It's close: Notion edges it 8.9 to 8.8, so the right pick depends on what you need. Notion wins on 2 of the 5 scores, Things 3 on 3.
Teams who want docs, wikis and task boards in one place
Apple users who want a calm, personal task manager without a subscription
Score by score
The details
| Feature | Notion | Things 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Productivity & Notes | Productivity & Notes |
| Category rank | #4 of 10 | #5 of 10 |
| Developer | Notion Labs | Cultured Code |
| Pricing | Free + paid plans | Paid |
| Usable for free | Yes | No |
| iPhone & iPad | ✓ | ✓ |
| Android | ✓ | — |
| Mac | ✓ | ✓ |
| Windows | ✓ | — |
| Web | ✓ | — |
Strengths and weaknesses
Notion
- Flexible enough to replace several separate apps
- Excellent for shared team docs and wikis
- Huge template gallery to get started fast
- Large pages and databases can feel slow
- No end-to-end encryption for your notes
Notion lets you build almost anything from blocks: notes, wikis, task boards, CRMs and project trackers, all linked by powerful databases. Notion AI can write, search across connected apps and run agents that update pages for you. It is excellent for teams. The catch is speed: large workspaces can feel sluggish, offline support is limited, and nothing is end-to-end encrypted. Best if you like to design your own system.
Full Notion 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
Things 3 is the most pleasant task manager on Apple devices. Every screen is calm and clear, and features like Today, This Evening, Areas and headings make planning feel easy rather than fiddly. It syncs reliably through Things Cloud and works well with Shortcuts and widgets. The catch: there are no Windows, Android or web apps, no sharing with other people, and you buy each platform separately.
Full Things 3 review
