Short answer: Yes — one-time purchase with gorgeous design that actually helps you get things done. No subscription, no BS.
Worth it for: Solo productivity nerds who value design, hate subscriptions Skip if: You need team collaboration or live inside Google Calendar Better alternative: TickTick (if you need cross-platform)
Here is the thing nobody admits about task managers: 90% of them make you worse at productivity by overwhelming you with options. Things 3 does the opposite. It cuts the feature bloat while keeping the power features that actually matter. And it does it with a one-time purchase model that feels almost rebellious in 2026.
When It IS Worth It
You are sick of paying $10/month forever for what should be basic software. Things 3 is a rare breed: a premium Mac/iOS app with a single payment, no "premium features" hostage situation, and UI so polished you will actually enjoy using it. The one-time cost pays for itself within 3 months versus subscription alternatives.
You need structure without complexity. Things 3 has areas, projects, headings, and tags — enough to organize a complex life without the paralysis of Notion-style customization. The Today view is genuinely the best implementation of "what should I focus on right now?" in any app.
You want something that feels like an Apple product. Cultured Code designs Things like Apple designs hardware — obsessing over small interactions. The drag-to-schedule gesture, the satisfying check-off animation, the keyboard shortcuts — these details compound into genuine productivity gains because you actually want to open the app.
You are a GTD practitioner. Things 3 is the closest any app gets to David Allen's Getting Things Done methodology without being annoying about it. Inbox, projects, areas of responsibility, and review — it maps perfectly.
You have tried every task app and keep coming back to simple lists. This is the pattern I see most often with Things 3 converts: they went from Apple Reminders to Todoist to Notion to Asana, added complexity at every step, accomplished less, and then tried Things. The relief of opening an app that does not ask you to build a database before writing a task is genuine. Things 3 is where productivity app tourists finally stop traveling.
When It Is NOT Worth It
You work with a team. The lack of collaboration is borderline ridiculous in 2026 — no shared projects, no comments, no task assignment. If anyone else needs to see your tasks, Things 3 is a non-starter.
You need deep calendar integration. It shows your calendar events in the Today view, but there is no two-way sync. You cannot create tasks from calendar events or schedule tasks by dragging to a time slot. For calendar-driven workers, this is a dealbreaker.
You use Windows or Android. Things 3 is Apple-only with zero plans for cross-platform. If there is any chance you will switch ecosystems, your task history is trapped.
You need location-based reminders. Apple Reminders does this natively. Things 3 does not. If "remind me when I arrive at the office" is your workflow, the free alternative does it better.
Who Should NOT Buy This
- Team leaders or project managers — zero collaboration features
- Google Calendar addicts — the integration is too shallow to be useful
- Cross-platform users — locked to Apple ecosystem permanently
- People who need time-blocking — no calendar-style scheduling view
- Anyone who thinks Apple Reminders is "enough" — it probably is for you, save your money
Cheaper or Better Alternatives
| Alternative | Price | My Take |
|---|---|---|
| TickTick | $35.99/year | Ugly but cross-platform with collaboration and habit tracking |
| Todoist | $48/year | More features, worse design, subscription model |
| Apple Reminders | Free | Embarrassingly good now if you are all-in on Apple |
| OmniFocus | $74.99 one-time | More powerful for complex projects but much steeper learning curve |
| Notion | Free/$8 | Swiss army knife, but overkill for pure task management |
Check out our Airtable review for comparison. Check out our Alfred Powerpack review for comparison.
What Annoys Me About Things 3
- No collaboration in 2026 is inexcusable. Even basic task sharing would make this perfect. Cultured Code seems philosophically opposed to adding it.
- Paying separately for each platform. $49.99 Mac + $9.99 iPhone + $19.99 iPad = nearly $80 total. One-time is good, but the platform tax stings.
- Glacial update pace. Cultured Code releases updates maybe twice a year. Features other apps added in 2023 still are not in Things. The "Things 4" wait could last forever.
- No web version. If you are at a work computer without your Mac, you cannot access your tasks at all.
Final Verdict
worthit. This is the rare app that justifies its price with a flawless one-time purchase model and design that makes you want to use it daily. The collaboration gap is painfully stupid, but if you are flying solo and use Apple devices, nothing else comes close at this price point.
My advice: buy the iPhone app first ($9.99) and use it for a month. If you find yourself opening it daily, invest in the Mac version. If you forget about it after a week, you just saved $50.
FAQ
Why pay when Apple Reminders is free?
Because Reminders still feels like a toy next to Things 3's project management. If you just need grocery lists, Reminders is fine. If you run a complex life, Things is worth it.
Will there ever be a Things 4?
Cultured Code moves at glacial speed. Assume no and be pleasantly surprised if it happens. Things 3 has been unbeatable since 2017.
Can I use it for work?
Only if you work alone. For teams, this is a non-starter. Use Todoist or Linear instead.
Can I migrate from Todoist?
Yes, but it is manual. Export Todoist as CSV, import into Things. Expect to spend an hour reorganizing.