Softwr

Productivity · head to head

Hubstaff vs Things 3

Hubstaff logo

Hubstaff

Productivity

Time tracking and team management for remote teams

From
$5.99/month
Rated
-
Things 3 logo

Things 3

Productivity

The award-winning personal task manager

From
$9.99/one-time
Rated
-

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Hubstaff billed per seat; the pricing page's own proration example states the Team plan costs $10 per seat per month, with fees adjusted when seats are added or removed mid-cycle; Things 3 no team collaboration, task sharing, or task assignment features
  • They diverge on capability: Hubstaff covers Time tracking with timer, Things 3 covers Today view.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Hubstaff and Things 3 differ
AttributeHubstaffThings 3
Starting price$5.99/month$9.99/one-time
Pricing modelsubscriptionUnknown
PlatformsWeb, IOS, Android, MacOS, WindowsmacOS, iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, visionOS
Founded20122004

Identical on both: free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Productivity).

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 Hubstaff

  • Time tracking with timer
  • Activity monitoring
  • GPS location tracking
  • Screenshots
  • Reports and analytics
  • Invoicing
  • Team management
  • Mobile apps

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.

Hubstaff

  • Productivitynot Things 3
  • Collaborationnot Things 3
  • Task managementnot Things 3
  • Organizationnot Things 3

Things 3

  • Schedulingnot Hubstaff
  • Appointment bookingnot Hubstaff
  • Time trackingnot Hubstaff
  • Resource managementnot Hubstaff
  • Team coordinationnot Hubstaff

Where each one falls short

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

Hubstaff

  • Billed per seat; the pricing page's own proration example states the Team plan costs $10 per seat per month, with fees adjusted when seats are added or removed mid-cycle

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

Hubstaff

$5.99/month
  • FreeFree
    • Basic time tracking
    • Limited to 1 user
    • Basic reports
  • Starter$5.99/month
    • Time tracking
    • Team management
    • Reports
  • Pro$9.99/month
    • Everything in Starter
    • GPS tracking
    • Activity monitoring

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 Hubstaff if

  • You need time tracking with timer.
  • You work on Web, IOS, Android, MacOS, Windows.
  • You also want activity monitoring.

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 Hubstaff or Things 3 better?
Neither clearly leads. Hubstaff starts at $5.99/month 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, Hubstaff or Things 3?
Hubstaff starts at $5.99/month and Things 3 at $9.99/one-time.
Does Hubstaff or Things 3 run on more platforms?
Hubstaff runs on Web, IOS, Android, MacOS, Windows. Things 3 runs on macOS, iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, visionOS.
What is Hubstaff best used for?
Hubstaff is most often used for productivity, collaboration, task management, organization. Of those, productivity and collaboration are not what Things 3 is typically brought in for.
What can Hubstaff do that Things 3 cannot?
Hubstaff covers Time tracking with timer, Activity monitoring, GPS location tracking, Screenshots. 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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