Project Runner vs Cairn
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Project Runner
Manage projects and tasks with a user-friendly interface. This app simplifies project tracking, offering a streamlined alternative to overly complex management tools. Get started quickly with minimal instruction.
- Project tracking
- Task management
- Easy to use interface
- Minimal tutorials
- Streamlined workflow
Read full descriptionHide full description
Easily track your project and tasks. Maybe you are using 'TODO' apps since other project management apps are too complicate to use. But do you think it is enough to manage your project? We made Project Runner to solve this kind of problem. 'Easy to use' Any instruction is needed. Just few tutorials we offer are enough to master Project Runner. Keep it simple and make it more. Privacy Policy: https://sites.google.com/view/project-runner-pp/ Terms and Conditions: https://sites.google.com/view/project-runner-terms/
Cairn
Manage tasks and notes directly within your existing Markdown files. This app offers focused views, quick capture, and robust task management features, all while keeping your data private and locally stored. It integrates seamlessly with Obsidian and other file sync services.
- Native Markdown task and note management
- Works with Obsidian vaults or any folder
- Quick capture with date, tag, and priority parsing
- Multiple task views (Today, Upcoming, Inbox, Pool)
- Full support for sub-tasks and recurring tasks
- Local reminders and Live Activity integration
- Data stays local, no cloud sync required
Read full descriptionHide full description
Cairn is a fast, native task and note companion that lives on top of the Markdown files you already own. Point it at your Obsidian vault — or any folder of Markdown notes — and your tasks and notes appear in clean, focused views. Everything you do in Cairn is written straight back to your files as plain text, in the Obsidian Tasks format. YOUR NOTES STAY YOURS • No account, no sign-up, no Cairn cloud database — your tasks live in your own files • Cairn does not send your notes or tasks to the developer • Careful, patch-based edits change only the content you touched, preserving the rest of your note • Works alongside Obsidian, iCloud Drive, Git, or any sync you already use CAPTURE, BROWSE, AND PLAN • Browse and edit Markdown notes directly in your vault • Quick capture into your daily note, with date, tag, and priority tokens parsed as you type • Choose where longer captures are saved • Today, Upcoming, Inbox, and Pool views, plus a global filter for folders, tags, dates, priority, and status • Full support for sub-tasks and task hierarchies • Recurring tasks in Obsidian Tasks format, with safe completion handling • Convert upcoming calendar events into tasks, or mirror your dated tasks into a calendar you choose (optional) STAY ON TRACK • Local reminders for due tasks — including sunrise-relative reminders computed entirely on your device • A Live Activity keeps today's progress on your Lock Screen and in the Dynamic Island • Home Screen widgets and a Control Center quick-capture control • Search across every task in your vault MADE FOR OBSIDIAN — NOT ONLY OBSIDIAN Cairn reads and writes the Obsidian Tasks plugin format (due, scheduled, start, and done dates, priorities, recurrence, tags), so your vault stays fully compatible with your desktop setup. Don't use Obsidian? Create a plain task folder in the Files app and Cairn works as a stand-alone Markdown to-do app. Cairn asks for access only to the folder you pick. Calendar access and location (used to compute local sunrise times) are optional and processed on your device. If you choose iCloud Drive or another Files or calendar provider, that provider's own sync and privacy terms apply.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Cairn at none against Project Runner's 1. On price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence 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. Project Runner sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $4.99 per year. Cairn asks for nothing beyond the download.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Project Runner against 5.0 for Cairn. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 1 respectively.
Project Runner ships an update every 3 days, Cairn every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 17, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Project Runner | Cairn |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (1 ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | — | 100.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 1 | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 days — better | Every 6 days |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 9 MB | 9 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Wonyoung Jang | Young Hun JEONG |
Customer experience
Project Runner
Cairn
In-app purchases
Project Runner
- Project Runner Annual7 Days trial$4.991 Year
Cairn
No in-app purchases









