Softwr

Productivity · head to head

Things 3 vs Whimsical

Things 3 logo

Things 3

Productivity

The award-winning personal task manager

From
$9.99/one-time
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Whimsical logo

Whimsical

Technology

Where great ideas take shape

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Whimsical 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; Whimsical the free plan is capped at 3 team boards, 3 teams and 10 guest seats
  • They diverge on capability: Things 3 covers Today view, Whimsical covers Flowcharts.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Things 3 and Whimsical differ
AttributeThings 3Whimsical
Starting price$9.99/one-timeFree
Pricing modelUnknownsubscription
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsmacOS, iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, visionOSWeb
CategoryProductivityTechnology
Founded20042017

Identical on both: 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 Things 3

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

Only in Whimsical

  • Flowcharts
  • Wireframes
  • Mind maps
  • Sticky notes
  • Docs
  • Real-time collaboration
  • Templates
  • Keyboard shortcuts

What people use each for

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

Things 3

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

Whimsical

  • Product planningnot Things 3
  • UI/UX designnot Things 3
  • Brainstormingnot Things 3
  • Process documentationnot Things 3
  • Project visualizationnot 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

Whimsical

  • The free plan is capped at 3 team boards, 3 teams and 10 guest seats
  • File uploads are limited to 5MB per file and 1GB in total on the free plan
  • Version history on the free plan goes back 7 days
  • Voting, the timer, private teams, the GitHub integration, password-protected files and watermark removal all need Pro at $10 per editor per month
  • SSO and SAML are Business tier only at $20 per editor per month

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

Whimsical

Free
  • StarterFree
    • Up to 4 boards
    • Unlimited viewers
    • 7-day version history
  • Pro$10/month
    • Unlimited boards
    • Unlimited version history
    • Advanced permissions
  • Org$20/month
    • Everything in Pro
    • SSO
    • User management

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 Whimsical if

  • You need flowcharts.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want wireframes.
Whimsical review

Questions people ask

Is Things 3 or Whimsical better?
Neither clearly leads. Things 3 starts at $9.99/one-time and Whimsical at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Things 3 or Whimsical?
Whimsical has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $9.99/one-time for Things 3 and Free for Whimsical.
Does Things 3 or Whimsical run on more platforms?
Things 3 runs on macOS, iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, visionOS. Whimsical runs on Web.
Can I use Whimsical for free?
Yes. Whimsical 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 Whimsical is typically brought in for.
What can Things 3 do that Whimsical cannot?
Things 3 covers Today view, Projects and areas, Quick entry, Tags. Whimsical covers Flowcharts, Wireframes, Mind maps, Sticky notes.

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
Whimsical: What are Whimsical's pricing tiers?

Whimsical offers three plans: Free at 0 dollars per month per editor, Pro at 10 dollars per month per editor, and Business at 20 dollars per month per editor.

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
Whimsical: What is included in the Free plan?

The Free plan allows creation of up to 50 board objects and 50 doc blocks per month, includes watermarked exports, and provides 7-day version history. Storage is limited to 1GB.

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
Whimsical: What features unlock in the Pro plan?

The Pro plan removes the object creation limits, provides unlimited board objects and doc blocks, removes watermarks from exports, extends version history to 90 days, and offers 100GB of storage.

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
Whimsical: What security and team features come with Business?

The Business plan adds private teams, SAML single sign-on, SCIM and advanced security controls, unlimited version history, priority support, and a dedicated success manager. Storage starts at 2TB.

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
Whimsical: Do discounts apply for annual billing?

Yes, annual billing offers a 17 percent discount compared to monthly rates. Additionally, nonprofits receive a 20 percent discount and students and teachers get full access.

Source
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