# Things 3 vs NotePlan

The clearest difference is price: NotePlan at Free against Things 3's $9.99. NotePlan also leads on review sentiment (85% vs 76%) and device support (4 vs 2). Things 3's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 10) and ratings volume (28K vs 1.5K). On rating, ads and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

NotePlan is free to download; Things 3 costs $9.99 up front. NotePlan sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days. Things 3 asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Things 3 against 4.8 for NotePlan. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Things 3 has 28K ratings behind it against 1.5K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 76% of Things 3's written reviews are positive against 85% of NotePlan's.

Things 3 ships an update fortnightly, NotePlan monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Things 3 | NotePlan |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $9.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [4.8 (28K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/things-3/id904237743/reviews) | [4.8 (1.5K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/noteplan-to-do-list-and-notes/id1505432629/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **28K** | 1.5K |
| Positive reviews | 76.5% of reviews | **85.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Monthly |
| Monetization | **Paid** | Subscription |
| Best chart rank | **#3** | — |
| Size | 118 MB | 210 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.4 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, Apple Watch | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Cultured Code GmbH & Co. KG](https://appshunter.io/developer/284971784) | [NotePlan LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1137020763) |

## What reviewers say

### Things 3

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/things-3/id904237743)

**Currently charting:** #3 Top Paid · Productivity, #22 Top Paid (US App Store)

This app helps you organize your life by planning your day, managing projects, and tracking progress toward your goals. It offers a clean interface to manage tasks, projects, and life areas, making it easy to focus on what matters.

**Highlights:** To-Do management, Project organization, Area categorization, Daily planning, Reminders and repeaters, Calendar integration, Share extension

**Features:** Siri integration, Apple Watch app

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Smooth and fast
- 👍 Elegant and intuitive design
- 🔒 Secure and private
- 💡 Powerful organization features
- 🗓️ Great calendar integration

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Expensive for multiple devices
- 🌐 Lack of web/Windows app
- 🔀 Difficulty with task reordering
- 🔔 Lacking persistent notifications
- 📁 No file attachments

**Reported bugs**

- Sync issues between devices
- Occasional crashes or freezes

**Requested features**

- Ability to collapse headings and projects
- Location-based reminders
- Two-way calendar sync
- Shared task lists
- Customizable alert sounds


### NotePlan

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/noteplan-to-do-list-and-notes/id1505432629)

Organize your tasks, notes, and calendar in one unified app. Quickly plan your day with Markdown, link notes bi-directionally, and stay on top of your to-dos with powerful review and search features. Seamlessly integrates with your existing calendars and syncs across all your Apple devices.

**Highlights:** Unified task, note, and calendar view, Markdown for quick task and note creation, Bi-directional note linking, Calendar integration (iCloud, Google, Exchange), Flexible recurring tasks, Global Command Bar for fast navigation, Plaintext note storage

**Features:** Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (8)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Personal Weekly | $4.99 | per 7 days |
| Personal Monthly | $6.99 | per month |
| Personal Monthly | $11.99 | per month |
| Personal Monthly | $12.00 | per month |
| Personal Annual | $59.99 | per year |
| Personal Annual | $99.99 | per year |
| Personal Annual | $119.99 | per year |
| Business Class | $199.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Powerful note-taking and task management
- 👍 Seamless calendar and reminders integration
- 💡 Flexible and customizable workflow
- 🔒 Secure and open-format data storage
- 👍 Responsive and helpful developer

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Expensive subscription model
- 🐛 Occasional sync and performance issues
- 👤 Limited collaboration and sharing features

**Reported bugs**

- Inconsistent sync between devices
- Crashes when opening certain files

**Requested features**

- Improved iPad and mobile app experience
- Better integration with other productivity apps
- More automation and scripting capabilities
- Weekly or monthly calendar view


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Things 3 free?

Things 3 costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is NotePlan free?

NotePlan is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Things 3 or NotePlan?

Things 3 and NotePlan are both rated 4.8 out of 5 on the App Store, from 28K and 1.5K ratings respectively.

### Do Things 3 or NotePlan have ads?

Neither Things 3 nor NotePlan shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Things 3 or NotePlan?

Things 3 ships an update fortnightly, and NotePlan monthly. Most recently, Things 3 was updated on October 13, 2026 and NotePlan on October 12, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*