Focus5 vs Things 3: a simpler Things 3 alternative
Neither app charges a subscription. Things 3 is Apple only and costs up to $79.97 across devices. Focus5 is $29 once for every device, with a focus queue Things does not have.
Things 3 is a one-time purchase, like Focus5. There is no subscription. It is also the best looking to-do app on Apple devices, and that is not faint praise.
Two things are different. Things 3 only runs on Apple hardware, and it charges per device: $49.99 on Mac, $19.99 on iPad, $9.99 on iPhone. All three comes to $79.97. Focus5 is $29 once for every device.
Things 3 also has no Focus mode. It shows you the list and leaves the choosing to you. Focus5 queues your work and puts one task on screen with a timer. Here is the full comparison.
| Things 3 | Focus5 | |
|---|---|---|
| Billing | One-time purchase, priced per platform | One payment, $29, everything included |
| What it costs | $49.99 Mac, $19.99 iPad, $9.99 iPhone & Watch | $29 once, every device |
| Platforms | Apple only. No Android, no web | Android and desktop web today, iPhone next |
| Core idea | A beautiful, complete place for all your work | Hands you the next task, five on screen at a time |
| Choosing what to do | You decide, every time you open it | Focus queues them for you, 5 on screen at a time |
| Capture | Typed, with a fast quick-entry box | Talk, and it writes it down and files it |
Why people pick Focus5 over Things 3
Works on Windows and Android too
Things 3 is Apple only. No Android, no web. If you have a Windows machine at work, or an Android phone, or you just want to open your day in a browser on someone else’s computer, it isn’t an option at any price.
Focus5 has an Android app on Google Play and runs in any desktop browser. The iPhone app is next, and every app is covered by the same one payment.
One payment covers every device
Things 3 charges per platform: $49.99 on Mac, $19.99 on iPad, $9.99 on iPhone and Watch. Buy the three most people want and it’s $79.97.
Focus5 is $29 once and that’s every device you ever use it on, including the iPhone app that isn’t out yet. Both apps refuse to bill you monthly. Only one of them charges you again for the same app on a second screen.
A Focus mode, not just a list
Things 3’s Today list is beautiful, and it is still a list you read and choose from. Nothing in it starts the work for you.
Focus5 has Focus mode: one task on screen, the timer running, the next one queued behind it. You start working without deciding anything.
You talk, it writes
Things 3 has one of the fastest quick-entry boxes in any app. It is still a box you type into.
In Focus5 you ramble about your day and it writes the tasks down, dates them, and files them into the right book. Nothing has to be organised to get out of your head.
Where Things 3 is the better fit
Things 3 is a genuinely great app and this section is longer than it is on most of these pages for a reason.
You live entirely in Apple. Mac, iPhone, iPad, Watch. On that hardware Things is a joy to use in a way very little software manages, and it works offline and natively everywhere.
You want somewhere to keep everything. Areas, projects, headings, Someday, a real review flow. Focus5 has books and a backlog and that is all.
Craft matters to you. The typography, the animations, the details. Focus5 is carefully made but it is a web app, and it is not going to win that argument.
You’ve already bought it. If Things is working for you, you paid once and you owe nobody anything. There is no recurring bill to escape here, which is exactly why this page can’t sell you on price.
Buy Things 3 if you are on Apple hardware and want the best-made list app there is. Buy Focus5 if the list was never the part that was broken.
Who Focus5 is for
Choose Focus5 over Things 3 if:
- You own a Windows or Android device and Things simply can’t follow you there.
- Your Today list looks beautiful and you still stall on where to start.
- You want something that starts the work, not a nicer place to put twenty items.
- You’d rather pay once for every device than once per device.
- You want a bad day to just end.
See Focus5 in action
Frequently asked questions
Is Things 3 a subscription?
No, and that’s to its credit. It’s a one-time purchase. The catch is that it’s priced per platform: $49.99 on Mac, $19.99 on iPad, $9.99 on iPhone and Watch.
Does Things 3 work on Android or Windows?
No. Things is Apple only, with no Android and no web version. If any device you use isn’t Apple hardware, that decides the question before price does.
Is Focus5 cheaper than Things 3?
For most people, yes, but that isn’t the real argument. Mac plus iPad plus iPhone comes to $79.97 against $29 once. If you only ever want it on an iPhone, Things is $9.99 and cheaper. The reason to choose Focus5 is Focus mode, not the total.
Can you import Things 3 tasks into Focus5?
No, there’s no importer. Most people switching start fresh with today’s five anyway.
Does Focus5 have Areas and projects like Things?
No. It has books, which group tasks, and a backlog. No areas, no headings, no Someday list. If that structure is what you like about Things, you’d miss it.
Can you try Focus5 without paying?
Every feature is unlocked for your first 7 days, with no card. After that, Today, Agenda, Calendar and 2 books stay free with no time limit.
Compare Focus5 with another app
Focus5 vs Sunsama
Sunsama costs $204 a year and connects to 21 other tools. Focus5 costs $29 once and shows you 5 tasks at a time, one at a time, in the right order.
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Focus5 vs Todoist
Todoist organises your whole list from $5 a month. Focus5 costs $29 once and shows you 5 tasks at a time so you never decide what to do next.
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Focus5 vs TickTick
Both apps have a focus timer. TickTick costs $35.99 a year and leaves you to choose what to work on. Focus5 costs $29 once and chooses for you.
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Focus5 vs Motion
Motion uses AI to build your calendar, from $19 per person a month. Focus5 costs $29 once and just queues your tasks in order, 5 on screen at a time.
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Focus5 vs Notion
Notion makes you build your own task system. Focus5 gives you one you cannot change, and a Focus mode that decides what you do next.
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Focus5 vs Microsoft To Do
Microsoft To Do is free and syncs with Outlook. Focus5 costs $29 once and adds a Focus mode that queues your tasks and times them.
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Focus5 vs Google Tasks
Google Tasks is free and sits inside Gmail. Focus5 costs $29 once and adds a Focus mode that picks your next task and times it.
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Focus5 vs Trello
Trello shows all your work on a board at once. Focus5 shows 5 at a time and one on screen, in an order it picks for you.
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Focus5 vs ClickUp
ClickUp runs a whole company’s work. Focus5 runs your next hour: it picks the next task and starts the timer.
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Focus5 vs Superlist
Both apps let you add tasks by talking. Superlist is $59 a year. Focus5 is $29 once and adds a Focus mode that queues them and times them.
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