Comparison

Matterlist vs Cairn Tasks

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Matterlist

This to-do list app helps you focus on current tasks with an infinite timeline and safe deadlines. It offers robust recurring tasks, hierarchical subtasks, and local data storage for complete user control.

Highlights
  • Completely free, no ads or purchases
  • Local data storage, no cloud sync
  • Infinite timeline for past and future tasks
  • Safe deadlines that don't shift
  • Robust recurring tasks with individual edits
  • Hierarchical subtasks with unlimited nesting
Features
Read full description

Matterlist is a 100% free to-do list app focused on helping you keep your task list relevant to the present moment. COMPLETELY FREE. There’s no up-front cost, no ads, no subscriptions, no in-app purchases, no account. All features are unlocked for all users. LOCAL DATA STORAGE. Matterlist stores data on your device only – there’s no cloud sync and no account. You own and control your data. EXPORT AND IMPORT. The export and import functions allow you to manually backup and restore your Matterlist database whenever you want. INFINITE TIMELINE. If a task has a date, be it tomorrow, next Monday, or sometime in 2050, jump to that date and put your task there. When that day comes, you’ll see this task on your Today list. Go back to any date in the past to see what you accomplished on that day. SAFE DEADLINES. When you postpone a task, it disappears from your Today list, but its due date stays unchanged. Matterlist doesn’t shift Due Dates as other to-do list apps do, so your deadlines remain safe. ROBUST RECURRING TASKS. Create tasks that repeat periodically and manage them separately from regular, non-repeating tasks. If you edit or delete a single event in a recurrence (e.g., move a gym workout only for this week), the rest of the events in this recurrence will stay intact. HIERARCHICAL SUBTASKS. Divide a bigger task into smaller ones that you can do right now. Use unlimited nesting levels to represent any complex task you might have. Work with a subtask like any other task: assign contexts, add notes, create due dates, and postpone them whenever you like. STARS, NOTES, PRIORITIES: Make important tasks stand out with a star, mark them with color to stress their importance or urgency, or attach notes with additional task information. Matterlist is completely free – no up-front cost, no ads, no subscriptions, no in-app purchases. With Matterlist, you own and control your data – it stores your tasks on your device only and doesn’t upload them to the cloud. Get Matterlist and start organizing your life right now! Terms and Conditions: https://matterlist.com/terms-and-conditions.html Privacy Policy: https://matterlist.com/privacy-policy.html

About

Cairn Tasks

Organize your day with a clean, focused to-do list. Create tasks, set due dates, and organize them with color-coded lists. Features include recurring tasks, subtasks, and a built-in timer for focused work sessions. Your data stays local, with no account or cloud sync required.

Highlights
  • Create, edit, and complete tasks
  • Set due dates and times
  • Organize tasks into color-coded lists
  • Recurring tasks
  • Subtasks
  • Built-in timer
  • Month view calendar
Features
Read full description

Cairn helps you organize your day with a clean, focused to-do list that stays out of your way. Build your task list one stone at a time. Create tasks, set due dates, organize by color-coded lists, and watch your progress stack up — no account required, no cloud sync to configure, no clutter. KEY FEATURES - Create, edit, and complete tasks with satisfying animations - Set due dates and times to stay on track - Organize tasks into color-coded lists and folders - Recurring tasks that auto-create the next occurrence when completed - Subtasks for breaking big tasks into smaller steps - Built-in timer for focused work sessions - Month view calendar to see your schedule at a glance - Auto-rollover moves unfinished tasks to today so nothing slips through - Search across all your tasks instantly - 6 beautiful color themes to make it yours - Dark mode support YOUR DATA STAYS YOURS Everything is stored locally on your device. No account needed, no sign-up, no data collection. Just open the app and start organizing. SIMPLE BY DESIGN Cairn is built for people who want a to-do app that does its job without overwhelming you with features you will never use. Add a task, check it off, move on with your day.

Screenshots

Matterlist4 screens
Cairn Tasks4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Cairn Tasks at 5.0 against Matterlist's 2.0. Cairn Tasks also leads on update cadence (every 9 days vs every 2 months). Matterlist's advantage is iOS requirement (12.1 vs 15.1). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Cairn Tasks holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 2.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 2 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Matterlist ships an update every 2 months, Cairn Tasks every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 12, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Matterlist versus Cairn Tasks: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMatterlistCairn Tasks
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.0 (1 ratings)5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings12 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 9 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS12.1 — better15.1
Further details — not scored
Size31 MB32 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperFILTER FORGE OUDacite Dev LLC

Customer experience

Matterlist

All ratings1 ratings
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

Cairn Tasks

Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Matterlist

No in-app purchases

None

Cairn Tasks

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Matterlist free?
Matterlist is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Cairn Tasks free?
Cairn Tasks is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Matterlist or Cairn Tasks?
Cairn Tasks is rated higher. Matterlist averages 2.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while Cairn Tasks averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.
Do Matterlist or Cairn Tasks have ads?
Neither Matterlist nor Cairn Tasks shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Matterlist or Cairn Tasks?
Matterlist ships an update every 2 months, and Cairn Tasks every 9 days. Most recently, Matterlist was updated on October 12, 2026 and Cairn Tasks on October 15, 2026.

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