Things 3 vs Melo — a remote workers's perspective.
Remote Workers managing async collaboration and daily planningneed tools that keep up with their workflow. Here's how Melo and Things 3 compare for this specific use case.
What remote workers need from a productivity tool
Remote Workers deal with async collaboration and daily planning daily. The ideal tool for this workflow needs to be fast (no waiting for pages to load), flexible (different projects require different layouts), and smart (AI that understands your specific context). Privacy matters too — remote workers often handle sensitive information.
Working from home means more apps, more notifications, more context switching
Daily standups require gathering status from five different tools
Hard to maintain focus when your workspace is spread across browser tabs
Meeting notes, action items, and follow-ups end up in different places
Things 3 for remote workers
Award-winning task manager for Apple devices. While Things 3 is a capable tool, remote workers often find it limiting when they need to work with multiple content types simultaneously. Things 3's approach works for generic use cases, but the specific demands of async collaboration and daily planning require more flexibility.
Melo
Things 3
Scope
Full spatial workspace — notes, tasks, AI, web, calendar
Pure task management — todos, projects, areas
AI
Workspace-aware AI that helps prioritize and plan
No AI features
Content
Rich content tiles — web embeds, notes, clipboard alongside tasks
Task entries with basic notes and checklists
Organization
Spatial canvas — see everything in visual context
List-based — areas, projects, headings
Data
Local-first with AI integration
Local with iCloud sync
Why remote workers pick Melo
Melo gives remote workers a single spatial workspace for the day. Tile your calendar, task list, meeting notes, and active documents on one board. AI can summarize your workspace for standup updates. Local-first means it works even when your internet doesn't.
For remote workersspecifically, Melo's spatial canvas means you can design a workspace that mirrors how you think about async collaboration and daily planning. Tile your key documents, tasks, web references, and AI chat on one board. Switch between project contexts by switching boards. Everything stays local, fast, and private.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I import my data from Things 3?
Melo supports common import formats. While there's no one-click migration from Things 3, you can export your data and bring it into Melo's workspace. The spatial canvas also makes it easy to start fresh — many users prefer building a new spatial workflow from scratch.
Is Melo faster than Things 3?
Melo is local-first — your data lives on your Mac with zero server round-trips. This means sub-50ms response times for everything. Things 3 relies on cloud infrastructure, which introduces latency, especially with larger workspaces.
Is Melo good for remote workers?
Yes. Melo's spatial canvas is particularly well-suited for remote workers who need to manage async collaboration and daily planning. The ability to tile multiple content types on one board means you can see everything relevant to your work without switching apps.
Is my data private with Melo?
Yes. Melo is local-first, meaning your data lives on your Mac by default. Nothing is uploaded to external servers unless you explicitly use AI features, which send only the necessary context and don't persist your data.
Is Melo free?
Melo is a one-time purchase — no subscriptions, no recurring fees. Pay once and own it forever. There's no free tier, but you get the full product with a single purchase.