Things 3 vs Apple Reminders: is Things worth paying for?

By Basil, maker of Alcove · Updated 8 October 2026 · 10 min read

Apple Reminders used to be the app you left when you got serious. That has changed: it now has sections, columns, tags, smart lists, alarms that ring through silent mode and, with iOS 27, plain-language entry. So is Things 3 still worth paying for? For some people, clearly yes. For others, the free app is now enough.

How I compared. I make Alcove, a third app that gets a short section near the end, so read this with that in mind. On 8 October 2026 I checked Apple's support pages, coverage of iOS 26.2 and iOS 27, and Cultured Code's App Store listings, help pages and release notes for Things 3.24. Prices are US.

What changed in Reminders with iOS 26 and 27

• Urgent reminders that ring (iOS 26.2). Mark a reminder as Urgent and Reminders schedules an alarm for when it's due, which rings even with the device silenced or a Focus on, with Snooze, or a Complete button if you prefer. It needs iCloud Reminders and permission to use alarms, and it rings only on the device that Find My uses as your location. See making a reminder ring like an alarm.
• Quicker capture (iOS 26). Add a reminder from Control Center or the Action button.
• Plain-language entry (iOS 27). Describe a reminder in your own words and Apple Intelligence fills in the date, time and location you mention. It needs an iPhone that supports Apple Intelligence, which means an iPhone 15 Pro or later.
• A new editor (iOS 27). When you add or edit a reminder in a list, a box around it offers the date, time, Urgent, repeat, location, tag, flag and camera, so you rarely need to open the full details.
• Smaller things (iOS 27). Grocery lists sort more accurately and in more languages, and Shortcuts gains actions for creating and deleting groups, lists and sections.

Reminders already had sections with a column view on the Mac, tags, custom smart lists, sub-tasks, templates, attachments, location reminders, reminders that appear when you message someone, shared lists, and scheduled reminders in the Calendar app.

At a glance

Where Reminders is better

• It's free and already there. Nothing to buy or install on any of your Apple devices.
• Sharing. Share a list with family or friends who use iCloud; everyone can edit it and tick items off, and changes appear in real time.
• Location and messaging reminders. Get a nudge when you arrive somewhere or leave, or the next time you message someone. Things doesn't support location reminders.
• Alarms. From iOS 26.2, an urgent reminder rings like an alarm. Cultured Code says plainly that Things' reminders aren't alarms.
• A web version. Reminders works on iCloud.com, so you can add to it from a Windows PC or any browser.
• Groceries. A grocery list sorts items into categories for you.

Where Things 3 is better

• Start dates and deadlines kept apart. A to-do's When date decides the day it moves into Today; until then it waits in Upcoming. A deadline is a separate date. Reminders has one date per reminder.
• Today and This Evening. Today is the short list of what you mean to start today, with This Evening below for later, and Anytime and Someday hold everything else.
• Projects with headings. Areas group projects, headings split a project into stages, and a checklist inside a to-do covers the small steps. Reminders' groups, lists and sections can do something similar, but with less shape.
• Quick Entry with Autofill on the Mac. Capture from Safari, Mail or Finder and Things adds a link to what you were looking at.
• The Logbook. Everything you finish stays in the Logbook, searchable, for as long as you want it.
• Design. Things has won two Apple Design Awards, in 2009 and in 2017 for Things 3. If how an app feels matters to you every day, this is most of the reason to pay.

Is Things 3 worth it?

Things 3 is worth $79.97 for Mac, iPhone and iPad (or $59.98 for Mac and iPhone) if:

• you plan projects with several steps, and you plan them alone;
• you want tomorrow's work kept out of today until tomorrow;
• you spend your day on a Mac and capture from Safari and Mail;
• you'd rather pay once than subscribe, with Family Sharing covering your household.

It probably isn't worth it if:

• you share shopping, chores or family lists;
• you rely on location reminders or alarms;
• your lists are mostly errands with a date;
• you need to reach your list from a Windows PC.

It's also not an abandoned app, which matters for something you'll use for years. Version 3.23 in August 2026 reworked repeating to-dos, and version 3.24 on 14 September 2026 added support for iOS 27 and macOS 27, full integration with Siri AI and Spotlight, better snooze options and an extra-tall widget, with fixes since.

Using both

Cultured Code supports a simple way to use the two together. In Things, turn on Reminders Inbox in Settings on each device and choose a Reminders list. Anything added to that list, by asking Siri, from your Apple Watch, or on iCloud.com from any computer, shows in Things' Inbox under From Reminders. When you import an item, it moves into Things and is deleted from Reminders.

A few kinds of reminder stay hidden from Things to avoid losing data: location reminders, reminders with attachments, sub-tasks or repeats, ones set to appear when messaging someone, and ones made by saying "Siri, remind me of this". Flags and priorities don't carry over.

That makes a sensible split: shared family lists stay in Reminders, and your own projects live in Things. If you'd rather move everything, Things' Reminders importer copies your lists across as projects. It can't see lists inside groups, so drag those out of their groups first.

A third option: Alcove (I make it)

Alcove: Tasks & Notes is $29.99 once for Mac, iPhone and iPad together, with your day in the Mac menu bar, quick add in one sentence, boards, a calendar with an hour grid, notes that calculate, and reminders that can ring as an alarm on iOS 26. Like Things it has no shared lists, and it has no location reminders or Apple Watch app, so for family lists Reminders stays the better choice. See Alcove vs Apple Reminders and Alcove vs Things 3.

Which should you choose?

• You want free, shared lists, location reminders or alarms: Apple Reminders.
• You plan your own projects and want a calmer, more structured planner: Things 3.
• You want both: keep shared lists in Reminders and use Things' Reminders Inbox for your own work.
• You need Windows, Android or a real web app for your projects: neither; see Things 3 vs Todoist.

For more apps either side of these two, see Apple Reminders alternatives and Things 3 alternatives.

Sources

Checked in October 2026:

• Use Reminders on your iPhone or iPad, Organize reminders on your iPhone or iPad, View reminders as lists or columns on Mac, Keep your reminder lists up to date and share them with iCloud and Use Reminders on iCloud.com and Use reminders on Apple Watch, Apple Support
• Set alarm-style iPhone reminders in iOS 26.2 and iOS 27 features and compatibility, MacRumors
• Here's everything new for Reminders in iOS 27, 9to5Mac
• Things 3 for Mac, iPhone, iPad and Vision Pro on the App Store
• Cultured Code: Getting Things, Today, Upcoming, Anytime and Someday, Setting a reminder, Connecting your calendars, Quick Entry, Adding to-dos via Apple Reminders, Importing data from Apple Reminders, features and Mac release notes
• Things wins Apple Design Award 2009 and Back from WWDC, Cultured Code blog

Questions people ask