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| Capability | Things | Taskade Genesis |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing (starting) | $49.99 one-time (Mac) + $9.99 iPhone + $19.99 iPad | $0 Free · $16/mo Pro (10 seats) |
| Cloneable live demo | ❌ | ✅ |
| Built-in AI agents | None | ✅ 33 built-in tools |
| Automation engine | Reminder rules only | ✅ Temporal-backed, 100+ integrations |
| Workspace DNA loop | ❌ | ✅ ▲ Memory · ■ Intelligence · ● Execution |
What is Taskade?
Taskade is a flexible AI workspace founded by John Xie, Dionis Loire, and Stan Chang in 2017 (Y Combinator-backed). It combines task management, projects, AI agents, durable automations, and an app builder in one platform. Tasks are the foundation; AI agents and Genesis Apps act on them.
Taskade is a strong Things 3 alternative because it runs everywhere — Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android, and web — and adds the AI workspace layer Things does not offer. You can create unlimited tasks and projects on the Free Forever plan, then scale into a team with chat, video, and agents when you need it.
Get started instantly for free today.
What is Things 3?
Things 3 is a beloved personal task manager built by Cultured Code in Stuttgart, Germany. Released in 2007 and refreshed as Things 3 in 2017, it is consistently held up as the design benchmark for native Apple productivity apps.
Things at a glance: Apple-only (Mac, iPad, iPhone, Watch). One-time purchase per device. Won an Apple Design Award. Personal task manager — no team collaboration, no AI, no integrations beyond Apple Calendar and Reminders.
Things excels at one thing: a focused personal to-do list with magazine-quality typography and a satisfying interaction model. If you live entirely inside Apple devices and want a single-purchase task app with no subscription, Things 3 is hard to beat for that narrow job.
What Taskade adds on top of task management
AI Agents that act on your tasks
AI Agents v2 ship as first-class digital teammates with 33 built-in tools (web search, file analysis, image generation, code execution, project management, and more), persistent memory, and the option to embed publicly inside Genesis Apps. Things 3 has no agent layer.
Genesis turns prompts into deployed apps
Describe a customer portal, an ops dashboard, an intake form, or a CRM and Genesis returns a deployed application with custom domains, password protection, and OIDC/SSO. Browse the Community Gallery for real apps shipped from a single prompt.
100+ bidirectional integrations
Connect Slack, Gmail, Stripe, HubSpot, Salesforce, Notion, Shopify, Google Sheets, GitHub, Calendly, and 90+ more. Triggers pull external events in. Actions push data out. All on a production-grade durable runtime that retries on failure.
Real-time collaboration
Multiplayer editing, chat, and video meetings live inside every project. Things 3 is single-user — collaboration is not part of its scope.
7 project views
List, Board, Calendar, Table, Mind Map, Gantt, and Org Chart — the same tasks render any way you need them, with no data duplication.
The Workspace DNA advantage
Taskade is built on Workspace DNA — a self-reinforcing loop between three pillars.
- Memory (Projects) — Tasks, files, docs, and structured data become the substrate every agent reasons over.
- Intelligence (AI Agents) — Agents v2 with 33 built-in tools, persistent memory, and custom tools you define.
- Execution (Automations) — Durable workflows triggered by external events that read from Memory and act through Intelligence — then write the results back into Memory.
Things 3 organizes your day. Taskade runs the loop where the day's work becomes the input that AI builds, automates, and executes against. Read the Workspace DNA explainer.
Pricing comparison
| Plan | Taskade | Things 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Free / Trial | Free Forever, unlimited projects | 15-day trial |
| Mac | Free / Pro $16/mo annual (web + native) | $49.99 one-time |
| iPhone + Watch | Included | $9.99 one-time |
| iPad | Included | $19.99 one-time |
| Windows / Linux / Android | Included | Not available |
| Team / Collaboration | Pro 10 seats, Business unlimited | Not available |
When to choose each
Choose Things 3 if:
- You live entirely inside the Apple ecosystem.
- You want a one-time-purchase task app with no subscription.
- You only manage personal tasks and value design above all else.
Choose Taskade if:
- You use Windows, Linux, or Android — or any mix of platforms.
- You want AI Agents acting on your tasks, not just reminding you about them.
- You want to ship apps, dashboards, and portals from a prompt with Genesis.
- You want 100+ bidirectional integrations and durable workflow automations.
- You want one app for personal tasks and team collaboration.
Explore Taskade
- AI App Builder — Build complete apps from one prompt
- AI Agent Platform — Digital teammates with 33 tools
- Workflow Automation — Durable workflows across 100+ integrations
- Vibe Coding — Natural-language app creation
- AI Knowledge Base — Train agents on your data
Build without code
- AI App Generator — Full apps from prompts
- AI Dashboard Generator — Business dashboards
- AI Form Generator — Smart intake forms
- Browse Community Apps — Clone and customize
Related reading
- Build Without Permission — Our manifesto
- How Workspace DNA Works — The architecture
- Origin of Living Software — Where apps are headed
- Vibe Coding for Non-Developers
- Agentic Workflows That Replace Busywork