Catchlight vs Things.

Things is a superb task manager and nothing more, Apple-only and bought once. Catchlight is built for the person who wants that quality plus notes and reminders in the same Take, encrypted on your device, with no account.

Things is one of the most loved task apps ever made, and deservedly. It is beautiful, deep, Apple-only, and you buy it once. Catchlight is after something different, not a better to-do list, but one private, encrypted place where a note, a task and a reminder are the same thing.

At a glance. The short version.

Things details verified July 2026. Things Cloud is encrypted in transit and at rest with no tracking, but is not zero-knowledge. Things is a one-time purchase per platform. Catchlight is pre-launch, its feature set is subject to change before launch.

Two honest concessions. Where Things wins.

First, Things is a deeper, more evolved task manager than Catchlight, with areas, projects and a lovely feel. Second, you buy it once, which over several years can cost less than a subscription. Both of those are real advantages, and if a beautiful, pure to-do app is what you want, Things is hard to beat.

Things also respects your privacy more than most. Things Cloud encrypts your data and Cultured Code does no tracking or profiling. The distinction is that it is not “zero-knowledge”, the service can technically access your data, where Catchlight can’t.

The different goal. Where Catchlight goes its own way.

Catchlight is not trying to out-Things Things. It unifies a note, a task and a reminder into one Take, so capture is a single act with no app to choose. It’s “zero-knowledge” with no account, encrypted on your device, using a key only you hold, and no server of ours in the way.

If you want the best personal task manager on Apple platforms, that is Things. If you want one private, encrypted place for everything you capture, that is Catchlight. Our case for keeping them together is in the Journal, why notes, tasks and reminders belong together.

Being fair. Where Things is the better choice.

Things is the better choice if you want a deep, pretty, Apple-native task manager, you prefer a one-time purchase to a subscription, and you are comfortable with encrypted, but not “zero-knowledge” sync. For pure task management, it is a classic for good reason.

Where Catchlight is the better choice.

Catchlight is the better choice if you want “zero-knowledge” privacy and no account. If you would rather a note, a task and a reminder were one item, in a single place, and you don’t want to manage tasks in one app and notes in another.

Quick answers. Common questions.

Is Things private?

Reasonably. Things Cloud encrypts your data and Cultured Code does no tracking or profiling, but it is not “zero-knowledge”, so the service can technically access your data. Catchlight is “zero-knowledge”, and only you hold the key.

Is Catchlight cheaper than Things?

Not necessarily. Things is a one-time purchase, which over years can cost less than Catchlight’s annual subscription. The trade is “zero-knowledge” privacy, no account, and the unified Take.

Can Catchlight manage projects like Things?

No, and it does not try to. Catchlight is for fast, easy capture, not in-depth project management. For that, Things is the stronger tool.

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