Cultured Code
Cultured Code is a bootstrapped German software company that develops Things, an award-winning personal task manager for macOS, iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, and visionOS, sold via Apple App Stores and serving individual professionals and Apple ecosystem users worldwide.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2008
- HeadquartersStuttgart, Germany
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingSoftware
What Cultured Code does
Cultured Code GmbH & Co. KG is a privately held, bootstrapped German software company headquartered in Stuttgart, founded in 2008 and operating with a 12-person international team. The company develops "Things," an award-winning personal task manager designed exclusively for the Apple ecosystem, available as separate native applications on Mac, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Apple Vision Pro. The product is built around a "simply powerful" design philosophy, combining deep project management features (projects with headings, areas, tags, checklists, repeating to-dos, deadlines, Markdown notes) with an interface widely recognized for its craft, including native Apple Calendar integration, Quick Find search, widgets across platforms, Markdown notes, and developer-facing automation via AppleScript and a documented URL scheme with natural language date parsing. Things Cloud provides proprietary cross-device synchronization and is the only networked service the company operates.
Cultured Code firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Cultured Code
- Legal name
- Cultured Code GmbH & Co. KG
- Website
- https://culturedcode.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2008
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Cultured Code is a bootstrapped German software company that develops Things, an award-winning personal task manager for macOS, iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, and visionOS, sold via Apple App Stores and serving individual professionals and Apple ecosystem users worldwide.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Cultured Code is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Stuttgart
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Cultured Code business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- App Sales (One-time Purchase): Things is sold as a one-time purchase for each platform: Mac, iPhone, iPad, and Vision Pro. Watch app is included with iPhone app. Users pay once per platform and own the license.
- Things Cloud Subscription: Optional cloud sync subscription service for cross-device synchronization. Requires Things Cloud account for Watch app sync independence from iPhone.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels5 records
Cultured Code product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Cultured Code develops and sells Things, a personal task manager application suite offered as separate one-time purchases for Mac, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Apple Vision Pro via Apple's App Stores. The product is complemented by Things Cloud, an optional subscription sync service that keeps to-dos synchronized across devices, and by automation features including a URL scheme, AppleScript support, and Apple Shortcuts integration.
Product overview
Cultured Code offers Things, an award-winning personal task management application suite available across five Apple platforms: Mac, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Apple Vision Pro. Each platform app is sold separately via the App Store but syncs seamlessly via Things Cloud. The product supports features including to-dos with checklists and deadlines, projects with headings, areas for grouping, tags for categorization, calendar integration with Apple Calendar, and Apple Shortcuts automation. Developer capabilities include a URL scheme for programmatic access and AppleScript support for Mac automation.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Things: Award-winning personal task manager that helps users plan their day, manage projects, and make progress toward goals. Available on Mac, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Apple Vision Pro.
Products and services
- Things Award-winning personal task manager that helps users plan their day, manage projects, and make progress toward goals. Available on Mac, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Apple Vision Pro with features including to-dos, projects, areas, headings, tags, checklists, reminders, calendar integration, and Things Cloud sync.
- Things for Mac
Companies that use Cultured Code
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Cultured Code technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration4 records
AI capability2 records
Feature10 records
Cultured Code partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Cultured Code competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Doist (Todoist): Doist's Todoist is the leading cross-platform personal and team task manager, competing head-to-head with Things for the same Apple power-user segment. Notably, Things even ships a Todoist importer, signaling direct overlap in target users.
- The Omni Group (OmniFocus): OmniFocus is a GTD-style task manager exclusively for Apple platforms, with the same target user as Things: productivity enthusiasts on Mac, iPhone, and iPad. It is the closest like-for-like competitor in the premium Apple-only to-do space.
- TickTick: TickTick is a cross-platform task and habit manager with a freemium model and aggressive feature velocity, competing for the same individual professional user. It is one of the most cited Things alternatives in productivity press.
- 2Do: 2Do is a long-standing premium task manager for Mac, iPhone, and iPad with GTD-style features, frequently compared head-to-head with Things and OmniFocus in Apple-only productivity reviews.
- Any.do: Any.do is a cross-platform to-do and reminder app with native Apple support, frequently listed alongside Things in to-do app roundups and targeting the same personal organization use case.
- GoodTask: GoodTask is an Apple-focused to-do app built on top of Reminders and Calendar, often cited as a power-user alternative to Things with a more data-rich interface for the same Apple-only audience.
Broad incumbents
- Apple Reminders: Apple's bundled Reminders app ships free on every Apple device and has absorbed many to-do, list, and Smart List features over time. It is the most direct free substitute and the primary baseline against which Things must justify its premium price.
- Microsoft To Do: Microsoft To Do is a free, cross-platform task manager bundled with the Microsoft 365 ecosystem. While not Apple-native, it competes for the same individual professional buyer considering a free alternative to Things.
- Notion: Notion has expanded from notes/wiki into a full productivity workspace that includes databases, tasks, and project tracking. It competes for the same ambitious individual-user segment that values Things' project and heading structure, but at a much broader scope.
Emerging players
- Linear: Linear is a fast-growing, design-forward issue and project tracker that, while team-focused, is influencing the visual language and key-driven workflows that premium individual productivity apps like Things are evaluated against.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Cultured Code social profiles
Digital presenceCultured Code compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Cultured Code financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Cultured Code leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Cultured Code funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Cultured Code M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Cultured Code
What does Cultured Code do?
Cultured Code develops and sells Things, a personal task manager application suite offered as separate one-time purchases for Mac, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Apple Vision Pro via Apple's App Stores. The product is complemented by Things Cloud, an optional subscription sync service that keeps to-dos synchronized across devices, and by automation features including a URL scheme, AppleScript support, and Apple Shortcuts integration.
Is Cultured Code a public or private company?
Cultured Code is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Cultured Code founded?
Cultured Code was founded in 2008. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Cultured Code based?
Cultured Code is headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does Cultured Code make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. App Sales (One-time Purchase) is the primary driver. The others are things Cloud Subscription.
Who are Cultured Code's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Doist (Todoist), The Omni Group (OmniFocus), TickTick, 2Do, Any.do and GoodTask. Broad incumbents are Apple Reminders, Microsoft To Do and Notion. Linear is listed as an emerging player.
Does Cultured Code have an API?
Yes. Things offers a URL scheme (things:///) that allows developers and users to create, update, and manage to-dos and projects programmatically. Supports x-callback-url convention with commands for adding items, updating existing items, showing lists, and searching. Features include natural language date parsing (e.g., 'tomorrow', 'next monday', 'in 3 days'), JSON-based import via 'json' command for creating complex projects with headings and to-dos, and authorization tokens for secure data modification. Also supports AppleScript for Mac automation. Developer documentation is at culturedcode.com/things/support/articles/2803573.