#LifeOS Free vs Pro: when to upgrade

The free plugin already captures daily notes, basic tasks, and topic links. The usual reason to look at Pro is scheduling and cross-project tasks, not a limit on how much you can write. This page is the upgrade decision, including prices checked on 2026-10-14 and the separate licenses for Calendar Pro, DeepAsk, and Aino.

The short comparison stays at Free LifeOS and LifeOS Pro. This page does not replace it.

#One-line verdict

• Daily capture is enough: stay on the community plugin. It is $0.
• You need tasks on a calendar, one unfinished-task workspace, or advanced lists across projects: look at LifeOS Pro.
• LifeOS Pro already includes calendar planning. You do not also buy Calendar Pro for that.
• DeepAsk, Aino Desktop, and Aino Mobile are not included.
• If you only want a calendar, task views, and CalDAV, buy Calendar Pro alone.

#Free vs Pro

Same rows as the existing comparison:

The free plugin has no centralized unfinished-task workspace and no topic task overview. Capture is not metered.

The community plan on the pricing page also lists visual note creation, knowledge management, periodic notes, tasks, goals, time management, and Usememos sync. Pro adds the task workspace, calendar planning, advanced lists, and project reviews. The English pricing page also lists advanced-list search, sort, and filter, workflow, habit statistics, flash roaming, theme-list time statistics, and portable features. Use the live bullets if they change.

#Decision

1. You are still building a capture habit: stay free, and pick a vault in the Chinese chooser how to choose an example vault or start from example vaults.
2. Several projects are competing for today: LifeOS Pro.
3. You want the big calendar, Eisenhower, board, timeline, and remote CalDAV, without the periodic-note system: Calendar Pro. Comparison: Calendar Pro vs Full Calendar Remastered.
4. You want to ask the vault by tag or by day: buy DeepAsk separately. AI Workbench, AI Review, and Smart Organize inside LifeOS Pro require DeepAsk to be installed and activated. Model usage is still yours to pay.
5. You want fewer plugins and a desktop app on the same Markdown folder: Aino vs Obsidian (Chinese). That is not an upgrade of this plugin.
6. Phone reminders are the only goal: Calendar Pro plus CalDAV can be enough. The path choice is in iCloud and Google CalDAV. Click-by-click steps stay in calendar subscription.

#Prices

Checked 2026-10-14. Currency depends on which pricing page you open.

These are not a bundle. Aino Desktop was listed at ¥499 lifetime after a 7-day trial, for 3 devices. Aino Mobile Pro was ¥18 per month or ¥128 per year. See Aino pricing.

#Separate licenses

An activation code for one product does not unlock another. Install LifeOS Pro in .obsidian/plugins/lifeos-pro/. Do not overwrite the free plugin folder.

#Reuse notes you already have

Summary only. The full sequence is on Free LifeOS and LifeOS Pro.

1. Back up the vault, including .obsidian.
2. In the free plugin's usage and upgrade settings, check the periodic folder, record heading, and PARA folders.
3. Install and activate from the purchase email, then align folders in Pro settings.
4. Test tags, task syntax, templates, and date names on a few notes. Extended syntax is not guaranteed to match.
5. Turn the free plugin off after that check so both plugins do not sync-write at once. Markdown stays where it is. Nothing is auto-converted, and activation data is not migrated.

The longer handover note is pro-handover (Chinese).

#Misconceptions

• The free plugin locks after a number of notes. It does not.
• Pro still requires Calendar Pro before the calendar works. It does not. Calendar Pro is the calendar-only product.
• Pro includes DeepAsk and Aino. It does not.
• The $24.90 annual plan and the $49.90 lifetime plan are two stages of one checkout. They are different listings. Annual was only on lifeos.vip/pricing.html.
• Upgrade replaces the free plugin directory. Do not do that. Use the separate lifeos-pro directory.

#FAQ

#Can I keep using the free plugin?

Yes. It is a complete capture tool.

#When is Pro worth it?

When you need calendar scheduling, a central task view, or cross-project boards. Not in order to keep a journal.

#How much does it cost, and is it a subscription?

The English page lists a $49.90 lifetime purchase for 5 devices. The Chinese page lists ¥179 on the same terms. Annual at $24.90 appeared only on lifeos.vip/pricing.html on 2026-10-14. Community is free.

#Do I still buy Calendar Pro?

Not if you buy LifeOS Pro. Buy Calendar Pro only for the calendar plugin itself: $29.90 or ¥109.

#Is AI included?

No. Those entry points need DeepAsk, and you bring the model API. Obsidian Mobile cannot run Node.js or CLI features.

#How do Aino licenses relate?

Aino Desktop and Aino Mobile are separate products and separate payments. Opening the same Markdown folder is fine. The codes are not interchangeable. See Aino vs Obsidian.

#Do I need LifeOS Pro for phone calendar alerts?

No. Calendar Pro plus CalDAV can do that job. If you already bought LifeOS Pro, you do not buy Calendar Pro again for the same planning features.

#Does upgrading move my notes?

No, and it does not auto-convert them. Back up, then install beside the free plugin and check folders.

#Next

Keep capturing with getting started and the example vaults.

To upgrade, open LifeOS Pro pricing.

Calendar only: Calendar Pro pricing. Vault AI: DeepAsk vs Copilot and Smart Connections. A desktop with fewer plugins: Aino's 7-day trial.

For the rest of the shelf, use the Chinese product map. An English map is not in this batch.