Is Things 3 or tldraw better?

Neither clearly leads. Things 3 starts at $9.99/one-time and tldraw at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.

Which is cheaper, Things 3 or tldraw?

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

Does Things 3 or tldraw run on more platforms?

Things 3 runs on macOS, iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, visionOS. tldraw runs on Web, Browser, React.

Can I use tldraw for free?

Yes. tldraw 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 tldraw is typically brought in for.

What can Things 3 do that tldraw cannot?

Things 3 covers Today view, Projects and areas, Quick entry, Tags.

Productivity · head to head

Things 3 vs tldraw

Things 3

Productivity

The award-winning personal task manager

From: $9.99/one-time
Rated: -

Full review Website

tldraw

Productivity

Open-source infinite canvas whiteboard and React SDK for drawing applications

From: Free
Rated: -

Full review Website

The short version

Only tldraw 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; tldraw production SDK use requires a license key; the dual licensing model means open-source development is free but commercial deployments are not
Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Things 3 and tldraw differ
Attribute	Things 3	tldraw
Starting price	$9.99/one-time	Free
Pricing model	Unknown	freemium
Free tier	No	Yes
Platforms	macOS, iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, visionOS	Web, Browser, React
Founded	2004	Unknown

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 tldraw

Nothing recorded that Things 3 does not also cover.

What people use each for

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

Things 3

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

tldraw

Collaborative whiteboarding for distributed teams (internal tool alternative to Miro)not Things 3
Developer SDK for building custom design tools and diagramming platformsnot Things 3
Wireframing and UX prototyping applicationsnot Things 3
Integrating drawing capabilities into larger applications (CMS, collaboration tools, learning platforms)not Things 3
AI-powered drawing assistants and generative design toolsnot Things 3
Educational applications and interactive learning environmentsnot 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

tldraw

Production SDK use requires a license key; the dual licensing model means open-source development is free but commercial deployments are not
Limited ecosystem of community plugins; third-party extensibility less mature than some competitors
Multiplayer functionality requires custom backend implementation; real-time sync is not fully managed by tldraw
Mobile touch experience is functional but less optimised than desktop; precision drawing on tablets is challenging

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

tldraw

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the tldraw review.

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.

Things 3 review

Choose tldraw if

You want to start without paying.
You work on Web, Browser, React.

tldraw review

Questions people ask

Is Things 3 or tldraw better?: Neither clearly leads. Things 3 starts at $9.99/one-time and tldraw at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Things 3 or tldraw?: tldraw has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $9.99/one-time for Things 3 and Free for tldraw.
Does Things 3 or tldraw run on more platforms?: Things 3 runs on macOS, iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, visionOS. tldraw runs on Web, Browser, React.
Can I use tldraw for free?: Yes. tldraw 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 tldraw is typically brought in for.
What can Things 3 do that tldraw cannot?: 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

tldraw: Is tldraw free to use?

The tldraw web application is free and open-source. SDK development (creating applications using tldraw) is free in development; production deployments require a license key purchased from tldraw Labs.

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

tldraw: Can I host tldraw on my own servers?

Yes. tldraw can be self-hosted. The web application is open-source; multiplayer functionality requires you to implement or host your own backend (e.g., WebSocket server for real-time sync).

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

tldraw: Can I embed tldraw into my application?

Yes. The tldraw SDK is a React library providing drawing capabilities for custom applications. Development is free; production use requires a license key from tldraw Labs.

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

Things 3 vs tldraw

Things 3

tldraw

The short version

Where they differ

What each one covers

Only in Things 3

Only in tldraw

What people use each for

Things 3

tldraw

Where each one falls short

Things 3

tldraw

Pricing, plan by plan

Things 3

tldraw

Which should you pick?

Choose Things 3 if

Choose tldraw if

Questions people ask

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Related pages

More on Things 3

More on tldraw

Keep looking

Other head to heads