Report updated Apr 17, 2026
Things 3
For productivity-focused individuals and power users within the Apple ecosystem who value minimalist design and a distraction-free task management experience.
Things 3 is an established productivity app that is a paid app. With a 4.2/5 rating from 42K reviews, it shows polarized user reception. Users particularly appreciate ui/ux design, though progress-blocking bugs remains a common concern.
What is Things 3?
Current Momentum
v3.22 · 3w ago
SteadyThings 3.22 introduces a complete interface refresh, new app icons, and expanded widget styles for iOS and watchOS 26.
Active Nemesis
Todoist: To Do List & Calendar
By Doist
Other Rivals
7-Day Rank Pulse 🇺🇸
ProductivityRating Pulse 🇺🇸
Recent User MoodAI-powered deep analysis surfacing high-signal insights. Still in beta, accuracy improves daily. For informational purposes only.
What makes this app unique?
What Does It Look Like?
How Is The App's Momentum Right Now?
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What Are The Key Features?
Hierarchical organization system to group tasks by life spheres and specific goals.
Drag-and-drop interface to insert tasks anywhere in a list.
A dedicated space for planning tasks specifically for the evening.
How much does it cost?
- iPhone/Watch app at $9.99
- iPad app at $19.99
- Mac app at $49.99
- Vision Pro app at $29.99
Premium, one-time purchase model per platform without recurring subscriptions. High friction noted by users who must pay multiple times for different Apple devices.
Who Built It?
Cultured Code GmbH & Co. KG
Providing Apple ecosystem users with a minimalist, high-craft task management system to organize daily goals and long-term projects.
Portfolio
3
Apps
Who is Cultured Code GmbH & Co. KG?
Cultured Code maintains a distinct 'software as craft' position, prioritizing deep native integration with the Apple ecosystem over cross-platform breadth. Their primary moat is a design-first philosophy and a one-time purchase model that appeals to power users fatigued by the SaaS subscription economy. The recent launch of Things 3 for Vision signals a commitment to being a day-one premium utility for new Apple hardware categories, reinforcing their status as a platform-loyalist favorite.
Who is Cultured Code GmbH & Co. KG for?
- Productivity-focused power users
- GTD practitioners who value minimalist aesthetics
- Platform-native performance
Portfolio momentum
Maintains an intense development pace with 13 updates across its 3-app portfolio in the last 6 months, including a new platform launch.
What other apps does Cultured Code GmbH & Co. KG make?
What do users think recently?
High confidence · Latest 100 of 42K total reviews analyzed
How did the latest release land?
What is the recent mood?
Recent user voice shows a mixed sentiment. Users appreciate ui/ux design and one-time purchase model, but report progress-blocking bugs and ecosystem restrictions.
What Users Love
What Frustrates Users
What is the competitive landscape for Things 3?
How's The Productivity Market?
How does it evolve in the Productivity market?
Things 3 is climbing the charts.
| Country | Category | Chart | Rank | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🇵🇱 Poland | Productivity | iOSPaid | #4 | |
| 🇨🇿 Czech Republic | Productivity | iOSPaid | #14 | ▼2 |
The rivals identified
The Nemesis
Head to Head
Things 3 must defend its 'premium craft' positioning. To counter Todoist, the target should focus on deepening its integration with Apple-specific features (like interactive widgets and Shortcuts) where Todoist's cross-platform nature forces design compromises.
What sets Things 3 apart
Superior aesthetic design and UX polish that adheres to Apple's Human Interface Guidelines more strictly than Todoist's multi-platform UI.
One-time purchase model ($9.99) provides better long-term value for solo users compared to Todoist's recurring subscription model.
What's Todoist: To Do List & Calendar's Edge
Robust API and third-party integrations (Zapier, IFTTT, Slack) allow for automated workflows that Things cannot support natively.
Location-based reminders and file attachments are included in the core task experience, features that are more limited or absent in Things.
Contenders
Built-in 'Any.do Moment' daily review feature that gamifies the morning planning process.
Native WhatsApp integration for creating tasks via chat, a distribution channel Things does not utilize.
Microsoft To Do
★4.6 (471.2K)Microsoft Corporation
🚀A formidable free alternative that leverages the 'My Day' planning philosophy similar to Things' 'Today' view.
Deep integration with the Microsoft 365 ecosystem, allowing users to flag emails in Outlook and see them as tasks.
Completely free to use with no IAP, creating a significant pricing hurdle for Things' $9.99 entry point.
Structured: Daily Planner Todo
★4.8 (157.5K)unorderly GmbH
⚡A high-velocity rival (14 releases in 6 months) that uses a visual timeline instead of standard lists.
Visual time-blocking interface that maps tasks directly onto a 24-hour day-view timeline.
High-frequency update cadence focusing on visual customization and 'aesthetic' productivity that appeals to the same design-conscious demographic as Things.
2Do - Todo List, Tasks & Notes
★4.7 (3.7K)Beehive Innovations Services
⚡The ultimate power-user alternative with 11 releases in the last 6 months, targeting the GTD 'pro' segment.
Extremely granular task metadata including unlimited tags, multiple alerts per task, and batch editing capabilities.
Smart Lists based on complex filtering logic that exceeds the capabilities of Things' 'Areas' and 'Projects'.
Peers
Markdown-based note-taking integrated directly into daily calendar views.
Bi-directional linking (backlinks) between notes and tasks, supporting a 'Second Brain' workflow.
Superior natural language parsing for both events and tasks in a single unified input bar.
Full-featured calendar views (Day, Week, Month) that provide better temporal context than Things' list-heavy UI.
OmniFocus 4
★4.1 (313)The Omni Group
⚡The veteran 'Pro' GTD tool that offers more complexity than Things for users with massive project loads.
Custom 'Perspectives' allow users to create unique views of their data based on complex rules.
Sequential vs. Parallel project types provide more control over task visibility than Things' flat project structure.
Habitica: Gamified Taskmanager
★4.0 (2.3K)HabitRPG, Inc
⚡Targets the same productivity niche but uses RPG mechanics to drive user engagement.
Gamification engine where completing tasks earns XP, gold, and equipment for an avatar.
Social 'Parties' and 'Guilds' where users complete group quests by staying productive.
New Kids on the Block
Superlist: To-Do List Planner
★4.2 (1.3K)Superlist Software GmbH
⚡The spiritual successor to Wunderlist, focusing on a modern, collaborative 'prosumer' experience.
Blends long-form notes and tasks seamlessly within the same project view, similar to Notion but with a task-first focus.
Built-in 'Messages' per task to centralize communication without leaving the productivity context.
Routine Planner, Habit Tracker
★4.5 (17.4K)Routinery Corp.
⚡Emerging threat focusing on behavioral science and 'habit stacking' rather than just task completion.
Focuses on 'Routines' (sequences of tasks) with built-in timers to guide users through their morning or evening.
Heavy emphasis on behavioral triggers and haptic feedback to build discipline, moving beyond the 'static list' model.
The outtake for Things 3
Strengths to defend, gaps to attack
Core Strengths
- Award-winning UI/UX design and Apple-centric polish
- One-time purchase model (no subscription)
- Deep integration with Apple system features (Shortcuts, Widgets)
- Strong alignment with GTD methodology
Critical Frictions
- No cross-platform access (Windows/Web)
- Fragmented pricing (separate purchase per device)
- Lack of collaboration/sharing features
- Critical bugs in game-related logic updates
Growth Levers
- Visual time-blocking expansion (Structured)
- Natural language processing for task entry (Todoist)
- Universal Purchase model to reduce pricing friction
Market Threats
- Free alternatives like Microsoft To Do
- Cross-platform rivals like Todoist with team collaboration
- High-velocity visual planners like Structured
What are the next best moves?
Fix game-level logic and 'power button' bugs
Top complaint theme (Progress-Blocking Bugs) is driving the current 'Declining' sentiment trend and 2.9 rating on Android.
Consolidate platform pricing into a Universal Purchase
Users report high friction and negative sentiment regarding paying separately for iPhone and iPad versions ($9.99 + $19.99).
Develop basic project collaboration features
Identified as a major feature gap compared to Nemesis (Todoist) and a medium-frequency complaint ('This is a solo app').
Feature Gaps vs Competitors
- Cross-platform parity (Todoist)
- Natural language processing for task entry (Todoist)
- Team collaboration and task assignments (Todoist)
- Visual time-blocking timeline (Structured)
- WhatsApp integration for task creation (Any.do)
- Smart Lists based on complex filtering logic (2Do)
Key Takeaways
Things 3 is a design-led 'unicorn' that risks being sidelined by its own ecosystem rigidity. To maintain its premium status, it must resolve the technical bugs currently polluting its sentiment profile and address the high friction of its fragmented pricing model before cross-platform rivals like Todoist close the aesthetic gap.
Where Is It Heading?
Declining
Mixed sentiment (45/100) driven by progress-blocking bugs in game-related updates.
v3.22.9 added glassy UI elements and Apple Watch control updates (Mar 2026) — active design investment.
Rankings fell from Overall US charts (↓8) indicating cooling market momentum.