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BusyCal vs Things 3

Side-by-side comparison of features, pricing, ratings, and alternatives.

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BusyCal
BusyCalNative Mac and iOS calendar app with tasks, smart filters, and natural language input.
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Things 3
Things 3A beautiful, focused task manager for Mac and iOS.
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Overview
Description

BusyCal is a calendar application for Mac and iOS that extends the built-in Calendar app with features like Smart Filters, Calendar Sets, natural-language event entry, and travel-time calculations. It integrates with the Reminders app for task management and adds extras like weather, moon phases, and a menu bar heat-map view.

Things 3 is a personal task manager designed by Cultured Code for macOS, iPhone, and iPad. It helps you capture ideas, organize projects, and stay on top of daily work with a clean, intuitive interface. With features like Projects, Areas, Tags, and a built-in Calendar view, Things 3 lets you structure your to‑do list the way you think, while iCloud sync keeps your tasks up‑to‑date across all your Apple devices.

Pricing
Paid (One-time)
Paid (One-time)
Category
Calendar & Scheduling
Task & To-Do
Best for
Mac and iOS users wanting a more powerful calendar than Apple's default app
Mac and iOS users seeking personal task management
Specifications
deployment
Desktop App
—
open source
No
No
api available
No
No
support options
—
Email support
key integrations
—
Calendar, Reminders, Siri
Pros & Cons
Pros
  • One-time purchase option instead of a mandatory subscription
  • Deep native macOS integration with menu bar and Reminders sync
  • Rich feature set (Smart Filters, travel time, natural language input)
  • Available via Setapp for users who prefer a subscription bundle
  • Elegant, distraction‑free interface
  • Deep integration with iOS/macOS ecosystem
  • Powerful hierarchical organization
  • Reliable iCloud sync across devices
Cons
  • Mac and iOS only, no Windows, Android, or web version
  • One-time price ($49.99) is higher than many subscription calendar apps' monthly cost
  • Feature depth may be more than casual users need
  • Only available on Apple platforms
  • No native Windows or Android support
  • No public API for third‑party extensions
Community & Metrics
Upvotes
0
0
User rating
Not enough data
Not enough data

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Fantastical
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Natural-language calendar app that unifies multiple calendars, tasks, and scheduling in one view.

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Things 3
Things 3

A beautiful, focused task manager for Mac and iOS.

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Sunsama
Sunsama

Daily planner that unifies your calendar, tasks, and meetings for intentional daily planning.

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BusyCal
BusyCal

Native Mac and iOS calendar app with tasks, smart filters, and natural language input.

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Any.do
Any.do

Task management app for individuals, families, and teams with calendar and AI planning.

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TickTick
TickTick

All-in-one task manager and calendar app with habit tracking and a built-in Pomodoro timer.

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Todoist
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Organize work and life, any way you want.

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The Verdict

AI-generated from listing data

BusyCal is a full‑featured calendar app with native task sync, while Things 3 is a pure task manager; choose based on whether you need calendar functionality or just sophisticated to‑do lists.

Key differences

  • •BusyCal includes calendar, smart filters, travel‑time and weather; Things 3 focuses solely on task hierarchy and tagging.
  • •BusyCal syncs via private LAN or iCloud calendars; Things 3 relies exclusively on iCloud for task sync.
  • •BusyCal offers a menu‑bar widget and AI‑assisted scheduling; Things 3 provides a Calendar view but no AI features.
  • •Both are one‑time purchases, but BusyCal’s price is $49.99; Things 3 pricing isn’t specified in the facts.
DimensionWinner

Pricing & value

BusyCal’s one‑time price is $49.99; Things 3 price not listed, so BusyCal’s cost is known and comparable.

BusyCal

Ease of use / learning curve

Things 3 is described as an elegant, distraction‑free interface, implying a smoother onboarding than BusyCal’s richer feature set.

Things 3

Features & depth

BusyCal provides calendar, smart filters, travel time, weather, AI extension, and LAN sync—far broader than Things 3’s task‑only focus.

BusyCal

Integrations & ecosystem

Things 3 integrates tightly with Calendar, Reminders, and Siri via iCloud; BusyCal lacks listed third‑party integrations.

Things 3

Collaboration

BusyCal offers private LAN sync for shared calendars without cloud, a collaboration capability not mentioned for Things 3.

BusyCal

Support

Things 3 lists email support; BusyCal provides no support details in the facts.

Things 3

Security & privacy

BusyCal’s private LAN sync lets users avoid cloud storage, offering an on‑premise privacy option.

BusyCal

Choose BusyCal if…

Users who need a robust calendar with task sync, travel‑time, and offline sharing.

Choose Things 3 if…

Users who only need a refined personal task manager with hierarchical organization.

Common questions

Can I use BusyCal on Windows or Android?

No, BusyCal is only available for macOS and iOS.

Does Things 3 support calendar events directly?

Things 3 shows tasks in a built‑in Calendar view but does not manage calendar events itself.

What sync options does BusyCal offer?

BusyCal syncs via iCloud calendars and offers a private LAN sync option for cloud‑free syncing.