Comparison

Project Planner vs Ember

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

Head to head
About

Project Planner

Manage multiple projects and track their progress with a focus on independent development. Break down large goals into actionable tasks and organize your workflow with customizable tags and a clean interface. Ideal for solo creators and indie developers.

Highlights
  • Flexible task management
  • Smart tagging system
  • Customizable color-coded tags
  • Visual progress tracking
  • Backlog management
  • Distraction-free interface
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.

About

Ember

A fast and organized workspace for writing Markdown notes, storing PDFs, diagrams, and voice memos. It offers a vault for reusable prompts and syncs across Apple devices. Start for free with full editor access.

Highlights
  • Rich Markdown editor
  • Inline PDF and image support
  • Reusable prompt vault
  • Daily notes, folders, and tags
  • Instant search functionality
  • Private iCloud sync
  • Share Extension
Features
Read full description

Your notes should feel like home. Ember is a warm, fast place to think — Markdown notes, PDFs, diagrams, voice memos, and a vault of reusable prompts, all in one calm workspace that syncs across iPhone, iPad, and Mac. WRITE IN RICH MARKDOWN A live editor with real formatting: headings, tables, task lists, links, highlights, footnotes, and code — rendered as you type, never in your way. Bullets, numbers, and checkboxes feel native and effortless. MORE THAN TEXT Drop PDFs, images, diagrams, and voice notes right inline. Your references live beside your writing, so everything about a thought stays in one place. A VAULT FOR YOUR PROMPTS Keep the prompts you reuse for writing, research, and planning in a dedicated Prompt Vault — organized, searchable, and a tap away when you need them. STAY ORGANIZED, STAY FAST Daily notes, folders, tags, smart filters, and pinned notes keep things tidy, and instant search finds anything the moment you look for it. YOURS EVERYWHERE Ember runs natively on iPhone, iPad, and Mac, with optional private iCloud sync, widgets, and a Share Extension for capturing from anywhere. FREE TO START Capture notes, PDFs, prompts, and attachments with the full editor — free, no account required. EMBER PRO Unlock advanced themes and alternate icons, premium writing and organization workflows, and deeper Prompt Vault tools, as a subscription or a one-time lifetime purchase. PRIVATE BY DESIGN No accounts. No ads. No selling your words. Your notes stay on your device and your own iCloud. Make a home for your thinking. Download Ember Notes. TERMS & PRIVACY Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://embernotes.app/privacy

Screenshots

Project Planner4 screens
Ember4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Project Planner at every 5 days against Ember's every 10 days. Project Planner also leads on ratings volume (17 vs 3) and device support (4 vs 2). On price, rating, 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. Project Planner sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month and Ember sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for Project Planner against 5.0 for Ember. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Project Planner has 17 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Project Planner ships an update every 5 days, Ember every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on September 16, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Project Planner versus Ember: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterProject PlannerEmber
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (17 ratings)5.0 (3 ratings) — better
Positive reviews80.0% of reviews
Number of ratings17 — better3
Update frequencyEvery 5 days — betterEvery 10 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size72 MB70 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperYassine ZeriouhRene DeAnda

Customer experience

Project Planner

All ratings17 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews10 reviews
Positive80.0%
Neutral10.0%
Negative10.0%

Ember

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

4 purchases

Project Planner

Subscriptions2
  • Premium Monthly$5.991 Month
  • Premium Yearly$29.991 Year
One-time2
  • Premium Lifetime$29.99
  • Premium Lifetime$79.99
3 purchases

Ember

Subscriptions2
  • Ember Pro Monthly$3.991 Month
  • Ember Pro Annual$34.991 Year
One-time1
  • Ember Pro Lifetime$99.99

Questions

Is Project Planner free?
Project Planner is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Ember free?
Ember is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Project Planner or Ember?
Ember is rated higher. Project Planner averages 4.9 out of 5 from 17 ratings, while Ember averages 5.0 from 3 ratings.
Do Project Planner or Ember have ads?
Neither Project Planner nor Ember shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Project Planner or Ember?
Project Planner ships an update every 5 days, and Ember every 10 days. Most recently, Project Planner was updated on September 16, 2026 and Ember on September 23, 2026.

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