Let's say you have an iPad, iPhone, Android tablet, Windows desktop, macOS desktop, macOS laptop and you want access from a Linux system from time to time. What does it cost?
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Things 3.14 Update Introduces Improved Bullet Lists, Markdown Support, Find in Text, and More
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Let's say you have an iPad, iPhone, Android tablet, Windows desktop, macOS desktop, macOS laptop and you want access from a Linux system from time to time. What does it cost?
It looks like it would be $79.97 (US dollars) – you don't need to buy per device – to use across all your macOS, iPadOS and iOS devices (Things isn't available on the other platforms you mentioned).
I'm surprised that there isn't at least web browser access for when you're on Windows, Linux or Android.
looking at an App Store price tracker (AppRaven), the Things 3 iPhone, iPad and Mac releases all were last discounted in October 2019.
I was looking at the app a few months ago but I’ve been hesitant to buy it as reminders does the job well enough for me and Things version 3 has been out long enough that I’d be a bit concerned of dropping $95AUD on the Mac + iPhone releases only for Things 4 to show up and potentially need a re-purchase. A sale might be enough to tip me over the edge if one does arise.
FWIW Things 1 -> 2 was 3.5 years, 2 -> 3 was just under 5 years and were now at over 4 with version 3. While we don’t know when 4.0 will drop, it feels a bit late for me to drop the asking price on it, which is unfortunate as it looks like a great tool. On the flip side their long support periods would see me jump straight on an outright 4.0 release since you’d feel reasonably comfortable you’d get good mileage from it.
Last edited:
Buying it for each device only makes sense if you're planning to actively open each of the apps regularly. Otherwise it won't sync and you won't get notifications. Apple has limitations on which apps can sync in the background and for some odd reason, productivity apps are limited in that regard. So basically you can create a reminder on macOS to do something at a specific time when you're only on iPhone, but if you don't open the iOS app and do a sync, you won't get a reminder. CulturedCode themselves have confirmed this. This becomes more of a problem the more devices you're using.
To be fair, it's gotten quite a bit better in recent iOS versions than it used to be, but I'll agree that it's still not nearly as bulletproof as Reminders is. Keeping a widget on your Home Screen does help it sync more often, for example.
In my case, though, I'm less concerned about notifications. I use a few, but mostly the way I work with Things is to have it on hand to check my list of what needs to be done for the day, and I open it several times a day for that purpose. I also don't bother with notifications on my iPad or Mac, as I always get them on my Apple Watch, so anything else is redundant.
I've tried this setup a few times, most recently this past spring. I could never quite make it work in a way that didn't feel like it was adding clutter to my life. Still, I love the concept, and I wanted to like it... I still have another 10 months left on my latest Agenda purchase, so I may give it another try.
Ultimately, though, this is the thing about productivity apps and systems — and why there are so many. Each person has very different needs. I was once a hardcore OmniFocus user, but I found that to be overkill, but as much as I keep trying to come back to Reminders, it just doesn't work for me once I throw dozens of tasks into it — and I've tried various approaches at organizing my lists, from contexts to areas of responsibility to simple time intervals (something I came across in a great YouTube video series by Carl Pullein).
That last one seemed to work the best for me — especially now that there are tags and smart lists in iOS 15 / macOS 12. I also keep thinking that the Agenda integration will be the secret sauce that ties everything together, but I'm really more of a task-oriented person than a notes-oriented one, and trying to drive my workdays from Agenda feels like more effort than it's worth.
Just my two cents, of course. To each their own, and like I said, everybody has different needs, which is why there's never a one-size-fits-all solution. At least three of four times a year I put Things on the back burner and try other apps and approaches, but I always seem to keep coming back to Things, so while it's not perfect, I guess it's still the best tool for my needs.
I use Things on my iMac, my iPad mini, my iPhone and my Apple Watch (and my partner on her iPad Air, signed-in to our shared account).
The issue you describe may well be entirely accurate, but I can say that I've never encountered it. However, I do open Things on each device multiple times per day (because it's where we put every task or thing we need to do / intend to do later).
I make heavy use of the Today view, so even if a notifications failed to appear I'd see the task in the app, in an iOS/iPadOS widget, or on a watchOS complication.
Yup, this is exactly how I use Things as well. It's my "home base" app on my iPhone — the first thing I look at almost every time I pull my iPhone out of my pocket. That's probably the difference between a task management app (e.g., "Show me what I need to do next") and a simple "to do" or "reminders" app (e.g., "Let me know I have to do this thing later.")
To be fair, though, I also still use Reminders in tandem within Things, since it's much easier to dictate reminders directly into Siri and then later add them to Things from there via the Inbox import. But that also means that until I specifically import them into my inbox, any alarms will sound from Reminders instead. This covers my need for short-term reminders/tasks — which I usually set via Siri anyway (e.g., "Hey Siri, remind me to call Bob at 1 p.m."). If I happen to triage my Inbox and import it before then, it will be in Things and go off from there, but otherwise, Reminders has my back.
Plus, Reminders supports location-based alerts, and keeps all reminder notifications on the Lock Screen until I actually deal with them. Things is clever enough to not import any Reminders with features that it doesn't support, so if I ask Siri to remind me to pick something up when I'm near the grocery store, for example, that won't show up in Things' Inbox at all, but will simply go off directly from Reminders when I get to the appropriate location.
Have a look at Craft. Notes, daily notes and to-dos, calendar integration, in a single native app.
I'm gonna have to stay with free ClickUp for that price, I am a broke home owning college student lol
Roam Research guys had the courage to ask for 15$ monthly subscription, that’s 180$ annually. Things can ask me to pay 200$ a year, I’d pay 800$ on 4 years.
And while Things is a todo app, Roam is a text editor.
Eh, I typically try the major releases of Things (usually when they inevitably go on sale), but I always find myself back in OmniFocus. Things is a great looking app, and it does tack a little closer to a standard todo list than OmniFocus does, but it just doesn’t have the same sort of task filtering options OmniFocus does (OmniFocus perspectives, drilling into tags, hierarchical tags, etc.). Without being able to limit what tasks I can see to just the ones that are relevant to me at the moment, I kinda feel like Things just doesn’t really do GTD as well as OmniFocus.
Plus, OmniFocus on the Web is legitimately useful (I run it on an eInk Android tablet, could also run it on the PC I use for work). To the best of my knowledge, Things is limited to Apple platforms to a greater extent than OmniFocus or Reminders.
Speaking of Reminders, I find that it keeps on getting better and better. I legitimately gave it a shot the last time I reevaluated todo apps. If you don’t need any GTD features and aren’t managing any more than 10 to 20 or so lists, there’s really no reason not to use Reminders these days. I legitimately wonder how basic todo list apps have managed to survive and thrive with Reminders being as good as it is.
Plus, OmniFocus on the Web is legitimately useful (I run it on an eInk Android tablet, could also run it on the PC I use for work). To the best of my knowledge, Things is limited to Apple platforms to a greater extent than OmniFocus or Reminders.
Speaking of Reminders, I find that it keeps on getting better and better. I legitimately gave it a shot the last time I reevaluated todo apps. If you don’t need any GTD features and aren’t managing any more than 10 to 20 or so lists, there’s really no reason not to use Reminders these days. I legitimately wonder how basic todo list apps have managed to survive and thrive with Reminders being as good as it is.
OmniFocus gets way more features, Things supports nested tags tho.
I've been using Things since 2010, I just wish they copy the "Review" and sequential projects from OmniFocus.
With all the new updates coming all the time, Things are SO worth it!
It makes organizing to-do’s so much easier.
SO welcoming those apps that doesn’t go subscription.
I put absolutly everything into Things.
I also checked up the latest updates of Reminder - it’s a joke comparing to Things.
It makes organizing to-do’s so much easier.
SO welcoming those apps that doesn’t go subscription.
I put absolutly everything into Things.
I also checked up the latest updates of Reminder - it’s a joke comparing to Things.
Things is at version 3.15 now & it is substantial 🍸🐈
finally will be what gets me to use widgets!
finally will be what gets me to use widgets!
I've used multiple task manager, or to-dp list managers over the years. I've tried so many different ones, Omnifocus, Things, Todoist, Tick Tick, Zenkit Todo, Reminders Microsoft Todo etc. Some were free some were not, and some have subscription models. For me the top 2 have been Things 3 and Omnifocus, Both have hefty price tags, but both WORK fir me. Both Things and Omnifocus have different features that I like about each. My biggest issue though is that all the people complaining mainly on the price. I have used both these apps since their respective version 1 and currently I am beta testing Omnifocus 4. When things 3 first came out - I think about 4 years ago, yes I paid the $80 for it, but now 4 years or so later that comes out to $20 a year, I have not heard of a version 4 coming, but suspect that it is. Very similar with Omnifocus, however they do have an upgrade path and Omnifocus 3, thanks to that upgrade path was only $40 or so. Given the years that each ion these versions have been out, I have paid far less than those with the subscription models.
The other major problem I have is the =fact that a LOT of people think that because they bought an Apple product that they are entitled to unlimited software for free. I'd like to know what planet they are from. The free options that I have tried, many of them good, worked fine, but once you reach a certain level of lists, projects, or tasks they become bogged down and useless. This has not been the case with Things or Omnifocus, They are often regarded the best in their class and when I search through reviews and other posts are among the top 4 or 5 that are most often discussed. Todoist rounds out the Top 3. Carl Pullien has an excellent series of videos on YouTube for Todoist, and Peter Akkies covers both Things 3 and Omnifocus and Christopher Lawley has great videos on his use of Things 3 on the iPad. Between these 3 apps - Todoist, Omnifocus, and Things I see more community involvement than any other app so that tells me that they are the best of the best. I've used all 2, but being Apple centric Todoist falls a little short to me. All 3 you have to pay for in one way or another.
Of all the apps that I use in my daily life, they all have a price tag, there are only a few that were totally free. There are free options for those that I pay for, but they fall short in one way our another. Yes I use Office, Fantastical, Things, Omnifocus, 1Password, and a few others, To me their prices are worth the price I pay, because they get the work I want done DONE! I read comments day in and day out from people claiming they won't use a product because they think the cost is too high, and there were a few in this thread alone that said "if it's not f=ree I won't use it". Well from ny experience the term "You get what you pay for" is true. As long as an app does what I need it to do, in an easy, quick, and with a user friendly UX, then I don't mind paying for it. I could easily get by with Apple Calendar, Reminders, and the iWork suite, BUT Things 3, Omnifocus, Microsoft Office, and Fantastical all offer more robust applications that help me get done what I need to get done. And with that, they are worth the prices that I paid for them.
The other major problem I have is the =fact that a LOT of people think that because they bought an Apple product that they are entitled to unlimited software for free. I'd like to know what planet they are from. The free options that I have tried, many of them good, worked fine, but once you reach a certain level of lists, projects, or tasks they become bogged down and useless. This has not been the case with Things or Omnifocus, They are often regarded the best in their class and when I search through reviews and other posts are among the top 4 or 5 that are most often discussed. Todoist rounds out the Top 3. Carl Pullien has an excellent series of videos on YouTube for Todoist, and Peter Akkies covers both Things 3 and Omnifocus and Christopher Lawley has great videos on his use of Things 3 on the iPad. Between these 3 apps - Todoist, Omnifocus, and Things I see more community involvement than any other app so that tells me that they are the best of the best. I've used all 2, but being Apple centric Todoist falls a little short to me. All 3 you have to pay for in one way or another.
Of all the apps that I use in my daily life, they all have a price tag, there are only a few that were totally free. There are free options for those that I pay for, but they fall short in one way our another. Yes I use Office, Fantastical, Things, Omnifocus, 1Password, and a few others, To me their prices are worth the price I pay, because they get the work I want done DONE! I read comments day in and day out from people claiming they won't use a product because they think the cost is too high, and there were a few in this thread alone that said "if it's not f=ree I won't use it". Well from ny experience the term "You get what you pay for" is true. As long as an app does what I need it to do, in an easy, quick, and with a user friendly UX, then I don't mind paying for it. I could easily get by with Apple Calendar, Reminders, and the iWork suite, BUT Things 3, Omnifocus, Microsoft Office, and Fantastical all offer more robust applications that help me get done what I need to get done. And with that, they are worth the prices that I paid for them.
I’m not sure what you mean by nested tags, actually. I know OmniFocus allows me to create a hierarchy of tags (just as previous versions allowed for a hierarchy of contexts) which is what I think of when you say nested tags, and I found no way of replicating it with Things, but it has been a year or two since I gave Things a serious shake.
I think if I were to reevaluate my todo list app again, I’d need to spend more time with Reminders to explore the features Apple added in iOS 15. The biggest limitation in the past has been filtering your tasks, though the lack of a next action concept is a little limiting for me. I tend to use Reminders for simple lists, for lists I don’t need to frequently review, or for reminders to follow up on time sensitive emails that I can’t handle at the moment but want to file away so I can maintain Inbox Zero.
Don’t get me wrong, I do understand why people like Things, I just felt like it was easier for me to use OmniFocus the way I wanted to (custom Perspectives are great, for instance). But I totally get being overwhelmed with it or feeling it’s more power than you’re using. Things is like a GTD-ish-system app, while OmniFocus is more of a roll-your-own-GTD-system app. If you want a system that works mostly out of the box, Things is a great choice. If you want something that gives you the power to create any custom view of your upcoming tasks or any organizational principle that suits you, OmniFocus is the way to go.
Actually, can we talk GTD shop for a moment here? I’ve never found a great way of tracking the higher Horizons in any GTD app (like above Horizon 3, that’d be 30,000 feet in the first edition, basically stuff more than 18 months out). In OmniFocus, the best I’ve come up with is using a stalled project set to review once every month or two named after the area of focus or the long term goal (or sticking them as tasks in a project called Areas of Focus or 3-5 year goals with a similarly long review window). Now, obviously, I don’t need to review them every week, so they don’t need to be constantly in my face, but I do want to track them in my system so I can review them when I need to. Any suggestions for tracking these higher Horizon areas and goals?
Last edited:
Seems fair to me. One alternative, which we've all seen way too much of, would be to go with a rental model. Ulysses, for example, rents out an app for all three versions (iPad, Mac and iPhone) for "only" $50 a year. So in two years you've spent $100, and if you stop paying, you're left with absolutely nothing. I've been using Things for at least three years now, so if they adopted a similar software rental fee, I'd be in for $150 so far with no end in sight until I stop using it entirely. I'd much prefer to pay the $80 and keep the software I bought. (Actually $60 for me, because I don't use an iPad).
I went down a big rabbithole with OmniFocus some years back. I love the idea of GTD, but somehow I always found myself spending too much time maintaining my system. I switched over to Things which to me meshed better with taking a much leaner approach.
I had the exact same experience. I looked at earlier versions of Things, but they never quite gelled for me, but OmniFocus had me spending more time managing my task list than actually doing the things on it.
When Things 3 landed a few years back, it stuck. I've occasionally looked at other systems, as I'm always curious to see what's out there and if there are other ways to improve my system, but I keep coming back to Things.
The one thing I do miss from OmniFocus is the specific mode for reviewing your projects every week. I try to manually go through projects in Things to weed out stuff that's stalled or dead, but I like the way OF would walk me through it. (That, and location-based reminders, which Things still weirdly doesn't support.)
Yeah, I have mixed feelings on both of those... While I miss them, I don't miss them now as much as I did at first. The Review mode would still be nice to have, but it's something else I found myself fiddling with too much in OF, as I didn't want to review everything every week, so I'd set up different timelines, and then before I knew it, I was reviewing my review timelines as much as I was reviewing my actual projects... 😏
Location-based reminders is an odd omission, but I've also found I don't really need them as much as I once thought I did. Maybe that's just me, of course, but I think it was one of those things in OF that I overused simply because it was there. In the few cases where I want a location-based reminder, I just use Apple's Reminders, which also has the added bonus of being able to remind me when I get into or out of my car.
I think the biggest thing I don't like about Things is the intransigence of repeating tasks. There's basically no way to complete a repeating task earlier than scheduled without a whole bunch of fiddling around. There really needs to be an "Enter This Now" feature for things scheduled in the future, especially "after completion" tasks.
Things has a rather unique ability to suddenly make you go from wow this is great to what the H. There are issues with Things, such as one you pointed, that prevent me from using it.
Even a tiny app such as TickTick allows for a much easier workflow, but, of course, that's according to my brain's wiring. I love OF, but the software seems to have stuck somewhere and needs a drastic revision. There is a heaviness in the apps, even in the version 4 betas, though they are trying. Too many hoops, too many clicks. Too many taps on the touch-enabled devices. These things do not look bad in isolation, but combine them and think about the time this takes from your day, every day, it begins to add up and get frustrating.
Until they are able to resolve this with their apps, I cannot quite use OmniFocus, no matter how powerful it is and no matter how much I like the software for its power and options - nothing you cannot do there. But, sometimes, it is just too many steps and clicks and taps for the simplest of things.