A Things 3 alternative with a board.
Things 3 is the best-designed task app ever made, and this site says so everywhere it comes up. It also shares Zoro's values: one-time purchase, Apple-native, calm, not a whiff of gamification. So this page is different from our other comparisons — there's no villain here. Nobody should leave Things over the bill, because the money is a wash. People search for a Things 3 alternative because of what lists can't do: there's no board, nothing stops a list from growing, and a task from March looks exactly like one from this morning. If that's your itch, here's the honest way through it.
The short answer
If Things' lists genuinely work for you, stay — it's a fair one-time purchase from a careful developer, and nothing here argues otherwise. If you want a board with a method on Apple devices, Zoro keeps the pay-once, iCloud-native values and adds WIP limits, task aging, and a weekly review — free with unlimited tasks, Pro for $59.99 once. If you need Windows or Android, TickTick or Todoist. The full ranked field is in our best Things 3 alternatives guide.
The math
For once, the receipt is a tie.
Most comparison pages dunk on a subscription. Not this one. Things 3 is a one-time purchase per platform — no recurring fees, ever. Run the numbers for iPhone and Mac and the two apps land a penny apart. Both respect your wallet; what you're actually choosing between is a container and a method.
Where lists run out
Not flaws. Boundaries.
- There's no board. You can see what work exists, but never see it moving. A list shows contents; a board shows flow — what's started, what's stuck, what actually finished this week.
- Nothing caps how much you start. Today will hold 4 items or 40 with equal serenity. Things trusts you to self-limit, and most of us reward that trust poorly.
- Tasks don't age. The task you wrote in March looks pixel-identical to the one you wrote this morning. Beautiful typography is very forgiving of the things you're avoiding.
- Features arrive on a multi-year cadence. Cultured Code ships slowly and carefully — it's part of why the app is so good, and also why people waiting for a board or a review layer eventually stop waiting.
- There's no review ritual. Things gives you Someday and trusts you to prune it. Nothing in the product ever asks whether you're going to do any of it — it's deliberately a calm container, not a method.
The alternative
Same values. Plus a method.
Zoro is a single-player kanban for iPhone and Mac, and it keeps everything you'd insist on after Things: Apple-native, calm, no streaks or confetti — completing a task is a quiet strikethrough — and a real one-time purchase. What it adds is the structure lists leave out. A three-column board shows work moving. WIP limits cap how much you can pull into In Progress. Tasks age visibly, so the one from March stops hiding. Three priorities and S/M/L effort sizes keep planning to seconds instead of tag gardening. A weekly review makes you cut what you were never going to do. Work and Personal live in two separate spaces, and everything syncs through your own iCloud rather than a company's cloud. Free covers unlimited tasks and projects; Pro adds the weekly-review insight engine, subtasks, and custom statuses.
At a glance
Things 3 vs Zoro, on what matters.
| Things 3 | Zoro | |
|---|---|---|
| One-time purchase | Yes — per platform | Yes — $59.99 covers iPhone + Mac |
| Apple-native, calm, no gamification | Yes — the gold standard | Yes — quiet strikethrough |
| Primary shape | Lists (GTD-style) | Board + list, same tasks |
| Caps how much you start | No | WIP limits |
| Shows a task's age | No | Task aging, visible |
| Review ritual | Left to you | Weekly review that makes you cut |
| Where your data lives | Things Cloud (Cultured Code) | Your own iCloud |
Feature by feature
Side by side.
| Feature | Zoro | Things 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Apple-native (iPhone + Mac) | Yes | Yes |
| Free tier to try | Yes (unlimited tasks) | No (15-day Mac trial only) |
| List view | Yes | Yes (the strength) |
| Kanban board | Built in | No |
| Three priorities (P1/P2/P3) | Native | Flags + tags only |
| S/M/L effort sizing | Native | No |
| Subtasks | One level Pro | Checklist items |
| Areas + Projects hierarchy | Spaces + Projects | Yes (deeper) |
| Today / Upcoming / Anytime views | Focus view | Yes (signature) |
| Recurring tasks | Not in v1 | Yes |
| Reminders / due dates | Not in v1 | Yes |
| Natural language dates | No | Yes |
| Sync | CloudKit free | Things Cloud (free) |
| Where your data lives | Your iCloud | Cultured Code's cloud |
| Pricing (iPhone + Mac) | $0, $19.99/yr or $59.99 once for both | $59.98 once, per device |
Honest picks
If Zoro isn't your answer.
If lists work for you…
- You love the design and lists genuinely hold your life → stay on Things 3. Honestly, nothing is better-made.
- You want free and you're already on Apple → Apple Reminders — how to run a WIP system in it.
- You want the full ranked field → the 8 best Things 3 alternatives.
If you want a board…
- On Apple, want a board with a method → Zoro.
- Need Windows or Android → TickTick's kanban view — compared here.
- Prefer lists but need cross-platform → Todoist — the comparison.
Switching
Leaving is lighter than it looks.
- Audit Someday before you pack it. If a task has lived in Someday since winter, it isn't a plan, it's a keepsake. Bring over only what you'd genuinely start this month — our guide to a weekly review that kills tasks is the same muscle.
- Rebuild as three columns. Todo, In Progress, Done. The shift from Things isn't losing your lists — it's finally seeing what's in motion, and Zoro caps In Progress on purpose. If everything is in progress, nothing is.
- Size and prioritize on entry. Every task gets a priority (P1–P3) and an effort size (S/M/L) as it comes in — the structure Things leaves to your tags, made native. Thirty seconds now beats a planning session later.
FAQ
Things 3 alternatives, answered.
What is a good Things 3 alternative?
It depends on why you're leaving. If you want a kanban board and a method on Apple devices, Zoro keeps Things' values — one-time purchase, Apple-native, no gamification — and adds WIP limits, task aging, and a weekly review; it's free with unlimited tasks and iCloud sync, and Pro is $59.99 once. If you need Windows or Android, TickTick and Todoist are the strongest cross-platform picks. If you just want free on Apple, Reminders covers more than most people expect.
Does Things 3 have a subscription?
No, and that's worth saying plainly: Things 3 is a one-time purchase per platform — roughly $9.99 for iPhone, $19.99 for iPad, and $49.99 for Mac as of mid-2026 — with no recurring fees, and it's part of why people stay for years. The reasons people look for an alternative are structural, not financial: it's a list app with no board, no WIP limits, and no review pressure, and no amount of fair pricing changes that shape.
Is there a Things 3 alternative with a kanban board?
Yes. On Apple devices, Zoro is a single-player kanban built for one person — a three-column board with WIP limits, three priorities, and S/M/L effort sizing, syncing through your own iCloud. It is live on the App Store. If you need a board across Windows and Android too, TickTick includes a kanban view on every platform.
Is Things 4 coming?
Cultured Code has not announced Things 4 as of mid-2026, and Things 3 continues to receive updates. Beyond that, any release date would be speculation — the company has a long history of shipping when it's ready and not before. If what you're waiting for is a board or a review layer rather than a new version number, that may be a reason to look at alternatives now instead of waiting.
Keep the values. Add the method.
Zoro is a single-player kanban for iPhone and Mac — WIP limits, three priorities, a weekly review, your data in your own iCloud. Free with unlimited tasks and sync; Pro is $2.99/mo, $19.99/yr, or $59.99 once. It is live on the App Store now. Download Zoro for iPhone and Mac — free with unlimited tasks and iCloud sync.
Download on the App Store →