Things 3 vs Todoist: which to choose on Mac and iPhone

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

Things 3 and Todoist are the two apps most people shortlist when they want a proper task manager on a Mac and an iPhone. They're good at different things: Things is a calm, Apple-only planner you buy once, and Todoist is a fast, connected app that runs everywhere on a subscription. Here's how they compare on what usually decides it.

How I compared. I make Alcove, which is neither of these apps; it gets a short section near the end. I checked each app's App Store listing, pricing page, release notes and help documentation on 8 October 2026, with Things at version 3.24. Prices are US.

At a glance

Where Things 3 is better

• One price, no subscription. Things is a one-time purchase per device, with free Things Cloud sync and Family Sharing, so one purchase covers your family.
• Design. Things has won two Apple Design Awards, in 2009 for the original Mac app and in 2017 for Things 3, and it still sets the standard for how a Mac task app should feel.
• Planning a day. Today holds what you mean to start today, with This Evening for later, and a to-do with a future start date waits in Upcoming until its day. Upcoming lays out the next seven days with your events, which helps you avoid overloading one day.
• Quick Entry with Autofill. Capture a to-do from Safari, Mail or Finder and Things adds a link to what you were looking at.
• Projects with headings, and the Logbook. Headings split a big project into stages, and every finished to-do stays in the Logbook for reference.
• Apple devices only, done properly. A native Vision Pro app ($29.99) and an Apple Watch app included with the iPhone app.

Where Todoist is better

• Every platform. Todoist runs on the web, Windows, Linux and Android as well as Apple devices, so it follows you to a work PC or an Android phone.
• Sharing. Shared projects, comments and assigned tasks on every plan, and a Business plan for teams.
• Time blocking. Pro's calendar layout shows tasks in Week, 3-day or Month views on the desktop, and you set a task's length by typing "for 1h" or by dragging its edge. See time blocking on Mac and iPhone.
• Boards. Any project can be a board, on the free plan too.
• Reminders that ring. On iOS 26, an urgent reminder sets off a full-screen alarm through silent mode and Do Not Disturb. Things' reminders are ordinary notifications.
• Integrations and assistants. More than 90 integrations, an official MCP server, and Ramble for capturing tasks by voice.
• A free plan. Enough for five personal projects, with reminders and the board layout.

What they cost over 1, 3 and 5 years

Todoist Pro went up on 10 December 2025, from $4 to $5 a month billed yearly and from $5 to $7 month to month. The free Beginner plan allows 5 personal projects, 3 filter views, one week of activity history, 5 MB uploads and 10 Ramble sessions a month; the calendar layout, task durations, deadlines and Task Assist need Pro. Things' prices assume you keep the version you bought. For every app's current prices, see what to-do apps cost.

AI and assistants

Todoist runs an official Model Context Protocol (MCP) server, so any assistant that supports MCP can read and change your tasks once you approve access, and Todoist publishes setup guides for Claude, Claude Code, ChatGPT and others. Through the Claude connector, Claude can read, create, update and complete tasks and projects, and add up to 25 tasks at once, but it can't manage sections, labels, comments or filters yet. Your task data is then handled by both Todoist and the assistant's provider. Inside the app, Todoist Assist adds Filter Assist on every plan and Task Assist and Email Assist in Pro.

Things 3 added full Siri AI and Spotlight integration in version 3.24 on 14 September 2026, and version 3.24.1 for Mac added Ask Siri to the right-click menu for a to-do or project. Siri AI needs a device that supports Apple Intelligence, such as an iPhone 15 Pro or later. Cultured Code doesn't offer an MCP server; community-built ones, such as the open-source things-mcp, run on the Mac using Things' URL scheme. See to-do apps that work with Claude for more.

Switching between them

From Todoist to Things 3 is easy. Things has a built-in importer: choose File, Import, Import From Todoist on the Mac, or Settings, Import on iPhone and iPad, and sign in to Todoist. Folders become areas, projects and boards become projects, labels become tags, comments go into notes, and due dates become start dates. Repeating tasks arrive without their schedule, sub-tasks are flattened, and priorities, favourites, image attachments and location reminders are left out. Your Todoist data isn't changed.

From Things 3 to Todoist takes more work. Things doesn't export CSV: Cultured Code's options are the raw SQLite database file, printing to PDF on the Mac, Apple Shortcuts and AppleScript. Todoist imports CSV files one project at a time, in its own column format and up to 300 tasks per project, so plan on rebuilding or reshaping your lists.

If you're leaving Todoist for another app, its web app exports any project as a CSV file, though completed tasks aren't included.

If neither fits

Alcove: Tasks & Notes, which I make, sits between them: one $29.99 purchase for Mac, iPhone and iPad, like Things, with boards, a calendar with an hour grid and a local MCP server for assistants such as Claude, and your day in the Mac menu bar. It has no Apple Watch app, no sharing and no Windows, Android or web version, so if you need any of those, Todoist is the better choice. More options are in Things 3 alternatives and Todoist alternatives.

Which should you choose?

• You use only Apple devices, work alone and want to pay once: Things 3.
• You need Windows, Android, Linux or a browser: Todoist.
• You share lists with a partner, family or team: Todoist.
• You plan your day on an hour grid: Todoist Pro.
• You want an assistant like Claude to manage your tasks with official support: Todoist.
• You want the calmest design and an Apple Watch app without a subscription: Things 3.
• You'd like free and Apple-only: Apple Reminders. See Things 3 vs Apple Reminders.

For each app next to Alcove, see Alcove vs Things 3 and Alcove vs Todoist.

Sources

Checked in October 2026:

• Things 3 for Mac, iPhone, iPad and Vision Pro on the App Store
• Cultured Code: Getting Things, Quick Entry, Today, Upcoming, Anytime and Someday, Connecting your calendars, Setting a reminder, Importing data from Todoist, Exporting your data, Mac release notes and features
• Things wins Apple Design Award 2009 and Back from WWDC, Cultured Code blog
• Todoist: pricing, Pro pricing update, downloads, calendar layout, task durations, urgent reminders, widgets on Apple devices, Ramble, Todoist Assist, Connect Todoist to an AI assistant, Use Todoist in Claude and Import or export a project as a CSV file
• iOS 27 features and compatibility, MacRumors, for Siri AI's device requirements
• things-mcp, an open-source MCP server for Things on GitHub

Questions people ask