Things 3 alternatives for Mac and iPhone in 2026
The best Things 3 alternative depends on why you're leaving. For one purchase that covers Mac, iPhone and iPad, try Alcove ($29.99 once). For Windows or Android, try Todoist or TickTick. For deeper GTD projects, try OmniFocus. For free, use Apple Reminders. For boards on a tiny budget, Kan Do is $2.99 once.
Things 3 is one of the best-designed apps on the Mac, and if it suits you, keep it. People usually look for an alternative for one of five reasons: they need Windows or Android, they want to share lists, they want boards or a calendar with an hour grid, they want notes alongside their tasks, or they'd rather not buy the app three times. This guide is organised around those reasons.
I make Alcove, one of the apps below. I've tried to be fair about where each app is better, and prices were checked on each app's website or App Store page in October 2026.
Things 3 alternatives at a glance
| App | Price | Runs on | Choose it if you want |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alcove | $29.99 once for Mac, iPhone and iPad, after a 14-day free trial | Mac, iPhone, iPad | Your day in the menu bar, boards, a calendar and notes that calculate, one purchase |
| Todoist | Free plan, or Pro at $5 a month billed yearly | Every major platform | Windows, Android, sharing and integrations |
| TickTick | Free plan, or Premium at $49.99 a year | Every major platform | Calendar views, habits and a focus timer in one app |
| OmniFocus 4 | $74.99 or $149.99 universal licence, or $99.99 a year | Apple devices and the web | Detailed GTD: contexts, defer dates, reviews |
| Apple Reminders | Free | Apple devices | Free, shared lists, nothing to install |
| Microsoft To Do | Free | Windows, Mac, iPhone, Android, web | A free list that works on a PC |
| Kan Do | $2.99 once for all Apple devices | Mac, iPhone, iPad, Watch, Vision Pro, Apple TV | Simple kanban boards for very little |
If you want one purchase for every device
Things 3 costs $49.99 on the Mac, $9.99 on iPhone and $19.99 on iPad, bought separately. If you use all three, that's $79.97.
Alcove is $29.99 once for Mac, iPhone and iPad together, after a 14-day free trial, and Family Sharing covers your family. OmniFocus 4 sells a universal perpetual licence ($74.99 Standard or $149.99 Pro) as well as a subscription. Kan Do is $2.99 once for every Apple device, if boards are all you need. See to-do apps without a subscription for more.
If you need Windows, Android or the web
Things 3 is Apple-only, and so are Alcove, Apple Reminders and Kan Do. Todoist and TickTick run everywhere and both understand plain-language dates. Todoist is the stronger choice for shared projects and integrations; TickTick packs in habits, a Pomodoro timer and an Eisenhower matrix. Microsoft To Do is free on every platform and links with Outlook.
If you want boards and a calendar
Things 3 has neither a kanban view nor an hour grid. Alcove has both: boards with To do, Doing and Done columns (a card dropped in Done is finished everywhere), and a calendar with Day, Week and Month views, an hour grid, an all-day row and a Plan panel of tasks that still need a time. TickTick offers kanban and several calendar views in Premium. Todoist has a board layout and, in Pro, a calendar layout. See a personal kanban board and time blocking with an hour grid.
If you want your list in the Mac menu bar
Things 3 has Quick Entry, which opens from a keyboard shortcut, and menu bar controls for a new to-do, but it doesn't keep your list in the menu bar. Alcove is built around it: one click on the menu bar icon shows today with its count, every list, the month, your notes and your boards, and any list can float above your other apps, even full-screen ones. See the best menu bar to-do apps.
If you want notes beside your tasks
Things 3 has Markdown notes on each to-do and project. Alcove has a full notebook beside your tasks: headings, checklists, code, quotes and tables, with notes that do the maths. End a line with = for the answer, and tables total their own columns. Any checklist line can become a task. See notes that do the maths.
If you want deeper GTD
OmniFocus 4 is the most complete GTD app on Apple devices, with contexts (tags), defer dates, custom perspectives and a built-in review. It asks more of you than Things 3. If you like the idea of GTD but want it lighter, see a simple GTD setup in Alcove.
Where Things 3 is still better
- Polish. Things 3 has won Apple Design Awards and still sets the bar for how a Mac app should feel.
- Projects with headings and deadlines. Areas, projects, headings and the Logbook are mature and well thought out.
- Apple Watch and Vision Pro. Alcove doesn't have a Watch app.
Sources
Checked in October 2026:
- Things 3 for Mac, iPhone and iPad on the App Store, and Things Help: Things Helper
- Todoist pricing
- TickTick Premium
- OmniFocus 4 pricing
- Kan Do
- Reminders on Mac: lists and columns
- Microsoft To Do on the Mac App Store
Questions people ask
Is there a free alternative to Things 3?
Apple Reminders is free, built into every Apple device and syncs through iCloud. It has lists, tags, smart lists, sections and a column view, and from iOS 26.2 urgent reminders ring like alarms. Microsoft To Do is also free and adds Windows and Android.
What's like Things 3 but for Windows or Android?
Todoist and TickTick both run on Windows, Android, the web and Apple devices, with natural-language quick add. Things 3 itself is Apple-only.
Which Things 3 alternative has a menu bar list on the Mac?
Alcove keeps today's tasks, every list, the month, your notes and your boards in a menu bar popup, and lists can float above other apps. TickTick has a menu bar mini window. Things 3 has a Quick Entry window and menu bar controls for a new to-do, but no list in the menu bar.
Is there a Things 3 alternative with kanban boards?
Yes. Alcove, TickTick and Kan Do have boards, Todoist has a board layout, and Apple Reminders can show a list as columns.
Do I have to pay for each device like with Things 3?
Not with Alcove, OmniFocus 4 or Kan Do, which are universal purchases covering Mac, iPhone and iPad. Things 3 is sold separately for Mac ($49.99), iPhone ($9.99) and iPad ($19.99).