TickTick vs Things 3: which app fits in 2026?

TL;DR: Pick TickTick if you want tasks bundled with a calendar, habits, and Pomodoro on every major platform, Linux and Android included. Pick Things 3 for Apple-only GTD with Today, Upcoming, Anytime, and Someday built in. Done Bear keeps that structure, adds the web, Windows, and Linux, and stays local-first. We make Done Bear, so we say where the others win.

TickTick and Things 3 both hold a personal list. Everything around the list differs: platforms, whether habits and a calendar live in the same app, whether you can share projects, and whether a script or an assistant can reach your tasks.

Platforms

Things 3 runs on Mac, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Vision Pro. No web app, no Windows, no Android, no Linux. If a browser-only machine or a Windows laptop is part of your day, Things isn’t there, and moving a Things 3 list to a Windows PC is the direct answer.

TickTick has apps for iOS and iPadOS, Android, Windows, macOS and Linux, plus a web app and browser extensions. Backup and import live in the web app: avatar, then Settings, then Account, then Backup & Import.

Done Bear covers the web, macOS, Windows, Linux and iOS, plus a Raycast extension and a CLI. Android is a waitlist, so TickTick wins if Android is a hard requirement.

Cultured Code’s official device list lists Windows, Android, Linux and browser access as unsupported. TickTick’s download page lists its platforms.

GTD workflow

Things 3 is GTD-native. Today, Upcoming, Anytime and Someday are the app’s structure, which is why Things users rarely rebuild their setup.

TickTick is GTD-capable: you assemble those views out of smart lists, tags and conventions. That works, and you maintain it. The rest of the app is a suite, with a calendar, a habit tracker and a Pomodoro timer next to the list.

Done Bear is GTD-native too, with the same five views as Things plus a Logbook. The structure is the product.

Offline and speed

Things 3 is the benchmark: fully native, instant, and usable offline. TickTick syncs through its own cloud account.

Done Bear is local-first. Tasks live on your device and render instantly, and sync happens in the background. What Is a Local-First Task Manager? covers why the architecture matters.

Collaboration

Things 3 has none: no shared projects and no assignees. Things 3 for Teams has the details.

TickTick shares regular lists you create. Its Inbox and smart lists such as Today can’t be shared. That’s enough for a household checklist.

Done Bear has real-time shared workspaces on every plan, Free included. Today stays a dated list after someone joins, and projects go shared when the work does.

Automation and AI

Things 3 supports its URL scheme, Shortcuts, AppleScript on the Mac, and Mail to Things. That’s fine for Apple-side glue, and none of it is an API a server can call.

TickTick hosts an official MCP server and ships an official CLI. The CLI covers tasks, lists, habits, focus records and countdowns.

Done Bear ships a CLI, a GraphQL API and a hosted MCP server, so Claude, ChatGPT and other assistants can capture, triage and plan against your tasks with OAuth-scoped permission.

Pricing

Things 3 is a one-time purchase per platform. Mac, iPhone, iPad and Vision Pro are sold separately through the App Store, the Watch app comes with the iPhone app, and extra devices of the same kind cost nothing. No subscription, and good value if you’re all-Apple and working alone.

TickTick Premium is a subscription. Its pricing page lists US$49.99 a year in the US. You pay for habits, calendar and Pomodoro as well as the list.

Done Bear is free to start, up to 250 tasks with unlimited workspace members, then from $7/month per member billed yearly. Details are on the pricing page.

Who should pick which

Choose TickTick if you use the habit tracker, calendar and Pomodoro timer as one bundle, or if Android is a hard requirement. Stay there if one app matters more to you than the best tool for each job.

Choose Things 3 if you work alone, entirely on Apple devices, and want a one-time purchase. It’s the most polished personal task manager we know.

Choose Done Bear if you want Things’ GTD structure but need the web, Windows, Linux, shared projects, or access for scripts and assistants.

Start with the Things 3 comparison or the TickTick comparison. To leave TickTick, export from the web app first. Or download Done Bear and try it free.

Sources

• Cultured Code: Getting Things for supported devices and per-platform purchases.
• Cultured Code: Syncing with Things Cloud for browser-access, offline, and collaboration limitations.
• Cultured Code: Connecting AI tools to Things for the supported automation routes.
• TickTick: Upgrade to Premium for the US Premium price, US$49.99 a year (checked 27 September 2026).
• TickTick: Download for iOS and iPadOS, Android, Windows, macOS, Linux, the web, and browser extensions.
• TickTick: Backup and Import for the web-only backup path.
• TickTick: Shared List for which lists can be shared.
• TickTick: TickTick MCP for the hosted MCP server.
• TickTick: TickTick CLI for the official CLI and what it covers.