Can AI replace Things 3?
YES · one-shottableThe core loop is small enough for a capable coding agent to produce a useful local version in one sitting. For Things 3, build a polished personal task manager with areas, projects, tags, deadlines, and a today view. The hard boundary is exceptional native design, apple-device sync, shortcuts, and long-term maintenance, plus cross-device reliability and workflow polish.
Build a personal replacement for Things 3 in an empty repository. Use Tauri 2, React, TypeScript, SQLite, and desktop notifications; do not offer alternative stacks. The core loop is: capture tasks into areas and projects with tags and deadlines, schedule or repeat them, work from a focused today view, and keep history locally. Make the first run work locally with one documented command. Store all user data locally by default and make export straightforward. Put secrets in .env, ship .env.example, and never commit credentials. Create inbox, today, upcoming, someday, and completed views with fast keyboard capture. Support projects, tags, due dates, start dates, priorities, notes, subtasks, and attachments. Implement robust daily, weekly, monthly, and custom recurring rules with tests. Add a focus view with one active task, timer, and optional desktop notification. Provide search, saved filters, undo, and a completed-task archive. Export and import a documented JSON format and make automatic local backups. Include clear empty, loading, success, and recoverable error states. Add input validation, safe filenames, and graceful handling of unavailable APIs. Write focused tests for the core transformation and one end-to-end happy path. Create a README with setup, architecture, permissions, data location, and backup steps. Do not add accounts, billing, telemetry, analytics, or a hosted control plane. Deliberately leave out team assignment and comments. Deliberately leave out two-way calendar or email synchronization. Deliberately leave out native mobile apps and cloud accounts. Finish by running the tests and listing the exact commands used.
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People still pay for Things 3 because task software is sticky because trust, speed, and ubiquitous capture matter more than the database schema. The recurring cost buys recurrence edge cases, notifications, sync conflicts, calendar APIs, mobile capture, and backups, not just the visible interface.
xexceptional native design, Apple-device sync, shortcuts, and long-term maintenance
xperfect mobile sync
xcalendar and email integrations
xshared workspaces
xbehavioral coaching polish
Can AI replace Things 3?
Yes. A competent AI coding agent (Claude Code, Codex, Cursor) can build a usable personal Things 3 replacement in one session with the prompt on this page. It runs on your own machine or server with no subscription.
How much does Things 3 cost?
Things 3's pricing is usage-based or varies by plan — Sold as separate one-time app purchases; canonical monthly price is null..
What do I lose by replacing Things 3?
Honestly: exceptional native design, Apple-device sync, shortcuts, and long-term maintenance; perfect mobile sync; calendar and email integrations; shared workspaces; behavioral coaching polish. If any of those are load-bearing for you, keep paying.
Is there an open-source alternative to Things 3?
Yes — Vikunja (Mature open-source task and project manager with lists, kanban, and recurring work.). Using prior art is also a valid exit; the prompt is for when you want it exactly your way.