What Is the Things App?

Things (Things 3) is a task management app that was created by a German software company, Cultured Code. Released to the public in 2007, the popular task manager has won numerous awards due to its simple design and useful features.

Things is exclusive only to the Apple ecosystem and works well with all Apple devices, making it a popular task manager for Apple product users. It syncs across the Mac, iPad, iPhone, and even the Apple Watch. This allows users to stay connected with the app wherever they are. 

One of the first few apps designed and released exclusively for Apple, it’s no surprise that Things has won awards for its polished user interface and design. Things remain as a popular personal task manager amongst Apple users even until today.

Features of the Things App 

Things 3 has many features that allow users to manage personal tasks efficiently. If you have multiple products from the Apple ecosystem, you will benefit from Things being an application that works across all Apple products. The app breaks down your tasks hierarchically, which allows you to get more done throughout your day.

The main feature of Things 3 is that it makes it easy for you to organize and move your daily tasks around. The app is hyper-focused on your daily activities so that you can organize your day and maximize your productivity. 

Tasks can be created on the go, and if you’re in a rush, unspecified tasks will end up in your workspace Inbox so that you can get to them when you have time. Also, another neat feature is that you can add tasks from the Things widget on your iPad or iPhone. Things synchronizes with all of your Apple products through the Things Cloud, making it easy for you to access the app from anywhere.

You can create projects on the Things app, which contains multiple to-do lists that make up the entirety of your project. Tasks can also be broken down into more subtasks within your to-do lists. If your task has multiple subtasks, Things allows you to turn it into a project. If you have multiple projects and task lists, Things has a Tag feature to help you get organized.

Projects and to-dos that are of the same theme can be grouped together within Areas that describe them best. For example, a grocery to-do list and a home renovation project can be grouped together under the “Family” Area so that you can easily get more things done.

Things 3 integrates well with most apps, which allows you to use it alongside your favourite applications. Some of the more popular integrations include the calendar app so that you can easily plan your activities with greater detail, or with Apple Reminders so that you can import your lists into Things.

What Is Things 3 Good For?

Things 3 works well if you use multiple Apple products in your daily life. Even though there are other better project management tools out there, the Things app works very well with Apple products.

Here are some uses for Things 3:

• As a personal to-do list
• Organizing daily activities
• Keeping track of simple projects
• Creating tasks on-the-go via Apple products

What Are Some Limitations of the Things app?

Although Things is a pretty solid app for Apple users, it is not without limitations. The first obvious one is that you have to on an Apple device to use it. If you’ve a windows user, check out our list of the best online to-do list apps and take your pick.

Things lack multiple board views. This means that you will only be able to view your task lists via one default view. The app also has a heavy focus on daily tasks, which makes it hard for you if you want to have a weekly or monthly overview of the tasks that you have.

Unlike Taskade, Things does not support collaboration and communication within the app. It’s great for a personal to-do list, but impossible to use if you’re intending to collaborate with your team on a project.

If you’re looking for a free alternative to Things app, Taskade is your best bet. Not only is our app loaded with features, we also offer free chat and video call built-in to every project so that you can communicate with your team and start checking tasks off together.

How Much Does the Things app cost?

Things does not have a free plan. The plans work as a one-time purchase for the device that you want to use it on. If you’re planning to use it across all of your devices, be prepared to fork out a lot of money.

Things For Mac ($49.99, one time payment)

Things For iPhone & Watch ($9.99, one time payment)

Things For iPad ($19.99, one time payment)

Even though they do offer a 15 day free trial, why waste time when you can use Taskade for free? Taskade is available everywhere, and we offer a multitude of features even on our free plan. 

What Is Taskade?

Taskade is a flexible productivity and project management tool that was founded by John Xie, Dionis Loire, and Stan Chang in 2017. The Y Combinator-backed startup aims to help remote teams and individuals get work done faster and smarter.

Taskade is where remote teams get work done. With Taskade, you can organize entire projects and break them down into tasks, change between multiple project views, automate repetitive workflows, collaborate via built-in video chat with your team, and more, via an all-in-one unified workspace. 

Get a headstart on your projects and find a suitable structure for your notes via Taskade’s versatile collection of templates. Simply choose from a wide variety of templates and add them to your projects to get started instantly!

Taskade is a supercharged productivity app that both individuals and teams can use to collaborate on projects in real-time.

Taskade is the best free Things 3 alternative because Taskade was designed with a remote-first approach, allowing teams to collaborate and get work done together virtually. You can create unlimited tasks and projects even on the free plan, giving you the ability to plan heavier projects as soon as you get started.

With Taskade, you can create tasks and visualize them via multiple project views. You can also add collaborators to your Taskade project to collaborate with people within or even outside of your organization.

Get started instantly for free today.

Key Features of Taskade

• Project Views. Visualize your projects in several different ways. Cycle between the List, Mind Map, Org Chart, and Board views to work the way you want. 

  • List View. This is the default view on Taskade. Create new lists here.
  • Board View. This view lets you work horizontally like a Kanban board. Visualize your workflow and tasks in this full-width view.
  • Mind Map View. This view lets you work in a horizontal tree-structured manner and map out what you have in mind.
  • Action View. Work in table view and stay organized with your task due dates, and more.
  • Org Chart View. Break down larger tasks into smaller ones to help you get things done.

• Fold/Unfold. Fold (collapse) a parent task/bullet element to hide its subtasks. Indent outline elements with ⌨️ Tab and unfold lists with ⌨️ Shift+Tab.
• Real-time Communication. Chat and video conference with your team while collaborating in real-time on the same page. 
• 500+ Templates. Choose from 500+ templates across 26 categories to improve your productivity and workflows. Customize existing templates or create new ones across your workspaces.Zoom In, Zoom Out. Get a bird’s-eye view of the workflow by zooming out on all project views, or zoom in to focus on a specific area.
• Multi-Select. Select and format multiple blocks or bulk assign them as tasks to other team members. You can also copy, paste, or indent selected blocks.

• Customize Sub-Tasks. Customize the format of your sub-tasks at individual levels. Choose from headings, numbered lists, shapes, and more.
• Recurring Tasks. Add due dates with start and end times to tasks within your project and set them to repeat daily, weekly, monthly, or even yearly.
• Move Tasks. Move and copy selected tasks to other projects across any workspace. You’ll receive a pop-up notification on completion.
• User Roles & Permissions. Manage collaborators and assign user roles/editing privileges (Owner, Admin, Editor, Checker, Viewer).

• Sort Tasks. Sort sub-tasks/children elements by completed/uncompleted stats or the due date. Task sorting can be accessed from a convenient pop-up menu.
• Search. Search within projects or globally across workspaces and subspaces. Instantly browse and jump between projects anywhere in the Taskade.
• Keyboard Shortcuts. Navigate projects, create content blocks, reorder elements, and complete tasks using a set of handy keyboard shortcuts.

• Team Calendar. Aggregate all tasks and projects in a shared calendar. The Taskade calendar integrates with Google (two-way), Apple, and Outlook. 
• Reorder Tasks. Lists in Taskade aren’t set in stone. Reorder tasks and find them a new home with intuitive drag-and-drop mechanics.
• Project History. See all the changes made by you and other collaborators. Click on the entries to navigate to the edited items within the project.
• Version History. Taskade saves snapshots of your project so that you can restore a previous version of your project with a single click.

• Export and Print. You can export your projects as plain text or markdown files. Attach them to emails, presentations, or for print.

• Cloud File Upload. Share files directly from Google Drive, Dropbox, Instagram, and Box in your projects with our integrations.
• Breakdown Larger Tasks. Organize your thoughts with Taskade’s unlimited hierarchy to break down large projects into tasks.
• Quick Search. Use CMD / CTRL + K to jump between any projects within Taskade web and apps.

View an exhaustive list of Taskade’s features now.

Taskade Pros

• Free-forever plan is loaded with features
• Unlimited tasks and projects even on the free plan
• Real-time collaboration within the same project 
• Free built-in video call and chat function in each project
• Customizable templates to give you a headstart
• Work and chat in the same window, in the same app
• Frequent updates based on user/your feedback and suggestions
• Tabbed workflow for working with multiple Projects

Taskade Cons

• No custom APIs (yet)

Taskade Pricing

Taskade Free Plan

• Unlimited Tasks & Projects
• Unlimited Members & Guests
• Unlimited Folders & Teams
• Templates, Calendar, Repeat Tasks
• Real-time Collaboration
• Built-in Free Chat and Video Call

Taskade Unlimited Plan - Starts from $5/month

• Everything in Free, plus:
• Version History
• Advanced Permission
• Cloud Upload Integration
• 2-Way Calendar Integration

Taskade is a better alternative to Things 3 because we offer a more robust solution for your productivity needs at a competitive price. 

Is Taskade Right for You?

Taskade can be used by individuals and teams working from anywhere. Use Taskade individually or collaborate with your team on shared to-do lists, weekly agendas, team meetings, note-taking, project management, product roadmaps, and more. 

Make use of customizable board views to visualize your projects into digestible smaller tasks. Multiple board views are available even on Taskade’s free plan at a single click of a button, allowing you to get more work done the smarter way. 

Collaborate with your team in real-time with free and unlimited chat and video conferencing that’s available on every project. Automatic syncing ensures that your data is always up to date across devices.

Our customizable templates are available even with our free plan. Find the perfect template to help you get started with your project, and customize it to fit your needs!

Taskade is the simplest way to create task lists, checklists, and workflows. Manage projects and get more work done the simple way with Taskade.

Taskade is the best free Things 3 alternative. Try Taskade for free today.