Coordinator vs Things 3
Things 3 proved people hate subscriptions and love calm design. Coordinator agrees on both — it's calmer than a subscription could ever be (free), it runs on every platform, and it works with other humans.
Free. No card. About two minutes to set up.
Things 3, side by side
The beautiful Apple-only task manager — one-time purchase, zero collaboration.
| What you're paying for | Coordinator | Things 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $0 — everything | ~$80 one-time (Apple devices) |
| Platforms | Any browser, any OS | Apple only |
| Collaboration | Full — teams, clients, sharing | None |
| Design calm | Calm by principle — progressive disclosure | Award-winning |
| The business around the list | Invoices, booking, contacts, books |
Things 3 pricing and plan limits are approximate, from their published plans as of August 2026 — check their site for current figures. Coordinator's column doesn't change: $0.
The Things 3 line on your P&L
Things 3 is a fair one-time ~$50 on Mac plus ~$10–$30 per additional Apple device — the honest anti-subscription. The costs are different ones: no Windows, no Android, no web, and no way to share a list with anyone.
Users: Personal, single-user, Apple-only.
What you get that Things 3 doesn't give you
Things won the anti-subscription argument. Free wins it harder.
Delegation, shared projects, client sign-off — the entire social dimension Things politely refuses to have.
A web app follows you to a client's Windows machine, an Android phone, a borrowed laptop.
What Things 3 users complain about — answered
Recurring themes from public reviews and forums (G2, Capterra, Reddit), paired with what changes here. We only list complaints Coordinator actually solves.
“Apple-only — my work laptop is Windows”
Any browser, any OS, one account.
“No collaboration at all — I can't even delegate”
Assignment, shared projects, approvals, clients — built for work that involves people.
“Development is slow; rivals are catching up”
A living product shipping continuously — with a business model that doesn't depend on selling you version 4.
What they love about Things 3 — kept
Beaten at its own game: no purchase at all.
Kept in spirit: Now/Waiting/Future computed per person, and a home page that shows only what needs you.
Where Things 3 may still fit
No tool wins everything, and we'd rather you pick with open eyes.
As a single-player Apple experience, Things' design is genuinely unmatched, and its one-time price is honorable.
A native app beats a web app on a plane. If your work is solo and offline, keep it.
Keep Things for your personal someday-list if it sparks joy — and run the work that involves clients, money or teammates in your free Coordinator space.
Free. No card. About two minutes to set up.
The free Things 3 alternative, summarized
If you're searching for a Things 3 alternative, the short version: Coordinator is free for unlimited users — no tiers, no usage meters, no renewal-day surprises — and it covers what Things 3 does for project management alongside the rest of a small business's operations: real accounting, projects with job costing, booking pages and staff scheduling, client records and forms, team chat, and a cross-company network where your invoice lands in your client's books. Things 3 still fits some buyers — see the fair print above — but if the complaints on this page sound familiar, switching is usually an afternoon.
Explore the project management side of Coordinator on free-project-management-software, see everything it does, or read why it's free.
Keep the Things 3 money
Set up free in minutes, import what you have, and put the subscription line to better use.
Free. No card. About two minutes to set up.