A free Things 3 alternative that works outside Apple devices
Things 3 is a polished one-off purchase for Apple devices only, while TODO is a free web app with a daily pad, a weekly pad and shareable lists; stay on Things if you are all-Apple and want headings, deadlines and calendar events in your day, and switch to TODO if you need Windows, Android or a shared list.
Things 3 is one of the best-designed task apps on the Mac and iPhone. TODO is a small, free web app built around a day and a week. Here is how they compare.
- Things 3 costs US$49.99 on Mac, US$9.99 on iPhone (with Apple Watch) and US$19.99 on iPad, each a one-off App Store purchase; the Mac version has a 15-day free trial.
- It runs on Mac, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Vision Pro only.
- Things has no shared lists: assigning a to-do to a contact sends that person nothing.
- TODO is free, opens in any browser, shares any list and has its own MCP server for Claude and ChatGPT; we found no official Things MCP server, only community-built ones.
Updated 6 October 2026 · By Dan, founder
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Who should stay on Things 3
- You only use Apple devices and are happy to buy each version once.
- You plan with Today, This Evening and Upcoming, with your calendar events shown alongside.
- You organise projects with headings, checklists, tags and deadlines.
- You like Quick Entry, Siri and Shortcuts on your Mac and iPhone.
Who should switch to TODO
- You use Windows, Android or a work computer where you cannot install Things.
- You want to share a list with a partner, friend or colleague.
- You plan the week ahead as well as today: TODO has a separate weekly pad.
- You want Claude or ChatGPT to read and update your list through an official MCP server.
Things 3 vs TODO at a glance
Things prices below are US App Store prices checked on 6 October 2026; other regions differ. Features were checked on culturedcode.com the same day.
| Things 3 | TODO | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | One-off: US$49.99 Mac, US$9.99 iPhone and Watch, US$19.99 iPad | Free, no paid plan |
| Platforms | Mac, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Vision Pro | Any modern browser |
| Daily view | Today and This Evening, with calendar events | Daily pad |
| Weekly view | Upcoming | Weekly pad (Monday to Sunday) |
| Unfinished tasks | – | Roll over to today automatically |
| Projects and structure | Areas, projects, headings, checklists, tags | Lists and subtasks |
| Sharing | No shared lists | Share any list |
| AI assistants (MCP) | No official MCP server found; community-built servers exist | MCP server for Claude, ChatGPT (paid ChatGPT plans), Claude Code and Cursor |
Source: Things features (Cultured Code)
How to move your tasks from Things 3 to TODO
TODO has no import button yet, so the quickest route is through an AI assistant.
- In Things, open each project or area you still use.
- Connect TODO to Claude or ChatGPT using the steps on the /mcp setup page.
- Paste the to-dos (or a screenshot) into the chat and ask: "Add these to a TODO list called Work, keeping the due dates."
- Set repeats again on anything that recurs.
- Without an assistant, retype only your current tasks; finished ones rarely need moving.
Related pages
Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
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