Catchlight vs Things
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.
The short version.
| Catchlight | Things | |
|---|---|---|
| Account needed | None. Ever. | Things Cloud account |
| End-to-end encrypted | Yes, zero-knowledge | No (encrypted in transit and at rest; no tracking) |
| Note + task + reminder | One unified Take | Deep tasks, with notes attached; no standalone notes |
| Built for | Fast, calm capture | Polished personal task management |
| Price | Subscription (~£14.99/yr) | One-time purchase per platform (~$9.99-49.99) |
| Where data lives | Your device; a folder you own | Things Cloud |
| Platforms | iPhone (iOS 18+); more planned | Apple ecosystem |
Things details verified June 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.
Where Things wins.
First, Things is a deeper, more refined task manager than Catchlight, with areas, projects and a famously delightful 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 cannot.
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. And it is zero-knowledge with no account: encrypted on your device, with a key only you hold, and no server of ours in the path.
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.
Where Things is the better choice.
Things is the better choice if you want a deep, gorgeous, 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 craft, 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, and if you would rather a note, a task and a reminder were one item in a single place than manage tasks in one app and notes in another.
Common questions.
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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: only you hold the key.
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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.
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Can Catchlight manage projects like Things?
No, and it does not try to. Catchlight is for fast, calm capture, not deep project management. For that, Things is the stronger tool.