Comparison

Essential Launcher vs Project Planner

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

Head to head
About

Essential Launcher

This app offers a minimalist home screen experience designed to reduce distractions and limit screen time. Customize your interface with only essential applications to promote focus and productivity.

Highlights
  • Minimalist home screen
  • Reduce distractions
  • Limit screen time
  • Customize essential apps
  • Clean, intuitive interface
  • Dark and light modes
Features
Read full description

Essential Launcher is a minimalist home screen launcher that helps you focus and reduce distractions. Customize your home screen with only essential apps to cut down on mindless scrolling and limit screen time. The clean, intuitive interface is easy to use, and it supports both dark and light modes for a seamless experience. Perfect for those looking to boost productivity and simplify their digital life. Download today and regain your focus. Privacy Policy: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1V2q86lW5MKWbM4hDaeGUx59BKQpUAEE6AX-rF2nNiFo End User License Agreement (EULA): https://docs.google.com/document/d/1C3C-AGsoerPLP0E0VjLOxl6qFjQ7DFztrHqGkkEh4t0

About

Project Planner

This app provides a structured approach to project management by breaking down large goals into manageable phases and tasks. It offers visual progress tracking, a focus mode for active milestones, and AI integration for task creation and management. Designed for clarity and visual appeal, it helps users stay organized and motivated to complete their projects.

Highlights
  • Three-tier hierarchy: Projects, Milestones, Tasks
  • Visual progress tracking with progress bars
  • Active milestone focus mode
  • Milestone status tracking (Draft, Planning, In Progress, etc.)
  • AI-powered project and task management
  • Cross-device iCloud synchronization
  • Customizable project icons and colors
Features
Read full description

Most projects stall not because you lack motivation — but because "finish the project" is too vague to ever act on. You open a blank to-do list, dump in a dozen tasks, and within a week it's either abandoned or buried under newer ones. Milestones is built around a different idea: every project deserves structure, and structure is what makes finishing possible. A smarter way to plan Milestones introduces a three-tier hierarchy — Projects, Milestones, and Tasks — that mirrors how real work actually happens. A project isn't one thing; it's a series of phases. Each phase has its own focus, its own deadline, its own definition of done. Milestones makes that structure explicit so you always know where you are and what's next. Break goals into phases Every project is divided into named milestones — the chapters of your work. Whether you're building an app, writing a thesis, planning an event, or launching a side project, milestones give you a natural way to chunk the journey into stages you can actually complete one at a time. Track progress visually Each milestone has its own live progress bar showing task counts and completion percentage. At a glance, you can see how much you've done, how much is left, and which phases are moving. No more guessing whether you're close or far. Focus on what matters right now Mark one milestone as Active. It pins to the top of your project, pulses with a live indicator, and becomes your single point of focus. Everything else stays visible but secondary — giving you clarity without losing context. Organized from every angle Milestone statuses — Draft, Planning, In Progress, In Review, Released — give each phase a clear stage in the lifecycle. Tasks are sorted into To Do, In Progress, and Done sections automatically. Tag tasks to group related work across a project. Store unscheduled ideas in the project backlog so nothing falls through the cracks. Designed to look as good as it works Give every project its own icon — choose from a curated set of symbols or use your own photo — paired with a custom color. Your project list becomes a visual dashboard that's satisfying to open every day. Manage projects with AI Milestones includes a built-in MCP server — connect Claude and other AI agents on your Mac to create projects, add tasks and move milestones forward just by asking. Your project planner, now AI-native. Built for iPhone, iPad, Mac & Apple Vision Pro On iPad, Mac and Vision Pro, Milestones expands into a full three-column layout: your project list, milestone list, and task list all visible at once. On iPhone, everything is one tap away. Sync seamlessly across both with iCloud. Whether you're a developer shipping a product, a student finishing a dissertation, a designer managing client work, or anyone with a goal worth finishing — Milestones gives your projects the structure they've always needed.

Screenshots

Essential Launcher4 screens
Project Planner4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Project Planner at 4.9 against Essential Launcher's 4.6. Project Planner also leads on update cadence (every 5 days vs every 11 days) and device support (4 vs 2). On price, review sentiment, ratings volume and ads 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. Essential Launcher sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month and Project Planner sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Project Planner holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 36 and 18 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 89% of Essential Launcher's written reviews are positive against 82% of Project Planner's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Essential Launcher ships an update every 11 days, Project Planner every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and November 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Essential Launcher versus Project Planner: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterEssential LauncherProject Planner
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (36 ratings)4.9 (18 ratings) — better
Positive reviews88.9% of reviews — better81.8% of reviews
Number of ratings36 — better18
Update frequencyEvery 11 daysEvery 5 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS17.017.0
Further details — not scored
Size41 MB87 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPatrik RacskaiYassine Zeriouh

Customer experience

Essential Launcher

All ratings31 ratings
Positive90.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative9.7%
Written reviews18 reviews
Positive88.9%
Neutral0.0%
Negative11.1%

Project Planner

All ratings18 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews11 reviews
Positive81.8%
Neutral9.1%
Negative9.1%

In-app purchases

6 purchases

Essential Launcher

Subscriptions4
  • Monthly Discounted$0.991 Month
  • Annual Discounted3 Days trial$3.991 Year
  • Monthly$3.991 Month
Show 1 more
  • Annual3 Days trial$12.991 Year
One-time2
  • Lifetime FreeFree
  • Lifetime$5.99
3 purchases

Project Planner

Subscriptions2
  • Premium Monthly$5.991 Month
  • Premium Yearly$29.991 Year
One-time1
  • Premium Lifetime$79.99

Questions

Is Essential Launcher free?
Essential Launcher is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Project Planner free?
Project Planner is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Essential Launcher or Project Planner?
Project Planner is rated higher. Essential Launcher averages 4.6 out of 5 from 36 ratings, while Project Planner averages 4.9 from 18 ratings.
Do Essential Launcher or Project Planner have ads?
Neither Essential Launcher nor Project Planner shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Essential Launcher or Project Planner?
Essential Launcher ships an update every 11 days, and Project Planner every 5 days. Most recently, Essential Launcher was updated on November 5, 2026 and Project Planner on November 8, 2026.

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