# Things vs OmniFocus

Published January 1, 2026 · Updated August 10, 2026

Things and OmniFocus are both task management on a Mac, so the pick depends on workflow. Choose Things for calm, beautiful personal GTD at a one-time price. Choose OmniFocus when you need custom perspectives, review cycles, and a model you can. As of November 2026, both install with brew install --cask things and brew install --cask omnifocus.

Re-verified August 2026: Things 3 (~US$49.99 Mac plus companion purchases, one-time) and OmniFocus 4 (Standard ~US$49.99, Pro ~US$99.99 perpetual or ~US$99.99/year) still define the elegant-versus-configurable poles of native Mac GTD. Things wins on design coherence, calm daily use, and predictable one-time cost. OmniFocus wins on scale, custom perspectives, Review, defer/due fidelity, and automation breadth. Scores tie at 8.9/10 because a single winner would conceal the real trade: opinionated clarity versus inspectable control. If you scale beyond personal task loads or need a weekly review engine that walks every project, OmniFocus justifies its ceiling. If you want the clearest path to done for personal work, Things still earns the reputation it built over years of Mac App Store releases.

## Head to head

| Factor | Things | OmniFocus |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Paid | Paid |
| Open Source | No | No |
| Replaces | — | — |
| Best for | tasks, to-do, gtd | tasks, gtd, project management |
| Install | brew install --cask things | brew install --cask omnifocus |
| Category | Productivity | Productivity |

## Things

Award-winning personal task manager for Mac with a clean design and powerful organization features.

Install: `brew install --cask things`

[Things on Bundl](https://bundl.run/apps/things)

## OmniFocus

Scheduling application focusing on organisation

Install: `brew install --cask omnifocus`

[OmniFocus on Bundl](https://bundl.run/apps/omnifocus)

## Features

- **Design & Learnability.** Things wins approachability; OmniFocus wins once you have internalized GTD mechanics.
- **Structure & Perspectives.** OmniFocus is the engine for users who think in perspectives; Things is the curated gallery.
- **Reviews, Defer/Due Logic & Forecast.** OmniFocus implements the full GTD review loop; Things keeps it lighter and more ad-hoc.
- **Capture & Quick Entry.** Both are excellent at capture; Things feels simpler, OmniFocus more powerful.
- **Automation & Integrations.** OmniFocus is the automator's choice; Things prefers to stay intentionally thin.
- **Apple Ecosystem & Sync.** Both are first-class Apple citizens with reliable sync; neither targets Android/Windows natively.
- **Pricing & Licensing (2026).** Things wins on predictable one-time cost; OmniFocus gives flexibility at the price of higher lifetime spend for Pro.
- **Maintenance & Tahoe 26.x Readiness.** Both are healthy in August 2026; OmniFocus shows more visible platform iteration.

## FAQ

### Is Things 3 or OmniFocus 4 better in 2026?

Things is better for calm, design-led personal GTD with minimal configuration; OmniFocus is better for inspectable, perspective-driven systems at scale. If you recognize yourself in 'I want fewer, clearer choices,' pick Things. If you recognize 'I want to model every nuance,' pick OmniFocus. Neither won a universal sweep in August 2026.

### How much do Things and OmniFocus cost today?

Things is one-time: ~US$49.99 Mac + ~US$9.99 iPhone/Watch + ~US$19.99 iPad. OmniFocus offers Standard perpetual ~US$49.99, Pro perpetual ~US$99.99, or optional subscription (Pro ~US$9.99/month or ~US$99.99/year) with a 14-day trial. Sales tax at checkout may alter the total slightly.

### Does OmniFocus require a subscription?

No. You can buy Standard or Pro as a one-time perpetual license via the App Store. The subscription is optional and primarily buys smoother upgrade continuity across future major versions.

### Do both support Apple Silicon and macOS Tahoe 26.x?

Yes. Both ship Universal binaries, are Apple Silicon native, and list Tahoe 26.x compatibility in their 2026 release notes. Updates arrive through the Mac App Store.

### Which app is easier to learn?

Things. Most users are productive within an hour. OmniFocus rewards an afternoon of setup to understand perspectives, defer/due logic, and Review - then feels natural, but the first day is genuinely steeper.

### What do Pro/custom perspectives actually buy in OmniFocus?

The ability to save filtered, sorted, and grouped views as first-class navigation (e.g., 'Available actions by energy at home, excluding Someday/Maybe'). Standard can use built-in perspectives; Pro is needed to create custom ones.

### Can I switch without losing my data?

Yes, but expect translation, not a perfect import. Map Things Areas to OmniFocus folders and vice versa, carry tags across, and recreate your filtered views as perspectives or as filtered tag searches. Both apps export via CSV, URL schemes, and sharesheets.

### Are either app at risk of discontinuation?

No. Both were actively shipping point releases into 2026 (Things 3.19.x, OmniFocus 4.4.x), remain independent vendor flagship products, and were not acquired or merged. Continuing Mac App Store maintenance is the observable signal.

## Sources

- [Things - Cultured Code official site](https://culturedcode.com/things/)
- [Things pricing (Mac + iPhone/Watch + iPad, one-time)](https://culturedcode.com/things/support/articles/2803572/)
- [OmniFocus - The Omni Group official site](https://www.omnigroup.com/omnifocus/)
- [Introducing optional OmniFocus subscriptions and perpetual pricing](https://www.omnigroup.com/blog/introducing-optional-omnifocus-subscriptions)
- [Things 3 on the Mac App Store](https://apps.apple.com/app/things-3/id904280696)
- [OmniFocus 4 on the Mac App Store](https://apps.apple.com/app/omnifocus-4/id1542143627)
- [Things vs OmniFocus - 2026 GTD comparison guide](https://www.asianefficiency.com/technology/best-gtd-apps/)

## Related

- [Reminders vs Things](https://bundl.run/compare/reminders-vs-things)
- [Things vs Todoist](https://bundl.run/compare/things-vs-todoist)
- [TickTick vs Things](https://bundl.run/compare/ticktick-vs-things)
- [OmniFocus vs Todoist](https://bundl.run/compare/omnifocus-vs-todoist)
- [TickTick vs OmniFocus](https://bundl.run/compare/ticktick-vs-omnifocus)

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