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ArtDeck VS Things

Compare ArtDeck VS Things and see what are their differences

ArtDeck

Visual reference-board app for creatives to collect images, video, links, notes, GIFs, and PDFs, with study tools and iCloud sync across iPhone, iPad, and Mac

Rating
0 reviews
Pricing
Paid $5.99 / One-off
Alternatives Is it good?
Things

Things is an easy to use task manager.

Rating
0 reviews
Alternatives Is it good?
Insightful.io
The precision Work Intelligence for actionable bottom line impact and #1 workforce analytics software that shows how work actually happens: get real-time and historical data, understand productivity at every level, track AI adoption across your org. sponsored

Which is more popular?

Based on our record, Things seems to be more popular. It has been mentioned 58 times since March 2021.

social mentions
0 vs 58
Productivity popularity
3% vs 97%
alternatives listed
23 vs 240+

Base details

Website, pricing, platforms and company facts side by side.

ArtDeck
Things
Website getartdeck.com culturedcode.com
Pricing
Paid $5.99 / One-off
Official pricing
Company Startup from France · 2026 Startup from Germany
Listed in
Moodboard Digital Asset Management Productivity Design Design Tool Art Personal Tools Design Tools +5
Project Management Task Management Todos Productivity +1

About ArtDeck and Things

In their own words, as submitted to SaaSHub.

ArtDeck
Things

Build a moodboard, gather references for a project, or study an artwork up close. Everything stays together instead of scattered across screenshots, folders, and tabs. COLLECT FROM ANYWHERE • Take photos and video, scan documents, or import from Photos and Files • Save web links as preview cards,...

Read more about ArtDeck

No description of Things yet.

Features and specs

What each product offers, as listed by its team.

ArtDeck 5 features
Things 7 features
  • ToolBox - Study lenses
    Five lenses on any saved image: values, color, composition, read, and measure, so you can pull a palette, check a composition, or take an angle without leaving the board.
  • One canvas for everything
    Images, videos, GIFs, links with previews, notes, PDFs, palettes, drawings, and nested groups all live on the same board.
  • iPhone, iPad, And Mac
    Save on your phone, study beside a drawing app on iPad, organize on Mac. Sync is opt-in per board through your own iCloud, and boards work offline.
  • One-Time Purchase
    Buy once and keep it. No subscription, no in-app purchases, and no ArtDeck account to create.
  • Motion Study
    Step through video and GIF references, slow playback down, open a GIF filmstrip, and overlay nearby frames with onion skinning.
  • User Experience
    Things is known for its clean, intuitive, and beautifully designed user interface, making it easy to use.
  • Integration with Apple Ecosystem
    Seamlessly integrates with macOS and iOS devices, offering features like Handoff and deep Apple Calendar integration.
  • Powerful Task Management
    Supports projects, areas, headings, and tags, providing a robust system for managing complex tasks and workflows.
  • Quick Entry
    Provides a quick entry function allowing users to capture tasks efficiently, which can later be categorized and detailed.
  • Updates and Support
    Regularly updated with new features and enhancements, backed by reliable customer support.
  • Keyboard Shortcuts
    Offers extensive keyboard shortcuts for power users to navigate and manage tasks quickly.
  • Natural Language Processing
    Allows users to input tasks using natural language, which is then intelligently parsed and scheduled.

Possible disadvantages

  • Cost
    Things requires a one-time purchase for each platform (macOS, iOS), making it relatively expensive compared to some subscription-based competitors.
  • Platform Limitation
    Only available on Apple devices (macOS and iOS), making it inaccessible for users on Windows, Android, or other platforms.
  • No Collaboration Features
    Lacks built-in collaboration tools, which can be a drawback for teams looking to share and manage tasks collectively.
  • Learning Curve for Advanced Features
    While the basic interface is user-friendly, fully utilizing advanced features can require time and a deeper understanding.
  • Limited Automation
    Offers fewer automation options and integrations compared to some competitors like Todoist or Microsoft To Do.

Analysis

An editorial look at what each product does well and who it suits.

ArtDeck
Things

No analysis of ArtDeck yet.

Overall verdict

  • Things is widely regarded as an excellent productivity tool, especially for Apple ecosystem users. It combines elegance with functionality, making it a top choice for those who prefer a minimalist but powerful task manager.

Why this product is good

  • Things by Cultured Code is highly acclaimed for its clean, intuitive design and effective task management features. It provides a seamless user experience with its natural language input, powerful integration with macOS and iOS, and features like projects, areas, deadlines, and reminders that help users organize their tasks efficiently. The app is particularly praised for its focus on simplicity and ease of use, which allows users to focus on their tasks without being overwhelmed by features.

Recommended for

    Things is ideal for individuals who are deeply integrated into the Apple ecosystem and appreciate a minimalist design approach. It's perfect for users who prefer a straightforward, no-frills task management system that emphasizes ease of use, efficiency, and aesthetic appeal.

Videos

Walkthroughs and reviews on video.

ArtDeck 0 videos + Add
Things 3 videos + Add

No ArtDeck videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

Brandon's Cult Movie Reviews: THINGS

More videos

  • - Things 3: Full Review (2019)
  • - OmniFocus vs. Things 3 review: which is best for you?

Category popularity

How often each product is chosen within a category, 0–100% relative to the other.

Score bands 0–20 21–40 41–50 51–60 61–100
ArtDeck
Things
3% 3%
Productivity
97% 97%
0% 0%
Task Management
100% 100%
100% 100%
Digital Asset Management
0% 0%
0% 0%
Project Management
100% 100%

Questions & Answers

As answered by people managing ArtDeck and Things.

What makes your product unique?

ArtDeck's answer

Most reference apps stop once the image is saved but ArtDeck keeps going.

It is the only reference board where collecting and studying happen in the same place, on the device you happen to be holding.

Why should a person choose your product over its competitors?

ArtDeck's answer

Against PureRef. PureRef is excellent on a desktop and has more specialized window modes: click-through transparency, always-on-top of one chosen app, separate overlays. It also runs on Windows and Linux, which ArtDeck does not. Choose ArtDeck when your references need to move between iPhone, iPad, and Mac, when you work on iPad beside a drawing app, when you study video reference, or when you want palette, value, composition, and measurement tools built in.

Against Eagle. Eagle is a library manager with strong tagging, smart folders, and batch operations on Mac and Windows. It has no native phone or tablet board. ArtDeck is a board first: things sit side by side on a canvas rather than in a grid, and the board travels with you.

Against Pinterest and the camera roll. Both are good at saving and bad at using. Pinterest ties your collection to an account, an algorithm, and a connection. ArtDeck boards are files on your devices, work offline, and never get reorganized by someone else's feed.

Against Milanote and general canvas tools. Those are built for teams planning work together, priced per seat per month. ArtDeck is built for one person studying images, bought once.

How would you describe the primary audience of your product?

ArtDeck's answer

People who save images because looking at them carefully is part of how they work.

Concretely, that is digital artists and illustrators, concept and game artists, 3D artists, designers, photographers, animators working from motion reference, and art students. It also fits anyone with thousands of screenshots and saved pins who has never been able to actually use them.

What they have in common is a habit rather than a job title: they gather references from the web, the camera roll, files, and other apps, lay them out side by side, and study what makes them work. They also tend to own Apple hardware and move between it during a single project. Save something on the phone in the morning, study it on iPad beside Procreate in the afternoon, organize the board on Mac later.

What's the story behind your product?

ArtDeck's answer

ArtDeck started from a personal problem: references were everywhere and useful nowhere. Saved pins in one place, screenshots in the camera roll, links in browser tabs, images in folders. Plenty of collecting, almost no returning.

The first version was the fix for that, a board where images, links, notes, and videos could sit together on one canvas and come along across iPhone, iPad, and Mac.

The second idea is the one that shaped the app. Collecting a reference and understanding it are not the same thing. Artists have always had a manual set of moves for the second part: squint at the image, flatten it to values, sample the colors, check where the lines land, measure the angle. Those moves were happening outside the app, in other tools or not at all. So ToolBox was built into the board, five lenses that open on any saved image without taking you away from it.

The belief underneath all of it is that what you collect shapes what you create. Collecting is creative work, not filing. And a tool for that should be yours: one purchase, no subscription, works offline, your boards on your own devices.

Which are the primary technologies used for building your product?

ArtDeck's answer

ArtDeck is a native Apple application, not a cross-platform wrapper. It is written in Swift with SwiftUI, and shares one codebase across iOS, iPadOS, and macOS while adapting the interface to each.

User comments

Share your experience with using ArtDeck and Things. For example, how are they different and which one is better?

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Reviews and articles

External articles and on-site reviews we used to compare the two products.

ArtDeck no reviews yet
Things no reviews yet

We have no reviews of ArtDeck yet. Be the first one to post

  • 11 Ayanza Alternatives
    www.justalternativeto.com · Oct 2023

    Things 3 is a multi-award-winning personal task manager that assists you in keeping track of your tasks. The environment of the application is attractive with a fresh new look, delightful integrations, and powerful...

  • Five of the Best To-Do Apps for iOS
    www.macrumors.com · Feb 2020

    Things 3 is one of the few to-do apps that's not subscription based, and it costs $9.99 to purchase. Things 3 is also available for Mac and iPad, though each app must be purchased individually.

Social recommendations and mentions

Recommendations tracked on public social media and blogs since March 2021.

ArtDeck 0 mentions
Things 58 mentions

Tracking ArtDeck since Aug 2026.

  • We don't need startups, we need Digital-Mittelstand
    Correct: https://culturedcode.com/things/ Looks like the different apps (desktop, mobile, iPad) have different prices, but all are one-time payments of $10-$50. - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • Essential Software for Mac Users: Three Recommended Efficient Tools
    Things 3is an award-winning task management application known for its clean, elegant interface and intuitive usability. It employs a minimalist design style, allowing users to easily add, organize, and view tasks, helping individuals... - Source: dev.to / almost 2 years ago
  • Show HN: I built a task manager that separates "Do" & "Due" dates
    How badly do Twos want to SEO rank on searches for Things? https://culturedcode.com/things/. - Source: Hacker News / almost 2 years ago

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