Productivity · head to head
Things 3 vs Bear Notes
Things 3
Productivity
The award-winning personal task manager
- From
- $9.99/one-time
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only Bear Notes has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Things 3 no team collaboration, task sharing, or task assignment features; Bear Notes apple only: Bear runs on Mac, iPhone and iPad with no Windows, Android or web app
- They diverge on capability: Things 3 covers Today view, Bear Notes covers Markdown-based notes.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Things 3 and Bear Notes actually diverge.
| Attribute | Things 3 | Bear Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $9.99/one-time | Free |
| Pricing model | Unknown | freemium |
| Free tier | No | Yes |
| Platforms | macOS, iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, visionOS | MacOS, IOS, IPadOS |
| Founded | 2004 | 2015 |
Identical on both: 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 Things 3
- Today view
- Projects and areas
- Quick entry
- Tags
- Calendar integration
- Apple Calendar
- Siri
- Shortcuts
Only in Bear Notes
- Markdown-based notes
- Powerful tag system
- Rich text formatting
- Image support
- iCloud sync
- Dark and light themes
- Encryption support
- Backup and restore
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Things 3
- Schedulingnot Bear Notes
- Appointment bookingnot Bear Notes
- Time trackingnot Bear Notes
- Resource managementnot Bear Notes
- Team coordinationnot Bear Notes
Bear Notes
- Markdown note taking on Apple devicesnot Things 3
- Organising notes with nested hashtags rather than foldersnot Things 3
- Exporting notes to PDF, DOCX, HTML or ePubnot Things 3
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
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
Bear Notes
- Apple only: Bear runs on Mac, iPhone and iPad with no Windows, Android or web app
- Sync across devices requires Bear Pro and works through iCloud only
- The free version is limited to 3 export formats, 3 themes and 1 app icon
- OCR search inside images and PDFs is Pro only
- Note encryption is Pro only
- The Pro trial lasts 7 days
Pricing, plan by plan
Things 3
$9.99/one-time- iPhone/Watch$9.99/one-time
- iPad$19.99/one-time
- Mac$49.99/one-time
Bear Notes
Free- FreeFree
- Note creation and organization
- Tags
- Local sync
- Premium$1.99/month
- iCloud sync
- Themes
- Markdown export
Which should you pick?
Choose Things 3 if
- You need today view.
- You work on macOS, iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, visionOS.
- You also want projects and areas.
Choose Bear Notes if
- You need markdown-based notes.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on MacOS, IOS, IPadOS.
- You also want powerful tag system.
Questions people ask
- Is Things 3 or Bear Notes better?
- Neither clearly leads. Things 3 starts at $9.99/one-time and Bear Notes at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Things 3 or Bear Notes?
- Bear Notes has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $9.99/one-time for Things 3 and Free for Bear Notes.
- Does Things 3 or Bear Notes run on more platforms?
- Things 3 runs on macOS, iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, visionOS. Bear Notes runs on MacOS, IOS, IPadOS.
- Can I use Bear Notes for free?
- Yes. Bear Notes has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Things 3 starts at $9.99/one-time.
- What is Things 3 best used for?
- Things 3 is most often used for scheduling, appointment booking, time tracking, resource management. Of those, scheduling and appointment booking are not what Bear Notes is typically brought in for.
- What can Things 3 do that Bear Notes cannot?
- Things 3 covers Today view, Projects and areas, Quick entry, Tags. Bear Notes covers Markdown-based notes, Powerful tag system, Rich text formatting, Image support.
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.
Source