It’s the beginning of the week, and it’s time to jot down the top three most important tasks for the day, set up reminders, and look through and edit last week’s notes.
But wait.
Should you do it in Google Docs? The new planning app your friend introduced you to? Or keep it simple and stick with the notes app on your phone?
You’ve likely found yourself in this scenario more than once if you haven’t had luck finding a digital planner.
Granted, just about every daily planner out there do most basic tasks. But few unify and centralize just about every one of your planning needs in one platform.
To help inform your quest for the best digital planner, we’ve compiled a list of all the options worth considering below.
Let’s dive into the specifics.
10 Best Free Digital Planner Apps in 2024
Summarize this article for me pleaseWhat Should You Look for in a Digital Planner App?
One of the most significant features of a planner is user-friendliness. It’s hard enough to stick to a digital planner tool long-term—don’t make it harder on yourself by trying to work a digital planner that’s rigid and clunky into your daily life.
An excellent digital planner makes it easy to centralize all your tasks. This means it’s always a good idea to check what other applications you’re likely already using (think Gmail or Slack) so that it integrates easier with your existing workflow.
Though it’s a matter of preference, the more integrations and features a digital planner has the better. Why? It’s one of the best ways to reduce the number of applications you often have to use to juggle doc creation, keeping track of invoices, reminders, or even the progress of any of your projects. 📚
Summarize this article for me pleaseThe 10 Best Digital Planner Apps in 2024
1. ClickUp
As a digital planner, think of ClickUp as the all-in-one tool that takes care of anything from the simplest to the most complex planning needs for teams and individuals alike. Yeah, it comes with tons of features and is hyper-customizable—perfect for the digital planner that’s very particular about how they track and manage work (or their personal lives). 📖
ClickUp best features
- ClickUp’s Calendar View: Arrange your tasks systematically, schedule deadlines, and create a dynamic calendar that enables your team to track progress and stay aligned.
- Automations: Deal with routine tasks that get repetitive quickly with ClickUp’s advanced automation features. It’s a great way to free up additional mind space and plan more efficiently. With automation triggers and conditions, automate task creation, assignee changes, reminders, and task priority to name a few
- Personalization: The best daily planners are malleable—that way, you don’t have to deal with rigid fields irrelevant to your needs. ClickUp was built around customization, which means you’ll want to take some time to get familiar with how pages, folders, views, and tasks work to lock in a workflow that’s built for you
- Templates: Who doesn’t love templates? ClickUp offers its users hundreds of templates spanning all kinds of needs like resource planning and event planning. Get started with ClickUp’s Daily Planner Template!
ClickUp limitations
- Some users cite its limited spreadsheet tools and complex formulas
- Not all views are available on mobile (yet!)
ClickUp pricing
- Free Forever
- Unlimited: $7/month per user
- Business: $12/month per user
- Enterprise: Contact for pricing
ClickUp ratings and reviews
- Capterra: 4.7/5 (2,000+ reviews)
- G2: 4.7/5 (5,000+ reviews)
2. Google Calendar
You know Google Calendar as one of the original digital planner platforms. Its scheduling features make it easy to get through the workday in one piece without overlapping meetings, work time, or “me” time.
Though basic, Google Calendar still offers some great planning features that work for the right user or as an integration for an app you’re already using. It’s easy to use as a daily planner or weekly planner app. You can also schedule events throughout the year with its easy-to-use interface.
Google Calendar best features
- Automated reminders: Google Calendar sets automated reminders for upcoming events and tasks so that users stay on top of their schedule
- Agenda view: Google Calendar has an Agenda View feature, which allows users to see their upcoming events, tasks, and notes at a glance
- Calendar sharing: Google Calendar also allows users to share their calendar with others so that tasks, events, and notes are collaboratively managed
- Mobile Friendly: Works on iOS devices and Android devices
Google Calendar limitations
- Limited to mostly scheduling and time blocking
- Lacks the additional features that make it a truly well-rounded planning dashboard
Google Calendar pricing
- Free
Google Calendar ratings and reviews
- Capterra: 4.8/6 (2,000 + reviews)
- G2: 4.6/5 (40,000 + reviews)
3. Todoist
Todoist is a digital planner app that helps users stay organized and productive. It comes with a range of features and tools, such as task and some basic project management, do-lists (AKA to-do lists), reminders and notifications, and the ability to create custom filters.
Todoist best features
- Do-lists: This to-do list feature allows users to break down their tasks and goals into smaller, manageable lists, and it’s accessible on multiple devices for on-the-go planning
- Reminders and notifications: The app comes with automated reminders and notifications, which help users stay on track and organized
- Custom filters: Todoist also has a custom filter feature to easily search and find tasks and data
Todoist limitations
- Lacks advanced features (can’t archive old lists)
- Can be hard to share your to-do lists for online collaboration
Todoist pricing
- Free:
- Pro: $4/month billed annually
- Business: $6/month billed annually
Todoist ratings and reviews
- Capterra: 4.6/5 (2,000+ reviews)
- G2: 4.4/6 (700+ reviews)
4. Notion
Notion is user-friendly and a great choice for individuals who like getting creative with their digital planner by starting with a blank canvas. It offers useful tools and features, including task management, a calendar view, and customizable task rows and columns.
Plus, its users synchronize their data across multiple devices, share their planning information, and integrate with other applications for maximum productivity.
Notion best features
- Task management: Notion provides users with an intuitive task management system for creating, organizing, and tracking tasks
- Nesting and linked databases: Notion’s nesting and linked databases allow users to easily organize and store pages and related tasks in a format that’s easy to navigate
- Integration and embedding features: Notion also has integration and embedding features, which enable users to connect their Notion data with other services, such as Gmail or Slack, for a better workflow. Also, you can visually embed applications right on your dashboard for easy access
Notion limitations
- Currently lacks the robust automation and task reminder features that other digital planner apps offer
- Mobile app features are a bit limited compared to other digital planners
- Some users say they spend a bit more time getting over the learning curve in the beginning
Notion pricing
- Free
- Plus: $8 per user per month billed annually
- Business: $15 per user per month billed annually
- Enterprise: Contact the sales team
Notion ratings and reviews
- Capterra: 4.7/5 (1,000+ reviews)
- G2: 4.6/5 (1,000+ reviews)
5. Asana
If you enjoy digital planners with more of a framework or project manager approach to a workflow, then Asana is worth considering. It offers users a wide range of features, such as classic task and project management software, a calendar view, custom templates, easy integration with other cool apps, and plenty of views.
Asana best features
- Custom fields: Organize and sort information like in a spreadsheet with single-select, multi-select, number, and text custom fields
- Forms tied to projects: Collect the exact details needed for each task by directly connecting request forms to specific projects
- Task deadlines: View tasks on an Asana calendar and stay on track, or even view them in your work calendar
- Simple to-do list: Easy to create personal or collaborative to-do lists
Asana limitations
- Asana doesn’t provide true native time-tracking features
- Some say it isn’t a flexible tool compared to other digital planners on this list
- Custom field tools can feel limited
- Free version might be limiting for a simple daily planner
Asana pricing
- Basic: Free
- Premium: $10.99 per user per month billed annually
- Business: $24.99 per user per month billed annually
Asana ratings and reviews
- Capterra: 4.5/5 (11,000+ reviews)
- G2: 4.3/5 (9,000+ reviews)
6. Mydailyplanners
Mash GoodNotes, Google, and Apple Calendar together and you get MyDailyPlanners. This daily planner app has to-do list options and offers templated digital planners complete with links and reminder settings. This works a lot like bullet journals and more as digital planners that can be edited “by hand.”
MyDailyPlanners best features
- Hyperlinked pages: Organize and manage each month with easily navigable linked pages
- Digital stickers: Use digital stickers in any of your monthly planning pages, just like in real life
- Reusable PDF templates: Reuse the PDF template if you need to use the same page for additional planning
MyDailyPlanners limitations
- Not so much an application but a template-based digital planner for an iPad or tablet
- Updates to the digital planner templates cost extra
MyDailyPlanners pricing
- Digital planners and bundles range anywhere from $15 to $20+
MyDailyPlanners ratings and reviews
- Capterra: N/A
- G2: N/A
7. Trello
If you’re a fan of a Kanban planning approach, look no further than Trello. As a digital planner, it’s a highly visual tool that uses cards to plan tasks and projects. Tag users, add checklists, link files, and set automated reminders to stay on top of all your tasks.
Trello best features
- Drag-and-drop interface: Trello’s intuitive drag-and-drop interface makes it easy to move cards, lists, or boards around and view the progress of different projects
- Image and file uploads: Trello allows users to view upcoming tasks, upload images and files, and keep track of project deadlines
- Flexible organization: Trello offers an easy-to-use organization system with customizable labels, checklists, and task assignments, which can work great for daily tasks
Trello limitations
- Built around one type of digital planner framework
- Can’t integrate or embed other apps you’re already using
- Can be a lot of work for a simple to-do list
Trello pricing
- Free
- Standard: $5 per user per month billed annually
- Premium: $10 per user per month billed annually
- Enterprise: $17.50 per user per month billed annually
Trello ratings and reviews
- Capterra: 4.5/5 (22,000+ reviews)
- G2: 4.4/5 (13,000+ reviews)
8. GoodNotes
GoodNotes is an accessible iOS app that allows users to take notes or make sketches quickly and easily. The digital planner app features an intuitive interface that lets you create, organize, and edit documents.
It also includes a virtual library that allows users to store, manage, and access their notes with ease. Of the best digital planners, this one is ideal for more visual organizational tasks.
GoodNotes best features
- Virtual Library: Offers an organized virtual library to store, manage, and access users’ notes
- Handwriting recognition: Allows users to type by simply writing out the words on their device
- Text recognition: Digital planner app recognizes typed or hand-written text to easily convert it into an editable format
GoodNotes limitations
- Only available for iOS devices (Android devices may be coming)
- Lack of pre-made shapes in the shape tool
- No layering function makes the drawing feature really difficult
GoodNotes pricing
- Free
- Go Limitless: $8.99 one-time payment
GoodNotes ratings and reviews
- Capterra: 4.5/5 (35+ reviews)
- G2: 4.8/5 (29+ reviews)
9. Any.do
Any.do has an easy-to-use dashboard that lets you create your daily plan on the go. Of the best digital planners on this list, Any.do is quite simple to add notes and attachments to your list. You can even color-code your priorities.
It’s an excellent planner app for creating centralized task lists that are shareable with your team or to create a simple to-do list.
Any.do best features
- Mobile-friendly calendar: Calendar tools are super mobile-friendly and allow you to connect your Google Calendar
- Turn emails into tasks: Once you connect your email provider, it’s easy to turn emails into tasks so you always remember to respond
- Easily sync data: Made for on-the-go planning, it’s easy to work from the app and sync data across all your device
Any.do limitations
- Free version only offers limited features
- Doesn’t integrate well with other work apps
Any.do pricing
- Personal: Free
- Premium: $3 per month, billed annually
- Teams: $5 per month, per user, billed annually
Any.do ratings and reviews
- Capterra: 4.5/5 (100+ reviews)
- G2: 4/5 (150+ reviews)
10. Monday.com
With Monday, users create projects, collaborate with team members, and track progress in one place. The platform features an intuitive drag-and-drop interface for task management, custom notifications for essential activities, and powerful automation capabilities.
Monday also integrates with hundreds of apps and services to help you work more effectively and get more done.
Monday best features
- Unlimited boards and docs: Free plan offers users unlimited dashboards and doc creation
- Customizable workflows: Create seamless workflows that take to-dos and projects from pending to complete in less time
- Workload management tools: Find tools inside its dashboard for client planning, weekly goals and OKRs, and high-level planning
Monday limitations
- Free version can feel limiting
- Some think it saves its best features for paying premium users
- Certain users don’t find the features as in-depth or flexible as other digital planner app alternatives
- Generally more work management than digital planning
Monday pricing
- Basic: Free
- Standard: $8 a set per month billed annually
- Pro: $10 a set per month billed annually
- Enterprise: Contact the sales team
Monday ratings and reviews
- Capterra: 4.6/5 (2,000+ reviews)
- G2: 4.6/5 (3,000+ reviews)
Looking for more digital planner apps? Check out this Sunsama alternatives guide!
Summarize this article for me pleaseReplace All Your Digital Planner Apps
The beauty of planning is that it isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach—it’s highly personal. With ClickUp, your quest to find the best digital planner app finally comes to a close.
Use it to brainstorm from scratch, create templates, and keep track of your most important tasks all in one place. ClickUp even lets you integrate multiple Google Calendars.
So you’re always on top of your personal planning needs and work projects. So start using ClickUp to ensure you have every tool you’ll need for your digital planning needs.
Everything you need to stay organized and get work done.
