendar integration. Things 3 shows calendar events in the “Upcoming” view, but tasks and calendar live separately. You can’t see your meetings and tasks in one unified timeline. You can’t time-block tasks onto your calendar. For people whose work revolves around calendar events, this separation feels artificial.
No automatic task capture. Every task requires manual entry. Email requests? Manual. Meeting action items? Manual. Slack commitments? Manual. This “ADHD tax” adds up—users report spending 5-10 hours weekly on task entry that could be automated.
No collaboration features. Things 3 is strictly personal. You can’t share projects with teammates, assign tasks to others, or see what your team is working on. For anyone managing even small teams, this is a dealbreaker.
No cross-platform support. iOS and Mac only. No Windows. No Android. No web app. If you switch to a Windows laptop for work or need to collaborate with non-Apple users, Things 3 becomes unusable.
No energy or capacity awareness. Things 3 treats all available time as equal. 2pm post-lunch crash? Same as 10am peak energy. It schedules based on calendar availability, not human capacity. This leads to strategic work scheduled during low-energy periods.
Limited recurring task intelligence. Repeating tasks are basic—”every Tuesday” or “every 3 days.” No smart patterns like “weekdays only” or “monthly on the second Friday.” No automatic rescheduling when you skip a day.
Static, non-adaptive approach. When your day goes sideways (it always does), Things 3 doesn’t reschedule automatically. You manually drag tasks around. When you fall behind, it shows overdue tasks in red—creating guilt without offering solutions.
Minimal integrations. Things 3 connects with Apple Reminders and Calendar. That’s about it. No Slack integration, no email integration, no project management tool connections. For users with complex tool ecosystems, this isolation is limiting.
What to Look for in a Things 3 Alternative
Your ideal alternative depends on why you’re switching. Different limitations require different solutions:
If you need AI and smart scheduling → rivva, Motion, Reclaim AI
If you need collaboration → Todoist, TickTick, Asana
If you need cross-platform → Todoist, TickTick, Anydo
If you need calendar integration → Sunsama, Akiflow, rivva
If you need more power (but solo use) → OmniFocus, Amazing Marvin
If you love Things’ design → TickTick, Sorted³, 2Do
The key question: What matters more—keeping Things-level design or gaining the features Things lacks?
Best Things 3 Alternatives
rivva
OmniFocus
Todoist
TickTick
Anydo
Sunsama
Amazing Marvin
Akiflow
Sorted
2do
1. rivva – Things 3’s Design Quality + AI Intelligence
Beautiful iOS-native design meets capacity-aware AI scheduling.
How It Compares to Things 3
rivva respects what makes Things 3 great: iOS-native excellence, fast performance, thoughtful design. But it adds what Things can’t: AI that schedules based on your energy patterns, automatic task capture from email, and calendar integration that shows your full day.
Think of rivva as Things 3 reimagined for the AI era—same commitment to quality, but with intelligence that adapts to how humans actually work.
Key Features Things 3 Doesn’t Have
Energy-aware AI scheduling: Uses wearable data to schedule demanding work during peak hours, easy tasks during low energy
Automatic task extraction: Pulls tasks from emails, meeting summaries, and notification emails (e.g. GitHub issues, Notion comments) automatically
Calendar + task integration: Unified view shows meetings, tasks, and energy timeline together. Tasks planned in rivva appear directly on your Google Calendar via two-way sync
Pattern learning: Gets smarter over time by analyzing your completion rates and energy cycles
Multi-account support: Connect multiple email addresses and multiple calendars across work, personal, and side projects
Two-way calendar sync: Tasks planned in rivva appear directly on your Google Calendar, blocking time so others don’t book over your work
Best For
Things 3 users who love the design quality but need AI intelligence, calendar integration, and automatic task capture. Especially powerful for people with Apple Watch/Oura/Whoop who want energy-based scheduling.
Pricing
Monthly: $13.99/month
Quarterly: $31.50/quarter ($10.50/month, billed quarterly)
7-day free trial
Pros Over Things 3
AI removes decision fatigue
Automatic task capture eliminates 5-10 hours weekly of manual entry
Energy-aware scheduling prevents burnout from poor task timing
Calendar integration shows full day context Things lacks
Still iOS-native quality—fast, beautiful, thoughtful
Web app for non-Apple devices
Cons vs. Things 3
Subscription pricing (vs. one-time $80 purchase)
Energy-based scheduling is strongest when wearable data is available
Newer app (less established than Things’ 15+ year history)
2. OmniFocus – More Powerful GTD for Complexity
Things 3 for power users who’ve outgrown simplicity.
How It Compares to Things 3
If Things 3 is the elegant sports car, OmniFocus is the Swiss Army knife. It offers vastly more power: custom perspectives, complex project hierarchies, defer dates, sequential vs. parallel tasks, automation via Shortcuts and AppleScript.
Both follow GTD methodology, but OmniFocus embraces complexity while Things deliberately avoids it.
Key Features Things 3 Doesn’t Have
Custom Perspectives: Create filtered views based on any combination of criteria (tags, due dates, projects, contexts)
Forecast View: Timeline showing tasks and calendar events together (better calendar integration than Things)
Sequential vs. Parallel tasks: Control whether project tasks can be done simultaneously or must be completed in order
Defer dates: Hide tasks until you’re ready to work on them (more powerful than Things’ “Start Date”)
Review mode: Guided weekly review process built into the app
Web access: OmniFocus for Web available with subscription (Things has no web app)
Best For
Things 3 users managing complex projects with dependencies, GTD purists wanting deep customization, and power users who need Perspectives to handle high task volume.
Pricing
OmniFocus for Web only: $4.99/month
Full subscription: $9.99/month or $99.99/year (all platforms)
Standard license: $39.99-59.99 one-time per platform
Pro license: $79.99-99.99 one-time per platform
Pros Over Things 3
Significantly more powerful for complex workflows
Custom Perspectives let you slice tasks any way imaginable
Better calendar integration via Forecast View
Web access available (Things is Apple-only)
Sequential task ordering for dependencies
More robust review and maintenance features
Cons vs. Things 3
Steep learning curve—takes weeks to master
Interface less elegant than Things’ design
Can feel overwhelming for simple task management
More expensive ($100/year subscription or $200+ for all platforms one-time)
3. Todoist – Cross-Platform with Team Collaboration
Things 3’s elegance, available everywhere, for teams.
How It Compares to Things 3
Todoist is what you choose when cross-platform matters more than Apple-exclusive polish. It works on Windows, Android, Linux, web—everywhere Things doesn’t. It also offers team collaboration that Things completely lacks.
The design isn’t as refined as Things 3, but it’s clean, fast, and universally accessible.
Key Features Things 3 Doesn’t Have
Cross-platform: Works on Windows, Android, Linux, web—not just Apple devices
Team collaboration: Share projects, assign tasks, comment, and work together
Better integrations: Connects with Slack, email, Calendar, Google Drive, Alexa, and 80+ other tools
Labels + filters: More flexible organization than Things’ tags
Productivity visualization: Karma points gamify task completion; productivity charts show patterns
AI Assistant (new): AI helps prioritize, suggest schedules, and identify blockers
Best For
Things 3 users who need Windows/Android support, teams wanting collaboration features, and people with complex tool ecosystems needing integrations.
Pricing
Free: Basic features (limited—no reminders or labels)
Pro: $6/month (annual billing)
Business: $8/month per user
Pros Over Things 3
Works on every platform—no ecosystem lock-in
Team collaboration built-in
Much better integration ecosystem
More affordable ($72/year vs. $80 one-time, but ongoing)
Natural language processing excellent
Active development with regular updates
Cons vs. Things 3
Design less refined than Things’ polish
Interface not as satisfying to use
Free plan very limited (essentially unusable)
No native Apple Watch app as polished as Things
4. TickTick – Things 3’s Design Philosophy with More Features
Looks like Things, works like Things, but does more.
How It Compares to Things 3
TickTick feels closest to Things 3 in spirit—clean interface, thoughtful design, focus on simplicity. But it adds features Things deliberately omits: built-in Pomodoro timer, habit tracking, calendar view, and cross-platform support.
It’s what Things 3 might be if it prioritized features over minimalism.
Key Features Things 3 Doesn’t Have
Built-in Pomodoro timer: Focus sessions integrated directly with tasks
Calendar view: See tasks on actual calendar (Things only shows list)
Habit tracker: Build and monitor daily/weekly habits
Cross-platform: Works on Windows, Android, Linux, web—not just Apple
Collaboration: Share lists and assign tasks to others
Smart lists: Auto-organize tasks based on filters
Best For
Things 3 users who love the design aesthetic but need more features, cross-platform support, or integrated time-blocking with Pomodoro.
Pricing
Free: Limited (9 lists, 99 tasks per list, 1 collaborator)
Premium: $35.99/year ($3/month)
Pros Over Things 3
Much cheaper ($36/year vs. $80 one-time)
Pomodoro timer integrated seamlessly
Calendar view Things completely lacks
Cross-platform (Windows, Android, web)
Habit tracking built-in
Collaboration features
Cons vs. Things 3
Design not quite as refined as Things
Animations less satisfying
Interface can feel busy with so many features
Some features require Premium (free version quite limited)
5. Anydo – Elegant Simplicity, Available Everywhere
Things 3’s ease of use, minus the Apple requirement.
How It Compares to Things 3
Anydo matches Things 3’s philosophy of simplicity but drops the Apple exclusivity. It’s beautifully designed, incredibly easy to use, and works on every platform—perfect for users who love Things’ approach but need Windows/Android support.
Key Features Things 3 Doesn’t Have
Cross-platform: Full support for iOS, Android, Windows, Mac, web
Calendar integration: Tasks and calendar events together (better than Things)
Voice entry: Excellent voice-to-task conversion
Collaboration: Share lists with family/colleagues
Recurring task templates: More powerful recurring options
Moment feature: Daily planning ritual to review and prioritize
Best For
Things 3 users switching to Windows/Android, families wanting shared grocery/todo lists, people preferring simplicity over power features.
Pricing
Free: Basic features (limited)
Premium: $36/year ($3/month)
Pros Over Things 3
Works everywhere (iOS, Android, Windows, web)
Better calendar integration than Things
Voice entry excellent for hands-free capture
More affordable ($36/year vs. $80 one-time)
Collaboration features for families/teams
Moment daily planning ritual
Cons vs. Things 3
Design not as polished as Things
No native Mac app (web-based)
Fewer power features than Things
Interface less satisfying than Things’ animations
6. Sunsama – Things 3 Meets Calendar Integration
Daily planning that unifies tasks and calendar.
How It Compares to Things 3
Sunsama solves Things 3’s biggest limitation: separation of tasks and calendar. It provides a unified daily planning experience where you drag tasks onto your calendar, see your full day context, and plan realistically.
The guided daily ritual prevents overcommitment—something Things’ simple task lists don’t address.
Key Features Things 3 Doesn’t Have
Unified task + calendar view: See meetings and tasks together on actual timeline
Guided daily planning ritual: 10-15 minute morning routine for realistic planning
Time-blocking: Drag tasks onto calendar (Things has no calendar view)
Workload capacity indicators: Visual warnings when you’re overcommitting
Better integrations: Todoist, Asana, Trello, Gmail, Slack, Jira, ClickUp, GitHub
Daily shutdown ritual: End-of-day review for work-life boundaries
Best For
Things 3 users whose work revolves around calendar events, chronic over-committers needing realistic planning, professionals wanting mindful productivity boundaries.
Pricing
Monthly: $20/month
Annual: $16/month ($192/year)
14-day free trial (no credit card)
Pros Over Things 3
Unified calendar + task view (Things’ biggest missing feature)
Time-blocking prevents over-scheduling
Forces realistic planning with capacity warnings
Much better integration ecosystem
Daily rituals create healthy boundaries
Cross-platform (web, iOS, Android)
Cons vs. Things 3
More expensive ($192-240/year vs. $80 one-time)
Daily ritual takes 10-15 minutes (feels like overhead)
Slower for rapid task capture than Things
Design less polished than Things
7. Amazing Marvin – Hyper-Customizable for Any Workflow
Things 3 for people who need more control.
How It Compares to Things 3
Things 3 is opinionated—one way to work. Amazing Marvin is the opposite—50+ strategies you can enable/disable until it perfectly matches your brain. Both are task managers, but Marvin offers infinite customization Things deliberately avoids.
Key Features Things 3 Doesn’t Have
50+ customizable strategies: Pomodoro, Eisenhower Matrix, Eat the Frog, gamification, time-blocking—mix and match
Procrastination Wizard: AI identifies why you’re stuck and suggests strategies
Dopamine gamification: Points, levels, rewards for completion
Visual customization: Change colors, themes, layouts to prevent boredom
Time-tracking: Built-in time tracking Things lacks
Cross-platform: Works on Windows, web, not just Apple
Best For
Things 3 users who’ve tried everything and nothing quite fits, people with ADHD needing dopamine hits, those wanting to experiment with different productivity methodologies.
Pricing
Monthly: $12/month
Annual: $8/month ($96/year)
Lifetime: $300 one-time (occasionally $200)
14-day free trial (no credit card)
Pros Over Things 3
Infinitely customizable—adapts to any workflow
When you get bored, completely transform the system
Procrastination Wizard helps when stuck
Built specifically with ADHD/executive dysfunction in mind
Time-tracking built-in
Cross-platform (web, desktop)
Cons vs. Things 3
Overwhelming at first—too many options
Steep learning curve vs. Things’ simplicity
Design not as refined as Things
Can become hyperfocus rabbit hole
8. Akiflow – Task Consolidation from All Your Tools
When your tasks live in 10 apps, Akiflow unifies them.
How It Compares to Things 3
Things 3 lives in isolation—only connects to Apple Calendar/Reminders. Akiflow’s “Universal Inbox” consolidates tasks from 3,000+ tools into one view, then helps you time-block them onto your calendar. It’s what Things would need to be for modern multi-tool workflows.
Key Features Things 3 Doesn’t Have
Universal Inbox: Consolidates tasks from Gmail, Slack, Notion, Asana, Jira, Linear, ClickUp, GitHub, Todoist
Time-blocking: Drag tasks onto calendar view (Things has no calendar)
Command Bar: Keyboard shortcuts for lightning-fast management
Aki AI Assistant: Automates routine processes, reschedules conflicts
Strong dev tool integrations: Especially Jira, Linear, GitHub
Best For
Things 3 users juggling tasks across multiple tools, developers needing Jira/Linear/GitHub integration, power users who live in keyboard shortcuts.
Pricing
Monthly: $34/month
Annual: $19/month ($228/year)
7-day free trial
Pros Over Things 3
Universal Inbox solves multi-tool chaos
Time-blocking on calendar (Things can’t do this)
Command Bar blazingly fast
Strong integrations (especially developer tools)
Cross-platform (web, desktop, mobile)
Cons vs. Things 3
Expensive ($228-408/year vs. $80 one-time)
Interface can feel cluttered vs. Things’ minimalism
Still requires manual time-blocking
Steeper learning curve
9. Sorted³ – Hyper-Scheduling for iOS Power Users
Things 3’s elegance meets flexible time-blocking.
How It Compares to Things 3
Sorted³ is iOS-native like Things but adds hyper-scheduling: unified timeline of tasks + calendar, Auto-Schedule AI, Time Ruler to shift multiple tasks at once. It’s what Things might be if it embraced calendar integration and flexible scheduling.
Key Features Things 3 Doesn’t Have
Unified timeline: Tasks, calendar events, notes in one visual view
Auto-Schedule AI: Automatically schedules tasks based on priorities
Time Ruler: Shift multiple tasks simultaneously when plans change
Magic Select: Manipulate multiple tasks at once
Flexible time-blocking: More dynamic than manual scheduling
Best For
Things 3 users who love iOS-native apps but need calendar integration and time-blocking, visual thinkers who want unified timeline view.
Pricing
Free: Core features forever
PRO iOS: $14.99 one-time
PRO macOS: $24.99 one-time
14-day free PRO trial
Pros Over Things 3
Unified task + calendar view Things lacks
Free forever (vs. $80 upfront)
One-time PRO purchase (no subscriptions)
Auto-Schedule reduces manual work
Time Ruler for flexible rescheduling
Still iOS-native quality
Cons vs. Things 3
Apple-only (no Windows, Android, web)
Design not quite as polished as Things
Limited integrations
Smaller user community
10. 2Do – Powerful iOS Alternative with More Features
Things 3’s platform, OmniFocus’s power, middle pricing.
How It Compares to Things 3
2Do sits between Things’ simplicity and OmniFocus’s complexity. It’s iOS-native like Things but offers power features: custom smart lists, location-based reminders, contact attachments, extensive customization.
Key Features Things 3 Doesn’t Have
Smart lists: Auto-organize based on complex criteria
Location-based reminders: Trigger tasks by GPS location
Contact attachments: Link tasks to specific people
More flexible recurring: Advanced repeat patterns
Multiple sync options: iCloud, Dropbox, or Reminders sync
Cross-platform: Also available on Android (unlike Things)
Best For
Things 3 users wanting more power without OmniFocus complexity, people needing location-based reminders, iOS users who occasionally need Android access.
Pricing
iOS: $14.99 one-time
Mac: $49.99 one-time
Android: $9.99 one-time
Total: ~$75 one-time (comparable to Things’ $80)
Pros Over Things 3
More powerful features while staying approachable
Location-based reminders (Things lacks this)
Smart lists more flexible than Things
Also available on Android
Comparable one-time pricing
Cons vs. Things 3
Design not as refined as Things
Interface feels dated compared to Things
Smaller user community
Less polished animations
Can You Replicate Things 3 Elsewhere?
The honest answer: No. Things 3’s design excellence is singular. No alternative matches its animation quality or typography.
But here’s what you can get: 80% of Things’ experience plus features Things will never have—AI scheduling, calendar integration, collaboration, cross-platform support, automatic task capture.
Which alternatives feel closest to Things 3:
TickTick – Most similar aesthetic, adds features Things lacks
Sorted³ – iOS-native quality, unified timeline
rivva – iOS-native excellence with AI intelligence
2Do – Apple-focused power without overwhelming complexity
The Bottom Line: Choose Based on What Things 3 Can’t Do
Things 3 is exceptional. It’s the gold standard of task manager design. But it’s deliberately limited—and for some users, those limitations matter more than the beautiful interface.
If you need AI intelligence → rivva (energy-aware) or Motion (full autopilot)
If you need cross-platform → Todoist or TickTick
If you need calendar integration → Sunsama or rivva
If you need more power (solo) → OmniFocus or Amazing Marvin
If you need collaboration → Todoist or TickTick
If you want closest to Things → TickTick or Sorted³
rivva is the alternative for users who appreciate Things 3’s design philosophy but need it reimagined for the AI era. It maintains iOS-native quality while adding the intelligence Things deliberately omits: energy-aware scheduling, automatic task capture, calendar integration, and proactive adaptation.
You deserve tools that match your standards without limiting your capabilities. Things 3 proved beautiful task management is possible. rivva proves beautiful and intelligent task management is possible.
Pricing and features subject to change. Always verify current details on official websites before purchasing.