Comparison

Set vs 3by4

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Set

Features
Read full description

ONE-TAP RESCHEDULE Running late? One tap, and your schedule rebuilds itself. - Tap Reschedule and everything reflows instantly - Drag to reorder; times update live - No manual math, no mental load Life doesn't go according to plan. Your task manager shouldn't punish you for it. --- NEW: SCAN TASKS FROM IMAGE (PRO) Photograph any list (handwritten notes, whiteboards, screenshots) and Set turns it into scheduled tasks. - Reads durations, dates, and planner layouts like "10.15 - Jogging" - On-device Apple Intelligence, with smart parsing on every device - Review and edit everything before it's added --- NEW: APP BLOCKER (PRO, iPhone & iPad) Block distracting apps with Screen Time. - Shield chosen apps or categories while your task timer runs - Or "Until Today is clear," where finishing your plan unlocks your phone - Breaks are never blocked --- BEAT TIME BLINDNESS Set calculates exactly when each task starts and ends. - Know your real end-of-day time - Plan evenings without guilt - Perfect for ADHD: no more "Wait, it's already 8 PM?!" --- WEEK STRIP & BROWSE - Swipe down to reveal the week strip, then plan and schedule tasks for any day - Drag tasks onto date pills to reschedule instantly - Browse project tasks with filters for priority, due date, and duration --- CALENDAR & REMINDERS SYNC (PRO) Your real schedule, built into your day. - Import Calendar events as locked tasks in Today - Pull from multiple Reminders lists with notes and due times - Unlocked tasks flow around fixed events automatically --- TASK CARDS Everything in one place. - Edit all details directly within the card - Lock start times to keep tasks fixed during recalculations - Type "45m", "tomorrow", "at 2pm", or "Feb 14" to auto-set duration, date, or start time --- FLEXIBLE TIMER - Continuous timer, not rigid Pomodoro blocks - Overtime counting goes negative to recreate deadline pressure - Check off subtasks from the Timer page - White noise, ambient sounds, Lock Screen, Dynamic Island, Live Activities --- SUBTASKS, TEMPLATES & NOTES (PRO) - Break tasks into subtasks: swipe, tap, drag to manage - Save and reuse task templates for recurring workflows - Rich notes with Markdown formatting - NEW: AI rewriting cleans up formatting or turns notes into clear steps --- REPEATING TASKS & DUE DATES - Daily, weekly, or custom repeat schedules (PRO) - Track streaks and completion history (PRO) - Due dates auto-surface tasks in Today --- STATS & ACHIEVEMENTS (PRO) Turn focus into dopamine. - Detailed charts and productivity breakdowns - 24 unlockable achievements --- WIDGETS & LIVE ACTIVITIES - Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets, Dynamic Island timer - Floating mini timer and menu bar timer on Mac --- PROJECTS & STAGES - Projects → Stages → Tasks hierarchy with progress bars - Drag tasks between stages freely - Quick-capture Inbox - Export Today, projects, or Inbox as styled PDFs --- CUSTOMISATION (PRO) - Custom themes, accent colours, and completed icon (tick or slash) - Ambient sounds, sound effects, and notification styles - Light / Dark / Black modes --- MORE - Undo & Redo across the whole app (⌘Z) - Keyboard shortcuts and right-click context menus - Scheduled breaks, priority colours, drag-drop everywhere --- FREE vs PRO Free: 8 Today tasks, 3 projects, full timer, widgets, iCloud Sync, export to PDF. Pro: Unlimited everything, Scan Tasks from Image, App Blocker, Calendar & Reminders Sync, AI notes, subtasks, templates, repeating tasks, stats, themes, sounds, and more. --- WHO IT'S FOR - People with ADHD or time blindness - Anyone whose day never goes to plan - Creators, freelancers, and students who need flexible structure --- WHAT MAKES SET DIFFERENT? Most task apps make you manually adjust times when life happens. Set does it for you, in one drag or one tap. Tasks are scheduled sequentially, so everything flows naturally. It's task management that thinks the way you do.

About

3by4

Features
Read full description

As your to-do list grows, your clarity shrinks. 3by4 is a planner built on a simple, powerful idea: tasks don't belong in lists, they belong in time. THE TIME MATRIX Every task lives in one cell of a 3Ɨ4 grid: • 3 Time States: Past, Present, Future • 4 Time Spans: Day, Week, Month, Year That's 12 clear spaces to plan your life - where daily tasks, weekly milestones, monthly projects, and yearly goals all coexist without fighting for your attention. WHAT YOU CAN DO • Plan your day, week, month, and year side by side • Swipe between Past (review), Present (act), and Future (plan) • Move tasks across time spans as priorities shift • Set reminders with native iOS notifications • Break big goals into subtasks and daily actions • Schedule recurring tasks and routines • Add a home screen widget to see today at a glance • Works fully offline - your data stays on your device FREE vs PREMIUM 3by4 is free for everyday planning. Upgrade to Premium to unlock: • Unlimited tasks per section • Smart, advanced recurring patterns • Full calendar navigation — jump to any date • Home screen widgets (multiple views) • Tag management and task move/duplicate • The complete 3by4 Book — the framework in full, free inside WHO IT'S FOR Busy professionals managing projects, people, and deadlines. Students balancing study, work, and habits. Anyone tired of decision fatigue, anxiety, and overdue backlogs — who wants to think in time, not in lists. THE METHOD 3by4 turns the companion book "3by4" into action — a mental model for seeing your life clearly across days, weeks, months, and years. PRIVACY BY DESIGN 3by4 is local-first. Your data stays on your iPhone. No sign-up. No cloud. No tracking of your tasks. Think in Time. Not in Lists. Download 3by4 and start organizing your life with clarity. Privacy Policy: https://3by4.com/privacy Terms of Use: https://3by4.com/terms

Screenshots

Set4 screens
3by44 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: 3by4 at 15.1 against Set's 18.0. On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price Ā· Rating Ā· Positive reviews Ā· Number of ratings Ā· Update frequency Ā· Ads Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Monetization Ā· Best chart rank Ā· Devices Ā· Requires iOS

CostPrice Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Ads Ā· Monetization

Both are free to download. Set sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and 3by4 sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Scorecard1 real difference Ā· 5 level
Set versus 3by4: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSet3by4
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 10 days—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS18.015.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size51 MB78 MB
Age rating9+4+
DeveloperMATTHEW PETER DICKERSONKarimulla Mohammed

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Set

Subscriptions2
  • Set Pro Monthly7 Days trial$4.991 Month
  • Set Pro Annual$34.991 Year
One-time1
  • Set Pro Lifetime$79.99
3 purchases

3by4

Subscriptions3
  • 3by4 Premium Weekly$2.997 Days
  • 3by4 Premium Monthly$9.991 Month
  • 3by4 Premium Yearly$29.991 Year

Questions

Is Set free?
Set is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is 3by4 free?
3by4 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Set or 3by4 have ads?
Neither Set nor 3by4 shows ads.

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