Things vs Todoist

Updated October 2026 · AppBreakup editorial

Things

Cultured Code's design-led personal task manager for Mac, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Vision Pro.

Paid

Visit Things Things profile

Todoist

A cross-platform task manager with fast natural-language entry, projects, labels and filters.

Free plan + paid

Visit Todoist Todoist profile

The short answer

Pick Things if you use only Apple devices, work alone and want a calm, beautifully designed to-do list you buy once. Pick Todoist if you need your tasks on Windows, Android, Linux or the web, want to share projects, or prefer natural-language quick add. The biggest difference is reach: Things is Apple-only and personal, Todoist runs everywhere and supports teams.

Things or Todoist: our take

Things is designed around a simple daily rhythm. To-dos go into an Inbox, then into Today, This Evening, Upcoming or Someday, and projects with headings sit inside broader areas of your life. Calendar events appear above the Today list, so the day is visible in one place. It has won the Apple Design Award twice, and its Quick Entry, checklists, tags, Shortcuts and URL-scheme automation cover power users. Todoist takes a more flexible approach: tasks in projects with sections and sub-tasks, list, board and calendar layouts, and custom filters for views like everything urgent this week. Its quick add turns plain phrases into dates, recurrences, priorities and labels.

The business models differ. Things is a one-time App Store purchase, with the Mac, iPhone and iPad apps sold separately and free sync through Things Cloud. Todoist is a subscription: a free plan with 5 personal projects, and Pro at $7/month or $60/year, which adds the calendar layout, custom reminders and task durations.

Platforms and sharing are decisive. Things runs only on Mac, iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch, with no web app, no task sharing and no file attachments. Todoist runs on Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android, watches, the web and browser extensions, supports shared projects, offers a Business plan for teams, and has many integrations and a public API.

If every device you own is Apple, you plan alone, and you would rather pay once than subscribe, Things is a pleasure to use. If you switch between operating systems, use a Windows work PC or an Android phone, or need to share lists with others, Todoist is the practical choice.

Choose Things if…

Apple-only users who want a beautiful personal to-do list without a subscription
Clean, fast interface that is pleasant to use daily
One-time purchases instead of a subscription

Choose Todoist if…

People who want a quick, reliable to-do list on every device with optional sharing
You want a free option (Things is paid only)
You need Web, Windows, Linux, Android and Browser extension, which Things doesn't list
Natural-language quick add handles dates and recurring tasks well
Native apps on nearly every platform, including Linux and watches

What is Things?

Things is a task manager made only for Apple devices, known for a calm, carefully designed interface that many people find easier to keep using than busier apps. You collect to-dos in an Inbox, plan them into Today, This Evening, Upcoming or Someday, and group them into projects with headings that sit inside broader areas of your life. Your calendar events appear above the Today list so the whole day is visible in one place, and a Quick Entry window, tags, checklists inside to-dos and deep Shortcuts and URL-scheme support cover power-user needs. What it deliberately lacks: there is no web app, no Windows or Android version, no task sharing or collaboration, and no file attachments. Instead of a subscription, each app is a one-time App Store purchase, with Mac, iPhone (including Watch) and iPad versions sold separately, and sync through the free Things Cloud. It has won the Apple Design Award twice.

What is Todoist?

Todoist is one of the most widely used personal task managers. You type tasks the way you would say them, such as "pay rent every 1st", and it sets dates, recurrences, priorities and labels for you. Tasks live in projects with sections and sub-tasks, can be shown as lists, boards or a calendar, and custom filters pull together views like "everything urgent this week". It also handles light teamwork through shared projects and a Business plan with a team workspace, though it stays closer to a personal to-do list than a project tool. The free Beginner plan is generous enough for many people but caps active projects and filters and keeps only a week of activity history; Pro unlocks the calendar layout, custom reminders, task durations and more projects, and Business adds team billing and permissions. Apps cover Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android, wearables, the web and browser and email add-ons, and there are many integrations plus a public API.

Side by side

Attribute	Things	Todoist
Pricing	Paid	Free plan + paid
Open source	No	No
Self-hostable	No	No
Platforms	macOS, iOS	Web, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, Browser extension
Best for	Apple-only users who want a beautiful personal to-do list without a subscription	People who want a quick, reliable to-do list on every device with optional sharing
Status	Active	Active