Substack

VS

Things 3

Business & Productivity Comparison

Substack vs Things 3: Side-by-Side Comparison

Substack
Things 3
Rating
★★★★★★★★★★
4.5/5
★★★★★★★★★★
4.8/5
Free Tier
Yes
No
Trial Days
None
None
Pricing
Free to publish. 10% platform fee on paid subscription revenue only.
Mac app at $49.99, iPhone at $9.99, iPad at $19.99 (one-time purchases, no subscription).
Company
Substack
Cultured Code
Founded
2017
2007
Best For
Writers and journalists launching paid newsletters leveraging Substack's built-in discovery network
Apple-only power users wanting a beautifully designed personal task manager without subscriptions

Pros & Cons

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Substack

Built-in paid subscription model takes 10% of subscription revenue only
Network effects from Substack's reader discovery drive organic subscriber growth
Zero technical setup required to launch a newsletter in under 10 minutes
Chat and discussion threads build community around each newsletter
10% cut on paid subscriptions becomes costly at higher revenue levels
Limited design and branding control compared to self-hosted newsletter tools

Things 3

Award-winning design with the most polished UI in task management apps
Apple Watch, Siri, and iOS Shortcuts deep integration for hands-free capture
Areas organize projects by life domain for balanced personal and work planning
One-time purchase with no subscription required, unlike most competitors
Apple ecosystem only with no Android or web app available
No collaboration features making it unsuitable for team project management

Use Case Analysis

Which is better for Team Collaboration?

Both Substack and Things 3 support Team Collaboration workflows. Things 3 has a slight edge with a 4.8 rating and Only premium task manager requiring a one-time purchase with Apple ecosystem-native integration. If Team Collaboration is your primary use case, Things 3 is the safer pick.

Which is better for Project Management?

Both Substack and Things 3 support Project Management workflows. Things 3 has a slight edge with a 4.8 rating and Only premium task manager requiring a one-time purchase with Apple ecosystem-native integration. If Project Management is your primary use case, Things 3 is the safer pick.

Verdict

Things 3 edges out Substack with a 4.8 vs 4.5 rating. Things 3's main advantage: Only premium task manager requiring a one-time purchase with Apple ecosystem-native integration. That said, Substack may still be the better choice if Writers and journalists launching paid newsletters leveraging Substack's built-in discovery network.

Try Them Yourself

The best way to choose is to trial both. See full details on each:

Start on Substack Get Things 3

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