TL;DR
Reminders vs Things: For most users in 2026, Reminders is the better choice because it's free. However, Things remains a solid option for users who prefer its unique features.
Which is better: Reminders or Things?
For most users in 2026, Reminders is the better choice because it's free. However, Things remains a solid option for users who prefer its unique features.
Reminders vs Things
Which is the better task management for Mac in 2026?
We compared Reminders and Things across 5 key factors including price, open-source status, and community adoption. For most users in 2026, Reminders is the better choice because it's free. Read our full breakdown below.
Reminders
Built-in macOS task management app for creating to-do lists with alerts and Siri integration.
Things
Award-winning personal task manager for Mac with a clean design and powerful organization features.
Our Verdict
For most users in 2026, Reminders is the better choice because it's free. However, Things remains a solid option for users who prefer its unique features.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Reminders | Things |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Paid |
| Open Source | No | No |
| Monthly Installs | N/A | N/A |
| GitHub Stars | N/A | N/A |
| Category | Productivity | Productivity |
Quick Install
brew install --cask remindersbrew install --cask thingsLearn More
In-Depth Overview
What is Apple Reminders?
Apple Reminders is the built-in task management app included free with every Apple device — Mac, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, HomePod, and even Apple Vision Pro — making it the most widely distributed task manager in the world with access across billions of devices. Originally launched as a simple checklist utility, Reminders has evolved through years of significant updates into a surprisingly capable task management tool that uses Apple's deep integration across hardware, software, and services in ways that third-party apps simply cannot replicate. In 2026, Reminders supports smart lists with automatic categorization into views like 'Today,' 'Scheduled,' 'Flagged,' and 'All,' along with user-created smart lists that filter based on tags, dates, locations, priorities, and flags. The app features sections within lists for organizing groups of related tasks, subtasks for breaking down complex items, five priority levels, hashtag-based tagging for cross-list organization, and a column view that provides Kanban-style board management. Natural language input via Siri is where Reminders truly excels — you can say 'Hey Siri, remind me to call the dentist when I get home' and it creates a geofenced, location-triggered reminder using your home address from Contacts. This voice-first interaction works smoothly from iPhone, Apple Watch, AirPods, HomePod, CarPlay, and Mac. Reminders integrates deeply with Messages (mention-based reminders when chatting with someone), Mail (create reminders from emails), Safari (save links as reminders), and the system-wide share sheet. Collaboration via iCloud sharing enables real-time shared lists with task assignment, making it excellent for family grocery lists, household chores, and team task coordination. The grocery list feature automatically categorizes items by store section using machine learning. Reminders also supports attachments, URLs, images, and early and on-time notifications. While Reminders lacks the project management depth, areas of responsibility, and structured GTD workflow of dedicated apps, it has become remarkably capable for everyday task tracking, errand management, and simple project coordination — all completely free with no in-app purchases, subscriptions, or ads.
What is Things?
Things is a premium task management application by Cultured Code, a Stuttgart-based company founded in 2007, that has earned multiple Apple Design Awards and is widely considered the gold standard for beautiful, functional productivity software. Available exclusively on Apple platforms — macOS, iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, and visionOS — Things implements David Allen's Getting Things Done (GTD) methodology with an elegant three-level spatial hierarchy: Areas of Responsibility represent ongoing roles and commitments in your life (Work, Personal, Health, Side Projects), which contain Projects representing discrete objectives with clear endpoints (Launch Website, Plan Vacation), which contain individual To-Dos that can have detailed checklists, Markdown-formatted notes, tags for contextual filtering, deadlines, and scheduled start dates. Headings within projects create visual sections for organizing tasks into logical phases or categories. Things features a set of temporal views designed to create a natural daily productivity workflow: Inbox for frictionless capture of new thoughts and tasks without worrying about organization, Today for focused daily execution showing only what matters right now, Upcoming for a calendar-integrated view of scheduled future tasks, Anytime for tasks that are available to work on whenever you have time, Someday for aspirations, ideas, and future possibilities you want to revisit but not commit to yet, and Logbook for a satisfying, searchable archive of everything you've accomplished over time. Quick Entry, activated by a customizable global keyboard shortcut from any application on your Mac, provides a floating capture window so you can add tasks without context switching. Things supports intelligent natural language date parsing, flexible repeating task schedules (every weekday, every second Tuesday, first Monday of each month), evening tasks that appear separately from your daytime work, and deep integration with Apple Shortcuts and URL schemes for building custom automations. The app uses a one-time purchase model — $49.99 for Mac, $9.99 for iPhone, and $19.99 for iPad — with absolutely no subscription fees, making it an excellent long-term investment in personal productivity. Things syncs reliably via Cultured Code's own cloud infrastructure, providing fast and consistent synchronization. In 2026, Things 3 represents nearly a decade of continuous refinement into what many consider the most beautifully designed productivity application ever created.
Detailed Feature Comparison
Cost and Accessibility
CriticalFree, pre-installed on every Apple device. No purchase, no subscription, no account creation needed beyond Apple ID. Immediately available to billions of Apple users.
One-time purchase: $49.99 Mac, $9.99 iPhone, $19.99 iPad (~$80 total). Not free but no recurring costs. Must be purchased and downloaded from the App Store.
Verdict: Reminders' zero cost and pre-installation make it the most accessible option.
Siri and System Integration
HighDeepest Siri integration of any task app. 'Hey Siri, remind me to call John when I get home' creates a location-based reminder. Works from HomePod, Apple Watch, AirPods, and CarPlay. Integrated into Messages, Mail, and Safari share sheet.
Things supports Siri Shortcuts for creating tasks and has Shortcuts integration, but the voice creation is less natural than Reminders' native Siri support. No location-based reminders.
Verdict: Reminders' native Siri integration is unmatched by any third-party app.
Project Management and Structure
CriticalReminders supports lists, sections, and subtasks. Column view provides basic Kanban. However, there are no 'projects' as a concept, no areas of responsibility, and no temporal views beyond 'Today' and 'Scheduled'. Organization is flat and list-based.
Things provides a full GTD structure: Areas > Projects > Tasks with Checklists and Headings. Temporal views (Today, Upcoming, Anytime, Someday, Logbook) create a complete productivity workflow.
Verdict: Things' project management capabilities are vastly more structured and powerful.
Design Quality
HighReminders follows Apple's standard design language. It looks clean and native but is utilitarian. The interface serves its purpose without inspiring delight.
Things' design is exceptional — every interaction, animation, and visual element has been crafted to perfection. It's the difference between a functional tool and a beautiful instrument.
Verdict: Things' design is in a different league.
Shared and Family Lists
MediumReminders supports shared lists via iCloud with real-time collaboration. Family Sharing integration makes it easy to share grocery lists and household tasks. Assign tasks to specific family members.
Things is a personal task manager with no sharing or collaboration features.
Verdict: Reminders' sharing capabilities are essential for family and team task coordination.
Location-Based Reminders
MediumTrigger reminders when arriving at or leaving a location. 'Remind me to buy milk when I'm near Whole Foods' uses geofencing to alert at the right moment.
Things does not support location-based reminders. Tasks can only be scheduled by date and time.
Verdict: Location-based reminders are a unique and valuable Reminders feature.
Keyboard Shortcuts and Quick Entry
MediumReminders supports basic keyboard shortcuts on Mac but lacks a global quick entry mechanism for capturing tasks from any app. You must open the Reminders app or use Siri for hands-free capture. Quick Notes can link to Reminders but the workflow is indirect.
Things' Quick Entry (activated by a customizable global keyboard shortcut) is one of its signature features. A floating window appears from any application, letting you type a task with natural language date parsing and immediately assign it to a project. This frictionless capture is a major improvement for maintaining flow during focused work.
Verdict: Things' global Quick Entry is significantly superior for capturing tasks without context switching.
Automation and Shortcuts Integration
MediumReminders integrates with Apple Shortcuts and can be automated with various triggers. Create reminders from emails, messages, or calendar events using built-in system integrations. The automation capabilities are solid but limited to Apple's Shortcuts framework.
Things supports Apple Shortcuts, URL schemes, and x-callback-url for automation. Power users can build sophisticated workflows that create tasks from other apps, import data, and trigger actions. The URL scheme documentation is comprehensive and enables deep integration with tools like Drafts and Scriptable.
Verdict: Both apps offer solid automation through Apple Shortcuts, with Things providing additional URL scheme power and Reminders offering deeper system-level triggers.
Reminders vs Things Feature Matrix
| Feature | Reminders | Things | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost and Accessibility | Excellent | Good | Reminders |
| Siri and System Integration | Excellent | Good | Reminders |
| Project Management and Structure | Fair | Excellent | Things |
| Design Quality | Good | Excellent | Things |
| Shared and Family Lists | Excellent | Limited | Reminders |
| Location-Based Reminders | Excellent | Limited | Reminders |
| Keyboard Shortcuts and Quick Entry | Fair | Excellent | Things |
| Automation and Shortcuts Integration | Good | Good | Tie |
Who Should Choose Which?
1The Apple Ecosystem Loyalist
If you own a Mac, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and HomePod, Reminders is deeply woven into every touchpoint. You can say 'Hey Siri, remind me to call the dentist tomorrow at 9am' from any device and it appears everywhere instantly. Reminders integrates with Maps for location-based triggers, Messages for shared lists, and Calendar for deadline visibility — all without installing a single third-party app. For users who want zero friction and maximum Apple integration, Reminders is unbeatable.
2The Productivity-Conscious Professional
Professionals managing multiple projects across work and personal life need more structure than Reminders provides. Things' Areas of Responsibility let you separate Work, Personal, Health, and Side Projects into distinct zones. The Today view creates a focused daily agenda, while the Upcoming calendar-style view shows your week at a glance. Headings within projects break complex deliverables into phases. This organizational depth transforms Things from a simple to-do list into a genuine productivity system.
3The Shared Household Manager
Families managing shared grocery lists, chore assignments, and household tasks benefit from Reminders' native sharing via iCloud. Any family member with an Apple device can view and complete shared list items in real time. The integration with Messages means you can assign reminders to specific people with @mentions. Things has no sharing features whatsoever — it is strictly a personal task manager, making Reminders the clear winner for household coordination.
4The Student
Students juggling assignments, exam prep, extracurricular commitments, and personal tasks benefit from Things' visual clarity. Creating a Project for each course with Headings for 'Assignments', 'Readings', and 'Exam Prep' provides an intuitive overview that Reminders' flat list structure cannot match. The Someday list is perfect for parking ideas like 'research summer internships' until the right time. At $9.99 for the iPhone app, the investment pays for itself in reduced academic stress.
5The Zero-Cost User
Reminders is completely free and pre-installed on every Apple device. It receives regular feature updates with each macOS and iOS release at no additional cost. For users who refuse to pay for a to-do app on principle, Reminders has become genuinely capable — with smart lists, tags, subtasks, and Kanban-style column views introduced in recent updates. It is no longer the bare-bones tool it was five years ago.
6The GTD Practitioner
Things implements the core principles of Getting Things Done: an Inbox for frictionless capture, Projects with clear outcomes, Areas for ongoing responsibilities, a Today view for focused execution, and a Someday list for deferred ideas. While not as rigorous as OmniFocus, Things strikes a balance between GTD methodology and approachable design that helps practitioners maintain their system without it feeling like work. Reminders lacks the structural vocabulary to support any formal productivity methodology.
Migration Guide
Reminders → Things
Things cannot directly import from Reminders. Options: 1) Manually recreate tasks in Things, 2) Use Shortcuts to export Reminders and import to Things, 3) Use third-party apps that bridge both. Simple lists migrate easily; location-based reminders have no Things equivalent.
Things → Reminders
Export Things tasks via Shortcuts or URL scheme. Create corresponding Reminders lists. You'll lose Areas, project structure, headings, and GTD views. Only basic task data transfers.
Pro Tips
Many users use both: Reminders for quick Siri-created tasks and shared family lists, Things for structured personal productivity. They complement each other well.
Final Verdict
Things
Winner
Runner-up
Things wins for anyone who wants structured, beautiful task management. Reminders wins for casual users who need simple lists and maximum Apple integration. They're not really competitors — they serve different levels of productivity ambition.
Bottom Line: Choose Things for GTD-structured productivity with premium design. Choose Reminders for free, simple task tracking with the best Siri and Apple ecosystem integration.
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Fact-CheckedLast verified: Feb 15, 2026
Key Verified Facts
- Apple Reminders is free and pre-installed on all Apple devices.[cite-apple-reminders]
- Things Mac costs $49.99 one-time.[cite-things-pricing]
- 1Apple Reminders
Accessed Feb 15, 2026
- 2Things - Your to-do list for Mac & iOS
Accessed Feb 15, 2026
- 3Things Pricing
Accessed Feb 15, 2026
- 4Siri
Accessed Feb 15, 2026
- 5Family Sharing
Accessed Feb 15, 2026
Research queries: Apple Reminders vs Things 2026 comparison; Reminders features 2026; Things 3 vs Reminders Mac