Is Things 3 or Zendesk better?

Neither clearly leads. Things 3 starts at $9.99/one-time and Zendesk at $19/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.

Which is cheaper, Things 3 or Zendesk?

Things 3 starts at $9.99/one-time and Zendesk at $19/month.

Does Things 3 or Zendesk run on more platforms?

Things 3 runs on macOS, iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, visionOS. Zendesk runs on Web.

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 Zendesk is typically brought in for.

What can Things 3 do that Zendesk cannot?

Things 3 covers Today view, Projects and areas, Quick entry, Tags. Zendesk covers Ticket management, Omnichannel support, Knowledge base, Live chat.

Productivity · head to head

Things 3 vs Zendesk

Things 3

Productivity

The award-winning personal task manager

From: $9.99/one-time
Rated: -

Full review Website

Zendesk

All industries

Champions of customer service

From: $19/month
Rated: -

Full review Website

The short version

Each has a real cost: Things 3 no team collaboration, task sharing, or task assignment features; Zendesk aI agents operate on per-resolution billing; customers pay only when an AI agent successfully resolves a ticket without escalation
They diverge on capability: Things 3 covers Today view, Zendesk covers Ticket management.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Things 3 and Zendesk differ
Attribute	Things 3	Zendesk
Starting price	$9.99/one-time	$19/month
Pricing model	Unknown	subscription
Platforms	macOS, iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, visionOS	Web
Category	Productivity	All industries
Founded	2004	2007

Identical on both: free tier (No), 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 Zendesk

Ticket management
Omnichannel support
Knowledge base
Live chat
Call center
Analytics & reporting
Automation
Customer satisfaction

What people use each for

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

Things 3

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

Zendesk

Help desk and ticketing system managementnot Things 3
Omnichannel customer supportnot Things 3
Knowledge base and self-service portalsnot Things 3
AI-assisted customer servicenot 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

Zendesk

AI agents operate on per-resolution billing; customers pay only when an AI agent successfully resolves a ticket without escalation
Copilot and Contact Center features available as separate add-ons at £50+/agent/month
Advanced routing, workforce engagement, and approval workflows limited to Enterprise tier
Highest tier requires sales consultation and custom pricing

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

Zendesk

$19/month

No published plan breakdown. See the Zendesk 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 Zendesk if

You need ticket management.
You also want omnichannel support.

Zendesk review

Questions people ask

Is Things 3 or Zendesk better?: Neither clearly leads. Things 3 starts at $9.99/one-time and Zendesk at $19/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Things 3 or Zendesk?: Things 3 starts at $9.99/one-time and Zendesk at $19/month.
Does Things 3 or Zendesk run on more platforms?: Things 3 runs on macOS, iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, visionOS. Zendesk runs on Web.
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 Zendesk is typically brought in for.
What can Things 3 do that Zendesk cannot?: Things 3 covers Today view, Projects and areas, Quick entry, Tags. Zendesk covers Ticket management, Omnichannel support, Knowledge base, Live chat.

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

Things 3 vs Zendesk

Things 3

Zendesk

The short version

Where they differ

What each one covers

Only in Things 3

Only in Zendesk

What people use each for

Things 3

Zendesk

Where each one falls short

Things 3

Zendesk

Pricing, plan by plan

Things 3

Zendesk

Which should you pick?

Choose Things 3 if

Choose Zendesk if

Questions people ask

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Related pages

More on Things 3

More on Zendesk

Keep looking

Other head to heads