Things 3 vs Apple Reminders (2026): Do You Still Need Things?

Apple Reminders is the better starting point if you want free task lists, reliable alerts, and shared household or personal planning. Things 3 is worth considering if you want a more deliberate personal workflow built around projects, areas, start dates, and a carefully organized daily view.

You do not need Things simply because you have more than a few tasks. Current Reminders supports tags, Smart Lists, subtasks, shared assignments, and reminders inside Calendar.

The reason to pay for Things is that its structure helps you organize and choose your work more comfortably. That is a workflow decision, not a requirement for basic productivity.

Features and US pricing checked October 12, 2026.

Things 3 vs Apple Reminders at a Glance

The comparison is between documented workflows, rather than a claim that one app is faster or more reliable on every device.

What Current Apple Reminders Can Do

Older comparisons sometimes present Reminders as little more than a place to write a shopping list. That is an incomplete picture in 2026.

Apple’s current iPhone documentation includes:

• Custom Smart Lists filtered by tags, dates, times, locations, flags, and priority.
• Shared lists with tasks assigned to participants.
• Recurring and location-based reminders.
• Early reminders before a scheduled date or time.
• Urgent reminders that trigger an alarm when due.
• Scheduled reminders displayed and managed inside Calendar.

Subtasks are also supported, giving multi-step work more structure.

These features have different histories; this is a list of current capabilities, not a claim that they all arrived in the latest iOS release.

Apple notes that the full documented feature set depends on updated iCloud reminders. Other account types, older software, or browser access may not provide every feature.

1. Pricing: Reminders Has the Clear Entry-cost Advantage

Apple Reminders does not require buying a separate task-management app.

Things 3 uses separate purchases. Current US prices are:

• Mac: $49.99.
• iPhone and Apple Watch: $9.99.
• iPad: $19.99.

Buying those three versions totals $79.97. You do not need to buy versions for devices you do not use.

Things Cloud synchronization is included without an additional subscription. Local app-store prices can differ.

When the purchase makes sense

A one-time purchase can be reasonable if you expect to use Things regularly and prefer its workflow.

However, you should be able to explain what the purchase improves. If your requirement is a list with reminders and a few subtasks, Reminders already provides a strong starting point.

If you already own Things, the decision changes. You are comparing the workflow you use with the potential benefit and effort of switching. Buying it previously does not require you to keep using it, but moving a reliable system has a cost too.

2. Organization: Projects and Areas Versus Adaptable Lists

Things gives you a deliberate personal hierarchy.

An area can represent an ongoing responsibility such as Work, Home, or Learning. Projects represent outcomes with multiple tasks. Headings divide a project into useful sections, while checklists handle smaller steps within a task.

That structure can help when your workload mixes ongoing responsibilities with projects that should eventually finish.

Reminders organizes work through lists, with subtasks and tags providing additional structure. Smart Lists collect matching reminders across lists.

An illustrative project

Suppose you are preparing a workshop.

In Things, you might create a project under a Work area, then use headings for content, logistics, and follow-up.

In Reminders, you could create a workshop list, group steps under parent reminders, and use tags or priority to filter the work that needs attention.

Both can represent the work. The difference is how much of the organization you want supplied by the app and how much you prefer to arrange yourself.

Choose Things if the area-and-project distinction helps you maintain a clearer system. Choose Reminders if lists and filters already make your responsibilities easy to understand.

3. Dates: Things Separates Starting from Finishing

This is one of the most useful reasons to consider Things.

Its When date answers when you intend to begin work. Its Deadline answers when the task must be finished.

For example:

• Start drafting the proposal on Tuesday.
• Send the final proposal by Friday.

You can move the intended workday without changing the external deadline.

Tasks with future start dates stay out of the active workflow until they become relevant. Things also provides a deadline view through Quick Find.

How Reminders approaches the same need

Reminders lets you set a due date and time, recurrence, and an early reminder before the scheduled date.

You could schedule the proposal for Friday and use an earlier notification to prompt preparation. Alternatively, create separate reminders for drafting and sending it.

Those are workable approaches, but an early notification is not the same thing as a separate start-date field.

If many of your commitments have both a planned workday and a firm deadline, test this difference with real tasks. It may matter more than the number of customization options.

4. Daily Planning: A Guided Workflow Versus Configurable Views

Things brings together Today, This Evening, Upcoming, Anytime, and Someday.

These lists distinguish the work you intend to address now from future commitments, active possibilities, and ideas you have not committed to.

This Evening can separate later tasks from daytime work. Upcoming provides a view of the days ahead.

Reminders offers Today and Scheduled, with custom Smart Lists for more specific needs.

For example, you can create a view that collects reminders matching particular tags or priority criteria instead of relying only on the original lists.

Which approach is better?

Things is attractive if you want a consistent set of planning concepts to use each day.

Reminders is attractive if you prefer to build a few focused views around your own lists.

Neither approach prevents overplanning. A well-organized Today list still needs to fit around meetings, interruptions, and the time available.

5. Calendar Use: Distinguish Display from Integration

Things can display selected calendar events at the top of Today and within Upcoming. This lets you see appointments alongside your tasks.

That does not mean Things tasks automatically become calendar events or that Things automatically schedules them into available time.

Apple Calendar can display scheduled reminders. You can create, edit, and complete those reminders directly inside Calendar.

For someone who wants to manage dated reminders while looking at appointments, that is a practical advantage of the built-in Apple combination.

Do not buy Things solely because you want tasks and appointments visible together. Check the Reminders-and-Calendar workflow first.

6. Collaboration: Apple Reminders Wins for Shared Lists

Apple Reminders supports shared iCloud lists. Participants can add and edit items, complete reminders, and assign tasks to people on the list.

That can suit a household checklist, a shared shopping list, or a small personal project among people using iCloud.

Things does not support real-time collaboration on tasks or lists. Sharing a text copy of a list is different from sharing a live list that everyone can update.

If your main requirement is coordinating obligations with another person, this difference can settle the decision immediately.

Choose Things for your own system. Choose Reminders when a shared list is central to the workflow.

7. Browser Access: Reminders Has a Useful Option

Things requires its app on a supported Apple device. Things Cloud synchronizes your data, but it does not provide a browser task manager.

Apple offers Reminders on iCloud.com, where you can manage reminders and lists. Features and availability can differ from the native apps; Apple also documents limitations around some shared-list visibility.

This can help if you occasionally need access from another computer. Test the specific actions you require rather than assuming the browser experience matches the iPhone or Mac app.

For frequent work across different operating systems, evaluate whether either option meets your requirements comfortably.

Should You Use Both?

You can use Things for personal work and Reminders for a genuinely shared household list.

That division can make sense because each app has a clear responsibility.

The problem begins when the same obligation appears in both places. Completing one copy may leave another active, and deciding where something belongs becomes another task.

If you keep both:

• Give each app a specific purpose.
• Keep each task in one authoritative place.
• Review both where necessary.
• Avoid maintaining duplicate daily lists.

Use two tools because they handle distinct needs, rather than because you have not decided which one to trust.

How to Decide in One Working Week

Choose one real project and a few ordinary obligations. Test:

1. A task you can do today.
2. A task with an intended start date and a separate deadline.
3. A repeating responsibility.
4. A multi-step project.
5. A shared task, if sharing matters.

Then ask:

• Can I capture a task without hesitating?
• Can I find the right next action?
• Can I move planned work without confusing the deadline?
• Can I keep future ideas out of today’s commitments?
• Can the other person participate where needed?

Assess the workflow you actually use. Do not create an elaborate setup that you will stop maintaining after the test.

Cultured Code offers a Mac trial. Use it before purchasing if the Mac workflow is central to your decision.

If Neither Fits: Consider SelfManager.ai for Dated Work and AI Review

If your main need is to preserve what happened each day, track task time, and review a week of work with AI, the decision goes beyond Things versus Reminders.

SelfManager.ai organizes work through dates and tables, with tasks, notes, comments, images, and tracked time. AI Review can help recap recorded progress. The Team plan supports shared-table collaboration.

It is an installable web app with browser access across platforms. It does not provide calendar sync or automatic calendar scheduling.

Individual costs $8/month or $72/year. Team costs $30/month or $300/year with unlimited invited collaborators. Both have a seven-day trial without a card.

Consider it for that workflow, rather than as a cheaper substitute for free Apple Reminders.

Do You Still Need Things 3?

You probably do not need Things if Reminders already handles your lists, alerts, sharing, and daily planning comfortably.

Things remains worth considering when its project structure, separate start dates and deadlines, and daily planning views make your personal system easier to maintain.

Choose based on the responsibilities you handle repeatedly. The best reason to pay is a workflow improvement you can identify and use.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Things 3 better than Apple Reminders?

For structured personal projects and separating start dates from deadlines, Things may be a better fit. Reminders is stronger for free access, location alerts, and shared iCloud lists. The better choice depends on your workflow.

Is Apple Reminders good enough for work?

It can be sufficient for individual work and smaller shared lists. Tasks, subtasks, tags, Smart Lists, and scheduled reminders provide useful organization. Test whether your project, collaboration, and reporting requirements need more.

Can Things 3 share tasks with other people?

Things does not support live collaboration on tasks or lists. You can share text copies, but recipients do not gain a shared editable task list.

Can Things 3 show calendar events?

Yes. Things can display selected calendar events alongside tasks. This is different from exporting tasks into Calendar or automatically scheduling your work.

Is Things 3 a subscription?

The Mac, iPhone, and iPad apps are sold as separate one-time purchases. Things Cloud synchronization is included without an additional subscription.

Can I use Apple Reminders in a browser?

Yes, through iCloud.com. The available features can differ from the native apps, so check whether the browser supports the workflow you need.