Things 3 and Todoist are two of the best-known task managers. The big differences are where they run and how you pay. Things is Apple-only and sold once; Todoist runs on almost everything and uses a free plan plus subscriptions. We compared both using the makers' official pages. Prices are as of November 1, 2026.
1
Apple-only users who want no subscriptionThings 3
One-time purchase per platform Things is a personal task manager from Cultured Code for planning days, organizing projects and tracking goals. It supports projects, areas, schedules, reminders, repeating to-dos, tags, calendar integration and widgets, and keeps your devices in sync with Things Cloud. It runs on iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Watch only. You buy each version once on the App Store: Mac, iPhone and Watch, and iPad are sold separately. There is no subscription.
Pick it if all your devices are Apple and you would rather pay once than every month.
2
People on mixed devices, or teamsTodoist
Free plan; Pro and Business plans Todoist is a task manager for capturing, organizing, prioritizing, scheduling and completing tasks. It supports projects, priorities, dates, recurring tasks and integrations with other tools. It runs on iOS, Android, Mac, Windows, the web and as a Chrome extension, so it works even if you use a Windows PC at work and an Android phone. The Beginner plan is free, Pro is US$7 a month or US$60 a year, and Business is US$10 per user per month for teams.
Pick it if you use non-Apple devices, need a web app, or want to share projects with others.
If you are fully on Apple and work alone, Things 3 is a calm choice that you only pay for once. If you use Windows, Android or a browser at work, or you want to collaborate, Todoist is the safer pick. Todoist's free plan also makes it easy to try before you spend anything.
