# Simple Project Manager vs Cairn

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.

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.

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.

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.

## The numbers

| Metric | Simple Project Manager | Cairn |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/simple-project-manager/id6785151625/reviews) | [5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cairn-markdown-tasks/id6786663000/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **2** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | — | 100.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Every 5 days** |
| Monetization | Freemium | **Free** |
| Size | 3 MB | 9 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 17.0 |
| Devices | iPhone | **iPhone, iPad** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Blackforest LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1828757751) | [Young Hun JEONG](https://appshunter.io/developer/6786662344) |

## What reviewers say

### Simple Project Manager

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/simple-project-manager/id6785151625)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Big Idea - Monthly | $0.99 | per month |
| Big Idea - Annual | $9.99 | per year |
| Big Idea - Lifetime | $24.99 | one-time |


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