Firetask vs Things 3

Firetask

• People who follow GTD on iPhone, iPad and Mac
• Users who like to review their tasks on a kanban board
• People who want tasks kept in their own iCloud with no separate account

Things 3

• People who work only on Apple devices
• Buyers who prefer a one-time purchase to a subscription
• One person planning their own tasks and projects

Firetask

• Apple only: there are apps for iPhone, iPad and Mac, and sync runs through iCloud. No web, Windows or Android version is offered.
• After the one-month trial a Firetask Pro subscription is needed: $3.99 a month or $24.99 a year on the US App Store.
• Firetask 5 is a new app: Firetask 4 data must be exported and imported, and the free upgrade leaves out attachments, journal entries and status notes.
• CSV import is in the Mac app only; the manual says it will come to the iOS version.

Things 3

• Apple devices only: the vendor states it will not work on Windows, Android, Linux or in a web browser.
• Mac, iPhone, iPad and Vision apps are separate purchases with no bundle; all four come to $109.96.
• Real-time sharing of to-dos or lists with other people is not supported.
• Only the Mac app has a free trial.

Firetask

GTD focus lists

An Inbox with a badge count for unprocessed items, an In Focus list for today, a Waiting For list grouped by assignee and a Someday list follow a GTD-style flow.

Kanban boards

Drag-and-drop boards arrange tasks by status, focus, due date or priority, so a review can be done by moving cards between columns.

Task calendar

Monthly and weekly calendar views are built around tasks instead of events, with drag-and-drop rescheduling and repeating due dates.

Projects, portfolios and templates

Tasks are grouped into projects and projects into portfolios, and templates store reusable task lists. To-dos act as lightweight subtasks inside a task.

Command tagging and quick capture

Typing /tomorrow sets a due date and @John delegates a task while it is being created. A share extension and a global Mac hotkey add tasks from other apps.

Pomodoro timer

Effort can be estimated in Pomodoros, with a built-in timer and a running Pomodoro count for the tasks in focus.

Things 3

Today and This Evening

The Today list puts the day's calendar events at the top and to-dos underneath, with a separate This Evening section for tasks meant for later in the day.

Upcoming

A view of the days ahead with scheduled to-dos, repeating items, deadlines and calendar events. A to-do can be dragged to another day to reschedule it.

Projects, headings and checklists

Headings split a project into categories or milestones, and a single to-do can carry a checklist of smaller steps along with notes written in Markdown.

Dates in plain words

The Jump Start popover accepts dates typed as "Tomorrow", "Saturday" or "in four days", and a time-based reminder can be added to any to-do.

Quick Entry and Quick Find

Quick Entry on Mac creates a to-do while you are working in another app. Quick Find searches projects, to-dos and tags as you type.

Things Cloud sync

To-dos sync between your devices through the vendor's own Things Cloud service at no extra charge.

Firetask

• Firetask Pro Monthly$3.99

  per month

  One subscription that unlocks every feature on iPhone, iPad and Mac, billed monthly through the App Store.

• Firetask Pro Yearly$24.99

  per year

  The same subscription for iPhone, iPad and Mac, billed once a year through the App Store.

Things 3

• Things for iPhone & Watch$9.99

  one-time purchase

  The iPhone app, with the Apple Watch app included. Sold on the App Store.

• Things for iPad$19.99

  one-time purchase

  The iPad app, bought separately from the iPhone and Mac apps.

• Things for Vision$29.99

  one-time purchase

  The Apple Vision Pro app, bought separately from the other apps.

• Things for Mac$49.99

  one-time purchase

  The Mac app, sold on the Mac App Store. A 15-day trial can be downloaded from the vendor's site.

Firetask

• Annual discount

  Yearly plan costs less than twelve months

  On the US App Store, Firetask Pro Yearly is $24.99, while Firetask Pro Monthly at $3.99 adds up to $47.88 over twelve months.

• Other savings

  Free upgrade for Firetask 4 App Store customers

  Existing Firetask 4 App Store customers can unlock Firetask 4-level functionality in Firetask 5 at no charge. Features new in version 5 still need the subscription.

Things 3

• Other savings

  Shareable through Apple Family Sharing

  Cultured Code supports Apple's Family Sharing, so one purchase of an app can be shared with family members at no extra cost.