Things 3 vs. WBTDL: polished planning or a plain task list?
Compare Things 3's polished Apple planning model with WBTDL's smaller cross-device browser list before choosing where to keep your tasks.
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Things 3 proves that a task manager can be both structured and calm. WBTDL goes further toward reduction. Things gives personal projects a thoughtful planning model with dates, reminders, notes, and several built-in lists. WBTDL gives each task a line, a place, a daily priority, and a status.
The first decision is practical: Things runs on Apple devices and has no browser, Windows, Android, or Linux version. WBTDL runs in a browser. After that, the choice is about how much planning you want the task manager to hold.
| Question | Things 3 | WBTDL |
|---|---|---|
| Planning model | Today, Upcoming, Anytime, Someday, deadlines, start dates, and reminders | Categories plus a manually selected High Priority list |
| Project detail | Projects, headings, checklists, notes, tags, and repeating to-dos | Nested one-line tasks without notes or tags |
| Platforms | Mac, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Vision Pro | Desktop and mobile web browsers |
| Payment | Separate one-time purchases for supported device types | Currently free, with notice promised before future charging |
Things makes personal planning feel considered
Things includes Inbox, Today, Upcoming, Anytime, Someday, and Logbook views. Projects can contain headings and checklists, while to-dos can carry notes, tags, start dates, deadlines, repeating rules, and reminders. Calendar events can appear beside today's tasks. Cultured Code's Things feature tour explains the model in detail.
Things is sold as separate one-time purchases for Mac, iPhone, iPad, and Vision Pro, with the Watch app included with iPhone. Things Cloud sync is included. The official purchase and platform guide also confirms that there is no real-time sharing of to-dos or lists.
WBTDL removes the future-planning layers
In WBTDL, a task belongs in a category until you pull it into High Priority. There is no Upcoming forecast or Someday list generated by dates. “Outline quarterly review” can have child tasks, but the supporting notes need to live in a document. When you hand the draft to someone else, change the task to waiting.
That workflow can feel too bare after Things, especially if you rely on repeating tasks or reminders. It can also solve a specific problem: planning fields have started to carry more attention than the work. The case for keeping tasks to one line explains the design choice.
Who should move from Things 3?
Keep Things if you use Apple devices, value its design, and actively use dates, deadlines, recurring to-dos, calendar events, or project notes. WBTDL is not a browser version of Things and would be a downgrade for those needs.
Consider WBTDL if Windows, Android, or browser access is a requirement, or if most of your Things setup has collapsed to Inbox, Today, and a few areas. Neither product offers real-time list collaboration. WBTDL does let a trusted person submit a task through your private inbox address, but they cannot edit the list with you.
There is no Things importer. Rebuild only one active project in WBTDL, leaving its notes where they already live. If the missing schedule creates confusion, Things is doing useful work for you. If the next action becomes easier to see, the smaller list may be enough.