Comparison

Essential vs Eisenhower To

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

Head to head
About

Essential

This productivity app focuses on the core essence of a calendar, inspired by Dieter Rams' philosophy of "less, but better." It provides daily weather, exchange rates, and historical events, aiming for a clean and focused user experience without unnecessary clutter.

Highlights
  • Minimalist design
  • Daily weather updates
  • Exchange rate information
  • Historical daily events
  • Focused calendar experience
Features
Read full description

Introducing Essential, a new calendar. Essential boldly holds back on colour to create a minimalist design focused on what truly matters. Unlike other apps, events carry no colours, giving your schedule a calm, well-organised feel. Essential brings a [Monthly Calendar] and a [Timeline] together on a single screen. No need to switch screens to see the details of your day. Essential is built around [Continuity]. Whether you're searching for an event or changing a setting, you can do it without leaving the page. For example, tap the magnifying glass in the top right corner. Instead of taking you to a new screen as most apps do, the icon turns straight into a search field, so you can search right where you are. Beyond its design, Essential offers a few special features. 1. Detailed Weather Useful for those who work outdoors. Hourly forecasts, daily highs and lows, and more, made for anyone who keeps an eye on the weather. 2. A little joy in checking your schedule: "On This Day" An ordinary day for some was a meaningful one for others. While checking your schedule, discover events from history based on real facts. Topics span world history, film, art, economics, design and more. 3. Postpone Move an event to the next day. Plans don't always go as planned, so Essential's postpone feature embraces that uncertainty. It simply moves your event by one day. A little room for the days that don't go perfectly. It's okay not to be perfect. 4. The Dial Essential is inspired by the design philosophy of Dieter Rams, the world-renowned industrial designer. To celebrate his work, we've included a tribute object: the dial in the bottom right corner. Press it to add (+) a new event. Turn it like a dial to move through the timeline in one-hour steps. ――― Privacy Policy: https://dieter-rams-project.minimal-calendar.workers.dev/privacy/en

About

Eisenhower To

Organize your work using the Eisenhower Matrix to prioritize tasks by importance and urgency. Manage your to-do list with daily views, reminders, and detailed subtask management. Track your progress with statistics and sync with Apple Reminders.

Highlights
  • Eisenhower Matrix organization
  • Today view for immediate tasks
  • Detailed task management with subtasks
  • Progress statistics and trends
  • Home screen widgets
  • iCloud Sync and Apple Reminders integration
Read full description

MellowTask is a task manager built around the Eisenhower Matrix, helping you organize work by importance and urgency. Sort tasks into Do, Plan, Delegate, and Exclude, then focus on what needs your attention first. See today’s tasks, upcoming deadlines, reminders, and completed items in one place. [KEY FEATURES] ■ Eisenhower Matrix Organize tasks into Do, Plan, Delegate, and Exclude based on importance and urgency. ■ Today View See tasks due today, reminders, completed items, and upcoming work in one focused view. ■ Calendar Review tasks by date and quickly organize tasks that do not have a scheduled date. ■ Detailed Task Management Break complex work into checklists, parent tasks, subtasks, and repeating schedules. ■ Focused Task List Open a dedicated list of incomplete Do tasks from the selected group. ■ Statistics Review your completion rate, streaks, weekly trends, weekday patterns, and task distribution across quadrants. ■ Home Screen Widgets Check dates, task status, and Eisenhower Matrix tasks without opening the app. ■ Sync and Integration Keep your tasks available with iCloud Sync and connect them with Apple Reminders. ■ Display Options Adjust the font style, display size, and task title appearance to suit your preferences. No account or sign-in is required to get started. Some features, including Apple Reminders Sync, are available with Pro.

Screenshots

Essential4 screens
Eisenhower To4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Essential at none against Eisenhower To's 1. Essential also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 4 days vs every 8 days). On price, review sentiment, device support and iOS requirement 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. Eisenhower To sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Essential asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Essential ships an update every 4 days, Eisenhower To every 8 days. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Essential versus Eisenhower To: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterEssentialEisenhower To
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (3 ratings) — better
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—3 — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 days — betterEvery 8 days
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, Mac
Requires iOS17.017.0
Further details — not scored
Size40 MB12 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperChang Hyun LeeChanGyu Kang

Customer experience

Essential

Written reviews17 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Eisenhower To

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews17 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Essential

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Eisenhower To

One-time1
  • MellowTask Pro$3.99

Questions

Is Essential free?
Essential is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Eisenhower To free?
Eisenhower To is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Essential or Eisenhower To have ads?
Eisenhower To shows ads; Essential does not.
Which is updated more often, Essential or Eisenhower To?
Essential ships an update every 4 days, and Eisenhower To every 8 days. Most recently, Essential was updated on October 25, 2026 and Eisenhower To on October 24, 2026.

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