SOULBARN  I don't quite get all the four and five star reviews.

Things is really good. It might be the best complex, GTD-oriented task manager out there.

But that's because most of them are awful.

Yes, the Things creators have done their homework and are on the way to something great.

But they aren't there yet. They aren't even close.

The software has plenty of unimplemented features - I won't go into all of them, because even the rave reviews mention them. For my purposes, the worst among them is machine-to-machine sync. Essential for power users who carry more than once machine. (And if that's not available, then iPhone sync - and not the kludgy iPhone wifi sync. It needs to be seamless, as it is with other iPhone task managers.)

(I'm revealing my biases here - a genuine five-star task manager MUST, in my view, be universally available; that means on my iPhone and at least on my travel and home machines. I believe this is a reasonable expectation, both because it is fairly standard in the category's feature set, and because the Things folks have more or less said so.)

Right now, the best alternatives are a Remember The Milk or ToodleDo account, plus the ToDo, RTM, or ToodleDo native iPhone app. Neither RTM nor ToodleDo are as pretty or intuitive as Things, but both offer extraordinary feature sets, including RSS feeds, text message reminders, Google gadgets, and open APIs that may (for many users) compensate for the lack of beauty in the interface, since the feature sets - especially with ToodleDo, which allows folder-based project management - are pretty close (too bad that ToodleDo is shamefully ugly.)

ToodleDo's iPhone app is $3.95, and it works quite well; ToDo is $9.95, the same as the Things app, and it syncs with both RTM or ToodleDo, or via Wifi with your desktop. I'm not saying that these are necessarily better than Things in all ways - but I do assert that they're more mature, and that it is Things' lack of maturity that is the reason it does not yet merit the accolades it is being given, and that merits a "buyer beware" at this point.

I'd add that at the price for Things and the iPhone app, the bar is set very, very high. I'm not saying the product is too expensive - in fact, I'm all in favor of charging as much as the market will bear. But I believe that there's a disconnect between what people think they're getting and what they actually are.

I'm also dismayed that Things recently removed their user forums from their website; again, at the price, offering such an area for comments and help - even if critical - seems near-obligatory, and it makes me suspicious.

I like Things. A lot. It has the potential to be the best task manager available. But it has yet to live up to that potential, and with so many missing features at the premium we're being asked to pay, I can't possibly see it as anything more than a three-star app. Those fourth and fifth stars need to be -earned-, not offered for future promises and potential, which Things may or may not - and I hope it does - deliver.

I urge anyone considering buying this to give the demo a hard, hard look.   
(Version 1.1.2)

ROBBNASHVILLE  I began testing both THINGS and OMNIFOCUS last summer and didn't make my final choice until after the near-final version of Things was released a few days ago to those using the beta version.

Things is a beautiful program & it is very easy to use. However, my final decision is to go with OmniFocus because of it's superb power. IMO the purpose of a program like this is the ability to organize and view data easily in a number of ways to facilitate planning and actually accomplishing goals.

While Things provides a great deal of what I need, the bottom line is that I found it's approach a little too scattered. It was often difficult for me to see all my actions & projects in one view for a given period of time. Because I am an organizer, I would file some tasks in "Someday", others in "Scheduled" and the rest in "Next". When I would try to see where I had an opening for another task or project, I often could not get a clear sense of my planning with Things. It's heavy use of tags is just not to my liking. I prefer the use of contexts, which are like categories. OmniFocus follows the use of contexts. (Things has something similar called "Areas"; but they are just not the same thing in practice.)

Things does not allow the use of start dates as well as due dates. Even though it is true that projects should be constructed of single actions that can be accomplished at a given time, the ability of OmniFocus to assign start dates allows tasks to be unavailable until their start date. This approach gets them out of the way until I am ready to review them or focus on them.

Also, Things just doesn't use dates well. OmniFocus not only allows easy entry of dates, it also presents the due date more clearly for each task and, because it has an inspector panel, it's easy to see more about repeating items, when items are due for review, etc.l.

The final straw that broke the camel's back for me was the difference between the iPhone clients. If iCal had been able to handle to do items better (especially repeating tasks) and present them on the iPhone, I might never have started this journey. Both Things and OmniFocus have iPhone clients; but there's no real comparison. Things, like it's desktop counterpart, is very scattered on the iPhone, while OmniFocus is just as organized on the iPhone as it is on the desktop. Things only allows syncing while on the same wireless network. OmniFocus allows syncing via a number of methods; and since I am a MobileMe subscriber, I use that method, which allows me to sync from anywhere.

I'm sure Things will meet the needs of many people; and for those who place a big emphasis on price, it will probably win. For me, time is money; and OmniFocus helps me get the most done.  
(Version 1.0rc3)

DOOBIEXX  Things, is by far the most intuitive and versatile to-do software available and it's still in beta status. I have no idea why anybody would post the other recommended applications because there is simply, in my opinion, nothing comparable to Things. The only "thing" that worries me is that once it's out of beta and they are charging for the software it will be appropriately priced. I think the developers will make a smart decision and make the software affordable so there will more customers paying the smaller fee than fewer customers paying the higher price and in the end more users = more money no matter how expensive the soft. I don't review or comment on much software, but this app is so amazing I was dumbfounded to read the programs others posted as "similar" and recommended if Things didn't pan out. Great app, and I hope to see the final release soon! Please continue listening to your customers because your doing an excellent job!  
(Version 0.9.4.1)

XPLICIT  Mmmmh, why does Mac software have to be so expensive? Even with the discount and plus taxes I'll have to pay about 48$. Honestly, after all Things (as well as OmniFocus and The Hit List) is just some kind of notepad, with sorting, grouping and filter functions.  
(Version 1.0)

PELLEFRI  Hi,

I defenatley got the impression I purchased Things from the Mac Update Promo in dec 2007. I have an invoice that shows Things as purchased and my MU account says: "a serial number will be updated in you acount within 24 hours". Well the 24 hours was a long time ago I guess...

Ok, the MU bundle was not that expensive but I paid and got Things ao.

Well what is happening: I choose start using Things instead of other apps because I got it in the promo, build up routines around it, buy it for the iPhone (great, that is the same I use on the laptop) and suddely after more than a year I see "3 days left, buy now".

What?? Thats hustling. Pay $49 in 3 days or your planning is gone??

I will absolutley look for some other organizing-app. 49$ it's not that much money, but the way I have been tricked learning this software is hustling and just not a honest way of threating "customers" (as I believed I was). On culture codes website they say the MU Promo was an "exclusive preview" ..... exclusive preview of BETA software, come on..  
(Version 1.0.1)

BITEBIT  Bye bye Things!

I have Things for the iphone and I used to use things for my big mac as well, but 58$ (with European taxes) is really really expensive for one app text-only, so I am going to start to use iGTD, Anxiety, omnifocus, Mori or Evernote, cheaper ones and with more features in general.

Things was good, but in my oppinion it is not a 58$ app. ¡with a little more you can buy the full OSX Snowleopard!   
(Version 1.0rc3)

MARKAUK  Hands down this is the best todo list manager I have ever used. Things has a simple, attractive interface, which never gets in the way of helping me to get things done.  
(Version 0.9.4)

STEVEN GOODHEART  I own and use OmniFocus and The HitList...but always keep an eye on Things to see if it's evolving/improving, since the perfect PIM has yet to be created, and I have no loyalty to any particular software -- if I find something better, I'm there.

So, what I see, especially since the addition of the programmer who created the brilliant, but fairly short-lived iGTD, is that the pace of improvement and changes with Things has been quite impressive....way more often and significant than my other PIMs (though in fairness to OmniFocus, they got so much right, I don't really expect big changes there, though they keep refining it. The HitList already has a terrific, intuitive interface, but my impression is that the focus seems to be getting synching and the iPhone thing going. In that area, OmniFocus is the gold-standard.)

Anyway, kudos to the Things folks. They are really improving their program. For example, this new list of changes and additions shows some real intelligence and definitely improves the functionality of the program. I'm impressed. Maybe not enough to buy yet *another* PIM -- I think I have a PIM addiction problem -- but if the program continues to improve at this rate and show such intelligence in changes to the interface/functionality, it's going to do just fine and win lots of new users.

  
(Version 1.2.4)

TICONUCK  There are strengths and weaknesses in all of the competitor in this application category, including Things. But may I just say that I have used a variety of similar applications, most notably OmniFocus, quite extensively, and I really wish that Things had been around sooner, and had matured sooner. It could have saved me so much of the frustration that I experienced with those other apps.

It is very easy to use, and it has a very pleasant interface, and it is quite powerful, without being overwhelming, and without forcing you to use all of its features if you don't want to. I recommend you give it a try. Maybe it will be as good of a fit for you as it is with me.  
(Version 1.2.1)

AHARMON  It is counterproductive to complain so, when there is so much to be thankful for...

Since this is a "1.x release", it should be obvious that there are areas where there will gaps that need filling.

THINGS is the most professionally crafted, well-thought-out GTD application on the Mac market, and as such, deserves a lot more credit than the nabobs of negativity are giving it.  
(Version 1.2.1)