Opus One vs Pocket Informant
We give Opus One a 3.4 GPA and Pocket Informant a 3.6, out of 4.0. Opus One grades higher on ease of use. Pocket Informant grades higher on platforms. They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan and features.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Opus One
Paper-style daily planner for iPhone, iPad and Mac
Pocket Informant
Calendar, tasks, projects and notes in one personal organizer
How we grade them
| 3.4GPAOpus OneVery good | 3.6GPAPocket InformantExcellent | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AThe US App Store lists Pro at $4.99 and $39.99, sold monthly or yearly, without saying which price is which. If $39.99 is the year, that's about $3.33 a month against a typical $8. One subscription covers iPhone, iPad and Mac. | A$29.99 a year, or $3.99 a month, when a typical planner asks about $7.99 every month. That opens tasks, projects, contacts, email integration and Informant Sync on iOS and Android. The Mac app is a separate one-time $49.99, though, and the Outlook add-in for Windows another $29.99. |
| Free plan and trial | BThe core planner is free, but Daily Tasks, Master Tasks and Daily Notes are limited, and the listing doesn't say by how much. Sync between your devices, goals and repeating tasks are all Pro. | BThe free version on iOS and Android is a basic calendar, using the calendars already on your device. No tasks, projects, contacts, sync or customisation. A trial of the full thing comes with the yearly subscription: 14 days by the vendor's site, 7 by the App Store. |
| Features | AA page per day with A/B/C priorities and your calendar beside it, a master list, five planner views, goals tied to daily tasks, journals, a meeting planner and an Eisenhower matrix. That's a full paper planner and then some. | AEvents and tasks together in day, week and month views, projects with sub-tasks and checklists, three task styles including GTD, natural-language entry, templates, trips that set the time zone, and geofenced places that raise alerts when you arrive. That's the whole organiser, with depth. |
| Ease of use | A4.7 from about 960 App Store ratings. It's laid out like a paper day planner, and you move tasks, events and goals by dragging them. | B4.5 from about 6,100 App Store ratings, a B on our ladder. It reads your device's calendars and reminders, so iCloud, Exchange and Google show up without a new account. There's a lot in here to learn, mind. |
| Platforms and integrations | CiPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Watch, with Apple Calendar, Google Calendar and Apple Reminders hooked in. All Apple, though. No Android, Windows or web version. | AiPhone, iPad, Android, Mac and a web app, kept in step by the paid Informant Sync. It connects to Google Calendar, Google Tasks, Toodledo, Evernote and Outlook. No Windows app, only an Outlook add-in that also needs the sync subscription. |
| Best for | a paper-style page for every day, on Apple | serious organisers who want calendar and tasks as one |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Opus One and Pocket Informant. How we grade
Where they differ
- Opus One starts at $4.99 or $39.99 (US App Store; sold monthly or yearly, prices not labelled). Pocket Informant starts at $3.99 per month, or $29.99 per year.
- Only Pocket Informant lists a web app.
- Only Pocket Informant lists an Android app.
- Only Pocket Informant lists a browser extension.
- Opus One also covers daily notes, time blocking and goals.
- Pocket Informant also covers templates and natural-language input.
At a glance
| Opus One | Pocket Informant | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $4.99 or $39.99 (US App Store; sold monthly or yearly, prices not labelled) | $3.99 per month, or $29.99 per year |
| Free plan | The core planner is free, with limited Daily Tasks, Master Tasks and Daily Notes. Cloud sync, goals, attachments, categories, repeating rules and themes belong to Opus One Pro. | Free version on iOS and Android: essential calendar features using the calendars already on the device. No tasks, projects, contacts, sync services or customization. |
| Free trial | None listed | A trial of the full version comes with the yearly subscription: 14 days per the vendor's site, 7 days per the App Store listing. |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | PISO 13, Inc. | Fanatic Software (Complete XRM, Inc.) |
| Price read from | apps.apple.com | pocketinformant.com |
| Checked | Oct 5, 2026 | Oct 9, 2026 |
Who each one suits
Opus One
- People who like the layout of a paper day planner
- Linking daily tasks to goals, values and a personal mission
- Users who work only on iPhone, iPad and Mac
Pocket Informant
- People who want calendar, tasks, projects and notes in a single app
- Task management in the GTD or Franklin Covey style
- Users who move between iPhone, Android, Mac and a web browser
Worth knowing
Opus One
- Apple devices only: iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Watch. The vendor lists no Android, Windows or web version.
- Cloud sync, goals, attachments, categories, repeating rules, weather and Siri all need the Opus One Pro subscription.
- The App Store lists two Pro prices, $4.99 and $39.99, and says the subscription is monthly or yearly without labelling which price is which.
- The Apple Reminders import is one-way: imported tasks are removed from the Reminders list.
Pocket Informant
- The free version is a calendar only. Tasks, projects, contacts, sync services and customization need the subscription.
- The Mac app is a separate $49.99 purchase, and the web app works through an Informant Sync account.
- There is no Windows app. Windows is covered by a $29.99 Outlook add-in that also needs an Informant Sync subscription.
- Trial length is stated differently by source: 14 days on the vendor's site and 7 days on the App Store listing.
Key features
Opus One
- A page for each day
- Each day has its own page holding tasks ranked by A/B/C priority, a schedule that shows calendar events next to the tasks, daily notes, the weather and a quote.
- Master Tasks
- A separate list for tasks that have no due date yet, kept apart from the daily pages until a place is found for them in the planner.
- Planner views
- Five planner views cover a day, a week or a month with the task list at the side. Tasks, events and goals are rescheduled by dragging and dropping them.
- Goals, roles and mission
- Goals have timelines and visible progress and can be linked to daily tasks. Separate pages hold life roles, a mission statement, values and vision.
- Notes and journals
- Notes take text, photos, PDFs, checklists, audio and drawings. Journals come with 25 covers and include a guided Gratitude Journal.
- Eisenhower matrix and categories
- Tasks can be shown in an Eisenhower matrix, sorted by priority or by color-coded category, and repeated with custom rules.
Pocket Informant
- Calendar and tasks in one view
- Day, stacked-week and month views show events and tasks together. The month view prints each event's name and time in small text instead of a dot.
- Projects and task modes
- Tasks can be grouped into projects with sub-tasks and checklists, and the task system can be set to Simple, GTD or Franklin Covey style.
- Works with existing calendars
- Reads the device's native calendars and reminders, so iCloud, Exchange, Microsoft 365 and Google accounts appear without a new account. Direct Google and Toodledo sync needs the subscription.
- Natural-language entry
- Type or speak a phrase such as a task with a day and time and the entry is filled in. Templates and triggers create frequently used events and tasks.
- TravelAssist and geofences
- Trips set the time zone for events created during travel, and geofenced locations can filter the calendar or task list and raise arrival and departure alerts.
- Informant Sync
- A paid sync service that keeps iPhone, iPad, Android, Mac and the web app in step, and connects to Outlook on Windows through a separate add-in.
Plans
Opus One
Free$0
The core planner with limited Daily Tasks, Master Tasks and Daily Notes. Cloud sync across devices is a Pro feature.
Opus One Pro$4.99 or $39.99
monthly or yearly; the listing does not label which price is which
Adds iCloud sync, goals, attachments, Apple Pencil sketching, categories, repeating rules, weather, Siri and themes. One subscription covers iPhone, iPad and Mac.
Pocket Informant
Free$0
Basic calendar on iOS and Android. Tasks, projects, contacts, sync services and customization are not included.
Premium Month$3.99
per month
Full feature access billed monthly through the App Store. The account reverts to the free version when the subscription ends.
Premium 3 month$9.99
per 3 months
The same full feature access billed every 90 days, as listed on the US App Store.
Premium Yearly$29.99
per year
All calendar views, tasks, projects, contacts, email integration, weather and Informant Sync on iOS and Android.
Informant for macOS$49.99
one-time purchase
The Mac app, bought separately with a 30-day free trial. Syncing Informant-only data may also need a sync subscription.
Informant Sync for Outlook$29.99
one-time purchase
Outlook add-in for Windows PCs that syncs calendars, tasks and notes. It requires an active Informant Sync subscription.
Ways to pay less
Opus One
No public discounts listed.
Pocket Informant
- Annual discount
About 37% less on the yearly subscription
The subscription is $3.99 a month or $29.99 a year. Twelve monthly payments come to $47.88, so the yearly option costs about 37% less.
