Diurnal and Things 3
Things 3 is a task manager: you add to-dos to lists and keep them in order. Diurnal is a page you write on, opened with ⇧⌘A over whatever you are doing, where every paragraph becomes a task.
The deciding difference is upkeep. In Things, an unfinished to-do waits for you to reschedule it. In Diurnal, a task that goes quiet asks if you are still on it, then moves itself to next week.
Side by side
| Diurnal | Things 3 | |
|---|---|---|
| Write freely, and every paragraph becomes a task | ||
| Shows your whole day in the overlay | ||
| Tidies away tasks you stopped touching | ||
| Two-way Google Calendar sync | ||
| Built-in Pomodoro timer | ||
| Free, with every feature included | ||
| Runs on iPhone and iPad |
Write, and let it tidy itself
Press ⇧⌘A anywhere and write. Every paragraph is a task, and in “pay rent friday 4pm #home” the day, the reminder and the tag are read as you type. Nothing needs a date.
A task you stop touching asks if you are still on it, and moves to next week if you do not answer. Your Google meetings sit beside the page; /cal books a new event, or changes one you already have.
Where Things 3 is the better answer
It is on your iPhone, iPad and Watch. Diurnal is Mac only, so if you capture tasks while walking to the station, Things wins outright.
It is also a mature, finished app with years of polish behind it. Diurnal is new and still changing quickly.
Which one suits you
Pick Things 3 if you want one polished task manager across every Apple device.
Pick Diurnal if you would rather write than maintain a list, your calendar is Google, and your day happens on a Mac.
Questions
- Is Diurnal free?
- Yes, right now, with every feature included. Things is a paid app, bought separately for Mac, iPhone and iPad.
- Does Diurnal work with Google Calendar?
- Yes, both ways. Your meetings show beside the page, and you can book, change or delete an event without a browser. Things reads Apple Calendar only.
- Can I use both?
- Yes. They keep separate data and neither touches the other, so Things can stay on your phone while Diurnal runs your Mac.
Other comparisons
Facts about Things 3 were checked in . Software changes; if something here has gone out of date, it is a mistake rather than a position.