Things 3 costs $49.99 one-time on Mac (plus separate iOS/ iPad purchases) for elegant Apple-first task management. Apple Reminders, Microsoft To Do, and TickTick deliver the same GTD-style lists free. Here are the best free Things 3 alternatives.
| Alternative | Price | Best For | No Signup? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apple Reminders | Free (built-in) | Tasks with Siri & Apple integration | ✅ Yes |
| Microsoft To Do | Free | Cross-platform tasks with steps | Account needed |
| TickTick (Free) | Free (with premium tier) | Tasks + calendar + habits | Account needed |
| Todoist (Free) | Free (5 active projects) | Simple, fast task lists | Account needed |
Apple Reminders now supports lists, subtasks, tags, smart lists, and natural-language entry via Siri — free on every Apple device with seamless ecosystem integration.
Microsoft To Do offers lists, subtasks, reminders, and My Day planning across Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android — Things-style organization at $0.
TickTick's free tier includes tasks, subtasks, reminders, a built-in calendar, and habit tracking — a genuinely generous free alternative to Things 3.
Todoist's free plan covers 5 active projects, labels, and due dates with natural language entry — enough for most personal task management.
Things 3 costs $49.99 one-time (Mac) + $19.99 (iOS). That is $49.99/year every year — money that could go toward building an AI-powered income stream instead. Our case studies show that you can build complete revenue-generating systems using only free tools.
| Option | Monthly Cost | Annual Cost | 5-Year Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Things 3 | $49.99 (one-time) | $49.99 | $49.99 |
| Free Alternatives | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Savings | $49.99/year/year saved | ||
The best free alternative to Things 3 depends on your needs. Apple Reminders is ideal for tasks with siri & apple integration. Microsoft To Do is ideal for cross-platform tasks with steps. TickTick (Free) is ideal for tasks + calendar + habits. All of these alternatives are free or have generous free tiers.
Things 3 costs $49.99 one-time (Mac) + $19.99 (iOS). For most individual users and small projects, the free alternatives listed here provide 80-100% of the functionality at zero cost. Teams with complex collaboration needs may find the paid version worthwhile, but solo creators and small businesses can save hundreds per year.
Yes. The alternatives we list are production-ready tools used by millions. Most people switching from Things 3 find that 2-3 free tools combined cover all their needs, often with better specialised features than the all-in-one paid product.
Yes. Every alternative listed is a well-established tool with active development, large user bases, and transparent privacy policies. Open-source options like those from Hugging Face and Ollama are additionally auditable — you can inspect the code yourself.
Switching from Things 3 ($49.99 one-time (Mac) + $19.99 (iOS)) to free alternatives saves you $49.99/year per year. Over 5 years, that is enough to fund a side business or invest in other tools.
Browse All Free Alternatives →