Category: Reviews · Stage: Decision

By Chaos Content Team

Things 3 is arguably the most elegant task manager ever built. Beautiful design, perfect Apple integration, beloved by millions.

Chaos is the AI-first challenger. Learns your patterns, schedules automatically, adapts to changes.

After 30 days with each, here's whether AI scheduling can compete with decade-refined manual task management.

Pricing Stark Difference

Things 3: $50 (one-time) + $20 (iOS) + $10 (iPad) = $80 total, own forever
Chaos: £96/year subscription

Year 1: Things cheaper ($80 vs. £96) Year 5: Things dramatically cheaper ($80 vs. £480)

Things' one-time payment is significant advantage.

Philosophy: Manual Control vs. AI Assistance

Things 3: You organize, prioritize, and schedule everything manually. No AI, no automation.

Chaos: AI learns your patterns and schedules tasks automatically based on calendar, deadlines, and learned preferences.

The question: Is AI scheduling worth subscription cost vs. Things' manual elegance?

What Things 3 Does Better

1. Design and Polish

Things is stunning. Every interaction feels carefully crafted. Animations are smooth. Typography is perfect. Using it is genuinely pleasant.

Chaos is good-looking but not Things-beautiful. Feels more functional than artful.

For design-conscious users: This alone might justify Things.

2. Apple Ecosystem Integration

Things integrates deeply with macOS and iOS:

Widgets that actually work well
Keyboard shortcuts throughout
Handoff between devices
Siri integration
Apple Watch app

Chaos has good Apple integration but not Things-level deep.

3. Projects and Areas

Things' project management is elegant:

Projects (things with deadlines)
Areas (ongoing responsibilities)
Checklists within tasks
Tags for flexible organization

Simple structure that scales well.

Chaos has basic projects but less sophisticated organizational tools.

4. Reliability and Speed

Things is fast. Near-instant on Mac, quick on iOS. Decade of optimization shows.

Chaos is fast but not Things-fast. Occasional sync delays.

What Chaos Does Better

1. AI Scheduling

Things doesn't schedule tasks—you do. "Today" list fills based on your manual decisions.

Chaos suggests when to do tasks based on:

Calendar availability
Historical patterns (you write mornings, take calls afternoons)
Deadlines and urgency
Energy patterns

Testing result: Chaos's suggestions were right ~80% of the time after 2-week learning period.

Time saved: ~10 minutes daily not manually scheduling tasks.

2. Automatic Rescheduling

When calendar changes, Things doesn't adapt. You manually reschedule tasks.

Chaos automatically adjusts schedule when meetings move or get cancelled.

For unpredictable schedules: This is transformative.

3. Context Awareness

Chaos learns patterns:

Task type → best time of day
Historical completion time → duration estimates
Location → suggests tasks when you're in right place

Things has location reminders but no learning.

4. Decision Reduction

Things: "What should I work on now?" requires you to decide.

Chaos: "Here's what you should work on now based on your patterns, calendar, and energy."

Reduces decision fatigue.

Testing Results: 30 Days Each

Workload: Same tasks managed in both systems (25-35 tasks/week, 8-12 meetings/week).

Things 3 (Days 1-30)

Experience: Immediately pleasant. Beautiful interface, clear organization, satisfying to use.

Results:

Tasks completed: 91/104 (88%)
Time in app: ~15 min/day
End-of-day energy: 5.8/10
Satisfaction: 8.5/10 (loved using it)

What worked:

Gorgeous design made task management feel less tedious
Clear organization (Today, Upcoming, Someday)
Reliable and fast
One-time payment felt good (no subscription guilt)

What frustrated:

Manual scheduling took time
No adaptation when plans changed
Had to decide what to work on (decision fatigue)

Chaos (Days 31-60)

Experience: Less beautiful, more functional. AI suggestions improved over time.

Results:

Tasks completed: 98/106 (92%)
Time in app: ~7 min/day
End-of-day energy: 6.7/10
Satisfaction: 7.8/10 (effective but less delightful)

What worked:

AI scheduling saved time
Automatic rescheduling was brilliant
Reduced decision fatigue
Higher completion rate

What frustrated:

Less beautiful than Things
Learning period (Week 1-2 suggestions were poor)
Subscription cost adds up
Occasional sync issues

The Hybrid Approach (What I Actually Do)

After testing both, I use... both.

Things 3: Project planning, organizing areas of responsibility, long-term task lists.

Chaos: Daily execution, scheduling, adaptive task management.

Workflow:

Capture and organize in Things (beautiful, permanent home)
Import today's tasks to Chaos (AI schedules them)
Work from Chaos (AI-optimized schedule)
Complete tasks (syncs back to Things)

Why this works:

Use Things for what it does best (organization, beauty, planning)
Use Chaos for what it does best (scheduling, adaptation, execution)

Cost: $80 (Things one-time) + £96/year (Chaos) = manageable for power users.

Who Should Choose What

Choose Things 3 if:

You value design and elegance highly
You prefer manual control
You want one-time payment (no subscription)
Your schedule is predictable
You're deep in Apple ecosystem

Choose Chaos if:

You have unpredictable schedule
You hate manual planning
Decision fatigue is real problem
You value time savings over beauty
Subscription cost is acceptable

Choose both if:

You're power user managing 30+ tasks/week
You value both organization (Things) and execution (Chaos)
You can justify combined cost (~£160 Year 1, £96/year after)

Choose neither if:

You have simple task load (<10 tasks/week)
You're satisfied with Apple Reminders (free, built-in)
You don't want to spend money on task management

The Honest Recommendation

For Mac users who manually plan anyway: Things 3.

If you enjoy manual planning and want the most elegant task manager ever made, Things justifies its cost. One-time payment is liberating.

For busy people with unpredictable schedules: Chaos.

If you manage 20+ tasks weekly and your calendar changes frequently, Chaos's AI scheduling and automatic rescheduling save significant time and stress.

My personal choice: Both, but if forced to choose one, Chaos.

The time savings and automatic adaptation outweigh Things' superior design. As much as I love Things' beauty, productivity beats aesthetics.

Key Takeaways

Things 3 excels at design, Apple integration, and one-time pricing. Most elegant task manager available. Perfect keyboard shortcuts, beautiful UI, deep iOS/macOS integration. $80 one-time vs. Chaos's £96/year subscription.

Chaos excels at AI scheduling and automatic adaptation. Learns patterns, suggests optimal times, reschedules automatically when calendar changes. Saves ~10 min daily vs. manual planning.

Testing showed higher completion rate with Chaos (92% vs. 88%) and lower time investment (7 min vs. 15 min daily), but Things provided more satisfying user experience.

Manual control vs. AI assistance is the core trade-off. Things gives you complete control and beauty. Chaos reduces decisions and adapts automatically. Neither approach is objectively better—depends on preference.

Things' one-time payment is major advantage. $80 total vs. £480 over 5 years. For cost-conscious users or those who hate subscriptions, Things wins on economics.

Recommendation depends on use case: Things for design-focused Mac users with predictable schedules. Chaos for busy people with variable calendars. Both for power users who can justify combined cost.

Sources: 60 days testing data, task completion metrics, user experience analysis

Chaos vs Things 3: Can AI Beat Apple's Most Elegant Task Manager?