Is Things 3 Worth It in 2026? Price, Limits, and Who Should Skip It

Pricing and product details checked October 2026.

Things 3 is worth buying if you work on Apple devices, want a focused personal task manager, and prefer a one-time purchase to a subscription. It is a weaker fit if you need Windows or Android access, shared task lists, or a built-in workflow for tracking time and generating AI progress reviews.

The decision comes down to what you expect your task manager to do. Do you mainly want help deciding what to work on next, or do you also need a record of your work, its context, and the time it took?

Things makes a strong case for the first job. SelfManager.ai is worth considering for the second.

The Quick Verdict

A missing feature only matters when you actually need it. Someone planning personal projects on a Mac may get more value from Things than from a larger tool with features they never use.

How Much Does Things 3 Cost in 2026?

Things 3 is sold separately for each supported platform. These are the US App Store prices checked in October 2026:

These prices come from the current US App Store listings.

Buying the Mac and iPhone versions costs $59.98. Adding the iPad version brings the total to $79.97.

Prices vary by country and currency, and promotions can change what you pay. Things also has a separate Vision Pro version, which is outside these totals.

Things Cloud sync is included without a subscription. You buy the versions you need, rather than paying a recurring fee to keep the current apps working.

Is the upfront price expensive?

The Mac price can feel substantial compared with a free task app. Spread across years of use, the calculation looks different.

For illustration, using the $59.98 Mac-and-iPhone combination for three years works out to about $1.67 per month. That is an amortized purchase cost, not a monthly payment or a promise about how long you will use it.

The more useful question is whether Things replaces your current system. If you still need another planner, a separate timer, and a reporting workflow, its purchase price is only part of your setup.

Equally, if Things handles everything you need, paying a subscription for extra capabilities may make little sense.

Can you try Things before buying?

Cultured Code offers a 15-day free trial for Mac. Treat that as a chance to test your normal workload rather than to organize a few sample tasks.

Try it during a week with deadlines, interruptions, personal obligations, and unfinished work. Those are the conditions that reveal whether its structure helps you.

What Things 3 Does Well

It separates when to start from when to finish

A useful part of Things is the distinction between a task’s start date and its deadline.

A start date answers, “When do I want to begin this?” A deadline answers, “When must this be finished?”

Imagine a proposal due Friday. You could plan to start on Tuesday while keeping Friday as the deadline. Those dates describe different decisions.

This matters because treating every planned task as “due” creates unnecessary urgency. A task you intend to work on today is not always a task that becomes late tonight.

It gives personal tasks a clear structure

Things combines areas and projects with views such as Today, Upcoming, Anytime, and Someday. Tasks can include notes, tags, and checklists; projects can use headings.

That supports a practical distinction between ongoing responsibilities, outcomes you are working toward, and the actions you want to tackle next.

For someone carrying work projects alongside household responsibilities and personal goals, that structure can be enough. You do not necessarily need a shared workspace or a reporting system to remember what needs doing.

It connects planning with your Apple environment

Things provides native Apple apps, Mac Quick Entry, keyboard navigation, and integrations such as Shortcuts. Calendar events can appear alongside tasks.

The important distinction is that viewing calendar events does not mean the app automatically schedules your tasks into available time slots.

If you already work comfortably within Apple’s ecosystem, that integration may matter more than having access from every operating system.

It keeps completed work

Things has a Logbook containing completed or cancelled tasks and projects.

That deserves recognition: Things does keep a history of work. It would be inaccurate to describe it as a tool that forgets everything once you check it off.

The question is how much context you need around that history. A list of completed tasks may be sufficient for personal reflection. A client report may also require time spent, decisions, blockers, and explanations.

Who Should Skip Things 3?

People who need access beyond Apple devices

Things has no Windows or Android app and no browser interface for viewing your tasks.

This can be a deal-breaker even if your personal phone is an iPhone. A Windows work computer, an Android tablet, or a Linux development machine may be where you need to use your planner.

Think about your actual working day. If you would repeatedly reach for your phone because your task manager cannot open on the computer in front of you, that is a limitation to test before buying.

People who need a shared system

Things does not support real-time collaboration on tasks or lists.

You can use it to manage your own responsibilities within a team. You can also record what you need to ask a client or colleague. But those people cannot collaborate with you inside a shared Things list.

If your requirement is “I want to organize my own follow-ups,” Things may fit. If it is “We need one editable view of this work,” choose a collaborative tool.

People who want time tracking and reporting in the same workflow

Things’ documented core workflow centers on tasks, projects, dates, and notes. It is not presented as an integrated task timer and client-reporting system.

A separate time tracker may be perfectly acceptable. The friction appears when you need to reconcile what you planned, what you completed, and how long it took across different tools.

Before buying, ask yourself: would I be happy maintaining those records separately? If the answer is yes, this limitation may be unimportant. If it is already a source of frustration, look for an integrated workflow.

People who want built-in AI planning and reviews

It is too broad to say Things has “no AI.”

Things supports Apple system capabilities, including Siri and Writing Tools, and Cultured Code documents third-party ways to connect AI tools. Those are different from a built-in workflow that drafts dated plans or reviews a period of work using tasks, recorded time, and comments.

If AI is part of your buying decision, define the action you need: capturing a task, rewriting a note, planning a week, or producing a progress review. Those are different requirements.

When SelfManager.ai is a Better Fit

SelfManager.ai organizes work around dates and tables. Each day provides a workspace for different areas of work and life, with tasks, notes, and comments.

Its appeal is strongest when planning and keeping a useful work record are part of the same job.

Consider this illustrative freelance day:

• A client revision needs attention.
• Your own product has a bug to investigate.
• A proposal needs a follow-up.
• A personal appointment affects your available time.

In SelfManager, those threads can live in separate tables on the same date. You can track time against tasks and record decisions in comments as the work happens.

For example, a comment could explain that a client revision is waiting on approval. That context helps distinguish unfinished work from forgotten work.

The AI layer then builds on the record: AI Plan can draft up to 31 days, and Instant AI Review can review a custom period of up to 90 days. Voice recordings can be up to 30 minutes. Review AI drafts before relying on them or sending a summary to someone else.

If you want to test that workflow, use SelfManager.ai’s seven-day trial with a real week of tasks, tracked time, and decisions. No credit card is required.

Things 3 and SelfManager.ai at a glance

SelfManager’s Individual plan is $8 per month, or $6 per month paid annually, billed at $72 per year.

The Team plan is $30 per month, or $25 per month paid annually, billed at $300 per year, with unlimited collaborators.

Things can be cheaper over several years. SelfManager’s case is the additional workflow you use, rather than a lower long-term price.

SelfManager is also a weaker fit if native Apple integration is your main priority, or if you need automatic calendar scheduling. It does not offer calendar sync.

How to Decide During the Trial

Test the same set of real responsibilities you currently manage. Avoid judging a new planner only by how satisfying an empty workspace looks.

Use this checklist:

1. Capture: Can you add a task quickly when an interruption arrives?
2. Plan: Can you separate what matters today from what can wait?
3. Recover: Can you reschedule unfinished work without losing its meaning?
4. Find: Can you retrieve a task or decision when you need it?
5. Review: Can you explain what moved forward by the end of the week?
6. Access: Can you use the system on the devices where you actually work?

Then identify the improvement that would justify switching.

Perhaps Things makes your daily list easier to manage. Perhaps SelfManager makes your weekly progress easier to explain. Either is a useful result if it addresses your actual problem.

Final Verdict: Is Things 3 Worth It?

Yes, for Apple users who want a focused personal task manager and prefer one-time pricing. Its planning structure and native integrations make it a credible choice, even when competing products offer more features.

Skip it if browser access, mixed operating systems, or shared work are essential.

Choose SelfManager.ai if your priority is planning by date while keeping tasks, time, decisions, and AI reviews together. Start with the seven-day trial and see whether the record you build during the week is useful when you review it.

For a broader shortlist, see our Things 3 alternatives guide. This article’s decision is narrower: whether Things itself fits the way you work.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Things 3 a subscription?

No. Things 3 is a one-time purchase for each supported platform. Things Cloud synchronization is included without a recurring fee.

Do I have to buy Things separately for Mac and iPhone?

Yes. Mac and iPhone are separate purchases. At the US prices checked in October 2026, the two versions total $59.98. Apple Watch is included with the iPhone version.

Does Things 3 work on Windows or Android?

No. Things is available on supported Apple devices and does not offer a browser app. If you need access from a Windows or Android device, choose a tool that supports your setup.

Can Things 3 be used for team collaboration?

It can organize your own team-related responsibilities, but it does not support real-time shared task lists. A shared workflow requires a collaborative tool.

Does Things 3 have AI features?

Things supports Apple system features and third-party automation options. That differs from built-in AI planning and period reviews. Choose based on the specific AI action you need rather than a simple AI yes-or-no label.

Is Things 3 better than SelfManager.ai?

Things is a stronger fit for focused personal planning in native Apple apps with one-time pricing. SelfManager.ai fits people who want an installable web app with dated tables, task-level time tracking, comments, and AI-assisted planning and reviews.