# Free Alternative to Things 3

Published January 1, 2026 · Updated August 10, 2026

The best free alternative to Things 3 ($49.99) is Todoist. Install it with: `brew install --cask todoist-app`.

## Best Free Alternatives to Things 3 for Mac

Things 3 remains the most polished personal task manager on Apple platforms, sold as separate one-time App Store licenses rather than a subscription: Mac $49.99, iPhone & Apple Watch $9.99, iPad $19.99, and Vision Pro $29.99 (about $110 if you buy every device). Cultured Code’s model is refreshingly anti-SaaS, but multi-device households still feel the stack-up. Free alternatives cover different slices of the same job. Apple Reminders is free with iCloud sync and is far more capable than its reputation—smart lists, tags, location triggers, shared lists—though it still loses to Things on project hierarchy polish and the iconic Upcoming experience. Todoist’s free tier is cross-platform with natural language dates, but it caps free personal projects (five) and locks some reminder power behind Pro at $5/user/month billed yearly. TickTick’s free tier is often more generous for solo users (unlimited tasks, limited lists/habits) and includes calendar and Pomodoro features Things never tried to own. Honest gap: none of the free options match Things 3’s design density and GTD-adjacent Areas/Projects feel. If elegance and Apple-native motion design are why you open a task app, Things still earns the Mac $49.99. If you refuse paid to-do apps entirely, start with Reminders; if you need Windows/Android too, Todoist or TickTick free tiers are the practical path.

## Free alternatives

1. [Todoist](https://bundl.run/apps/todoist) — To-do list and task manager

   `brew install --cask todoist-app`

2. [TickTick](https://bundl.run/apps/ticktick) — To-do & task list manager

   `brew install --cask ticktick`

3. [Reminders](https://bundl.run/apps/reminders) — Built-in macOS task management app for creating to-do lists with alerts and Siri integration.

   `brew install --cask reminders`

## Verdict

You do not need to pay $50-$90 for Things 3 to manage tasks effectively on your Mac. Todoist free provides the most capable replacement with cross-platform flexibility and intelligent input. TickTick excels for productivity enthusiasts wanting calendar and habit features in one place. Apple Reminders satisfies Apple-only users who prioritize savings. All three handle daily task management without the financial barrier, letting you redirect that money toward actually completing your goals rather than organizing them.

## FAQ

### is there a completely free version of things 3

No, Things 3 does not offer a free version or trial. Cultured Code requires a one-time purchase for each platform: $49.99 for macOS, $9.99 for iPhone, and $19.99 for iPad. To sync across all your Apple devices, you must buy the app separately on each platform, totaling approximately $89.97. This pricing model has remained consistent since 2017, and there are no student discounts or family sharing options available.

### can todoist free replace things 3 completely

Todoist free can replace Things 3 for approximately 80% of users, depending on your workflow. You lose Things 3's beautiful Upcoming calendar view, unlimited project creation, and visual polish, but gain natural language input, cross-platform access, and collaboration features. The five-project limit is the biggest constraint; if you organize work into many distinct areas, you will hit this ceiling quickly. For simpler task management needs, Todoist free is absolutely sufficient.

### is apple reminders good enough compared to things 3

Apple Reminders has evolved into a genuinely capable task manager as of 2026, handling most core functionality that Things 3 offers. You get smart lists, location reminders, tags, and seamless Apple ecosystem sync. Reminders lacks Things 3's project hierarchy with headings, sub-tasks, and the refined visual design that makes productivity enjoyable. If you prioritize function and cost savings over aesthetic pleasure, Reminders is not just good enough, it is excellent.

### which free alternative is best for cross-platform use

Todoist is the best free cross-platform alternative to Things 3, offering native apps for macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android, and a fully functional web interface. Your tasks sync instantly across all devices with feature parity. TickTick also offers excellent cross-platform support. Neither Things 3 nor Apple Reminders work outside the Apple ecosystem, making them unsuitable for users with mixed device environments.

### do any free alternatives offer calendar integration like things 3

TickTick offers the best free calendar integration among the alternatives, displaying your tasks directly alongside calendar events in daily, weekly, and monthly views. Things 3's Upcoming view is unique in showing tasks organized by date with beautiful visual design, but TickTick's calendar actually combines your tasks with external calendar events. Todoist requires a paid Pro subscription for calendar integration. Apple Reminders shows scheduled tasks in a timeline but not alongside external calendar events.

### can i migrate my things 3 tasks to a free alternative

Migrating from Things 3 is challenging because Cultured Code does not provide an export feature. You will need to manually recreate your projects or use third-party scripts from the community. Things 3 tasks can be copied (Cmd+A, Cmd+C) and pasted into other apps, though formatting and metadata will be lost. When migrating, treat it as an opportunity to review and prune your task list, keeping only active projects and archiving completed work.

### which free alternative works best with siri and shortcuts

Apple Reminders offers the deepest Siri integration because it is a native Apple app. You can say 'Hey Siri, remind me to call mom at 5pm' and it just works, with no app purchase required. Todoist and TickTick both offer Siri shortcuts, but they require more verbose commands like 'Add a task in Todoist.' For pure hands-free Apple ecosystem integration, Reminders cannot be beaten by any third-party app, free or paid.

### are there any hidden costs in the free versions

Things 3 is a one-time purchase per platform: Mac $49.99, iPhone & Watch $9.99, iPad $19.99, Vision Pro $29.99. There is no subscription. Buying every Apple device adds up to roughly $110.

## Sources

- [Cultured Code Things](https://www.culturedcode.com/)
- [Things App Store pricing explanation](https://culturedcode.com/things/pricing/)
- [Things features and platform prices](https://culturedcode.com/things/features/)
- [Things 3 Mac App Store](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/things-3/id904280696?mt=12)
- [Todoist Pricing](https://www.todoist.com/pricing)
- [TickTick](https://ticktick.com/)
- [Apple Reminders User Guide](https://support.apple.com/guide/reminders/welcome/mac)

## Related

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

```json
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@graph": [
    {
      "@type": "Organization",
      "@id": "https://bundl.run/#organization",
      "name": "Bundl.run",
      "url": "https://bundl.run",
      "logo": {
        "@type": "ImageObject",
        "url": "https://bundl.run/og-image.png",
        "width": 1200,
        "height": 630
      },
      "description": "The Ninite for Mac. Install all your essential Mac apps with one terminal command.",
      "sameAs": [
        "https://github.com/abhiofficial/bundl-mac-setup",
        "https://x.com/bundlrun",
        "https://www.producthunt.com/products/bundl-run"
      ],
      "foundingDate": "2024",
      "contactPoint": {
        "@type": "ContactPoint",
        "contactType": "customer support",
        "url": "https://bundl.run/faq"
      }
    },
    {
      "@type": "WebSite",
      "@id": "https://bundl.run/#website",
      "name": "Bundl.run",
      "url": "https://bundl.run",
      "description": "The Ninite for Mac. Install all your essential Mac apps with one terminal command.",
      "publisher": {
        "@id": "https://bundl.run/#organization"
      },
      "inLanguage": "en-US"
    },
    {
      "@type": "Person",
      "@id": "https://bundl.run/authors/jordan-kim#person",
      "name": "Jordan Kim",
      "jobTitle": "Productivity & Workflow Analyst",
      "url": "https://bundl.run/authors/jordan-kim",
      "worksFor": {
        "@id": "https://bundl.run/#organization"
      },
      "description": "Jordan Kim focuses on productivity software, system utilities, and workflow optimization tools. With a background in operations management and process improvement, Jordan evaluates how well applications integrate into daily workflows and enhance overall productivity. Jordan tests each tool across multiple use cases—from solo work to team collaboration—documenting setup complexity, learning curves, and long-term value. A certified project management professional with experience at Fortune 500 companies, Jordan brings rigorous methodology to software evaluation.",
      "knowsAbout": [
        "Productivity Applications",
        "Note-Taking & Knowledge Management",
        "Task & Project Management",
        "Communication Tools",
        "System Utilities",
        "Workflow Automation"
      ],
      "image": "https://bundl.run/authors/jordan-kim.svg"
    },
    {
      "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
      "@id": "https://bundl.run/free-alternative-to/things-3#breadcrumb",
      "itemListElement": [
        {
          "@type": "ListItem",
          "position": 1,
          "name": "Home",
          "item": "https://bundl.run"
        },
        {
          "@type": "ListItem",
          "position": 2,
          "name": "Apps",
          "item": "https://bundl.run/apps"
        },
        {
          "@type": "ListItem",
          "position": 3,
          "name": "Free Alternatives",
          "item": "https://bundl.run/alternatives"
        },
        {
          "@type": "ListItem",
          "position": 4,
          "name": "Things 3 Alternatives",
          "item": "https://bundl.run/free-alternative-to/things-3"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "@type": "WebPage",
      "@id": "https://bundl.run/free-alternative-to/things-3",
      "url": "https://bundl.run/free-alternative-to/things-3",
      "name": "Free Alternative to Things 3 — Best Options 2026",
      "description": "Looking for a free alternative to Things 3? Discover 3 free options that work great on macOS.",
      "isPartOf": {
        "@id": "https://bundl.run/#website"
      },
      "publisher": {
        "@id": "https://bundl.run/#organization"
      },
      "inLanguage": "en-US",
      "datePublished": "2026-01-01T00:00:00Z",
      "dateModified": "2026-08-10T13:34:04.000Z",
      "image": "https://bundl.run/api/og/alternative?app=Things%203",
      "author": {
        "@id": "https://bundl.run/authors/jordan-kim#person"
      },
      "mainEntity": {
        "@id": "https://bundl.run/free-alternative-to/things-3#article"
      },
      "breadcrumb": {
        "@id": "https://bundl.run/free-alternative-to/things-3#breadcrumb"
      }
    },
    {
      "@type": "Article",
      "@id": "https://bundl.run/free-alternative-to/things-3#article",
      "headline": "Free Alternative to Things 3 — Best Options 2026",
      "description": "Looking for a free alternative to Things 3? Discover 3 free options that work great on macOS.",
      "image": "https://bundl.run/api/og/alternative?app=Things%203",
      "speakable": {
        "@type": "SpeakableSpecification",
        "cssSelector": [
          "h1",
          ".quick-answer",
          ".tldr-summary"
        ]
      },
      "author": {
        "@id": "https://bundl.run/authors/jordan-kim#person"
      },
      "publisher": {
        "@id": "https://bundl.run/#organization"
      },
      "datePublished": "2026-01-01T00:00:00Z",
      "dateModified": "2026-08-10T13:34:04.000Z",
      "mainEntityOfPage": {
        "@type": "WebPage",
        "@id": "https://bundl.run/free-alternative-to/things-3"
      },
      "isPartOf": {
        "@id": "https://bundl.run/#website"
      },
      "about": [
        {
          "@type": "SoftwareApplication",
          "name": "Todoist",
          "url": "https://bundl.run/apps/todoist"
        },
        {
          "@type": "SoftwareApplication",
          "name": "TickTick",
          "url": "https://bundl.run/apps/ticktick"
        },
        {
          "@type": "SoftwareApplication",
          "name": "Reminders",
          "url": "https://bundl.run/apps/reminders"
        }
      ],
      "mentions": [
        {
          "@type": "SoftwareApplication",
          "name": "Things 3"
        },
        {
          "@type": "SoftwareApplication",
          "name": "Todoist",
          "url": "https://bundl.run/apps/todoist"
        },
        {
          "@type": "SoftwareApplication",
          "name": "TickTick",
          "url": "https://bundl.run/apps/ticktick"
        },
        {
          "@type": "SoftwareApplication",
          "name": "Reminders",
          "url": "https://bundl.run/apps/reminders"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "@type": "ItemList",
      "name": "Free Alternatives to Things 3",
      "itemListElement": [
        {
          "@type": "ListItem",
          "position": 1,
          "item": {
            "@type": "SoftwareApplication",
            "name": "Todoist",
            "url": "https://bundl.run/apps/todoist",
            "description": "To-do list and task manager",
            "applicationCategory": "BusinessApplication"
          }
        },
        {
          "@type": "ListItem",
          "position": 2,
          "item": {
            "@type": "SoftwareApplication",
            "name": "TickTick",
            "url": "https://bundl.run/apps/ticktick",
            "description": "To-do & task list manager",
            "applicationCategory": "BusinessApplication"
          }
        },
        {
          "@type": "ListItem",
          "position": 3,
          "item": {
            "@type": "SoftwareApplication",
            "name": "Reminders",
            "url": "https://bundl.run/apps/reminders",
            "description": "Built-in macOS task management app for creating to-do lists with alerts and Siri integration.",
            "applicationCategory": "BusinessApplication"
          }
        }
      ],
      "numberOfItems": 3
    },
    {
      "@type": "FAQPage",
      "@id": "https://bundl.run/free-alternative-to/things-3#faq",
      "mainEntity": [
        {
          "@type": "Question",
          "name": "is there a completely free version of things 3",
          "acceptedAnswer": {
            "@type": "Answer",
            "text": "No, Things 3 does not offer a free version or trial. Cultured Code requires a one-time purchase for each platform: $49.99 for macOS, $9.99 for iPhone, and $19.99 for iPad. To sync across all your Apple devices, you must buy the app separately on each platform, totaling approximately $89.97. This pricing model has remained consistent since 2017, and there are no student discounts or family sharing options available."
          }
        },
        {
          "@type": "Question",
          "name": "can todoist free replace things 3 completely",
          "acceptedAnswer": {
            "@type": "Answer",
            "text": "Todoist free can replace Things 3 for approximately 80% of users, depending on your workflow. You lose Things 3's beautiful Upcoming calendar view, unlimited project creation, and visual polish, but gain natural language input, cross-platform access, and collaboration features. The five-project limit is the biggest constraint; if you organize work into many distinct areas, you will hit this ceiling quickly. For simpler task management needs, Todoist free is absolutely sufficient."
          }
        },
        {
          "@type": "Question",
          "name": "is apple reminders good enough compared to things 3",
          "acceptedAnswer": {
            "@type": "Answer",
            "text": "Apple Reminders has evolved into a genuinely capable task manager as of 2026, handling most core functionality that Things 3 offers. You get smart lists, location reminders, tags, and seamless Apple ecosystem sync. Reminders lacks Things 3's project hierarchy with headings, sub-tasks, and the refined visual design that makes productivity enjoyable. If you prioritize function and cost savings over aesthetic pleasure, Reminders is not just good enough, it is excellent."
          }
        },
        {
          "@type": "Question",
          "name": "which free alternative is best for cross-platform use",
          "acceptedAnswer": {
            "@type": "Answer",
            "text": "Todoist is the best free cross-platform alternative to Things 3, offering native apps for macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android, and a fully functional web interface. Your tasks sync instantly across all devices with feature parity. TickTick also offers excellent cross-platform support. Neither Things 3 nor Apple Reminders work outside the Apple ecosystem, making them unsuitable for users with mixed device environments."
          }
        },
        {
          "@type": "Question",
          "name": "do any free alternatives offer calendar integration like things 3",
          "acceptedAnswer": {
            "@type": "Answer",
            "text": "TickTick offers the best free calendar integration among the alternatives, displaying your tasks directly alongside calendar events in daily, weekly, and monthly views. Things 3's Upcoming view is unique in showing tasks organized by date with beautiful visual design, but TickTick's calendar actually combines your tasks with external calendar events. Todoist requires a paid Pro subscription for calendar integration. Apple Reminders shows scheduled tasks in a timeline but not alongside external calendar events."
          }
        },
        {
          "@type": "Question",
          "name": "can i migrate my things 3 tasks to a free alternative",
          "acceptedAnswer": {
            "@type": "Answer",
            "text": "Migrating from Things 3 is challenging because Cultured Code does not provide an export feature. You will need to manually recreate your projects or use third-party scripts from the community. Things 3 tasks can be copied (Cmd+A, Cmd+C) and pasted into other apps, though formatting and metadata will be lost. When migrating, treat it as an opportunity to review and prune your task list, keeping only active projects and archiving completed work."
          }
        },
        {
          "@type": "Question",
          "name": "which free alternative works best with siri and shortcuts",
          "acceptedAnswer": {
            "@type": "Answer",
            "text": "Apple Reminders offers the deepest Siri integration because it is a native Apple app. You can say 'Hey Siri, remind me to call mom at 5pm' and it just works, with no app purchase required. Todoist and TickTick both offer Siri shortcuts, but they require more verbose commands like 'Add a task in Todoist.' For pure hands-free Apple ecosystem integration, Reminders cannot be beaten by any third-party app, free or paid."
          }
        },
        {
          "@type": "Question",
          "name": "are there any hidden costs in the free versions",
          "acceptedAnswer": {
            "@type": "Answer",
            "text": "Things 3 is a one-time purchase per platform: Mac $49.99, iPhone & Watch $9.99, iPad $19.99, Vision Pro $29.99. There is no subscription. Buying every Apple device adds up to roughly $110."
          }
        }
      ],
      "isPartOf": {
        "@id": "https://bundl.run/free-alternative-to/things-3"
      }
    }
  ]
}
```