Database & Data Management · head to head
Cockroach Labs vs Things 3

Cockroach Labs
Database & Data Management
The cloud-native distributed SQL database
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -

Things 3
Productivity
The award-winning personal task manager
- From
- $9.99/one-time
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only Cockroach Labs has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Cockroach Labs basic and Standard tiers limited to AWS and GCP (select regions only); Things 3 no team collaboration, task sharing, or task assignment features
- They diverge on capability: Cockroach Labs covers Distributed SQL, Things 3 covers Today view.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Cockroach Labs and Things 3 actually diverge.
| Attribute | Cockroach Labs | Things 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Free | $9.99/one-time |
| Pricing model | freemium | Unknown |
| Free tier | Yes | No |
| Platforms | AWS, GCP, Azure | macOS, iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, visionOS |
| Category | Database & Data Management | Productivity |
| Founded | 2015 | 2004 |
Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated).
What each one covers
Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.
Only in Cockroach Labs
- Distributed SQL
- Automatic Sharding
- Multi-region Replication
- Geo-partitioning
- ACID Transactions
- Horizontal Scaling
- Survivability
- PostgreSQL Compatibility
Only in Things 3
- Today view
- Projects and areas
- Quick entry
- Tags
- Calendar integration
- Apple Calendar
- Siri
- Shortcuts
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Cockroach Labs
- Distributed SQL database for scalable applicationsnot Things 3
- Multi-region deployment and failovernot Things 3
Things 3
- Schedulingnot Cockroach Labs
- Appointment bookingnot Cockroach Labs
- Time trackingnot Cockroach Labs
- Resource managementnot Cockroach Labs
- Team coordinationnot Cockroach Labs
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Cockroach Labs
- Basic and Standard tiers limited to AWS and GCP (select regions only)
- Azure support restricted to Advanced tier only
- Basic tier limited to 50 million RUs and 10 GiB storage per month
- Advanced tier starts at $0.60/hour for 4 vCPUs minimum
- 3 TiB maximum storage on Basic and Standard tiers, 10 TiB per node on Advanced
Things 3
- No team collaboration, task sharing, or task assignment features
- Apple ecosystem only, with no Windows, Android, or web version
- No third-party app integrations beyond Apple's ecosystem
- Cannot attach files or images to tasks, only text notes
- No time blocking or calendar integration for scheduling tasks into specific time slots
Pricing, plan by plan
Cockroach Labs
FreeNo published plan breakdown. See the Cockroach Labs review.
Things 3
$9.99/one-time- iPhone/Watch$9.99/one-time
- iPad$19.99/one-time
- Mac$49.99/one-time
Which should you pick?
Choose Cockroach Labs if
- You need distributed sql.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on AWS, GCP, Azure.
- You also want automatic sharding.
Choose Things 3 if
- You need today view.
- You work on macOS, iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, visionOS.
- You also want projects and areas.
Questions people ask
- Is Cockroach Labs or Things 3 better?
- Neither clearly leads. Cockroach Labs starts at Free and Things 3 at $9.99/one-time, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Cockroach Labs or Things 3?
- Cockroach Labs has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Cockroach Labs and $9.99/one-time for Things 3.
- Does Cockroach Labs or Things 3 run on more platforms?
- Cockroach Labs runs on AWS, GCP, Azure. Things 3 runs on macOS, iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, visionOS.
- Can I use Cockroach Labs for free?
- Yes. Cockroach Labs has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Things 3 starts at $9.99/one-time.
- What is Cockroach Labs best used for?
- Cockroach Labs is most often used for distributed sql database for scalable applications, multi-region deployment and failover. Of those, distributed sql database for scalable applications and multi-region deployment and failover are not what Things 3 is typically brought in for.
- What can Cockroach Labs do that Things 3 cannot?
- Cockroach Labs covers Distributed SQL, Automatic Sharding, Multi-region Replication, Geo-partitioning. Things 3 covers Today view, Projects and areas, Quick entry, Tags.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Things 3: Does Things 3 support team collaboration?
No. Things 3 is designed for individual use only with no task sharing, team workspaces, task assignment, or commenting features.
SourceThings 3: What platforms does Things 3 run on?
Things 3 is exclusive to Apple devices: macOS, iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, and visionOS. There is no Windows, Android, or web version.
SourceThings 3: How much does Things 3 cost?
Things 3 uses a one-time purchase model: $9.99 for iPhone/Watch, $19.99 for iPad, and $49.99 for Mac. Total cost for all platforms is approximately $80 with no subscription required.
SourceThings 3: Does Things 3 sync across devices?
Yes. Things Cloud keeps your to-dos in sync across all your Apple devices automatically. There is no extra cost for cloud synchronization.
SourceThings 3: Can you attach files or images to tasks in Things 3?
No. Things 3 does not support attachments. You can only add notes (text) to tasks.
SourceRelated pages
More on Cockroach Labs
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- Cockroach Labs vs Airtable
- Cockroach Labs vs Amazon Aurora
- Cockroach Labs vs Elasticsearch
- Cockroach Labs vs PlanetScale
- Cockroach Labs vs Azure SQL
- Cockroach Labs vs ClickHouse
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- Cockroach Labs vs Akiflow
- Cockroach Labs vs Any.do
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- Cockroach Labs vs Forest
- Cockroach Labs vs Google Workspace
- Cockroach Labs vs Hubstaff
- Cockroach Labs vs Remember The Milk
- Cockroach Labs vs Structured
- Cockroach Labs vs Tana
- Cockroach Labs vs Time Doctor
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- Cockroach Labs vs Bear
- Cockroach Labs vs Bear Notes
- Cockroach Labs vs BoldSign
- Things 3 vs PostgreSQL
- Things 3 vs Airtable
- Things 3 vs Amazon Aurora
- Things 3 vs Elasticsearch
- Things 3 vs PlanetScale
- Things 3 vs Azure SQL
- Things 3 vs ClickHouse
- Things 3 vs Couchbase
- Things 3 vs DuckDB
- Things 3 vs DynamoDB
- Things 3 vs MariaDB
- Things 3 vs Oracle Database
- Things 3 vs Amazon RDS
- Things 3 vs Amazon Redshift
- Things 3 vs Apache Druid
- Things 3 vs Cassandra
- Things 3 vs CouchDB
- Things 3 vs Firebolt
- Things 3 vs Todoist
- Things 3 vs OmniFocus 3
- Things 3 vs Brain.fm
- Things 3 vs TickTick
- Things 3 vs Akiflow
- Things 3 vs Any.do
- Things 3 vs Focus@Will
- Things 3 vs Forest
- Things 3 vs Google Workspace
- Things 3 vs Hubstaff
- Things 3 vs Remember The Milk
- Things 3 vs Structured
- Things 3 vs Tana
- Things 3 vs Time Doctor
- Things 3 vs 7-Zip
- Things 3 vs Bear
- Things 3 vs Bear Notes
- Things 3 vs BoldSign
