# Benchpad vs Cairn

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Cairn at none against Benchpad's 1. Cairn also leads on update cadence (every 5 days vs fortnightly). Benchpad's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Benchpad sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $9.99 per year. Cairn asks for nothing beyond the download.

Benchpad ships an update fortnightly, Cairn every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on September 28, 2026 and October 1, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Benchpad | Cairn |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cairn-markdown-tasks/id6786663000/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | — | **1** |
| Positive reviews | — | 100.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | **Every 5 days** |
| Monetization | — | Free |
| Size | 113 MB | 9 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Gagandeep Singh](https://appshunter.io/developer/1864104544) | [Young Hun JEONG](https://appshunter.io/developer/6786662344) |

## What reviewers say

### Benchpad

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/benchpad-scratchpad-notes/id6766779528)

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Benchpad Pro | $9.99 | per year |


### 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 Benchpad free?

Benchpad is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Cairn free?

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

### Do Benchpad or Cairn have ads?

Neither Benchpad nor Cairn shows ads.

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

Benchpad ships an update fortnightly, and Cairn every 5 days. Most recently, Benchpad was updated on September 28, 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.*