Things 3
calm, opinionated to-do app you buy once per platform
This version
A Mac plus iPhone plus iPad set costs well over the Mac price, because each is its own app. You own version 3 specifically: Things 2 to 3 shipped as a new paid app in 2017, and 3 has been the current version for years now, so a paid Things 4 at some point is plausible rather than promised. There is no collaboration or list sharing in the app at all — that is a design decision, not a gap they are filling. The trial is downloaded from Cultured Code's site rather than the App Store.
Cost over five years
$50 once = 10 months of Todoist Pro. Over five years that is $300 rented against $49.99 owned — $250 kept, and you still have the app.
Todoist Pro priced at $60 a year — $5 per month, $60 billed yearly. Checked 2026-09-22.
Things is the to-do app for people who have noticed that configuring a to-do app is itself a way of avoiding work. There is an Inbox you empty, a Today list short enough to actually finish, Projects with headings, and Areas to hold the projects. That is most of it. Against OmniFocus you give up custom perspectives and scripting, and you get back an app that does not invite fiddling.
$49.99 on the Mac App Store buys the Mac app outright. Things Cloud sync is included and free — no account tier, no in-app purchases, nothing to renew, which is why it keeps showing up in threads about cancelling Todoist. Quick Entry with autofill is very good, dates parse from plain English, and the whole thing is keyboard-drivable.
The licence boundary is per device family. The iPhone app is a separate $9.99, and iPad and Vision Pro are separate again, so a full set costs meaningfully more than the headline number. You also own version 3 in particular: Things 2 to 3 arrived as a new paid app in 2017, and 3 has been current for years, so leave room for a Things 4.
Skip it if you need to share a list with anyone — there is no collaboration here by choice. Skip it too if your system leans on heavy tagging and saved filters.
What it looks like
What it does
- One-time Mac App Store purchase with no in-app purchases
- Things Cloud sync across Mac, iPhone, iPad and Watch at no extra cost
- Quick Entry with autofill and natural-language date parsing
- Projects with headings, Areas, Someday, and a Today/Upcoming split
- Full keyboard control and a documented URL scheme for automation
Cancel instead
Also bought outright in email & tasks
The facts
- Price
- $49.99
- Licence
- Own this version forever
- What you get
- One payment buys this major version outright. The next major version is a separate purchase, if you want it.
- Details
- $49.99 one-time on the Mac App Store, with no in-app purchases and no subscription. iPhone is a separate $9.99 purchase; iPad and Apple Vision Pro are sold separately again. Things Cloud sync is included at no charge. Cultured Code sets the price in US dollars and lets Apple convert it, so your local figure comes from the store.
- Free trial
- Yes
- On Setapp
- No
- Minimum macOS
- not stated
- Developer
- Cultured Code
- Price checked
- 2026-09-22
Check it yourself - Price band
- $30 to $60