Notes from the designer4 min read
Void Calendar vs Obsidian Tasks
The query found the work, when will it happen?
Void CalendarI like recording an action where the thought occurs: a question while reading, or something to revisit in class notes. There is no need to leave the note just to capture a task elsewhere.
Obsidian Tasks suits that habit. Tasks stay in Markdown notes, and queries gather them.
In short: If your material already lives in an Obsidian vault, you want tasks written inside your notes, and you need them on your phone and any computer, Obsidian Tasks is a natural, free choice. If you need more than finding tasks, and want them placed into time that is actually free on your calendar and worked through with a focus timer on your Mac, Void Calendar is the better fit.
At a glance
| Void Calendar | Obsidian Tasks | |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms | macOS (Apple silicon), public beta | Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android |
| Price | Free with every feature; Pro sync not on sale yet | Free; Sync from US$4/month, billed yearly |
| AI scheduling | Your own model and API key; fits tasks into free time | No built-in AI; community plugins can add it |
| Calendar connections | Apple Calendar and Reminders, Google, iCloud; Outlook planned | Date-based queries; calendar views need other plugins |
| Tasks & notes | Every task has a note with [[ ]] links | Tasks inside Markdown notes, gathered by queries |
| Where data lives | On your Mac; no company cloud copy | Local Markdown files; Sync is end-to-end encrypted |
Competitor details checked October 8, 2026; see their official sites. Void Calendar is in public beta.
Keep a task with the note that produced it
Tasks queries across a vault, filters by dates and other conditions, and supports recurrence. Completing a task in a query result updates its original file. See the official introduction.
That context matters. You can return to the class note and understand why you captured the task. Finding everything due today still leaves the question of when to do it.
A query cannot create two spare hours
One history note says to revisit a source; another asks you to organize speaking mistakes. Both appear in today’s query.
Today also has classes, errands, and an assignment deadline. You still need to choose the order and distinguish a twenty-minute action from work needing a whole afternoon.
Void Calendar gives tasks corresponding notes for steps, material, and working records. AI can break down work and arrange it around existing events. Dependencies express steps that must happen in order.
I want to find the context and know which small step to start in this session.
Powerful plugins still need a comfortable daily workflow
Obsidian is more than the Tasks plugin. Other plugins can extend calendars, boards, automation, and AI. A task query cannot stand in for the whole ecosystem.
Keep a vault whose links and material already work for you. Void Calendar offers a workspace for Ideas, tasks, notes, calendars, and AI-assisted execution. It runs on the Mac today; phone apps are planned.
Keep the vault’s material in Obsidian where appropriate. I would compare how easily you capture a thought and how much effort it takes to recover the working context later.
Which one fits
Choose Obsidian Tasks if:
- Your notes already live in a vault, and you want each task to stay in the note that produced it.
- You need to work on a phone, Windows, or Linux today.
- You enjoy assembling your own workflow from plugins and would rather not pay.
Choose Void Calendar if:
- You mostly work on an Apple silicon Mac.
- You need tasks placed into free time on your calendar, not just a list of what is due today.
- You want AI, running on your own model, to break down and schedule work, then a focus timer to see it through.
Read about notes used during task execution.
Sources checked October 8, 2026: Obsidian pricing, Obsidian downloads, and the Tasks project.