Things 3 is beautiful and Apple-only, and you buy each platform separately. LemTask runs in any browser — Windows, Android, Mac, iOS — on a free plan.
Things 3 is widely considered the most beautiful task app ever made for Apple users — quiet design, perfect typography, deep Shortcuts and Siri integration, sold as a one-time purchase per platform. LemTask is cross-platform (web, iOS, Android, Chrome), gamified with XP and streaks, AI-powered with voice brain dump and ready for team collaboration. If you live entirely in Apple's ecosystem and want serenity, buy Things. Otherwise, choose LemTask.
Things 3 has no Windows or Android app, and never has. It also charges per platform: $49.99 on Mac, $9.99 on iPhone, $19.99 on iPad. If you are on Windows, there is no version to buy at any price.
LemTask is a web app with an installable PWA, so the same account works on Windows, Android, macOS and iOS. It keeps the calm, keyboard-driven feel of Things and adds habits, streaks and a focus timer.
Gamified task management with voice input, AI suggestions, and fun productivity features.
Apple users who value design perfection
| Detail | 🍋 LemTask | Things 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Free, Pro $14.99/mo | iPhone $9.99, iPad $19.99, Mac $49.99 (one-time, per device) |
| Free tier limits | 10 active tasks, full AI + voice + gamification | No free tier — paid only |
| Supported platforms | Web, iOS, Android, PWA, Chrome extension | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch only |
| Integrations | Google Calendar, Slack, Chrome, webhooks | Apple Calendar, Reminders, Shortcuts |
| Languages | 9 (per-user) | 10 (system locale) |
| Founded | 2024 | 2007 (Cultured Code) |
| Best for | Cross-platform gamified productivity for individuals + teams | Solo Apple users who value design above all |
| Feature | 🍋 LemTask | Things 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Per-User Language (9 languages) | Workspace-wide only | |
| Native iOS / Mac App | Web PWA | |
| Apple Watch App | ||
| Areas & Projects (GTD) | ||
| Design Perfection | Modern | Exceptional |
| One-time Purchase Option | Subscription only | |
| Cross-platform (Web/Android) | ||
| Gamification & XP | ||
| Habit Tracking | ||
| Voice Brain Dump | ||
| Team / Collaboration Features | ||
| Sketch / Whiteboard in Notes | tldraw block | |
| PDF Embed in Notes | Inline (25 MB) | |
| Image OCR (extract text) | 1-click | |
| Voice Note with Live Waveform |
Things 3 is, objectively, one of the most beautiful apps ever made. Cultured Code's attention to design detail is legendary. But beauty has a price — literally. $49.99 for Mac, $9.99 for iPhone, $19.99 for iPad. That's $80+ before you've added a single task. And if you switch to Android or Windows? You're out of luck entirely. LemTask takes a different approach: works everywhere, costs less, and actually motivates you. Things 3 is a gorgeous static experience — it doesn't care if you complete your tasks, doesn't track your habits, doesn't celebrate your wins. It just sits there, looking pretty, like a coffee table book about productivity that you never actually read. LemTask is what Things 3 would be if Cultured Code had asked 'how do we make users actually want to open this app every day?' XP for task completion, streak tracking for habits, achievement badges for milestones, and a voice brain dump for when inspiration strikes. Pretty AND productive.
We built LemTask, so we'd love to say it wins everywhere. It doesn't. Here's where Things 3 is the better pick — honestly.
The most polished, quiet, beautiful UI in the category — full stop.
One-time purchase, no subscription. Pay once, own it forever.
Best-in-class Apple integration: Shortcuts, Siri, widgets, Apple Watch, Quick Entry on macOS.
Things' Today + Evening + Anytime + Someday model is a proven productivity system on its own.
Web, Android, Windows — not just Apple
XP, achievements, and leaderboards
Full AI brain dump, not just Siri
Share tasks and work together
"Things 3 is gorgeous, but I switched to Android. LemTask gave me better features on every platform."
— Chris T., Designer
Switched from Things 3
Spin the wheel and see who wins each feature matchup!
A quick, no-data-loss migration in a few steps.
Things doesn't offer a one-click export. The simplest path: select all tasks in a list, copy, and paste into a spreadsheet. Or use the Things URL scheme to script an export.
Save the spreadsheet as CSV with columns Title, Notes, Due, Tags, then use Settings → Import → Generic CSV.
In LemTask, save Smart Lists for 'Today', 'This Evening' (due today + tagged evening) and 'Anytime' (no due date). This mirrors Things' core flow.
Many former Things users keep Things open on their Mac for capture and use LemTask everywhere else. Both work — you don't have to fully cut over.
Sourced from public reviews — not curated by us.
"Things is the most beautiful app I own. It's also the reason I have an iPad and a Mac at all."
"Buying Things three times (phone, iPad, Mac) felt expensive. After a year I forgot I'd ever paid."
"If they ever made a Windows version they'd own the market. Until then, half of us can't use it."
Yes — that's the main reason to choose it. Things is famously Apple-only (iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch), with no Windows, Android or web app at all. LemTask runs everywhere via web, native iOS/Android and a Chrome extension, plus PWA install. If you have a Pixel, an Android tablet or a Windows work laptop, Things simply isn't an option.
It's manual. Things doesn't offer a one-click export, so the simplest path is to select all tasks in a list, copy and paste into a spreadsheet, then save as CSV with columns for Title, Notes, Due, Tags. In LemTask, Settings → Import → Generic CSV. Power users automate this via Things' URL scheme and AppleScript, then run the export through a small script.
Not as named views, but you can recreate the same flow with Smart Lists. Save 'Today' as 'due today + Focus Task pinned', 'Evening' as 'due today + tagged @evening', 'Anytime' as 'no due date + not in Someday', and 'Someday' as a tagged or starred list. The behaviour is identical; the labels are yours to choose.
Honest answer: no. Things 3 is widely considered the most beautifully designed task app ever shipped — the typography, spacing and animations are in a category of their own. LemTask is clean and modern with a confident sans-serif type system (Sora display, Plus Jakarta Sans body), but it's not trying to win design awards. We optimise for momentum and motivation, not for serenity.
No — LemTask is subscription-based ($14.99/month for Pro). Things charges a one-time purchase per platform: $9.99 iPhone, $19.99 iPad, $49.99 Mac. If you only use Things on one device, the lifetime cost is dramatically lower than any subscription. If you've already paid for all three Apple platforms, you've spent ~$80 once — versus ~$180/year for LemTask Pro.
Partially. LemTask supports Add to Home Screen via PWA, push notifications and a deep-linking URL scheme that works with Shortcuts for capture. Things' Apple integration is genuinely best-in-class — Shortcuts, Siri voice capture, widgets, Quick Entry on Mac, Apple Watch complications. If those are core to your workflow, Things stays the better pick on Apple.
Yes — many users do. Things is single-user only with no team features and never will be (Cultured Code has been explicit about this). Teams that include Things lovers often run Things personally and LemTask Teams for shared work. The Chrome extension lets you forward selected text from any browser tab into LemTask, including from Things' web view of shared tasks via shortcuts.
Cross-platform sync (Windows, Android, web), gamification (XP, levels, streaks, achievements), voice brain dump with AI task parsing, habit tracking, a Pomodoro focus timer, journaling, real-time team collaboration, and AI personality modes from Drill Sergeant to Zen Master. Things deliberately avoids most of these to stay calm and minimal — which is exactly why some users love it and others want more.
Join thousands who've made the switch to LemTask
Start Free TrialWe use both LemTask and the competing app daily across personal and team workflows. Pricing is taken directly from each vendor's public pricing page on the date listed below. Feature parity is checked by attempting the same job-to-be-done in both apps (capture, plan, execute, review). When a feature exists but is gated behind a higher tier, we say so explicitly. We also re-read the most recent G2, Reddit and Product Hunt threads about the competitor before publishing.