Is CouchDB or Things 3 better?

Neither clearly leads. CouchDB 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, CouchDB or Things 3?

CouchDB has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for CouchDB and $9.99/one-time for Things 3.

Does CouchDB or Things 3 run on more platforms?

CouchDB runs on Docker, Windows (x64), macOS, Linux (Debian, Ubuntu, RHEL, CentOS), Raspberry Pi. Things 3 runs on macOS, iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, visionOS.

Can I use CouchDB for free?

Yes. CouchDB has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Things 3 starts at $9.99/one-time.

What is CouchDB best used for?

CouchDB is most often used for offline-first applications requiring seamless replication across mobile and server environments, multi-master deployments where data consistency eventually resolves across regions, iot and edge computing scenarios with intermittent connectivity. Of those, offline-first applications requiring seamless replication across mobile and server environments and multi-master deployments where data consistency eventually resolves across regions are not what Things 3 is typically brought in for.

What can CouchDB do that Things 3 cannot?

CouchDB covers Multi-master Replication, HTTP/JSON API, MapReduce Views, ACID Semantics. Things 3 covers Today view, Projects and areas, Quick entry, Tags.

Software · head to head

CouchDB vs Things 3

CouchDB

Software

Seamless multi-master sync with Apache CouchDB

From: Free
Rated: -

Full review Website

Things 3

Software

The award-winning personal task manager

From: $9.99/one-time
Rated: -

Full review Website

The short version

Only CouchDB has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
Each has a real cost: CouchDB append-only storage model may have performance implications for certain workloads with high update rates; Things 3 no team collaboration, task sharing, or task assignment features
They diverge on capability: CouchDB covers Multi-master Replication, Things 3 covers Today view.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which CouchDB and Things 3 actually diverge.

Attributes where CouchDB and Things 3 differ
Attribute	CouchDB	Things 3
Starting price	Free	$9.99/one-time
Pricing model	open-source	Unknown
Free tier	Yes	No
Platforms	Docker, Windows (x64), macOS, Linux (Debian, Ubuntu, RHEL, CentOS), Raspberry Pi	macOS, iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, visionOS
Founded	1999	2004

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).

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 CouchDB

Multi-master Replication
HTTP/JSON API
MapReduce Views
ACID Semantics
Offline-first
Conflict Resolution
Fauxton UI
PouchDB

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.

CouchDB

Offline-first applications requiring seamless replication across mobile and server environmentsnot Things 3
Multi-master deployments where data consistency eventually resolves across regionsnot Things 3
IoT and edge computing scenarios with intermittent connectivitynot Things 3

Things 3

Schedulingnot CouchDB
Appointment bookingnot CouchDB
Time trackingnot CouchDB
Resource managementnot CouchDB
Team coordinationnot CouchDB

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

CouchDB

Append-only storage model may have performance implications for certain workloads with high update rates
Requires network synchronisation for cluster data consistency; can introduce latency in multi-master scenarios
No explicit support for complex joins; MapReduce queries may be inefficient compared to relational databases

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

CouchDB

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the CouchDB 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 CouchDB if

You need multi-master replication.
You want to start without paying.
You work on Docker, Windows (x64), macOS, Linux (Debian, Ubuntu, RHEL, CentOS), Raspberry Pi.
You also want http/json api.

CouchDB review

Choose Things 3 if

You need today view.
You work on macOS, iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, visionOS.
You also want projects and areas.

Things 3 review

Questions people ask

Is CouchDB or Things 3 better?: Neither clearly leads. CouchDB 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, CouchDB or Things 3?: CouchDB has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for CouchDB and $9.99/one-time for Things 3.
Does CouchDB or Things 3 run on more platforms?: CouchDB runs on Docker, Windows (x64), macOS, Linux (Debian, Ubuntu, RHEL, CentOS), Raspberry Pi. Things 3 runs on macOS, iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, visionOS.
Can I use CouchDB for free?: Yes. CouchDB has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Things 3 starts at $9.99/one-time.
What is CouchDB best used for?: CouchDB is most often used for offline-first applications requiring seamless replication across mobile and server environments, multi-master deployments where data consistency eventually resolves across regions, iot and edge computing scenarios with intermittent connectivity. Of those, offline-first applications requiring seamless replication across mobile and server environments and multi-master deployments where data consistency eventually resolves across regions are not what Things 3 is typically brought in for.
What can CouchDB do that Things 3 cannot?: CouchDB covers Multi-master Replication, HTTP/JSON API, MapReduce Views, ACID Semantics. 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.

Source

Things 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.

Source

Things 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.

Source

Things 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.

Source

Things 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.

Source

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CouchDB vs Things 3

CouchDB

Things 3

The short version

Where they differ

What each one covers

Only in CouchDB

Only in Things 3

What people use each for

CouchDB

Things 3

Where each one falls short

CouchDB

Things 3

Pricing, plan by plan

CouchDB

Things 3

Which should you pick?

Choose CouchDB if

Choose Things 3 if

Questions people ask

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Related pages

More on CouchDB

More on Things 3

Keep looking

Other head to heads