Comparison

Routine vs Notes Tasks Calendar

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

Head to head
About

Routine

Build a structured daily schedule with time-blocks, notes, and music. Incorporate morning and evening reflections, and utilize flexible features like 'Late Start' and 'Day Off' to adapt to your needs. Personalize the app's appearance with various visual styles and colors.

Highlights
  • Time-blocking with start and duration
  • Notes, todos, and music links per block
  • Morning and evening reflection prompts
  • Flexible 'Late Start' and 'Day Off' options
  • Eight visual styles and custom accent colors
  • Lock Screen Live Activities and Home Screen widgets
  • Cloud-synced across iPhone, iPad, and Mac
Features
Read full description

Routine helps you live by a daily rhythm. Set your wake time. Build your day in time-blocks. Add notes, todos, and music. Morning and evening reflection questions to bookend the day. Late Start when you start late. Day Off when you need one. The routine flexes; you don't break. Eight visual styles, including Solar — a gradient that follows the sun. Custom accent colors per routine, or per block. On iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Cloud-synced. Live Activities on the Lock Screen. Home Screen widgets. Free for everyone. No paywall, no Pro features. If Routine helps your days, support development with a Monthly, Yearly, or Forever subscription. Either way, everything's unlocked. My dog keeps a routine. I built this app for us. We hope you like it too! — Daniel & Mac • Time-blocks with start, duration, purpose • Notes, todos, and music links per block • Morning and evening reflection questions • Late Start when you start late • Day Off without losing your place • Eight visual styles, including Solar • Custom accent colors per routine or per block • Lock Screen Live Activities and Home Screen widgets • iPhone, iPad, and Mac — cloud-synced Questions or feedback? getroutineapp@gmail.com Terms of Use: https://getroutine.app/terms Privacy Policy: https://getroutine.app/privacy

About

Notes Tasks Calendar

Features
Read full description

Memo, tasks, calendar, and health — the four apps you open every day, now one. Utility brings together notes, a to-do list, your calendar, and simple health tracking (weight, body fat %, steps) in a single app. No ads, no network calls except iCloud sync and the App Store. Works on iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Notes and tasks sync through your own iCloud; health records never leave the device and are not stored in iCloud. Memo Create, edit, and delete notes freely. Pin the ones you need close at hand. Tasks Keep a to-do list with due dates and reminders. Calendar Synced with your device's own Calendar: see your existing events alongside your notes and tasks, and add or edit events right from Utility. Health Log weight, body fat % and steps by hand, or read them from the Health app (iPhone and iPad). BMI is calculated from your height, and charts show the trend over time. Your data Back up notes and tasks to iCloud and restore anytime. Choose Light, Dark, or System appearance. Free to use Save up to 10 notes, 10 tasks, and 10 manual entries of each health metric (weight, body fat, steps) for free. Utility is made by one independent developer — if it earns a place on your phone, the yearly Supporter plan (auto-renewing subscription) or a one-time purchase (pay once, no renewal) removes the limits, adds CSV export, and keeps development going. Terms of Use (EULA): https://pohoda.jp/en/legal/terms.html Privacy Policy: https://pohoda.jp/en/legal/privacy.html

Screenshots

Routine4 screens
Notes Tasks Calendar4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Notes Tasks Calendar at every 2 days against Routine's weekly. Notes Tasks Calendar also leads on iOS requirement (18.0 vs 26.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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. Routine sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month and Notes Tasks Calendar sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Routine ships an update weekly, Notes Tasks Calendar every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 9, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 7 level
Routine versus Notes Tasks Calendar: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRoutineNotes Tasks Calendar
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyWeeklyEvery 2 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, Apple WatchiPhone, iPad, Mac — better
Requires iOS26.018.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size65 MB2 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDaniel DavisKeisuke Sugimoto

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Routine

Subscriptions2
  • Routine Pro (Monthly)$0.991 Month
  • Routine Pro (Annual)7 Days trial$9.991 Year
One-time1
  • Routine Pro (Lifetime)$29.99
2 purchases

Notes Tasks Calendar

Subscriptions1
  • Supporter (Yearly)$1.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime$5.99

Questions

Is Routine free?
Routine is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Notes Tasks Calendar free?
Notes Tasks Calendar is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Routine or Notes Tasks Calendar have ads?
Neither Routine nor Notes Tasks Calendar shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Routine or Notes Tasks Calendar?
Routine ships an update weekly, and Notes Tasks Calendar every 2 days. Most recently, Routine was updated on October 9, 2026 and Notes Tasks Calendar on October 24, 2026.

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