Priorities vs Things 3
We give Priorities a 2.6 GPA and Things 3 a 3.0, out of 4.0. Priorities grades higher on value for money and platforms. Things 3 grades higher on the free plan, features and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Priorities
Page-based to-do lists for iPhone and iPad with a web companion
From $4.99 one-time
Things 3
Personal task manager for Apple devices, sold as a one-time purchase
Free trial · from $9.99 one-time
How we grade them
| 2.6GPAPrioritiesGood | 3.0GPAThings 3Very good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | A$4.99 once, with Family Sharing and no in-app purchases listed. Paid to-do apps typically start around $3.99 a month, so the whole app costs about what one month does elsewhere. The web app is described as free on top. | BNo subscription, and sync through Things Cloud costs nothing extra. The iPhone app is $9.99 once, which is cheap. But iPad is $19.99 and Mac is $49.99, with no bundle, and all four apps come to $109.96. That's a bit over two years of a typical to-do subscription. |
| Free plan and trial | FNothing is free. There's no free version and no trial, so the $4.99 comes before you've seen a single screen. It's a small bet, but it's still a bet. | CNo free version. The Mac app has a 15-day trial with every feature, downloaded from Cultured Code's site. There's no trial on iPhone, iPad or Vision, so there you pay first and find out after. |
| Features | BPages holding lists and sub-tasks, repeats as fussy as the third Sunday of the month, reminders, templates and shared pages. Solid basics. But creating tasks by email is marked deprecated, and Apple Calendar is the only thing it hooks into. | AProjects split by headings, checklists inside a to-do, notes in Markdown, repeating items, deadlines and reminders. Today and Upcoming show your calendar events with your tasks. Type "in four days" and it gets the date. For one person's tasks, that's the whole job with depth. |
| Ease of use | BIt's an app you install and use: one Add button takes a task or a whole list, with the due date, alert and notes on the same screen. There's no rating on record to go by, so it stops at a B. | A4.8 from about 28,000 App Store ratings. Dates go in as plain words like "Tomorrow" or "Saturday", and on a Mac Quick Entry adds a to-do while you're in another app. |
| Platforms and integrations | BiPhone and iPad, plus a web app at my-priorities.com so your lists open in any browser, and due dates sync to Apple Calendar. But there's no Android or Windows app, and the Mac option is just the iPad app, not verified for macOS. | CMac, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Apple Vision Pro, with Apple Calendar, Reminders, Shortcuts and Siri. All Apple. Cultured Code states it will not work on Windows, Android, Linux or in a web browser. |
| Best for | a pay-once list app for iPhone and iPad | one person's tasks on Apple devices, paid for once |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Priorities and Things 3. How we grade
Where they differ
- Priorities starts at $4.99 one-time purchase. Things 3 starts at $9.99 one-time for iPhone; iPad $19.99 and Mac $49.99 are sold separately.
- Only Priorities lists a web app.
- Only Things 3 lists a macOS app.
- Priorities also covers templates.
- Things 3 also covers Markdown, natural-language input and calendar.
In commoniOSOne-time purchaseTasks
At a glance
| Priorities | Things 3 | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Free trial |
| Starts at | $4.99 one-time purchase | $9.99 one-time for iPhone; iPad $19.99 and Mac $49.99 are sold separately |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | None listed | 15-day free trial of the Mac app with every feature. There is no trial on iPhone, iPad or Vision. |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| iOS | ||
| Made by | Hand Carved Code, LLC | Cultured Code GmbH & Co. KG |
| Price read from | apps.apple.com | apps.apple.com |
| Checked | Oct 9, 2026 | Oct 9, 2026 |
Who each one suits
Priorities
- iPhone and iPad users who prefer to pay once for a to-do app
- Sharing a shopping or chore list with another person
- Reusing the same list as a template, such as for travel
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
Worth knowing
Priorities
- No Android, Windows or native Mac app: the App Store lists iPhone and iPad, and marks the Mac option as the iPad app, not verified for macOS.
- There is no free version or trial; the app is a $4.99 purchase.
- Priorities Online needs a Priorities Cloud sync account, which the support page says is created inside the iOS app.
- The support page marks creating tasks by email as deprecated, with an end date of 12/31/2020.
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.
Key features
Priorities
- Pages, lists and sub-tasks
- Color-coded pages separate areas of life. Each page holds lists with sub-items and tasks with sub-tasks, and pages are reviewed by tapping or swiping.
- Fast Add
- A single button adds tasks or whole lists of items, and alerts, due dates, due times and notes can be set from the same Add screen.
- Repeating tasks
- Tasks can repeat every day, every few days, on a weekday, on a pattern such as the third Sunday of the month, or a set time after the current one is completed.
- Starred items and reminders
- Starred items collect on the Priorities page and set the badge count on the app icon. A reminder time triggers a popup, a sound alert or both.
- Priorities Cloud and page sharing
- A sync account backs data up to the vendor's server, syncs iOS devices, shares chosen pages with other users and opens tasks in the Priorities Online web app.
- Templates and calendar integration
- A page can be saved as a template for reuse, such as a grocery or travel list, and tasks with due dates sync to the device's calendar.
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.
Plans
Priorities
Priorities$4.99
one-time purchase
One App Store purchase for iPhone and iPad, with Family Sharing and no in-app purchases listed. The vendor describes the Priorities Online web app as free.
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.
Ways to pay less
Priorities
No public discounts listed.
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.
