Things 3 vs Microsoft To Do
Which is better in 2026? Five scores, side by side.
Things 3 is the better app overall, scoring 8.9 to 8.4. Things 3 wins on 3 of the 5 scores, Microsoft To Do on 2.
Apple users who want a calm, personal task manager without a subscription
Windows and Outlook users who want a free, no-fuss to-do list
Score by score
The details
| Feature | Things 3 | Microsoft To Do |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Productivity & Notes | Productivity & Notes |
| Category rank | #9 of 17 | #11 of 17 |
| Developer | Cultured Code | Microsoft |
| Pricing | Paid | Free |
| Usable for free | No | Yes |
| iPhone & iPad | ✓ | ✓ |
| Android | — | ✓ |
| Mac | ✓ | ✓ |
| Windows | — | ✓ |
| Web | — | ✓ |
Common questions
Is Things 3 better than Microsoft To Do?
Things 3 is the better app overall, scoring 8.9 to 8.4. Things 3 wins on 3 of the 5 scores, Microsoft To Do on 2.
Which is cheaper, Things 3 or Microsoft To Do?
Things 3: One-time purchase: $9.99 iPhone, $19.99 iPad, $49.99 Mac. Microsoft To Do: Free with a Microsoft account; no paid tier. On value for money, Microsoft To Do scores higher.
Do Things 3 and Microsoft To Do work on the same devices?
Only Microsoft To Do runs on Android, Windows, Web.
Which is more private, Things 3 or Microsoft To Do?
Things 3 scores higher on privacy (9.0/10). The App Store label links only your to-do content to you, plus anonymous diagnostics, with no tracking or ads. Things Cloud encrypts data in transit and at rest, but not end-to-end.
Strengths and weaknesses
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
Microsoft To Do
- Completely free, with no ads
- Apps for Windows, Mac, iPhone, Android and the web
- Works hand in hand with Outlook and Microsoft 365
- Recent updates are mostly bug fixes
- No calendar or board view for planning your week
- Needs a Microsoft account to sync
Microsoft To Do is a clean, free to-do list from the team behind Wunderlist. Each morning, My Day helps you pick what to tackle, with suggestions from your other lists. Break tasks into steps, set repeating reminders, share lists with family, and see emails you flagged in Outlook. It runs on almost everything. Recent updates have mostly been bug fixes, so don't expect big new features.
Full Microsoft To Do review
