Best daily planner apps for 2026, ranked: ByDesign and 12 more
A daily planner app helps you decide what to do today and when, with your tasks and meetings on one calendar. We lined up thirteen, from simple day lists to AI planners that schedule the day for you.
Updated November 5, 2026. ByDesign is our app. It’s listed first, and its limits are listed the same way as every other app’s.
It’s the only one of the thirteen apps we compared that combines time blocking, AI that plans your day with a preview, a habit tracker, goal tracking and a year view. Each day fits around your calendar and stays tied to the goals behind it.
From each app’s own pricing and help pages, checked November 5, 2026.
The best daily planner apps at a glance
1
ByDesign (best overall): the only app here that combines time blocking, AI that plans your day with a preview, a habit tracker, goal tracking and a year view; iPhone, iPad, Android, Mac, Windows and web; no free plan (7-day trial), Pro $8 a month, AI plan $15 a month.
2
Sunsama: a daily planner where Sunny, its AI assistant, creates, estimates and timeboxes tasks; web, Mac, Windows, iPhone, iPad and Android; no free plan, $17 a month billed yearly ($22 monthly).
3
Morgen: an AI Planner that time-blocks your tasks for the next one to seven days across every calendar you use; web, Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android; no free plan, $15 a month billed yearly ($30 monthly).
4
Akiflow: one inbox for tasks from your other tools, drag-and-drop time blocking and Aki, an AI assistant that builds tasks from a request; web, Mac, Windows, iPhone, iPad and Android; no free plan, $19 a month billed yearly ($34 monthly).
5
Motion: schedules your tasks and projects automatically and reshuffles them as things change; web, Mac, Windows, iOS and Android; no free plan, Pro AI $19 per seat a month billed yearly ($29 monthly).
6
Ellie Planner: a daily planner with day columns, a Timebox calendar and an AI assistant that can timebox your day; web, Mac, Windows, iPhone and iPad; no free plan, Pro $9.99 a month or $99.99 a year.
7
TickTick: tasks, a habit tracker, a Pomodoro timer and calendar views in one app; web, Mac, Windows, iPhone, iPad and Android; free plan, Premium $49.99 a year.
8
Reclaim.ai: AI agents that find and defend time for focus, habits and tasks on your Google or Outlook calendar; web app and Google Calendar add-on; free Lite plan, Starter $10 per seat a month billed yearly ($12 monthly).
9
Structured: a visual day timeline where Structured AI turns text, voice or a scanned paper planner into tasks; iPhone, iPad, Mac, Android and web; free to use, Pro sold in the app.
10
Routine: an all-in-one workspace with tasks, calendars, pages, time blocking and an AI assistant; Mac, Windows, Linux, web, iPhone, iPad and Android; free plan, Personal $8 a month.
11
Todoist: a fast to-do list with Task Assist, AI that turns a goal into a list of tasks; web, Mac, Windows, iPhone, iPad and Android; free plan, Pro $5 a month billed yearly ($7 monthly).
12
Any.do: tasks, reminders and a calendar with drag-and-drop time blocking, plus shared family lists; web, Mac, Windows, iOS and Android; free plan, Premium $4.99 a month billed yearly.
13
Things 3: a clean to-do list with Today, Upcoming and Someday lists; Mac, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Apple Vision Pro; one-time prices from $9.99 (iPhone) to $49.99 (Mac).
How each app plans your day
Most daily planners help you time-block the day, and a few let AI do it for you. ByDesign is the only one here that also tracks your habits and goals and shows your whole year, so each day fits into the bigger plan.
Mac, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Apple Vision Pro
Apple Calendar events, read-only
No
Prices in US dollars, checked on November 5, 2026. Sources are linked under each app below.
What makes a good daily planner app
Tasks and meetings in one day
Time-blocking your tasks on the same calendar as your meetings shows what really fits into today.
It plans around your real hours
Work hours, breaks and buffers should decide where tasks land, so the plan still holds at 4 pm.
You approve the changes
AI that rearranges your day should show you the change first and let you undo it.
Habits belong in the day
The routines you’re building need a place on the calendar, not a separate app.
Today connects to your goals
A good day moves something bigger forward, so your daily plan should link to your goals.
How we chose these apps
We included the daily planners people most often compare with ByDesign: apps for time blocking and planning the day, AI schedulers, and to-do apps with a Today view.
ByDesign is our app, so its section goes into the most detail. Everything about the other apps comes from their own websites, help centres, pricing pages and download pages, linked under each app. Prices are in US dollars, can differ by country and change over time; promotions aren’t included.
Features were checked against each app’s own pages from October 23 to 26, 2026, and prices, plans and platforms on November 5, 2026. ByDesign is our app. It’s listed first, and its limits are listed the same way as every other app’s. If anything here is out of date, email info@bydesign.io.
The best daily planner apps in 2026
1. ByDesign
Best overall
Best for: Planning each day around your calendar, your habits and your goals.
ByDesign is a daily planner that keeps your tasks, calendar, habits and goals in one app. Drag tasks onto your calendar, or let the planning assistant fit them around your work hours, breaks and buffers and show you every change before it’s saved. Your habits sit in the same day, and goal pages and a year-to-day canvas keep each day tied to the bigger plan.
Why it’s our pick for planning your day
It’s the only app on this list that combines time blocking, AI day planning with a preview, a habit tracker, goal tracking and a year view.
Scheduling follows rules you set: work hours, breaks, buffers, a daily maximum and splitting long tasks, and every change is shown first.
Habits, a Pomodoro timer and time tracking sit in the same app as your calendar.
Apps for iPhone, iPad, Android, Mac and Windows plus the web, with home-screen widgets and two-way Google and Apple calendar sync.
How ByDesign plans your day
Time blocking on your real calendar
Tasks and events share one calendar. Drag a task into a time slot, and two-way sync with Google and Apple calendars, plus Outlook and ICS subscriptions, keeps your meetings and to-dos in the same day.
AI that plans your day, with a preview
On the AI plan, the planning assistant fits tasks around your work hours, breaks and buffers, keeps to a daily maximum and splits long tasks. Every change and conflict shows on the calendar first, and you accept it or undo it step by step.
Habits in the same day
Habits come with streaks, skip days, stats and friends to keep you going, and reminders and deadlines keep the small things from slipping.
Focus while you work
A Pomodoro timer and time tracking on any task keep each block on track.
A dashboard for your day
Drag widgets onto your dashboard: your score board, tasks, habits, inbox, pinned pages and Kanban boards.
Quick capture
Type tasks in plain language or drop them into a brain dump inbox, talk to the assistant with the mic or hands-free with an optional wake phrase, and add from home-screen widgets on iPhone and Android.
Each day tied to your goals
Goal pages track your progress, and on the AI plan the assistant turns a goal into tasks, subtasks and deadlines on your calendar. A zoomable canvas runs from the whole year down to today.
Plan from ChatGPT or Claude
An MCP server comes with every plan, so Claude, ChatGPT and other assistants can read your schedule, add tasks and plan your day from the chat you already use.
ByDesign plans and prices
Pro$8 a month or $69 a yearTasks, habits, pages, calendar sync, the apps on every device and 1,000 MCP requests a month. No AI.
AI$15 a month or $119 a yearEverything in Pro, plus AI goal plans, AI scheduling, the planning canvas and 500 AI credits a month.
AI Plus$20 a month or $199 a yearEverything in AI, plus 1,500 AI credits a month, the best available AI models, a higher-quality voice assistant and more storage.
Every plan starts with a 7-day free trial, no credit card. Paying yearly costs up to 33% less.
What people say
“Honestly, Notion was really exhausting for me... Your product works in the simplest way. I’m a product designer, and I’d love to share my feedback with you after using it more :)”
From Daniel
“Can I just say I love you. Finally, a good-looking app that isn’t complex as hell. There are tears in my eyes. I’ll happily pay for this!💯”
From Callio
“Hello! Just found byDesign less than 8 hours ago, and I’m blown away. It has the best of Workflowy (10 yr customer now), Notion, Google Calendar and ICQ (haha)! Oh and a neat Facebook too -- minus the obscure relatives and friends that rant-post too often. Anyhoo, just wanted to say you guys are working on a winner here”
From Narovsky
Limitations
No free plan: a 7-day free trial, then a paid plan.
The AI features and the year canvas need the AI plan ($15 a month); Pro ($8 a month) has no AI.
Two-way sync is for Google and Apple calendars; Outlook comes in as a subscription.
Platforms
iPhone, iPad, Android, Mac, Windows and web
Calendars
Google and Apple (two-way), Outlook (subscription)
Bottom line: Pick ByDesign if you want each day planned around your calendar and your habits, and tied to the goals behind it.
Sunsama is a daily planner for busy professionals: you plan the day, timebox tasks on your calendar and end with a daily reflection. Sunny, its AI assistant, creates, estimates and timeboxes tasks.
Strengths
A calm daily routine with Google, Apple and Outlook calendars.
Focus mode, a Pomodoro timer, time tracking and an MCP server on one plan.
Limitations
It plans by the day and the week: no long-term goals or habit tracking.
AI places tasks without a preview, and there’s no free plan.
Pricing
No free plan. $17 a month billed yearly, or $22 monthly.
Platforms
Web, Mac, Windows, iPhone, iPad and Android
What ByDesign adds: planning beyond the week, with goal tracking, habits, a year view and a preview before AI changes are saved.
Morgen brings your calendars and task tools into one place. Its AI Planner proposes time blocks for the tasks you already have, one to seven days at a time, and you approve the plan.
Strengths
AI day planning with a preview you approve.
Works across many calendars, with apps for every platform including Linux.
Limitations
No goals, and the AI plans at most a week ahead.
No MCP server in Morgen itself, and no voice control.
Pricing
No free plan. $15 a month billed yearly, or $30 monthly.
Platforms
Web, Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android
What ByDesign adds: plans toward goals beyond a single week, with goal tracking, voice control and an MCP server built in.
Akiflow gathers tasks from email and your other apps into one inbox, and you time-block them onto your calendar by drag and drop. Aki, its AI assistant, builds tasks from a request.
Strengths
One inbox for tasks scattered across many tools.
Fast drag-and-drop time blocking with Google, Apple and Outlook calendars.
Limitations
The AI only reflows the same day, when you click it; no habits, goals or year view.
No free plan, and $34 a month if you pay monthly.
Pricing
No free plan. $19 a month billed yearly, or $34 monthly.
Platforms
Web, Mac, Windows, iPhone, iPad and Android
What ByDesign adds: AI that plans your week and your goals, not just today, plus habits, goal tracking and a year view, for $15 a month against $34.
Motion is an AI work planner for professionals and teams. You add tasks and projects with deadlines, and its auto-scheduling fits them around your meetings and moves them as things change.
Strengths
Fully automatic scheduling around meetings and working hours.
Projects from a description, plus docs, Kanban and Gantt views for teams.
Limitations
No habits, no goals with progress and no year view.
No preview before changes, and no MCP server for ChatGPT or Claude.
Pricing
No free plan. Pro AI $19 per seat a month billed yearly, or $29 monthly.
Platforms
Web, Mac, Windows, iOS and Android
What ByDesign adds: a preview before any change is saved, plus habits, goal tracking and a year view, for $15 a month against $29 for Motion’s Pro AI.
Ellie Planner is a daily planner: tasks sit in day columns on a Calendar Kanban, and you timebox them onto a calendar that syncs with Google and Outlook. It has a brain dump, recurring tasks, a Pomodoro timer and an AI assistant, a Pro feature in beta, that can timebox your day.
Strengths
A simple daily routine: day columns, a brain dump and a Timebox calendar.
A Pomodoro timer and time tracking, plus a one-time Lifetime option.
Limitations
No Android app, and Apple Calendar shows as an overlay without two-way sync.
No habit tracker, goal pages or year view; the AI is a beta on Pro.
Pricing
No free plan; 7-day free trial. Pro $9.99 a month, or $99.99 a year. Lifetime $299.99 once.
Platforms
Web, Mac, Windows, iPhone and iPad
What ByDesign adds: an Android app, two-way Apple Calendar sync, habits with streaks, goal pages and AI that turns a goal into a scheduled plan.
TickTick is a task manager with a built-in habit tracker, Pomodoro timer and calendar views. Its AI assistant can break a goal into stages, tasks and habits, and it connects to Claude and ChatGPT through an MCP server.
Strengths
Tasks, habits, a focus timer and calendar views in one app.
A free plan, and Premium is $49.99 a year.
Limitations
No goal pages with progress, and no team plan.
Calendar views and the AI features need Premium.
Pricing
Free plan. Premium $49.99 a year.
Platforms
Web, Mac, Windows, iPhone, iPad and Android
What ByDesign adds: goal pages that track progress, a year-to-day canvas, team plans, and AI that schedules a goal onto your calendar with a preview.
Reclaim.ai works on top of the Google or Outlook calendar you already use. Its AI agents find time for your habits, tasks and focus goals and defend it as meetings move.
Strengths
A free plan with AI scheduling up to a week ahead.
Habits and focus time are protected automatically, with time analytics.
Limitations
No Apple Calendar, and no native mobile or desktop apps.
No goal pages, notes or habit streaks; it schedules what you already have.
Pricing
Free Lite plan. Starter $10 per seat a month billed yearly, or $12 monthly.
Platforms
Web app and Google Calendar add-on
What ByDesign adds: Apple Calendar sync, native apps on every device, and goal pages, notes and habit streaks.
Structured lays your day out as a visual timeline. Structured AI, part of Pro, turns text, voice or a scanned paper planner into tasks on the timeline.
Strengths
A clear visual timeline with widgets and Live Activities.
Free to start, with apps across Apple devices and Android.
Limitations
Calendar events come in one way, and there’s no Windows app or sharing.
No goals, habit tracking or year view.
Pricing
Free to download; Pro is bought in the app, and Structured doesn’t publish its price.
Platforms
iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Apple Vision Pro, Android and web
What ByDesign adds: two-way calendar sync, a Windows app, sharing, and goals, habits and a year view.
Routine is an all-in-one workspace: tasks, calendars and pages with blocks and backlinks, a Console for quick capture, and an AI assistant on every plan, with agents and meeting notes on Professional. Time blocking comes with the Personal plan, and time tracking with Professional.
Strengths
Tasks, calendars and pages in one workspace, with apps for every platform, Linux included.
A free plan that includes the AI assistant.
Limitations
No habit tracker, goal pages or year view.
No Outlook or Apple Calendar sync yet, and its MCP server runs on desktop only.
Pricing
Free plan. Personal $8 a month and Professional $12 a month, billed monthly; paying yearly costs less.
Platforms
Mac, Windows, Linux, web, iPhone, iPad and Android
What ByDesign adds: Apple Calendar sync and Outlook subscriptions, habits with streaks, goal pages, a year-to-day canvas and AI that schedules around your hours with a preview.
Todoist is a to-do list app for work and life, with fast quick add, labels and boards. Task Assist, its AI, turns a goal into a list of tasks but doesn’t schedule them.
Strengths
A free plan, and Pro costs $5 a month billed yearly.
Fast quick add, shared projects and an MCP server for Claude and ChatGPT.
Limitations
No AI scheduling: you place tasks on your calendar yourself.
No goal pages or built-in habit tracker.
Pricing
Free plan. Pro $5 a month billed yearly, or $7 monthly.
Platforms
Web, Mac, Windows, iPhone, iPad and Android
What ByDesign adds: AI scheduling on your calendar, two-way Google and Apple sync, goal pages and a built-in habit tracker.
Any.do combines tasks, reminders and a calendar. On web and desktop you drag tasks into time slots, AI suggestions on Premium help fill lists and prioritise your day, and Family and Workspace plans add shared boards.
Strengths
A free plan, with tasks, reminders and a calendar in one app.
Shared family lists and an MCP connector for ChatGPT and Claude.
Limitations
No habit tracker, goals or year view.
Calendar sync connects one account, on web and desktop.
Pricing
Free plan. Premium $4.99 a month billed yearly; Family $8.33 a month for four people, billed yearly.
Platforms
Web, Mac, Windows, iOS and Android
What ByDesign adds: habits, goal tracking, a year view and AI that plans from your goals, with two-way Google and Apple sync.
Things 3 is a to-do list app for Apple devices, organized into Today, Upcoming, Anytime and Someday lists, with your calendar events shown beside your to-dos. You pay once for each kind of device, with no subscription.
Strengths
A clean design and fast quick add on every Apple device.
One-time prices, with no subscription.
Limitations
No Windows, Android or web app, no sharing and no AI.
No habits or goal tracking, and to-dos can’t be put on the calendar.
Pricing
One-time purchases: $49.99 for Mac, $9.99 for iPhone and Apple Watch, $19.99 for iPad.
Platforms
Mac, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Apple Vision Pro
What ByDesign adds: apps for Windows, Android and the web, tasks on your calendar, and habits, goals, sharing and AI.
ByDesign is our pick for the best daily planner app in 2026. It’s the only app on this list that combines time blocking, AI that plans your day with a preview, a habit tracker, goal tracking and a year view, on iPhone, iPad, Android, Mac, Windows and the web.
What is the best free daily planner app?
You can try ByDesign free for 7 days, AI included, with no credit card. Free plans from other apps come with limits: Reclaim.ai’s free plan schedules only one week ahead, TickTick keeps calendar views on Premium, and Routine’s time blocking starts on its paid Personal plan.
What is the best daily planner for time blocking?
ByDesign. Drag tasks onto your calendar yourself, or let the planning assistant place them around your work hours, breaks and buffers, with every change shown before it’s saved. Motion moves tasks without showing you first, and Akiflow’s optimizer only reflows the same day when you click it.
What is the best AI daily planner?
ByDesign. Its planning assistant fits your tasks around your hours and shows every change and conflict on the calendar first, and it can turn a goal into tasks, subtasks and deadlines too. Sunsama’s Sunny places tasks without a preview, and Ellie Planner’s day timeboxing is a beta on Pro.
Is there a daily planner that connects to your goals?
Yes: ByDesign. Goal pages track your progress, and the AI turns a goal into tasks and deadlines on your calendar, so each day moves a goal forward. Sunsama’s weekly objectives and Akiflow’s goal markers don’t give a goal its own page with progress.
What is the best daily planner app for Android?
ByDesign has an Android app with home-screen widgets, plus apps for iPhone, iPad, Mac and Windows and the web, all in sync. Ellie Planner and Things 3 have no Android app.
What is the difference between a daily planner and a to-do list app?
A to-do list app stores your tasks. A daily planner also decides when you’ll do them, usually by time-blocking them on your calendar. ByDesign does both, and adds habits, goal tracking and AI that plans the day for you.
Plan your day in one place
Put your tasks, meetings and habits on one calendar, and let ByDesign’s AI fit them around your hours. Free for 7 days, no credit card.
