Things 4

• 1. overview (828 chars)

  Things is a personal task management application produced by Germany's Cultured Code. It has long been regarded as the benchmark for design and experience in the Apple ecosystem. On May 18, 2026, Cultured Code released a new generation product called Things 4 by the community in the form of a "paid update" - officially called "the all-new Things". It is a completely rewritten version from the bottom up, rather than a minor repair. Its core proposition has not changed: use the most restrained and elegant interface to help individuals arrange things in their minds and complete them as planned. The new version has added time views such as "tonight" and "upcoming", calendar events on the same screen, Magic Plus drag-and-drop insertion, Quick Find global search and other capabilities, but it still insists on "no built-in collaboration, no stack of AI, and no subscriptions", which also makes it particularly stubborn among the to-do applications that have begun to cram AI into it.

• 2. Product background (698 chars)

  Things is developed by Cultured Code GmbH & Co. KG, a company based in Stuttgart, Germany, with its earliest products dating back to 2008. The team is known for its "design as engineering" approach and has won the Apple Design Award twice. Before this major version in 2026, the last round of mainline was Things 3 released in 2017, and relied on years of small version iterations (to 3.22. The official announcement in the App Store listing instructions clearly states that "a new generation of Things will be released on May 18 as a paid update." Therefore, the community and media generally refer to this generation of products as Things 4. It should be noted that it is still listed under the existing "Things 3" application entry in the App Store and is not a separate independent application. This is where the naming is easily confused.

• 3. Product functions and usage experience (1466 chars)

  The most intuitive change in the new generation of Things is the new "eternal" design: the interface is cleaner, the animation is smoother, and the content structure is clearer. The most basic to-do (To-Do) has been re-polished - click on a to-do and it will smoothly expand into a white paper-like note area. Fields such as tags, lists, start dates, and due dates are stored in the corners by default, so as not to disturb your thinking and appear only when needed. A new "This Evening" list has been added to time management, which separates things that "can be done after I get home" from the main line of the day; "Upcoming" lists the scheduled to-dos, recurring tasks, deadlines and calendar events in the next few days, and can be rescheduled by simply dragging them. Large projects can be broken into small pieces using "Headings", and the whole group can be rearranged by dragging and dropping, and archived after completion; for tasks that have multiple steps but do not fit into one project, use "Checklists" to break them down, and you can also paste bullets from other apps and automatically convert them. Magic Plus is a new interactive highlight: press and hold the plus button and drag it anywhere to insert a to-do or create a title, and drop ideas into your inbox without leaving the current list. In terms of search, Quick Find can produce results at the touch of a button, and "Type Travel" has been further evolved on Mac - without any shortcut keys, just type and be taken to the corresponding item or tag. Calendar integration also makes up for what users have been asking for for many years: Calendar events are displayed at the top of the Today list by personal, family, work, etc., and to-dos are placed below it, so you can see the whole day at a glance.

• 4. Pricing and business model (744 chars)

  Things adheres to a one-time buyout and non-subscription business model. Each platform is priced separately: Mac US$49.99, iPhone and Apple Watch US$9.99, iPad US$19.99, Apple Vision Pro US$29.99, and the entire ecosystem costs approximately US$79.97. The synchronization service Things Cloud is free and supports Apple Home Sharing. One set can be purchased and used by multiple people. This new generation is a paid update, and old users can enjoy a discounted upgrade price (the specific amount will be converted by the App Store depending on the region/currency). This is also Cultured Code's consistent "charge according to the larger version" logic. The official website of the Mac version provides a 15-day free trial. If you are not satisfied, you can get a refund from Apple. Overall, diluted over three to five years, it is the lowest cost among serious productivity tools.

• 5. User reviews (777 chars)

  Positive feedback is highly concentrated on "restrained but powerful": minimalist interface, pleasant dynamic effects, high density of keyboard shortcuts, fast and stable synchronization, practical calendar on the same screen, and no subscription pressure. It is rated 4.9/5 on G2 (~113 reviews), 4.8/5 on Product Hunt, and 4.6–4.8 on the App Store long-term. Many users mentioned that "I tried a bunch of productivity apps, but in the end only Things remained." Some people praised it specifically in the AI ​​wave, "Other to-dos have turned into bad apps filled with AI, and Things is still the clean thing." The negative voices are quite stable: no collaboration and sharing lists, no file attachment, no public API, slow update pace, separate purchases for each platform, lack of location-based reminders, etc. Most of these shortcomings are the result of Cultured Code’s proactive choices rather than oversights.

• 6. Industry evaluation (699 chars)

  The industry generally positions Things as "the gold standard in personal task management design and experience," which is especially suitable for users who are stuck in the Apple ecosystem and value craft more than functional breadth. When you put it together with competing products, the conclusion is clear: if you want cross-platform (Windows/Android/Web), choose Todoist or TickTick; if you want team collaboration, use Todoist Business or Asana; if you want GTD geek-style freedom, choose OmniFocus; and if you just want "the best-looking personal to-do on Apple hardware," Things has almost no rivals. It is listed as the first choice for Apple’s native experience in the Top 10 Task Management Apps of 2026, but it has also been repeatedly cited as having “no collaboration, no API, and no Windows/Android/Web version.”

• 7. Controversies and Risks (763 chars)

  The biggest controversial point of this generation of products is the "paid update" itself: there has not been a major version for many years, and the one-time charge may make some old users frown; and it does not take the opportunity to make up for the collaboration, attachments, and APIs that the community has called for for many years - Cultured Code has made it clear that it does not intend to do these. If you believe it, stay or leave. Another risk is the pace: major releases often take several years, feature requests are queued up all year round, and some users migrate to the native "Reminder" or other tools because they "can't wait". What is worth pondering is that at a time when AI has become standard equipment, Things deliberately does not overload AI and only leaves the model capabilities to users through the "Use Model" action of Apple Shortcuts. This restraint has become its differentiation card.

• 8. Applicable groups and usage suggestions (568 chars)

  Things is suitable for solo Apple users: GTD practitioners, designers, creators, independent developers, students, and anyone who wants to put their personal life and work into a clean system. It's not suitable for users who need to share lists with family/colleagues, across Windows or Android devices, or rely on automation APIs - these people should look directly to Todoist, TickTick, or Apple Reminders. If you are already in the Apple ecosystem and regard task management as a purely personal practice, Things 4 is currently the best one to use; before buying, run the Mac trial version for a week to make sure you can tolerate its "area-project-title-to-do" structure.

• 9. Summarize (357 chars)

  Things 4 is a reconstruction of "making something that is already right even more right": the design is more attractive, the time view is more complete, and the interaction is smoother, but it still adheres to the boundaries of no collaboration, no subscription, and no heaping of AI. It's an ideal home for Apple's individual productivity enthusiasts, and a natural no-go for teams that need to work side-by-side with people.

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• 

  Christian.Turner007

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  更新太慢了，大版本一憋好几年，想要的功能总在排队。

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  NLeeQ

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  回不去了，Things 用顺手就离不开了。

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  Susan_Scott007

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  Mac 上 Type Travel 真香，直接打字就跳过去。

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  Beverly.Hall520

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  AI 时代它居然不硬塞 AI，反而更显珍贵了。

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  MarilynGonzalesQ

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  日历事件现在能跟待办同屏了，Today 顶部直接显示我的会议，下面才是任务，一整天怎么安排一眼看懂。这点我等了好多年。

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  CeyhunÖnür

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  我是个设计师，买生产力工具首先看质感，Things 在这一点上没对手。新版本的 Liquid Glass 侧边栏、圆角、玻璃质感的按钮，细节控狂喜。缺点也明摆着：没有网页版，出差用酒店电脑想看一眼任务都不行，得掏手机。对纯苹果户来说无所谓，跨平台的就绕道吧。

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  SFlores_2020

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  从 Things 3 付费升上来，说实话肉疼但值。新设计更耐看、动效更顺，This Evening 把我「回家才干的事」从主线分出来，晚上不会再被白天的任务吓到。就是各平台分开买这点还是劝退，Mac 加 iPhone 加 iPad 一套下来小一百刀，新人第一次看到价格会愣一下。

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  ShirleyJohnson

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  用了两周全新一代，最惊喜的是 Magic Plus 魔法加号——长按拖到任意位置就能插待办或建标题，不用离开当前列表。配合 Upcoming 拖拽改期，规划一周变得很顺。唯一别扭的是它还是纯苹果，我办公室那台 Windows 完全打不开，只能手机凑合看。

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  AveryByrd

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  Headings 把大项目拆成小块太好用了，整组拖拽重排，爽。

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  Judith.Castillo_X

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  这代全新的设计真的绝，打开待办像展开一张白纸，干净得不像工具。

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  DavidPhillips_99

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  同步稳得离谱，Mac 手机平板从来不掉链子。之前试用过 TickTick 和 Todoist，功能多但越用越乱，最后还是回到 Things，它就是最对我胃口的那个。

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  CMitchell_2022

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  说句实话，Things 4 还是没补协作和附件，跟官方一贯的「个人工具」定位一致。家里要跟老婆共享买菜清单还是得用苹果提醒事项，Things 干不了。但我就是吃它这种克制——别的待办一更新就塞一堆 AI 乱七八糟，Things 还是那个安静的白纸。鱼和熊掌吧。

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  Jason_221

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  Checklist 我用来拆网购清单和出差打包，从别处粘贴项目符号自动变清单，细节很懂人。就是不能往任务里塞图片和文件，还是有点遗憾。

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  JeppeNielsen

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  我是 GTD 老用户，区域—项目—标题—待办这套结构跟我的脑子对上了。每天晚上顺手把「今晚」列表过一遍，第二天早上 Today 一目了然，省心。

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  MsEdHarris_x

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  Quick Find 按键即出结果，项目多了也不慌。以前在大列表里翻半天，现在敲两个字母就定位，效率拉满。

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  Thomas_Gonzalez_99

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  买断不订阅太对了，79 美金刚全平台，算下来比 Todoist 三年会员还便宜。

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