Comparison

Simple Project Manager vs Cairn

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

Head to head
About

Simple Project Manager

This app helps you organize and complete your ideas by turning them into satisfying checklists. It offers a clean, distraction-free design with features like progress rings, notes, and simple grouping. Collaboration and sharing are also supported.

Highlights
  • Projects as checklists
  • Live progress rings
  • Notes on ideas
  • Simple grouping
  • Share and collaborate
  • Distraction-free design
Features
Read full description

You've always got ideas. Simple Project Manager is the easiest — and best-looking — way to actually finish them. Every project is a clean checklist you can check off, reorder, and watch fill toward 100%. Add notes, group things your way, and keep it all calm and clutter-free. - Projects as satisfying checklists - A live progress ring on every one - Notes on every idea - Simple grouping to stay organized - Share and collaborate with others - A genuinely beautiful, distraction-free design Upgrade to Big Idea to unlock every theme, unlimited projects, custom app icons, and sync across all your devices. Turn your ideas into done. Become the Idea Guy (or Girl)! Simple Project Manager Big Idea While Simple Project Manager is free to use, you can upgrade to Big Idea to unlock the full suite of project management tools. Subscribe to monthly, annual, or purchase a lifetime license. Subscriptions will auto-renew unless auto-renew is turned off at least a day before each renewal date. You can manage your subscription and turn off auto-renew in Apple account settings. Terms of Use: https://blackforestcompany.com/tc-idea-pal/ Privacy Policy: https://blackforestcompany.com/privacy-policy-idea-pal/

About

Cairn

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
Read full description

Cairn is a fast, native task and note companion that lives on top of the Markdown files you already own. Point it at your Obsidian vault — or any folder of Markdown notes — and your tasks and notes appear in clean, focused views. Everything you do in Cairn is written straight back to your files as plain text, in the Obsidian Tasks format. YOUR NOTES STAY YOURS • No account, no sign-up, no Cairn cloud database — your tasks live in your own files • Cairn does not send your notes or tasks to the developer • Careful, patch-based edits change only the content you touched, preserving the rest of your note • Works alongside Obsidian, iCloud Drive, Git, or any sync you already use CAPTURE, BROWSE, AND PLAN • Browse and edit Markdown notes directly in your vault • Quick capture into your daily note, with date, tag, and priority tokens parsed as you type • Choose where longer captures are saved • Today, Upcoming, Inbox, and Pool views, plus a global filter for folders, tags, dates, priority, and status • Full support for sub-tasks and task hierarchies • Recurring tasks in Obsidian Tasks format, with safe completion handling • Convert upcoming calendar events into tasks, or mirror your dated tasks into a calendar you choose (optional) STAY ON TRACK • Local reminders for due tasks — including sunrise-relative reminders computed entirely on your device • A Live Activity keeps today's progress on your Lock Screen and in the Dynamic Island • Home Screen widgets and a Control Center quick-capture control • Search across every task in your vault MADE FOR OBSIDIAN — NOT ONLY OBSIDIAN Cairn reads and writes the Obsidian Tasks plugin format (due, scheduled, start, and done dates, priorities, recurrence, tags), so your vault stays fully compatible with your desktop setup. Don't use Obsidian? Create a plain task folder in the Files app and Cairn works as a stand-alone Markdown to-do app. Cairn asks for access only to the folder you pick. Calendar access and location (used to compute local sunrise times) are optional and processed on your device. If you choose iCloud Drive or another Files or calendar provider, that provider's own sync and privacy terms apply.

Screenshots

Simple Project Manager4 screens
Cairn4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Cairn at none against Simple Project Manager's 3. Cairn also leads on update cadence (every 5 days vs every 3 months). On price, rating, 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. Simple Project Manager sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Cairn asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Simple Project Manager against 5.0 for Cairn. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 1 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Simple Project Manager ships an update every 3 months, Cairn every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 6, 2026 and October 1, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Simple Project Manager versus Cairn: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSimple Project ManagerCairn
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (2 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings)
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings2 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 5 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemiumFree — better
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad — better
Requires iOS17.017.0
Further details — not scored
Size3 MB9 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBlackforest LLCYoung Hun JEONG

Customer experience

Simple Project Manager

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Cairn

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Simple Project Manager

Subscriptions2
  • Big Idea - Monthly$0.991 Month
  • Big Idea - Annual$9.991 Year
One-time1
  • Big Idea - Lifetime$24.99
None

Cairn

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Simple Project Manager free?
Simple Project Manager is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Cairn free?
Cairn is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Simple Project Manager or Cairn?
Simple Project Manager and Cairn are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 2 and 1 ratings respectively.
Do Simple Project Manager or Cairn have ads?
Neither Simple Project Manager nor Cairn shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Simple Project Manager or Cairn?
Simple Project Manager ships an update every 3 months, and Cairn every 5 days. Most recently, Simple Project Manager was updated on October 6, 2026 and Cairn on October 1, 2026.

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