But with so many different daily planner apps on the market, and each promising to streamline your schedule to boost your efficiency, choosing the right one can be daunting.
I've spent countless hours testing (actually testing) what I think are the best daily planner apps to help you feel completely equipped to understand each application and which one might be best for you.
Ready to dive in? You can jump directly into the reviews below.
The best daily planner apps
Motion for AI-driven daily planning and task management
AI task scheduling, team collaboration, time-blocking
$19/month
Any.do
Task management, calendar integration, reminders
Free, Premium: $2.99/month
Sunsama
Task management, time-blocking, daily review
$20/month
Akiflow
Centralized task management, custom workflows
$19/month
Routine
Habit tracking, time-blocking, personal routines
Free, Premium: $12/month
Notion Calendar
Calendar integration, note-taking
Free
What makes the best daily planner app?
To test each daily planner, I signed up for a trial/free account, tried to plan my day using each, and tested each tool for about a week (some of the tools I've already used, so I had some familiarity there.).
My evaluation criteria included:
Ease of Use: How intuitive and user-friendly is the app?
Features: What functionalities does it offer, such as task management, calendar integration, and time-blocking?
Pricing: How affordable is the app, and does it offer good value for the money?
User Feedback: What are users saying about the app?
The 6 best daily planner apps
Motion for AI-driven daily planning and task management
Standout features
Motion's AI task manager auto-schedules tasks on your calendar based on priorities, deadlines, and team availability
Seamless calendar integration with personal and work calendars
Email/voice integration to add tasks on the go
Team collaboration features like task assignment, status tracking
Customizable workspaces, projects, and task templates
Motion is more than just a daily planner app—it's a comprehensive productivity suite that helps you manage your time, tasks, and team seamlessly.
Getting started is refreshingly straightforward—connect your calendar(s), set up workspaces, and start adding tasks!
Instead of manually blocking time for tasks, you can simply enter the task details, and Motion's AI will intelligently schedule it on your calendar based on priority, deadlines, and availability.
This seamless integration with your personal and work calendars ensures that your schedule accounts for meetings, appointments, and other time commitments, providing a realistic view of your workload.
Where Motion excels is in team collaboration (Motion isn't just for teams, we have over 100K individuals using and getting value from Motion) and capacity planning.
You can assign tasks to team members, and they'll automatically appear on their calendars, eliminating the need for constant check-ins and status updates.
Motion also considers team members' availability and workloads, allowing you to plan projects realistically and identify potential bottlenecks proactively.
👉 Motion was also rated the best daily planner app by Efficient Appamong dozens of evaluated tools.
What I liked
I was blown away by how seamlessly Motion integrated with my calendar.
Having my tasks automatically scheduled and adjusted based on my real availability was a massive timesaver and reduced the cognitive overhead of planning my days.
The ability to simply mark a high-priority task and have Motion intelligently reshuffle my schedule felt like having an AI assistant.
For my team, the shared workspace and project views provided much-needed visibility, while the capacity planning aspect ensured we could accurately scope work based on our combined availability.
What I disliked
While Motion is an exceptional platform, there are a few areas where it could improve.
The learning curve for some of the more advanced features, such as custom fields, can be a bit steep initially.
Compared to some of Motion's competitors, the pricing structure can be perceived as slightly higher, especially for smaller teams or individuals.
However, the value proposition of Motion's features often outweighs the cost for teams that prioritize productivity and effective daily planning.
Motion pricing
7-day free trial
Individual: $19/month (billed annually)
Team: $12/user/month (billed annually)
What other users have to say about Motion
So many of our users have reported significant productivity boosts and a sense of accomplishment after transitioning to Motion!
But don’t just take our word for it 👇
It has been the most helpful - and I'm not exaggerating - thing that ever happened to me in my creative career regarding project management and work-life balance.
It has balanced and planned my days and weeks so perfectly that it is truly unbelievable.
Motion actually helps me be reasonable with my time. Before Motion, I was just go-go-go.
Now, I realize how much I am putting on my plate, and how unreasonable I'm being. Motion helps be prioritize my tasks and keep me on track. I use it every day, open a screen next to my working screen to keep me focused.
Any.do for seamless task and calendar integration
Standout features
The ability to combine to-do lists, calendars, and reminders all in one place
The fact it provides the most impactful tasks via smart suggestions
How easy it is to navigate and add tasks
The smart grocery list is convenient for shopping and meal planning.
The chat functionality for teams
Any.do started as a mobile-first application that primarily helped with personal tasks, and has quickly evolved to enhance their features and functionality.
Now Any.do helps its users simplify both their work and personal lives on the web, iOS, Android, Mac, and Windows.
Any.do offers checklist management, task organization, and calendar integration (Google or Outlook.).
It can function similarly to Trello, as it includes board views, as well as kanban, table, and calendar views. The calendar view, however, is not perfect, as it’s shown separately from tasks, and is harder to merge together.
It is also currently experimenting with AI, by offering suggested tasks to its users. It can break down projects for you into smaller tasks, and suggest tasks for you based on previous preferences.
What I liked
I appreciated the simplicity and intuitive design of Any.do. The ability to view my calendar events and tasks in one place was incredibly convenient, as it eliminated the need to switch between multiple apps.
The "Suggestions" panel was also a nice touch, allowing me to quickly add relevant tasks to my daily plan without having to search through different project lists.
I found it helpful to restructure my work and organize tasks based on different criteria like people or due dates.
What I disliked
While Any.do offers a range of features, there were a few areas where I felt it fell short.
The application felt slightly cluttered in certain areas, with too many options and views crammed into the interface.
Additionally, while the calendar and task views were helpful to see in one place, I just wished I could merge the two as I can in Motion.
I think the AI functionality is helpful, but I’d prefer to see it restructure my day as fires arise, and things are shifted.
Any.do pricing
Free plan
Premium: $2.99/user/month
Team: $4.99/user/month
Sunsama for mindful daily planning
Standout features
Centralizes tasks from multiple sources like email, Notion, Slack, etc.
Sunsama is a daily planner app that acts as the central hub for all your tasks and to-dos from various apps and tools.
The onboarding process was straightforward—I connected my Gmail, Notion, and Slack accounts, and Sunsama pulled in relevant tasks and action items from those apps.
The interface is clean and easy to navigate. Sunsama does not have project management capabilities like Motion and Any.do, as it pulls the tasks from other tools.
However, it could be a great solution for anyone who works at a large company that is already well-engrained in a project management tool.
This way, the user could still have the benefits of integrating tasks and calendars, while working within the applications they already use.
Integrations are a key part of Sunsama's value proposition.
In addition to the major productivity apps, it can connect to project management tools like Asana, ClickUp, Trello, and more.
This allows you to consolidate tasks from all your work apps into one place.
What I liked
One aspect I really enjoyed about Sunsama was the weekly calendar view for planning out my schedule. It provides a nice high-level look at your week, and you can drag and drop tasks onto specific days and timeslots.
I was also a fan of Sunsama's aesthetically pleasing design. The interface is modern and uncluttered, with a calming color scheme.
This created a nice environment for planning out my days without visual overwhelm.
I also liked their weekly review, which allowed me to see how I spent my time that week.
What I disliked
While Sunsama's integrations are certainly useful for pulling in tasks, I found the process of manually dragging each task onto my calendar to be tedious at times, especially on busy days.
As someone who juggles dozens of tasks across multiple projects, I would have liked an option for more automated scheduling based on due dates, priorities, and estimated times as Motion does for me.
Another area where Sunsama fell a bit short for me was in their collaboration and team features. Sunsama felt geared more toward personal task management.
Sunsama pricing
Monthly: $20/month
Yearly: $16/month (billed annually)
Akiflow for robust custom integrations
Standout features
Powerful API and workflow automation
Integrations with dozens of apps
Calendar analytics and metrics
Akiflow is quite similar to Sunsama, which made it challenging for me to initially determine the differences.
Like Sunsama—it pulls your tasks from other tools, so it does not have project management capabilities.
However, Akiflow is centered around its robust API and deep integrations with over 50 apps and services. This allows users to build custom workflows to streamline their processes.
For example, you could set up a workflow so that when a new lead is added to your CRM, Akiflow automatically creates a follow-up task and schedules it on your calendar. Or if you get an email from an important client, it triggers a notification and task in Akiflow.
The possibilities for automation are extensive.
In addition to the workflow engine, Akiflow has all the standard features you'd expect in a daily planner—a clean kanban board interface, calendar and scheduling views, notes and file uploads, and more. It integrates natively with Google Calendar to sync your Akiflow schedule.
What I liked
I was really impressed by the power and flexibility of Akiflow's automation engine.
Being able to build custom workflows tailored to my team's unique processes is a huge advantage over more rigid task managers.
I also appreciated the level of customization Akiflow offers. Everything from the interface colors and layout to the specific data fields and views can be adjusted to fit your needs.
This degree of control fosters a sense of the tool working for you, rather than the other way around.
Additionally, Akiflow provides in-depth analytics on your time management, including metrics around your productive hours, schedule density, and how closely you adhered to your planned calendar.
What I disliked
While Akiflow's technical capabilities are impressive, I did find the learning curve to be quite steep, especially for building out more complex automation using their API and scripting tools.
The app caters more to technical users comfortable with coding and scripting.
The interface, while highly customizable, can also feel a bit cluttered and overwhelming at times with all the options and features packed into it.
Akiflow pricing
Monthly: $34/month
Yearly: $19/month (billed annually)
Routine for personal habit tracking and routine planning
Standout features
Beautiful, minimalist interface
Habit tracking and journaling
Free personal plan
Routine is the newest entrant to the daily planner app space, and it shows in its fresh, modern approach to task and schedule management.
While Routine has the usual features of adding tasks and scheduling time blocks, it sets itself apart with thoughtful lifestyle features like habit tracking, journaling, and mindfulness exercises.
The onboarding process walks you through setting daily "routines" for things like morning and evening rituals.
You can track habits like meditation, reading, or exercise. In terms of integrations, Routine currently connects with the core Google Workspace apps like Gmail, Calendar, and Keep.
They also have plans to add Slack, Notion, and project management integrations down the line.
What I liked
The minimalist aesthetic is clean and calming.
I'm a big believer in building positive habits alongside productivity habits. So I loved how Routine baked habit tracking and journaling into the core experience.
It encourages a more holistic approach to time management.
The free pricing tier is another big plus for Routine.
It's generous for a personal plan, so you can try out the app's core features without a commitment. This lowered the barrier for me to give it a shot.
What I disliked
While Routine nails the lifestyle and personal productivity use cases, it does fall short when it comes to more robust work management needs.
During my testing, I found it lacking in areas like, assigning tasks and delegation, tracking team priorities and workloads, reporting, and visibility into project status.
Routine feels optimized for individual use rather than collaborative scenarios.
Additionally, Routine's calendar seemed better suited for time-blocking self-contained tasks versus larger project work.
Routine pricing
Free plan
Premium: $12/month (billed annually)
Business: $15/user/month
Notion Calendar for integrated note-taking and scheduling
Standout features
The new Notion Calendar app is turning heads with standout capabilities like:
Deep integration to view Notion databases as calendar timelines
Clean interface with smart agenda/scheduling tools
Multiple calendar overlay with time zone support
Seamless Google Calendar sync
Quick access to meeting docs/pages from the menu bar
Notion Calendar is part of the broader Notion platform, offering customizable workflows and project management features.
Notion's flexibility makes it a favorite among users who require a highly customizable tool.
If you already have tasks, projects, notes, etc., in Notion, this calendar could be particularly helpful for you.
Now, instead of having your to-do’s, knowledge base, and meeting notes in your project management tool, and your time blocking, scheduling, and appointments in your calendar—you can access them all in one place.
Notion Calendar stands out for its versatility and ability to integrate various elements into a cohesive workflow.
However, it lacks the dynamic scheduling and AI-powered features that Motion offers.
It’s also still fairly new and users have reported that there are many changes they’d like to see—specifically, adding Outlook and iCloud integrations.
What I liked
Of course, the seamless integration between the Notion Calendar and the Notion workspace is impressive.
The ability to view and manage my tasks, projects, and timelines directly within the calendar app was perfect and eliminated the need to constantly switch between multiple applications.
Additionally, the ability to create and share meeting notes, resources, and documents directly within calendar events was a valuable addition, streamlining collaboration and reducing the need for multiple email threads or file attachments.
What I disliked
While Notion Calendar is powerful, there were a few areas where I felt it could be improved.
One of the primary shortcomings was the lack of full Google Calendar sync, particularly when it came to recurring events.
Also, Notion only works with Google Calendar, not Outlook or iCloud, and is unusable on a tablet.
Finally, Notion Calendar requires quite a bit of time to set up and customize workflows.
Notion Calendar pricing
Notion Calendar is included in the standard Notion Suite, even the free version.
Free Plan
Plus: $8/user/month
Business: $15/user/month
What is the best daily planner app?
Based on our deep dive, Motion clearly emerges as the best daily planning app for scheduling your day.
Its AI-powered auto-scheduling, comprehensive task management, calendar link, and seamless integration with multiple calendars make it a standout choice.
Additionally, the ability to dynamically adjust tasks based on priorities and deadlines sets it apart from other apps.
And furthermore, its team capabilities and time-tracking features, allow for optimal team understanding and performance.
What if I'm looking for a free option?
We've got you covered! While we love Motion, if you're looking for a free option, you can't go wrong with the Notion calendar.
How to get started with the best daily planner, Motion
We hope we’ve convinced you that Motion is clearly worth a try!
And if so, we want to make your Motion experience as easy and as fruitful as possible.
We’ve listed out all the most important steps you should take in order to see an immediate impact from the tool.
If you’re more of a visual learner, check out the tutorial, below.
If written steps are more helpful, follow along below!
Step #1 - Connect your calendar
After signing up for a free trial, you’ll need to connect your calendar.
We recommend adding both your main calendar (most likely, your work calendar,) and your personal calendar.
Step #2 - Add your first task
Now you’re ready to set your first task.
To begin, click "Add Task" in Motion.
Next, you’ll want to set the task details like priority, end date, deadline, start date, and duration.
👉 Tip: Make sure the “Auto-Schedule” toggle is on to let Motion's AI schedule the task on your calendar.
Individual users
If you're an individual user, feel free to stop here.
However, if you want to add even more organization, such as projects, templates, and dependencies between tasks, you can access all the features that teams have without paying more.
We can't wait to see what you think!
Step #3 - Set up projects & workspaces
Now you’ll want to set up your workspaces.
Workspaces normally represent departments, or “buckets of work” your team normally completes.
For example, you might want to have an “Admin” workspace, or a “Growth” workspace.
To set up a workspace, go to the “Projects” tab and click the plus sign next to "Workspaces" in the left sidebar to create one.
Next, you want to create projects inside each workspace.
Step #4 - Set up statuses
The next step you’ll want to complete is statuses.
You want to think of statuses as the steps your project needs to go through from start to finish.
Steps like “research, editing, backlog, launching, complete.”
To add statuses, go to “Settings,” click on each workspace, and add “Statuses.”
Step #5 - Create a task template
Now that you’ve got your statuses complete, you’ll want to work on your task templates.
Task templates are the perfect solution for work that you do repeatedly. For example, let’s say you’re team is often writing blogs.
Creating a template for your blog process would be a great way to streamline a repetitive project like this, as you can create a pre-existing list that showcases all the items you’d need to complete to mark it as done.
And then, you could reuse that template again and again.
To create a reusable template, simply go to “Templates,” and then select “Create a New Template.”
Step #6 - Identify which labels you’ll use
Labels allow you to further categorize and group tasks within a workspace or project.
Examples could be as detailed as content marketing, product marketing, influencer marketing, etc.
You can find labels inside the tasks you create, and can easily add new labels from inside a task as well.
Step #7 - Customize your views
The final step to finalizing your projects is setting up your views.
To customize your views, go back to the “Projects” tab.
Once you’re there, you might notice that the ordering of your statuses is a bit off.
Just drop and drag your statuses around until they look right. A preferred view for many Motion users is grouping by “Status” and “Priority.”
We also suggest toggling off the “Completed” status and switching to the “Kanban” view for better visualization.
Try Motion for free
If you’re ready to transform the way you manage your day, we’d love for you to give Motion a try!
We offer a 7-day free trial so that you can experience the benefits of AI-assisted project management and dynamic scheduling.
Alli is Content Writer and Strategist who has worked in SaaS since 2017. She’s worked with brands like BombBomb, Animalz, SupportLogic, and Copy.ai. Alli lives in Colorado with her husband, daughter, and two dogs.
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Motion
Any.do
Sunsama
Akiflow
Routine
Notion Calendar
