Things 3 vs Yata

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

Yata

• People who follow Getting Things Done on Apple devices
• Seeing to-dos and calendar events in one schedule
• Buyers who would pay once for a lifetime unlock over a subscription

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.

Yata

• Apple devices only: the App Store lists iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Vision and Apple Watch, and there is no Android, Windows or web version.
• Neither the website nor the App Store listing says which features need the Monthly, Yearly or Lifetime purchase.
• It requires iOS 17, iPadOS 17 or macOS 14 or later, and Planning Mode is not available on macOS.
• English is the only language on the App Store listing.

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.

Yata

Captures and Inbox

A capture holds a thought that is not yet actionable. The Inbox lists unprocessed captures until each is turned into an action, deferred with a reminder, filed in a list or trashed.

Next Actions, Waiting For and Projects

An action is scheduled for a date, marked as a Next Action or marked Waiting For. Projects group multi-step outcomes and can suggest next actions from checkboxes in their notes.

Contexts

Contexts work like tags for people, places or kinds of work. Actions and captures can carry several, and agendas filter items down to a chosen set of contexts.

Calendar with to-dos and events

To-dos and calendar events share List, Day, 3-Day, 5-Day, Week and Month views, and items are rescheduled by drag and drop. Planning Mode shows the calendar beside lists.

Time Blocks and Routines

A time block is an action attached to one or more parent actions that counts as done once the allotted time is spent. Routines are daily templates for recurring schedules.

Quick Add, widgets and Shortcuts

Quick Add recognizes natural language, interactive widgets run on the Home Screen, Lock Screen and StandBy, and Apple Shortcuts actions can add, edit and query items and attachments.

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.

Yata

• Free$0

  Free download for iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Vision and Apple Watch. The listing does not spell out where the free version stops.

• Monthly$2.00

  per month (in-app purchase named Monthly)

  In-app purchase listed on the App Store as Monthly. The listing does not say what it unlocks.

• Yearly$5.00

  per year (in-app purchase named Yearly)

  In-app purchase listed on the App Store as Yearly. The listing does not say what it unlocks.

• Lifetime$10.00

  one-time purchase

  In-app purchase listed on the App Store as Lifetime, paid once in place of a 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.

Yata

• Annual discount

  Yearly costs $5.00 against $24.00 paid monthly

  The App Store lists Monthly at $2.00 and Yearly at $5.00, so a year on the Yearly purchase costs about 79% less than twelve Monthly payments.

• Lifetime license

  Lifetime purchase for $10.00

  The App Store listing shows a Lifetime in-app purchase at $10.00 next to the Monthly and Yearly options.