# Hyphen vs Cairn

The clearest difference is update cadence: Hyphen at every 2 days against Cairn's every 5 days. Hyphen also leads on ratings volume (7 vs 1). On price, rating, review sentiment and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Hyphen against 5.0 for Cairn. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Hyphen has 7 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.

Hyphen ships an update every 2 days, Cairn every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on September 21, 2026 and October 1, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Hyphen | Cairn |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [5.0 (7 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hyphen-daily-notes/id6757969507/reviews) | [5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cairn-markdown-tasks/id6786663000/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **7** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 days** | Every 5 days |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 4 MB | 9 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **17.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [CHRISTOPH J WHITELAM](https://appshunter.io/developer/1870002890) | [Young Hun JEONG](https://appshunter.io/developer/6786662344) |

## What reviewers say

### Hyphen

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hyphen-daily-notes/id6757969507)

This minimalist app allows for quick capture of daily thoughts, tasks, and moments. It organizes entries by day and provides a visual timeline of your year, highlighting days with more activity. Notes are automatically timestamped and can be entered via typing or voice.

**Highlights:** Quick entry via typing or voice, Automatic timestamping, Visual year-in-a-glance timeline, Smart grouping of related notes, Secure cross-device syncing, Private and inaccessible by developer

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### Cairn

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cairn-markdown-tasks/id6786663000)

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.

**Highlights:** 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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Hyphen free?

Hyphen is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Cairn free?

Cairn is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Hyphen or Cairn?

Hyphen and Cairn are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 7 and 1 ratings respectively.

### Do Hyphen or Cairn have ads?

Neither Hyphen nor Cairn shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Hyphen or Cairn?

Hyphen ships an update every 2 days, and Cairn every 5 days. Most recently, Hyphen was updated on September 21, 2026 and Cairn on October 1, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*