NotePlan or TaskForge?

These two agree on the hard part. Notes, tasks, and your calendar belong in one app, and the notes should be markdown files you own. Where they part company is what you pay, what you run it on, and which task syntax the files use.

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The short version

NotePlan is the more mature daily planner

It has been at this longer, and it shows in the planning hierarchy: daily notes roll up into weekly, monthly, quarterly, and yearly notes that link to each other. Apple Reminders syncs both ways. There's a web app. If you live entirely on Apple hardware and the daily note is the center of your working life, NotePlan is very good at that.

TaskForge is cheaper and runs in more places

One purchase of $49.99 instead of $99 every year, with a free tier that covers notes and markdown editing completely. It runs on Android and Windows, which NotePlan does not. And it reads the Obsidian Tasks format, so an existing vault works without conversion.

Side by side

Checked against both products in August 2026. NotePlan's pricing and platform list come from noteplan.co; everything in the TaskForge column is in the shipping app.

Feature	NotePlan	TaskForge
Price	$99 a year, or $12 a month	$49.99 once, or $19.99 a year. Free tier with no time limit
iPhone, iPad, Mac	Yes	Yes
Android	No	Yes
Windows	No	Yes, signed installer with a system tray
Web app	Yes	No
Notes stored as markdown files	Yes	Yes
Task syntax	NotePlan's own markdown task format	Obsidian Tasks format, plus TaskNotes
Works on an existing Obsidian vault	Reads the files, but not the Tasks plugin syntax	Yes, with nothing to convert
Daily notes with templates	Yes, linked to weekly, monthly, quarterly, yearly	Yes, daily only
Calendar events	Apple Calendar, read and write	Your device's calendars. Viewing free, editing premium
Apple Reminders sync	Yes, two-way	No
Home screen widgets	Yes	Yes, including interactive and lock screen on iPhone
Kanban boards	Yes	Yes, grouped by any property
Command line and MCP server	No	Yes, both ship with TaskForge

Where TaskForge comes out ahead

You pay once

$49.99 covers every premium feature for as long as you use the app. NotePlan is $99 a year, so the second year is where the gap opens and it keeps opening. There's also a free tier that isn't a trial: notes, the markdown editor, daily notes, file management, and calendar viewing cost nothing, forever.

It runs on Android and Windows

NotePlan is an Apple app. If your phone is a Pixel, or your work machine runs Windows, that's the end of the conversation. TaskForge ships native apps on both, with the same files underneath.

It speaks Obsidian Tasks

If your vault already has thousands of lines like - [ ] renew passport [priority:: high] [due:: 2026-07-20], TaskForge reads them as they are: due dates, priorities, recurrence, custom statuses. Nothing to convert and nothing to migrate back out of.

Your agents can drive it

A command line tool and a local MCP server ship with TaskForge, so Claude or any agent that can edit files can add, complete, and reschedule tasks. No API key, no connector, nothing leaving the machine.

Where NotePlan is the better app

Both of these are real, and if either matters to you it should decide this for you.

The planning hierarchy is deeper

NotePlan links daily notes into weekly, monthly, quarterly, and yearly notes, and moving between those scales is a core part of the app. TaskForge has daily notes and stops there. For anyone running a weekly-review habit inside the note structure itself, that's a real gap.

Apple Reminders syncs both ways

NotePlan reads and writes Apple Reminders, so tasks you capture with Siri land in your planner. TaskForge does not touch Reminders at all.

There's a web app

NotePlan runs in a browser. TaskForge is native-only, so a locked-down work machine with no install rights can't reach your notes.

It is a more finished notes app

NotePlan has been shipping for years. TaskForge notes are new and carry a beta badge, and there's no graph view, no backlinks panel, and no PDF rendering inside a note.

Which one to install

Choose NotePlan if

You're all-Apple, you want the weekly and monthly note hierarchy, you rely on Apple Reminders, and $99 a year is a fair price for a tool you'll be in every day.

Choose TaskForge if

You have an Android phone or a Windows PC in the mix, you already write Obsidian Tasks syntax, or you would rather buy something once than rent it. The free tier means you can check before you pay anything.

Try both, it's cheap

NotePlan has a 7-day trial and TaskForge is free to download with a one-week premium trial. Both read markdown files, so you can point them at a copy of the same folder and see which one you actually open in the morning.

NotePlan and TaskForge, common questions

Is there a NotePlan app for Android or Windows?

No. NotePlan ships on iPhone, iPad, Mac, and the web. If you need a native app on Android or Windows for markdown notes and tasks, TaskForge covers both.

Can TaskForge open my NotePlan notes?

It can open the files, since NotePlan stores notes as markdown. Point TaskForge at that folder and your notes and their text appear. Task lines written in NotePlan's own task format will show as plain checkbox lines rather than as tasks with dates and priorities, because TaskForge parses the Obsidian Tasks format.

How much does TaskForge cost compared to NotePlan?

TaskForge is $49.99 once for every premium feature, or $19.99 a year if you prefer. NotePlan is $99 a year or $12 a month. TaskForge also has a free tier with no expiry that includes notes, the markdown editor, and calendar viewing.

Do both keep my notes as plain files?

Yes. This is the thing they agree on. Both read and write markdown on disk rather than storing notes in a database you would have to export from.

Does TaskForge do time blocking like NotePlan?

Yes. Give a task a duration, such as 90m or a 2-4pm range, and it appears as a block on the day and week grids next to your calendar events. You can drag to reschedule.

Buy it once, run it everywhere.

Free to download and free to use. Notes and the markdown editor cost nothing. One optional purchase covers premium for life.

$49.99 one-time, or $19.99 a year. No account required.