Personal planning
Things 3 vs NotePlan for Mac
Choose Things 3 if you want commitments organized around task lists and projects. Choose NotePlan if your tasks need to live beside daily notes, linked project context, and calendar time blocks.
Direct answer
Which app fits which job?
Choose Things 3 when your main planning object is an action: capture it, put it in a project, and decide when to do it. Choose NotePlan when the surrounding notes matter as much as the checkbox: keep the day's thinking, project references, and scheduled work together. Choose according to where you want planning to start.
This answer is limited to the reviewed members below. It is a workflow comparison, not a market-wide ranking.
Included in this review
Open any app page for its complete verified facts and official links.
Current membership
Reviewed apps at a glance
NotePlan
Productivity
NotePlan brings daily notes, tasks, and calendar context into a single planning surface for people who prefer working from text instead of maintaining separate notebooks and task boards.
Things 3
Productivity
Things 3 is a task manager for people who want one place to capture commitments, turn them into projects, and decide what deserves attention today.
Reviewed facts
Feature and workflow comparison
Compare the reviewed workflow details for each published member. The dated official source links below show the material used for this focused comparison.
| Comparison area | NotePlan | Things 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Capture and projects | Capture tasks inside daily or project notes. Links connect the context; list and Kanban views provide other project overviews. | Quick Entry captures a task from another Mac app; projects can use headings to divide work into stages. Today and Upcoming keep the action list central. |
| Daily notes and Markdown | Daily pages, Markdown notes, and linked project material share the same planning surface. This fits a habit of writing before turning ideas into tasks. | Notes attach to to-dos and projects and support Markdown-style formatting. The documented planning model uses task lists, rather than NotePlan's separate daily-note pages. |
| Calendar and time blocks | Supports task time blocks in its timeline. A visual block is not automatically an external calendar event: calendar sync must be enabled for that behavior. | Shows events from Apple Calendar in Today and Upcoming. It does not send its to-dos to Calendar; the developer points to a Shortcut for task time blocking. |
| Organization and retrieval | Search regular and calendar notes; task filters can use text, tags, mentions, and folders. Linked notes keep written context connected to actions. | Projects and headings organize actions; tags filter work and Quick Find helps navigate or search. This is useful when the item you need to retrieve is a commitment. |
| Sync and data path | CloudKit or no-sync notes have local storage on Mac; CloudKit sync uses Apple services. iCloud Drive is another documented option. The documented filesystem location differs by distribution channel. | Local app data with optional Things Cloud task sync through Cultured Code's service. Mac backup instructions identify a local database; synced calendar events remain each device's responsibility. |
| Buying on Mac | Direct website: USD 99 paid annually or USD 12 monthly; VAT may apply. Recurring subscription across Mac, iPad, iPhone, and Web. App Store subscriptions have separate local terms. | US Mac App Store: USD 49.99, a one-time purchase for Things 3 on Mac. The iPhone and iPad editions are separate purchases; Watch is included with iPhone. Local storefront pricing can differ. |
| Current minimum macOS | macOS 12.0 or later on the US Mac App Store listing, version 3.21.3, checked October 4, 2026. | macOS 13.3 or later, checked on the developer's Mac product page on October 4, 2026. |
| Processor support scope | This comparison did not independently reconfirm processor-specific requirements for the current download. Check the intended build on your Intel or Apple Silicon Mac during the trial. | This comparison did not independently reconfirm processor-specific requirements for the current download. The directory's hardware labels retain their older evidence dates. |
Source disclosure
Official sources checked for this comparison
Edited October 4, 2026. This is a comparison of the two named Mac apps, based on their published directory evidence and the official sources dated below. Source checks and the independent editorial review were performed by AI agents; they are separate from hands-on use, which was not performed. Recommendations are editorial inferences about workflow fit, not measured scores. The app pages retain older dates for facts that this article did not recheck, including processor labels and media. Purchase amounts are limited to the stated currency and channel; availability and requirements can change. Published and updated on October 5, 2026; the official sources below were checked on October 4, 2026.
NotePlan
- Direct USD pricing and product (opens in a new tab)Accessed
- Direct subscription terms (opens in a new tab)Accessed
- US Mac listing and requirements (opens in a new tab)Accessed
- Local storage by channel (opens in a new tab)Accessed
- CloudKit and iCloud Drive (opens in a new tab)Accessed
- Time blocks and calendar sync (opens in a new tab)Accessed
- Search and task filters (opens in a new tab)Accessed
Things 3
- Mac price and requirements (opens in a new tab)Accessed
- Quick Entry and Autofill (opens in a new tab)Accessed
- Project headings (opens in a new tab)Accessed
- Calendar integration and limits (opens in a new tab)Accessed
- Things Cloud sync (opens in a new tab)Accessed
- Local data and backup (opens in a new tab)Accessed
- Tags and filtering (opens in a new tab)Accessed
- Quick Find and search (opens in a new tab)Accessed
- Purchase and platform licenses (opens in a new tab)Accessed
- Task and project notes, Markdown (opens in a new tab)Accessed
- Today and other planning lists (opens in a new tab)Accessed
- Apple US price and USD currency metadata (opens in a new tab)Accessed
Reading notes
How to use this comparison
The difference is where a task begins
In Things 3, start with the action: capture a to-do, assign it to a project, and divide a longer project with headings. In NotePlan, start with the note: write the day's context or a project page, then put actionable tasks in that text. Things also supports Markdown-style formatting in task and project notes, so this is not a choice between having Markdown and having none. Both approaches can organize personal work. The useful distinction is whether you want your notes to support a separate task list or to contain the tasks themselves. Choosing the second approach also means committing to a note-writing habit; extra views do not create that habit for you.
Scenario: manage several personal projects
For a renovation, a reading plan, and a recurring administrative routine, choose Things 3 when you mainly need to see the next actions and project stages. Quick Entry and headings support that list-based process. Choose NotePlan when each project produces research, decisions, or meeting notes that you want linked to the actions. Its daily and project notes give that material a place in the planning system. This recommendation follows the documented structures; it is not a claim that either app makes you more productive.
Scenario: leave a meeting with context and follow-ups
Choose NotePlan if the useful record is the meeting narrative together with the follow-up tasks, and you want to find that context again through notes, links, and filters. Choose Things 3 if the meeting record already lives elsewhere and you only want its commitments in a focused personal task system. On Mac, Quick Entry with Autofill can capture a supported source link, but whether a usable link is available depends on the originating app. A link to context and a note containing context are different workflows.
Scenario: plan around a crowded calendar
Choose Things 3 when seeing today's events alongside an action list is enough. Its calendar integration reads events from Apple Calendar, and those events are not synced by Things Cloud. Choose NotePlan when you want to assign tasks to visible time blocks while keeping the daily note nearby. Check its calendar-sync setting before expecting a timeline block to appear in another calendar. Things' documented Shortcut route can help with time blocking, but it is a separate workflow from its built-in event display. Try the actual calendar connection and one rescheduled task before moving your whole planning routine.
Purchase terms and compatibility change the decision
A Mac-only Things 3 purchase has a different spending cycle from a NotePlan subscription: the US Mac edition is USD 49.99 once, while NotePlan's direct website currently offers USD 99 billed annually or USD 12 monthly, with VAT potentially additional. Those are scoped offers, not a promise about every region or purchase channel. Things editions for iPhone and iPad are purchased separately, while Watch is included with iPhone; NotePlan's direct subscription lists Mac, iPad, iPhone, and Web. Compare the checkout for the route you intend to use. For an older Mac, check the app-level requirement first: Things currently requires macOS 13.3; the NotePlan US Mac listing requires 12.0. Check the current listing for the build you intend to install.
Sync is a data-path choice, not a privacy score
Things stores local app data and offers Things Cloud for task sync. NotePlan documents local storage with CloudKit or no sync, plus an iCloud Drive option. Its Mac storage paths vary between App Store and Setapp distributions. These facts describe where the planning data is handled; they do not prove a security ranking, a complete backup strategy, or that every feature works offline. Before importing important material, check the chosen sync mode, backup method, and calendar permissions against your own requirements. No hands-on privacy or offline test was performed for this comparison.
Does Things 3 require a subscription?
No: the current Mac edition is a one-time App Store purchase. That does not include the separate iPhone and iPad editions, and this comparison makes no promise about pricing or licenses for future major versions.
Can either app replace my calendar?
Treat the calendar boundary explicitly. Things displays events from Apple Calendar and does not export its to-dos there. NotePlan combines calendar context with task time blocks, but a block becomes visible in an external calendar only with the corresponding sync behavior enabled. Neither observation establishes that every calendar account or feature is supported.
Which should I try first?
Try Things 3 first if you already know where your notes belong and want a personal action list. Try NotePlan first if you currently split a day's notes, tasks, and schedule between separate places and want them together. Use one real project and one real workday to check the fit. These are suggested trial exercises, not tests performed by this publication.