Things 3 is a beautiful, premium to-do app, Apple-only and paid once per platform, with no CRM. Orbit is a simple AI-powered CRM with a full GTD task system, cross-platform on the web, with unlimited tasks, contacts, and a calendar, all free. If you are all-Apple and want the finest standalone task app, Things fits. Otherwise Orbit fits.
Things 3 is widely loved for its craft. The design is calm and precise, the interactions feel effortless, and its take on projects, areas, and the Today view is a joy for personal task management. Many people call it the best to-do app on Apple platforms, and it is a one-time purchase, not a subscription.
The trade-offs are clear and honest: it is Apple-only, so there is no web or Android, and you buy it per platform (Mac, iPhone, iPad). It has no CRM and no contact records. If you live entirely on Apple devices and want a premium, private, standalone task app, Things is hard to beat. Check their site for current pricing.
Side by side on platform, price model, and the CRM layer.
| Orbit | Things 3 | |
|---|---|---|
| GTD lists (Inbox, Today, Next, Waiting, Someday) | Inbox, Today, and projects, check their site | |
| Cross-platform (web, any device) | Yes, runs in the browser | Apple only, no web or Android |
| Unlimited tasks | Free | Yes, after purchase |
| Tasks linked to contacts and deals | ||
| Built-in CRM (contacts and pipeline) | 250 contacts and 1 pipeline free | |
| Calendar with drag-to-schedule | Calendar events shown, check their site | |
| Built-in email inbox | 100 emails/mo free, send and receive | |
| AI assistant | Hiro, with free monthly credits | |
| Free plan | $0 forever, no card | Paid, one-time per platform, check their site |
| Price | Free, or Pro $14/mo | One-time purchase, check their site |
Things 3 and Orbit are both proud of their task systems, but they aim at different people. Things is the perfect personal list for someone all-in on Apple who wants nothing but tasks, done beautifully. Orbit is for someone running a business who needs those tasks tied to clients and deals, reachable from any browser.
Where Things stops at the checklist, Orbit keeps going: it is a free CRM with the GTD system built in, so a follow-up sits on the contact it belongs to. And it is free to start, no per-platform purchase. If a cross-platform, free task management system that lives with your contacts sounds right, that is Orbit.
Things 3 is a beautiful Apple-only list. Orbit is a free, cross-platform task system with a CRM attached.
It depends on your setup. Things 3 is a premium Apple-only to-do app with no CRM. Orbit is a free, cross-platform CRM with a full GTD task system that runs in any browser. If you want web access, a free plan, and tasks tied to contacts, Orbit is the better fit.
Orbit runs in the browser, so it works on any device with a web browser, including Windows and Android. Things 3 is Apple-only, with no web or Android version. Check their site for current platform details.
Yes. Orbit has a free plan with no credit card: unlimited tasks, GTD lists, up to 250 contacts, one pipeline, a calendar, notes, and 100 emails a month. Things 3 is a one-time paid purchase per Apple platform. Check their site for current pricing.
Yes. Any task in Orbit can attach to a contact or a deal and show on that person's timeline. Things 3 is a pure personal task app with no contact records, so this is a core difference between the two.
Orbit is free forever with no credit card. Pro is $14 a month or $112 a year and adds two-way Google Calendar sync, the Chrome extension, unlimited contacts and pipelines, and more. AI credits are included free every month on every plan.
People running a business mostly alone: founders, consultants, freelancers, and small teams who want tasks tied to clients, on any device. If you are all-Apple and want a pure, premium personal task app, Things 3 may fit better.
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