Written by Shahzaib Ali
Things 3 App Review
A good task manager doesn’t need to do everything.
Sometimes, having fewer features is exactly what makes a productivity app easier to use.
That’s the idea behind Things 3, a personal task management app developed by Cultured Code for Apple devices.
Unlike platforms such as Notion, Asana, or Monday.com, Things 3 isn’t trying to become your entire workspace. It focuses on one main job: helping you capture, organize, schedule, and complete your personal tasks.
That focused approach is one of its biggest strengths.
It’s also the reason Things 3 won’t be the right choice for everyone.
What Is Things 3?
Things 3 is a task manager designed specifically for Apple’s ecosystem.
It has been available in different versions for many years, with Things 3 launching in 2017.
The app is built around a relatively simple idea: collect everything you need to do, organize it into sensible categories, and then focus on what actually needs your attention today.
Things 3 includes features such as:
- Tasks
- Projects
- Areas
- Headings
- Today and Upcoming views
- Someday lists
- Reminders
- Natural-language task creation
- Widgets
- Apple Watch support
- Cross-device synchronization
What it doesn’t offer is just as important.
Things 3 isn’t designed for team collaboration, large-scale project management, or running an entire business operation.
There are no shared team projects, task assignments, or complicated project dashboards.
It’s primarily a personal productivity tool.
The Design Is a Major Part of the Experience
Things 3 is one of those apps where the design isn’t just decoration.
The interface is clean, the typography is easy to read, and the amount of information shown on screen is carefully controlled.
You don’t open the app and immediately see a dashboard filled with statistics, charts, widgets, and notifications.
Instead, you’re presented with your tasks.
That sounds obvious, but it makes a difference.
The Today view focuses on what needs to be handled now, while Upcoming lets you look further ahead. Someday gives you a place to store ideas and tasks that matter but don’t need immediate attention.
This creates a calmer workflow than many productivity apps that constantly remind you how much work remains unfinished.
How the Things 3 Organization System Works
Before using Things 3 seriously, it’s worth understanding its organizational structure.
The basic hierarchy is:
Area → Project → Heading → Task
Each level has a different purpose.
Tasks
A task is an individual action.
For example:
- Send invoice
- Call the client
- Buy groceries
- Review the report
Simple tasks don’t need complicated organization.
Projects
Projects are collections of tasks that work toward a specific outcome.
For example:
Launch New Website
could contain:
- Choose hosting
- Prepare homepage
- Add contact form
- Test mobile layout
- Publish website
A project should generally have a clear endpoint.
Areas
Areas are broader categories that don’t really end.
Examples include:
- Work
- Personal
- Health
- Home
- Finance
- Side Projects
Projects can be placed inside these areas to keep your task manager organized.
Headings
Headings help divide larger projects into smaller sections.
For a website project, you might create headings such as:
- Design
- Content
- Development
- Testing
- Launch
This keeps long project lists easier to navigate without creating unnecessary separate projects.
The Today View
The Today view is one of the most important parts of Things 3.
Instead of showing every task you’ve ever created, it focuses your attention on tasks scheduled for today.
This can make a large task list feel much more manageable.
You can review upcoming tasks and move the appropriate ones into today’s work.
The result is a simple daily workflow:
Capture → Organize → Schedule → Focus → Complete
For people who become overwhelmed by large task lists, this approach can be useful because it separates planning from execution.
Someday Is Surprisingly Useful
Not every task needs a deadline.
Maybe you want to:
- Learn a new programming language
- Redesign your portfolio
- Read a particular book
- Start a side project
- Research a new business idea
Putting all of these tasks into your Today list creates unnecessary pressure.
That’s where the Someday list becomes useful.
It gives you somewhere to keep ideas and future tasks without pretending they need to happen immediately.
This is a small feature, but it supports a healthier way of organizing tasks.
Natural-Language Task Creation
Things 3 also supports natural-language task creation.
Instead of manually selecting every date and reminder, you can write something like:
Call the accountant tomorrow at 2 PM
and the app can interpret the date and time while creating the task.
Similarly, phrases such as:
- Finish report next Friday
- Buy birthday gift in three weeks
- Call the client tomorrow
can make quick task entry much faster.
The feature isn’t perfect with every possible phrase, so it’s still worth checking the result when the wording is complicated.
But for everyday task capture, it can significantly reduce friction.
Where Things 3 Falls Short
Things 3 is polished, but it has some important limitations.
No Collaboration
This is probably the biggest one.
Things 3 is designed for personal task management.
You can’t use it like a team project management platform where you assign tasks to coworkers or collaborate on shared projects.
If you need shared tasks for a business, team, or even a household, you’ll probably need another tool.
This isn’t necessarily a flaw in the product. It’s simply a deliberate focus.
Limited Cross-Platform Support
Things 3 is an Apple-focused application.
If you regularly use Windows or Android devices, it isn’t a practical choice.
There isn’t a Windows or Android version designed to provide the same experience.
For someone who lives entirely inside Apple’s ecosystem, this isn’t a problem.
For everyone else, it can be a major limitation.
Deadlines Aren’t Aggressively Pushed
Things 3 doesn’t behave like some productivity apps that constantly remind you about approaching deadlines.
You can schedule tasks and set reminders, but the app generally expects you to review your task lists rather than constantly pushing notifications.
Some people will appreciate this quieter approach.
Others may prefer a system that actively tells them when something is about to become overdue.
Things Cloud and Synchronization
Things 3 uses its own Things Cloud synchronization system rather than relying on iCloud for task synchronization.
The advantage is that your tasks can stay synchronized across your supported Apple devices.
You can create a task on your iPhone and then continue working with it on your Mac or iPad.
For people who use multiple Apple devices throughout the day, this is an important part of the experience.
Pricing
One of the unusual things about Things 3 is that it uses a one-time purchase model rather than requiring a subscription.
The app is sold separately for its supported Apple platforms.
That can make the initial cost higher than a free task manager, especially if you want to use Things across multiple devices.
However, there isn’t a recurring monthly subscription for the core application.
For users who dislike subscription-based productivity software, this can be a significant advantage.
Because pricing can change, it’s worth checking the current App Store listings before purchasing.
Widgets and Apple Watch Support
Things 3 also fits naturally into Apple’s device ecosystem.
Widgets can provide quick access to your tasks without requiring you to open the full application.
The Apple Watch experience can also be useful for checking today’s tasks or marking something complete when reaching for your phone isn’t convenient.
These aren’t necessarily reasons to switch task managers on their own, but they contribute to the overall experience for people who already use Apple devices.
A Simple Things 3 Workflow
If you’re new to Things 3, don’t overcomplicate the setup.
Start with a simple system.
Step 1: Capture Your Tasks
Add everything that’s currently on your mind.
Don’t worry about perfect organization yet.
Step 2: Create a Few Areas
Start with broad categories such as:
- Work
- Personal
- Home
- Projects
You can reorganize them later.
Step 3: Turn Larger Outcomes Into Projects
If something requires multiple actions, make it a project.
For example:
Launch Website
is better as a project than one enormous task.
Step 4: Use Today Selectively
Don’t put every task into Today.
Only schedule tasks that you realistically want to address today.
Step 5: Use Upcoming for Planning
Review the next several days and make sure deadlines and scheduled work are realistic.
Step 6: Move Non-Urgent Ideas to Someday
If something matters but doesn’t need attention right now, put it away instead of allowing it to clutter your active lists.
This is where Things 3’s minimalist approach starts to make sense.
Who Should Use Things 3?
Things 3 makes the most sense for people who:
- Primarily use Apple devices
- Work independently
- Prefer simple productivity systems
- Care about interface quality
- Don’t need team collaboration
- Want a personal task manager rather than a complete workspace
- Prefer buying software instead of paying a recurring subscription
For that audience, Things 3 is an excellent option.
Who Should Choose Something Else?
You should probably consider alternatives if you need:
- Team collaboration
- Windows support
- Android support
- Browser-based access
- Advanced project management
- Extensive integrations
- Shared task lists
Apps such as Todoist, TickTick, or OmniFocus may make more sense depending on your specific requirements.
The important thing is not to choose an app based solely on how impressive its feature list looks.
Choose the system that fits the way you actually work.
Things 3 vs Other Productivity Apps
Things 3’s biggest difference is its focus.
Things 3: Personal task management with a clean Apple-focused experience.
Todoist: Flexible task management with broader platform support and collaboration features.
TickTick: Task management combined with additional productivity and planning features.
OmniFocus: A more advanced option for users who want deeper task organization and customization.
Notion: Better suited to people who want tasks alongside notes, documents, databases, and broader workspace functionality.
There’s no universal winner.
The right choice depends on how much complexity you actually need.
Final Verdict
Things 3 succeeds because it doesn’t try to become everything.
It focuses on personal task management and does that job with a polished interface, thoughtful organization, useful scheduling features, and strong integration with Apple’s ecosystem.
Its limitations are equally clear.
There’s no serious team collaboration, limited platform support, and a relatively high upfront cost if you want it across multiple Apple devices.
But if you’re an Apple user looking for a calm, focused task manager rather than an all-in-one productivity platform, Things 3 is still a compelling choice.
The biggest lesson is simple:
A good productivity app doesn’t need to give you more things to manage. It should help you manage fewer things at a time.
That’s where Things 3 continues to stand out.
Have a question about Things 3 or productivity apps?