Todoist vs Notion vs Things 3 vs Progress: Which One Should You Pick?
If you've spent any time in productivity circles, you've seen the debates. Todoist fans arguing about natural language parsing. Things 3 users swearing by the beautiful design. Notion power users showing off their elaborate dashboards.
And then there's Progress — the new option that approaches productivity from a different angle entirely.
The word "best" is always subjective. What works for a project manager in a large team won't work for a solo creative. So this isn't about declaring a winner. It's about understanding each tool's philosophy, strengths, and weaknesses — so you can pick the one that fits your brain.
A Quick Disclaimer
Before we compare, here is the honest truth: we built Progress. So I'm biased. But I've also used all three other tools extensively. This comparison is my attempt to be fair. Judge for yourself.
How They Compare at a Glance
| Aspect | Todoist | Notion | Things 3 | Progress |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primary strength | Speed & cross-platform | Flexibility & databases | Design & focus | Goal-oriented growth |
| Best for | Checklist management | Project wikis & docs | Personal task management | Life goal tracking |
| Platform | Everywhere | Everywhere | Apple only | Web |
| Goal tracking | Manual setup | Custom build | Areas (good) | Built-in, core feature |
| MIT system | Labels only | Custom | Not built-in | Built-in, default |
| Learning curve | Low | Medium-high | Low | Low |
| Collaboration | Excellent | Good | None | None |
| Free tier | Generous | Generous | Paid only | Generous |
Todoist: The Speed Demon
Todoist is the fastest task manager on the market. Open it, type "meeting tomorrow at 2pm", and it's done. Natural language input is still unmatched. It works on every platform, syncs instantly, and handles collaboration like a champ.
What it does well: Todoist excels at one thing — capturing and organizing tasks quickly. If your workflow is fundamentally about managing a high volume of actionable items, it's hard to beat. The karma system is a nice dopamine driver, and the filters give power users a lot of control.
Where it falls short: Todoist is a checklist tool. A brilliant one, but it doesn't help you think about whether you're working on the right things. Goals are an afterthought, handled through labels or projects. Progress tracking beyond completion counts doesn't exist. You can be a Todoist master and still feel like you're going nowhere.
Who should use it: People who process a high volume of discrete tasks — project managers, freelancers juggling multiple clients, and anyone who prioritizes speed above all else.
Notion: The Everything Tool
Notion tries to be everything — notes, wikis, databases, task management, and more. For the right person, it's magic. You can build a custom system that mirrors exactly how your brain works.
What it does well: Flexibility is the superpower. You can create linked databases, calculated properties, custom views, and complex workflows. For teams that need a shared knowledge base combined with task tracking, Notion is unmatched. The All-in-One pitch is real when you're willing to invest in setup.
Where it falls short: That flexibility comes at a cost. Notion requires significant setup and ongoing maintenance. The mobile app is slower than dedicated task managers. And the very freedom that makes it powerful makes it a dangerous distraction for people prone to the reorganization trap. It is very easy to spend more time building your Notion system than doing actual work.
Who should use it: Teams and individuals who need a shared knowledge base alongside task management, and who enjoy — or at least tolerate — building and maintaining their own system.
Things 3: The Design Masterpiece
Things 3 is widely considered the most beautiful task manager ever made. Its design is intentional, its interactions feel polished, and its "Areas" system was ahead of its time.
What it does well: Things 3 nails the feeling of organized calm. The "Today" view shows you a curated list of what's actionable right now. The "Areas" system lets you organize tasks by life domains — a feature Progress also uses. The design is genuinely delightful to use every day.
Where it falls short: Apple-only. No web app, no Windows, no Android. If you're not in the Apple ecosystem, this is a non-starter. There's also no collaboration, no goal tracking beyond task completion, and no way to track accumulation or skill growth. And it costs money upfront — no free tier.
Who should use it: Apple-only users who want a beautiful, focused personal task manager and don't need collaboration, cross-platform access, or goal tracking.
Progress: The Intention Tracker
Progress takes a fundamentally different approach. Instead of asking "how do we make the best task list?" we asked "how do we help people actually grow?"
What it does well: Progress organizes your life by Areas of Interest — the domains that matter to you. Every task lives inside an area, so your daily work is always connected to your bigger picture. The MIT system forces you to pick one meaningful thing each day. And Progress tracks accumulation over time — skill building, knowledge growth, momentum — instead of just completion counts.
Where it falls short: Progress doesn't have the speed of Todoist's natural language input. It doesn't have Notion's database flexibility. It doesn't have Things 3's decade of design polish. It's newer, web-only, and opinionated by design. If you need a feature-rich power tool or cross-platform sync beyond the web, it's not there yet.
Who should use it: People who feel productive but unfulfilled — who check off tasks but don't feel like they're growing. If your problem isn't task management but direction, Progress is worth a look.
The Catch
No tool is perfect. Here is the honest breakdown of what each tool asks you to compromise on:
- Todoist asks you to accept that speed matters more than direction
- Notion asks you to invest significant setup time before you see returns
- Things 3 asks you to commit to Apple and pay upfront
- Progress asks you to trust an opinionated system that trades flexibility for focus
Pick the compromise you can live with. But be honest with yourself about what you actually need. Not what you think you should need.
Detailed Comparisons
If you want to go deeper on how Progress stacks up against each tool individually, we've written detailed head-to-head comparisons:
- Progress vs Todoist
- Progress vs Notion
- Progress vs Things 3
- Progress vs TickTick
- Progress vs Microsoft To Do
- Progress vs Apple Reminders
Final Note
We built Progress because we kept seeing people hop between Todoist, Notion, and Things 3, and still feel stuck. Not because those tools are bad — they're excellent. But because the problem wasn't task management. It was a lack of connection between daily actions and long-term growth.
Progress is part of the Intenca suite — intentional technology for people who want to build a life that matters. If that resonates: Try Intenca Progress.
I hope this helps you decide. Whatever you pick, the best tool is the one you actually use.
Good luck, stranger.