Apple Notes vs Things 3
Which is better in 2026? Five scores, side by side.
Apple Notes is the better app overall, scoring 9.0 to 8.9. Apple Notes wins on 2 of the 5 scores, Things 3 on 2, with 1 tied.
iPhone, iPad and Mac owners who want a fast, free place for everyday notes
Apple users who want a calm, personal task manager without a subscription
Score by score
The details
| Feature | Apple Notes | Things 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Productivity & Notes | Productivity & Notes |
| Category rank | #5 of 17 | #9 of 17 |
| Developer | Apple | Cultured Code |
| Pricing | Free | Paid |
| Usable for free | Yes | No |
| iPhone & iPad | ✓ | ✓ |
| Mac | ✓ | ✓ |
| Web | ✓ | — |
Common questions
Is Apple Notes better than Things 3?
Apple Notes is the better app overall, scoring 9.0 to 8.9. Apple Notes wins on 2 of the 5 scores, Things 3 on 2, with 1 tied.
Which is cheaper, Apple Notes or Things 3?
Apple Notes: Free; syncs with 5 GB of free iCloud storage, and iCloud+ starts at $0.99 a month. Things 3: One-time purchase: $9.99 iPhone, $19.99 iPad, $49.99 Mac. On value for money, Apple Notes scores higher.
Do Apple Notes and Things 3 work on the same devices?
Only Apple Notes runs on Web.
Which is more private, Apple Notes or Things 3?
Apple Notes scores higher on privacy (9.0/10). App Store label: no tracking. Your note content and an ID are linked to you; usage data is not. Turn on Advanced Data Protection and your iCloud notes are end-to-end encrypted.
Strengths and weaknesses
Apple Notes
- Free and built into every iPhone, iPad and Mac
- Handwriting, scans, tables and transcripts in one app
- No tracking, according to the App Store label
- No Android or Windows app, only iCloud.com in a browser
- Free iCloud storage is just 5 GB
- Not end-to-end encrypted unless you turn on Advanced Data Protection
Apple Notes is free, already on your iPhone, iPad and Mac, and a lot better than most people think. You get checklists, tables, document scanning, handwriting, Math Notes and audio recordings with written transcripts. Share notes with family, lock private ones and export to Markdown. Everything syncs through iCloud. The catch is that it lives in Apple's world, with only a web version for Windows and Android.
Full Apple Notes review
Things 3
- Calm, polished design that makes planning easy
- Fast, reliable sync across Apple devices
- One-time purchase with no subscription
- Apple devices only, with no web access
- No shared lists or team collaboration
- Buying for Mac, iPhone and iPad adds up
Things 3 is the most pleasant task manager on Apple devices. Every screen is calm and clear, and Today, This Evening, Areas and headings make planning feel easy rather than fiddly. This year's updates added Siri to-do creation, Spotlight search and smarter repeating to-dos, and Things Cloud sync is reliable. The catch: there are no Windows, Android or web apps, no shared lists, and you buy each platform separately.
Full Things 3 review
