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Calendar & Time Management · head to head

Fantastical vs Things 3

Fantastical logo

Fantastical

Calendar & Time Management

The calendar app you'll love to use

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Things 3 logo

Things 3

Productivity

The award-winning personal task manager

From
$9.99/one-time
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Fantastical has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Fantastical premium subscription required for advanced features at $56.99/year; Things 3 no team collaboration, task sharing, or task assignment features
  • They diverge on capability: Fantastical covers Natural language input, Things 3 covers Today view.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Fantastical and Things 3 differ
AttributeFantasticalThings 3
Starting priceFree$9.99/one-time
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsmacOS, iOS, iPadOS, Apple Watch, Apple Vision Pro, WindowsmacOS, iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, visionOS
CategoryCalendar & Time ManagementProductivity
Founded20112004

Identical on both: pricing model (Unknown), 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 Fantastical

  • Natural language input
  • Calendar sets
  • Weather integration
  • Scheduling
  • Tasks
  • Google Calendar
  • Outlook
  • iCloud

Only in Things 3

  • Today view
  • Projects and areas
  • Quick entry
  • Tags
  • Calendar integration
  • Apple Calendar
  • Siri
  • Shortcuts

Both cover

  • Macos support
  • Ios support
  • Ipados support
  • Watchos support

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Fantastical

  • Scheduling
  • Appointment booking
  • Time tracking
  • Resource management
  • Team coordination

Things 3

  • Scheduling
  • Appointment booking
  • Time tracking
  • Resource management
  • Team coordination

Both are used for scheduling, appointment booking, time tracking, resource management, team coordination, on those jobs the choice comes down to price and fit rather than capability.

Where each one falls short

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

Fantastical

  • Premium subscription required for advanced features at $56.99/year
  • Primarily designed for Apple ecosystem; Windows version is resource-intensive
  • No native Android app, limiting cross-platform usage
  • No web interface for calendar access
  • Shows events but lacks event management capabilities compared to specialized task tools

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

Fantastical

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Basic calendar views (day, week, month, quarter, year)
    • Natural language event entry
    • 3-day weather forecast
  • Individual Premium$56.99/year
    • All free features
    • Task management with Todoist and Google Tasks
    • Unlimited calendar sets
  • Family Premium$89.99/year
    • All Individual Premium features
    • Up to 5 family members
    • Shared calendars

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 Fantastical if

  • You need natural language input.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on macOS, iOS, iPadOS, Apple Watch, Apple Vision Pro, Windows.
  • You also want calendar sets.
Fantastical 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 Fantastical or Things 3 better?
Neither clearly leads. Fantastical 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, Fantastical or Things 3?
Fantastical has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Fantastical and $9.99/one-time for Things 3.
Does Fantastical or Things 3 run on more platforms?
Fantastical runs on macOS, iOS, iPadOS, Apple Watch, Apple Vision Pro, Windows. Things 3 runs on macOS, iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, visionOS.
Can I use Fantastical for free?
Yes. Fantastical has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Things 3 starts at $9.99/one-time.
What is Fantastical best used for?
Fantastical is most often used for scheduling, appointment booking, time tracking, resource management.
What can Fantastical do that Things 3 cannot?
Fantastical covers Natural language input, Calendar sets, Weather integration, Scheduling. Things 3 covers Today view, Projects and areas, Quick entry, Tags. Both handle Macos support, Ios support, Ipados support, Watchos support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Fantastical: Does Fantastical have a free plan?

Yes, Fantastical offers a free tier with basic calendar views (day, week, month, quarter, year), natural language event entry, and 3-day weather forecast. Premium features including task management integrations and family sharing require a paid subscription at $56.99/year or $6.99/month.

Source
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
Fantastical: Can I create events using natural language?

Yes, Fantastical's signature feature is natural language processing, allowing you to create events by typing or speaking in plain English. You can type things like 'dinner tomorrow at 7 pm with Sarah' and it automatically parses the date, time, and attendees.

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
Fantastical: What calendar services does Fantastical support?

Fantastical integrates with Google Calendar, iCloud, Microsoft 365, Exchange, Office 365, and Fastmail. It supports multiple account types and syncs changes across all connected services.

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
Fantastical: What task management apps can I integrate with Fantastical?

Fantastical supports Todoist, Google Tasks, and Microsoft 365 tasks. Tasks sync bidirectionally, and changes made in Fantastical reflect back in your task service.

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
Fantastical: Does Fantastical work on Windows?

Fantastical for Windows was released in October 2024, though it is resource-heavy compared to the macOS and iOS versions. The app is feature-complete but less polished than the Apple platform versions.

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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