Thendoo vs Things 3: a polished Apple to-do app or a web day planner
Things 3 is a one-time-purchase to-do app for Apple devices; Thendoo is a web planner with a timeline, habits and money. Compare devices, calendar and price.
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The short answer
Things 3 is a calm, carefully designed to-do app for Mac, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Vision Pro, sold as a one-time purchase per platform with free sync. Thendoo is a browser app that puts tasks, meetings, habits and bills on one Today timeline. Choose Things for a beautiful task list on Apple devices; choose Thendoo if you want your whole day planned in one place and use a browser or a non-Apple device.
Side by side
Devices
- Things 3
- Mac, iPad, iPhone, Apple Watch and Vision. Not on Windows, Android, Linux or the web.source
- Thendoo
- Web app; add it to a phone's home screen. Native apps planned
Sync
- Things 3
- Things Cloud, free with the app; no browser access to your to-dossource
- Thendoo
- Your data lives on the Thendoo server (hosted, or your own)
Daily view
- Things 3
- Today, Upcoming, Anytime and Someday listssource
- Thendoo
- Today timeline with meetings, time blocks, habits and bills due soon
Calendar
- Things 3
- Shows Apple Calendar events in Today and Upcoming, read-only and per device; cannot send to-dos to the calendarsource
- Thendoo
- Reads Google Calendar (several accounts). Optionally writes time blocks to a separate 'Thendoo' calendar.
Repeating tasks
- Things 3
- Repeat on a fixed schedule or after completion, for to-dos and whole projectssource
- Thendoo
- Repeating tasks on a schedule
Habits, routines and focus timer
- Things 3
- No habit tracker or focus timersource
- Thendoo
- Built in: When/Then habits with forgiving streaks, timed routines, One block or Pomodoro focus
Sharing
- Things 3
- No real-time sharing of to-dos or listssource
- Thendoo
- Single-user only
Money
- Things 3
- Not includedsource
- Thendoo
- Built in: accounts, bank CSV import, monthly budgets, bills on Today
Plans and prices
Our take
Choose Things 3 if…
- You live on Apple devices and want a native app on your Mac, iPhone, iPad and Watch.
- You prefer paying once over a subscription.
- You want a quiet, well-designed task list with Siri, Shortcuts and a URL scheme for automation.
Choose Thendoo if…
- You use Windows, Android or a work laptop where a browser is all you have.
- You want meetings from Google Calendar, tasks, habits and bills on one timeline.
- You use Windows, Android or a work computer where you can only open a browser.
Two calm apps with different homes
Things 3 has been a favourite on the Mac and iPhone for years. It is a task list first: you sort to-dos into areas and projects, and the Today, Upcoming, Anytime and Someday lists decide when you see them. It is known for its design, its keyboard shortcuts and its deep ties to Apple features like Siri and Shortcuts. You pay once for each platform, and sync through Things Cloud is free.
Thendoo is a day planner that runs in a browser. Its home is Today: a timeline with your meetings from Google Calendar, the time blocks you set for tasks, your When/Then habits and any bills due soon. It asks a different question from a task list. Not only “what is there to do?” but “when, today, will I do it?”
Where they differ
Devices. Things works only on Apple devices: Mac, iPad, iPhone, Apple Watch and Vision. There is no web version and no Windows or Android app. Thendoo is the opposite. It runs in any modern browser, but it has no phone or desktop app yet, and its reminders appear only while a Thendoo tab is open.
Calendar. Things shows events from Apple Calendar next to your to-dos, on each device separately, and it cannot write to-dos into the calendar. Thendoo reads Google Calendar directly, from several accounts if you have them, and can write your time blocks to a separate “Thendoo” calendar so colleagues see you are busy.
Beyond tasks. Thendoo adds habits with forgiving streaks, timed routines, a focus timer and a simple money module. We did not find habit or budget features in Things’ support pages, and Things is clear that it focuses on to-dos and projects.
Tone. Both are gentle. Thendoo goes a step further, especially if focus is hard: missed tasks show as Carried over, never as a red overdue list, and ADHD mode trims the screen down.
Which one to try
If you are all-in on Apple and want a native, polished task list you pay for once, Things 3 is hard to beat. If you also need your meetings, habits and bills in the same view, or you work on a non-Apple machine, give Thendoo a week. Keep Things running alongside it, and see which one you open first each morning.
Moving from Things 3 to Thendoo
- 1List the areas and projects you still use. Many people find a fresh start easier than moving everything.
- 2In Thendoo, create a Space for each area and a List for each active project.
- 3Re-add open to-dos with the Capture palette (Ctrl+K / ⌘K). Type a date and a #Space in the same line to file them as you go.
- 4Thendoo has no Things importer today. A Things route is on the wave 3 research list because Things has no public API.
- 5Connect Google Calendar under Connections so your meetings sit next to your tasks on Today.
Questions
Can I use Thendoo on my iPhone?
In the phone's browser, yes. There is no Thendoo app in the App Store yet, so you don't get widgets or Siri the way Things offers them.
Can Thendoo import my Things database?
Not today. Things has no public API, so a Things importer is still being researched for a later wave. For now, move your active projects by hand with the Capture palette.
Does Things show my Google Calendar?
Only through Apple Calendar. Things reads the calendars in Apple's Calendar app on each device, so you add your Google account there first. Thendoo connects to Google Calendar directly.