Recurrence vs Directive
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Recurrence
This app helps you manage and track all your repeating tasks, from bills to pet care. It goes beyond simple reminders by logging past completions, notes, and important details, creating a comprehensive history of your activities. Stay organized and never miss an important recurring event again.
- Task tracking with customizable repeats
- Task sharing via iCloud
- Task organization and search
- Task customization with notes and history
- Siri Shortcut support
- Full task history and notes
- Widget support for Home and Lock Screens
- Cross-device syncing
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Recurrence helps you manage and track everything relating to the repeating tasks in your life so you never miss a thing again. Recurrence is more than just another app that reminds you what needs to be done — it tracks what you did, too. An example: you have a pet that needs medication. Maybe it needs checkups at the vet, too. Recurrence can remind you when you need to do give it the medication it needs as well as to arrange a visit to the vet, all while tracking things from past ones — what it weighed during the last visit, which medication was prescribed, and anything else you think might be handy! By changing the way you think about reminders and repeating tasks, Recurrence becomes more than an app that reminds you to do things — it becomes the place that tracks your entire life as well. Recurrence features include: ◆ Task tracking and customizable repeats Create tasks that repeat when you need them to with customizable options including a lock that prevents a task from being checked off before it's ready. ◆ Task sharing iCloud sharing support so you can complete items with a spouse, friend, or family members. ◆ Task organization Categorize your tasks so you'll always be able to find what you're looking for. Or just search, it's up to you! ◆ Task customization Tasks can be configured to show all kinds of information including the number of occurrences, the last completion, notes, and more. ◆ Siri Shortcut support Mark tasks as completed using nothing but your voice. ◆ Full task history and notes You'll see when tasks were completed as well as notes from each completion, great for tasks that you want to keep a track of over time. ◆ Full widget support Now you can see your recurring tasks right on your Home Screen or Lock Screen. ◆ Cross-device support Your tasks follow you from iPhone to iPad to Mac and back again with seamless syncing. Recurrence is a free download with a five-task limit. Unlock unlimited tasks with Recurrence Premium — available as a monthly or annual subscription, or lifetime purchase. Premium subscriptions can be canceled at any time, but will renew automatically unless canceled at least 24 hours before the next payment is due. For more information, see our privacy policy & terms of use: https://www.shayesapps.com/policies
Directive
This app helps you remember and manage routine maintenance tasks for important items. It provides templates, reminders, and tools to make maintenance easy to complete and track, saving you money and providing peace of mind.
- Maintenance task templates
- Customizable reminders and notifications
- Store task details and notes
- Quick action buttons for parts/service
- Maintenance history tracking
- Cross-device syncing (Pro)
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Directive helps you stay up to date with routine maintenance to safeguard the important things in your life. Regular maintenance saves money by reducing the need for costly emergency repairs, plus, it gives you peace of mind, knowing that crucial safety equipment is working in case of emergency. Here's 3 reasons why you need Directive: 1. Makes Maintenance Easy to Remember Directive includes dozens of templates to help you set up the maintenance tasks you want to complete. Then, it sends you notifications when it's time to complete routine maintenance. 2. Makes Maintenance Easy to Complete Store details in the app like filter sizes, or the type of oil your car uses, so when the time comes, you know all the things you need. Plus, quick action buttons help you buy parts, find service contractors, or get instructions for tasks like testing your fire extinguisher. 3. Makes Maintenance Easy to Track A couple taps let you log a task as complete, and Directive will keep a record of it, along with any notes you saved, and then set up a reminder for the next time it's due. Look back any time at your maintenance history. Directive is available for iPhone, iPad, and Mac. The free version allows you to track up to 10 different maintenance tasks, without any advertisements or nags to purchase. Directive Pro is available as an auto-renewing subscription for a very low annual price (price may vary by region), that gives you access to Directive Pro on iPhone, iPad and Mac. It allows you to track unlimited maintenance tasks, plus, it backs up and syncs your maintenance tasks & history across all your devices. You can even share them with a partner. In addition, it allows more customization, like setting custom repeat intervals for tasks. The Directive Pro subscription automatically renews unless canceled at least 24 hours prior end of the subscription. Payment will be charged to your iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase. You may cancel or disable your subscription by going to your App Store Account Settings after purchase. You can find the privacy policy and terms of use for Directive Pro here: https://www.directiveapp.com/terms-and-privacy/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Recurrence at 4.7 against Directive's 3.9. Recurrence also leads on review sentiment (83% vs 60%) and ratings volume (326 vs 43). On price, update cadence, 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
Both are free to download. Recurrence sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month and Directive sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $9.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Recurrence holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Recurrence has 326 ratings behind it against 43, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 83% of Recurrence's written reviews are positive against 60% of Directive's.
Recurrence ships an update every 3 weeks, Directive every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Recurrence | Directive |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (326 ratings) — better | 3.9 (43 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 82.6% of reviews — better | 60.4% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 326 — better | 43 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks — better | Every 5 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 30 MB | 14 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Shayes Apps LLC | LittleFin LLC |
Customer experience
Recurrence
Directive
User reviews
Recurrence
From 326 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- ✨ Clean, simple, and intuitive user interface
- 🎯 Excellent for tracking recurring tasks and habits
- ⚙️ Highly customizable task settings and frequencies
- 📊 Detailed completion history and tracking
- 🔔 Flexible notification options
Room to improve
- 💸 Premium pricing considered expensive by some users
- 📢 Ads appear in free version
- 🔗 Limited free version (only 5 tasks)
- ⚠️ Notification system unreliable for some users
- 🐌 Syncing between devices can be slow
Directive
From 43 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Simple and useful
- 💡 Great for maintenance tasks
- 🚀 Syncs well across devices
- 💡 Minimalist design
- 💡 Good value for subscription
Room to improve
- 🐛 Sync issues reported
- 🐛 App not updated frequently
- 🐛 Widget customization lacking
- 🐛 Notes/details fields too small
- 🐛 No watch app
Bugs and requests
Recurrence
Reported bugs
5 issues- Notifications not working despite permissions granted
- Multiple notifications disappear when one is completed
- Slow device syncing
- Widget integration issues
- Overdue task counter requires multiple completions to clear
Requested features
16 requests- One-time task or reminder option
- Task reordering from main screen
- Multi-category task assignment
- Spanish and German language translations
- Apple Watch app
Show 11 moreShow fewer
- Sub-tasks or sub-categories
- Tomorrow view option
- Specific time scheduling for tasks
- Calendar view within app
- Print functionality for weekly schedules
- Multiple reminders per day (more than daily frequency)
- Custom color selection for categories
- Days since last occurrence display in widget
- Ability to share tasks with family members easily
- Sound and vibration feedback options
- Automatic task reset after single completion when overdue
Directive
Reported bugs
7 issues- Old, deleted items still show in notifications
- App continues to show completed items as due
- Sync feature not working for some
- Sync feature selective between devices
- Directive added twice bug
Show 2 moreShow fewer
- Cloud sync not logging in
- Mac application is blurry
Requested features
25 requests- Archive tasks option
- Preset 45-day option
- More customizable widgets
- Option to archive tasks
- Print or save PDF option
Show 20 moreShow fewer
- Larger notes/details fields
- Ability to add photos
- Option for daily overdue notifications
- Sync with Apple Calendar and Reminders
- Sort by category/sub-category
- Add one-time to-do's
- Specify season or month for reminders
- Option for one-time directive (no repeats)
- Filter by category
- Edit or delete categories
- Sign in with Apple
- Filter by categories
- Create non-repeating items
- Watch app
- Specify cycle duration in days
- Customizable countdowns
- Themes and in-app icons
- Change app color
- Time of task completion
- Menu bar icon
In-app purchases
Recurrence
- Recurrence Premium7 Days trial$0.991 Month
- Recurrence Premium7 Days trial$7.991 Year
- Lifetime Unlock$19.99
Directive
- Directive Pro$9.991 Year
Questions
Is Recurrence free?
Is Directive free?
Which has better reviews, Recurrence or Directive?
Do Recurrence or Directive have ads?
Which is updated more often, Recurrence or Directive?
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