# Sunsama Alternatives in 2026: 10 Daily Planners Compared

> The best Sunsama alternatives in 2026: NotchOwl for $12 once, Morgen and Akiflow for work, Motion to auto-schedule, Structured and Apple Calendar for free.

By Aditya Jaiswal, founder of NotchOwl. Published 2026-11-11, updated 2026-11-11. Canonical URL: https://www.notchowl.com/blog/sunsama-alternatives

The best Sunsama alternatives in 2026 depend on why you’re leaving. If it’s the price, NotchOwl ($12 once) is best for keeping a planned day in view without a subscription, and Apple Calendar with Reminders and Structured are free. If you want the same work planning for less, Morgen is the closest match. If you’d rather not timebox by hand, Motion schedules tasks for you. And if you plan mostly on your phone, Structured, Tiimo and TickTick work there in full.

NotchOwl is my app, which is why it made the ten; where another app, or Sunsama itself, suits you better, I say so. Every app was compared from its website, pricing page, help center and App Store listing in November 2026, and prices are US prices as of November 2026. Nothing here comes from benchmarks or user surveys.

## Quick picks

- **Best for keeping a planned day in view without a subscription:** NotchOwl, $12 once
- **Closest like-for-like for work planning:** Morgen, $15/month billed yearly
- **Best for pulling tasks from many tools into one list:** Akiflow, $19/month billed yearly
- **Best for letting AI schedule your day:** Motion
- **Best free visual timeline:** Structured
- **Best for breaking tasks into small timed steps:** Tiimo
- **Best cheap list with calendar views:** Todoist or TickTick
- **Best calm Today list you buy once:** Things 3, $49.99 for the Mac
- **Best free setup already on your Mac:** Apple Calendar with Reminders

## Why people look for a Sunsama alternative

Sunsama is a well-made daily planner. Each morning it walks you through choosing today’s tasks from your calendar, backlog and connected tools, checks the total against your workload limit and lets you timebox tasks on your calendar; an evening shutdown closes the day. People switch for reasons of fit and cost.

- **The price.** Sunsama costs $17 a month billed yearly ($204 a year) or $22 billed monthly, after a 14-day trial with no card needed, as of November 2026. There is no free plan, and Sunsama’s [pricing page](https://www.sunsama.com/pricing) says it doesn’t plan to add one.
- **The ritual is the product.** Sunsama pays off when you do the morning plan and evening shutdown every day; skip them and you’re paying for a calendar and a list. Its workload counter turns yellow and then red as planned time nears and passes your limit, which only works if you estimate how long tasks take.
- **Platform needs.** Sunsama runs on Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone, iPad, Android and the web, but its App Store listing calls the iPhone app a companion to the desktop app, and you plan your first day on the desktop before the mobile app works.
- **You want less, or more, automation.** Sunsama has you place blocks yourself. Some people want an app that schedules for them; others want a short list and a timer, with no blocks at all.
- **Your tasks aren’t work tasks.** Sunsama’s integrations are built around work tools such as Jira, Linear, Notion and Slack. Errands, family lists and personal projects fit simpler, cheaper apps.

## Sunsama alternatives compared

Table: Sunsama and ten alternatives compared on price, trial, planning style, calendar and platforms (US prices, November 2026)

| App | Price | Free plan or trial | Planning style | Calendar | Platforms |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Sunsama | $17/mo yearly or $22 monthly | 14-day trial, no card; no free plan | Guided ritual; you timebox | Two-way Google, Outlook, Apple | Mac, Windows, Linux, mobile, web |
| NotchOwl | $12 once for up to 3 Macs | No trial; 7-day refund | Today list with Plan your day and Wrap up | Reads events two weeks ahead; can’t edit | Mac only (Apple silicon, macOS 14+) |
| Morgen | $15/mo yearly or $30 monthly | 14-day trial, no card | Daily planning with an AI Planner | Google, Outlook, Apple, Fastmail and more | Mac, Windows, Linux, web, mobile |
| Akiflow | $19/mo yearly ($228) or $34 monthly | 7-day trial, card needed | One inbox, daily rituals; you timebox | Two-way Google, Outlook, iCloud | Mac, Windows, mobile, web |
| Motion | Pro AI $29/mo yearly or $49 monthly for one person; teams from $19/seat/mo | Free trial; no free plan | Motion schedules and re-plans for you | Your calendars, scheduled automatically | Mac, Windows, mobile, web |
| Structured | Free; Pro by region (lifetime $99.99 on the US App Store) | Free core app | Visual timeline | Calendar import with Pro | Apple devices (Mac on macOS 15+), Android, web |
| Tiimo | Pro price varies by location | Free on iOS and Android; 7-day trial on yearly plans | Visual timeline, AI Co-Planner | Apple Calendar and Reminders | Apple devices (Mac on macOS 15+, M1+), Android, web |
| Todoist | Free; Pro $5/mo yearly or $7 monthly | Free plan | List; calendar layout and durations on Pro | Google and Outlook events in Today and Upcoming | Mac, Windows, Linux, mobile, web |
| TickTick | Free; Premium $49.99/year | Free plan | List, calendar and timeline views | Calendar views; more with Premium | Mac, Windows, Linux, mobile, web |
| Things 3 | $49.99 once for the Mac | 15-day Mac trial | Today and This Evening list | Shows events in Today and Upcoming | Apple devices only |
| Apple Calendar + Reminders | Free, built in | Free | You drag blocks; scheduled reminders in Calendar | iCloud and accounts on your Mac | Apple devices |

> Sunsama costs $17 a month billed yearly with no free plan, so the main alternatives in 2026 are NotchOwl for a planned day in the MacBook notch for $12 once, Morgen for similar work planning at $15 a month billed yearly, Motion for automatic scheduling, and Structured and Apple Calendar with Reminders for free.

## The best Sunsama alternatives, by reason

### NotchOwl: today’s plan in the notch, paid once

Hover over the MacBook notch or press Option–N, and NotchOwl opens today’s tasks, a focus timer, a daily notepad and your calendar events over any app. Of Sunsama’s routine, it covers the parts that happen on your own Mac:

- **A morning plan.** Plan your day fits today’s untimed tasks, most important first, into the free time around your events and gives each one a reminder. Drag to reorder and the times follow; nothing changes until you click Apply, which you can undo.
- **An evening shutdown.** Wrap up shows what you got done, sends what’s left to tomorrow or the Inbox, and saves a line about the day.
- **Rollover.** Unfinished tasks can carry forward automatically, after NotchOwl asks you, or stay in history.
- **Focus and meetings.** A countdown (15, 25, 45 or 60 minutes, or your own length) or a stopwatch runs beside the closed notch, with focus sounds. Events for the next two weeks come from Apple Calendar (including Google and Outlook accounts added there), Calendly and Cal.com, with a Join button for video calls.
- **A review.** Insights shows completed tasks, focus time, your streak and your peak hours.

![NotchOwl Wrap up your day after Close the Day: 3 done today, 30m focused, 13-day streak, Day closed. See you tomorrow.](/images/blog/en/wrap-up-moved-cinematic.jpg)

*After Close the Day, Wrap up shows what got done, time focused and your streak, and the day is closed.*

NotchOwl costs $12 once for up to 3 Macs (an early-bird price, normally $39), with lifetime updates and a 7-day money-back guarantee; there is no free tier or trial. It runs on Apple silicon Macs with macOS 14 Sonoma or later and doesn’t need a notch. Optional two-way Apple Reminders sync puts tasks on iPhone and Apple Watch.

One person reacted to the price on X:

> Now THAT’S what I call fair pricing. Good job dev 🙏 Purchasing this now
>
> — [Ben Fischer (@GrandeBlueRoast)](https://x.com/GrandeBlueRoast/status/2100336696009060759)

- **Best for:** people who plan their own day on a Mac and lose the plan once other windows pile up.
- **Drawbacks:** NotchOwl reads your calendar but never creates or edits events, so Plan your day sets reminder times, not calendar blocks. It doesn’t import tasks from work tools, has no iPhone, Windows or web app, and is young: its first release was September 15, 2026.
- **Link:** [download NotchOwl](/download) or see [what the $12 license includes](/#pricing).

![Plan your day in Order only mode, three tasks in order with no times or reminders](/images/blog/en/plan-order-only.jpg)

*Order only puts today’s list in order without giving tasks times or reminders.*

### Morgen: Sunsama’s idea, with an AI Planner

Morgen describes itself as a daily planner that puts your most important to-dos, events and projects in one app. It brings in calendars from Google, Outlook, Apple, Fastmail and more, pulls tasks from tools such as Todoist, Notion, Linear and ClickUp, and reminds you of tasks you didn’t finish on previous days. Its AI Planner suggests time blocks, flags tasks at risk of running late and re-plans when something conflicts.

- **Price:** $15 a month billed yearly ($180) or $30 billed monthly for individuals, with a 14-day trial and no card needed, per [Morgen’s pricing page](https://www.morgen.so/pricing) in November 2026. There is no free plan.
- **Platforms:** Mac, Windows, Linux, the web and mobile.
- **Best for:** people who like Sunsama’s one place for calendar and tasks but want help placing blocks.
- **Drawbacks:** only $2 a month cheaper than Sunsama billed yearly, more expensive monthly, and its site doesn’t describe a guided ritual like Sunsama’s.
- **Link:** [morgen.so](https://www.morgen.so)

### Akiflow: every tool’s tasks in one inbox

Akiflow collects tasks from your other apps into one inbox, then lets you drag them onto your calendar as time blocks, with daily rituals for planning the day and the week. It says it connects to 3,000+ tools, and its Pro plan includes the Aki AI assistant and an MCP connector for AI apps.

- **Price:** $19 a month billed yearly ($228) or $34 billed monthly, with a 7-day trial that needs a card and no free plan, per [Akiflow’s pricing page](https://akiflow.com/pricing) in November 2026. An AI Meeting Assistant costs $19 a month extra.
- **Platforms:** desktop apps for macOS and Windows, a web app, and iOS and Android apps that need the desktop app first.
- **Best for:** people whose tasks arrive in Slack, Gmail, Trello and other tools.
- **Drawbacks:** it costs more than Sunsama, not less.
- **Link:** [akiflow.com](https://akiflow.com)

### Motion: a schedule built for you

Motion is an AI work app that prioritizes your tasks, time-blocks them on your calendar for you and re-plans the day automatically when something changes.

- **Price:** [Motion’s pricing page](https://www.usemotion.com/pricing) lists Pro AI for one person at $29 a month billed yearly or $49 monthly, and Business AI at $39 or $69. Teams pay per seat: Pro AI $19 a month billed yearly or $29 monthly, Business AI $29 or $49. There is a free trial and no free plan, as of November 2026.
- **Platforms:** desktop apps for Mac and Windows, iOS and Android apps, and the web. Motion’s help center calls the [mobile app](https://www.usemotion.com/help/getting-started/mobile-app) an accompaniment to the desktop and web apps.
- **Best for:** people who would rather approve a plan than build one.
- **Drawbacks:** a subscription with no free plan, and its AI features run on a monthly credit allowance (7,500 credits per seat on Pro AI).
- **Link:** [usemotion.com](https://www.usemotion.com)

### Structured: the whole day on one timeline

Structured puts your tasks and events on one vertical timeline, so the day reads top to bottom like a schedule and gaps are easy to spot. It works well as a timeboxing app: give a task a start time and a length, and it takes its place on the timeline.

- **Price:** the core app is free. Structured Pro is sold monthly, yearly or as a lifetime purchase at prices that vary by region; [the US App Store listing](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/structured-daily-planner/id1499198946) shows a $99.99 lifetime option, as of November 2026.
- **Platforms:** iPhone, iPad, Mac (macOS 15 or later), Apple Watch, Vision Pro, Android and the web.
- **Best for:** personal planning, on a phone as much as a computer.
- **Strengths:** an inbox, a focus timer, widgets and Live Activities; Pro adds AI planning and calendar import.
- **Drawbacks:** Structured doesn’t describe an evening shutdown, and its help center says Replan, a Pro feature, isn’t available on Android and the web yet.
- **Link:** [structured.app](https://structured.app)

### Tiimo: big tasks split into timed steps

Tiimo is a visual daily planner that says it was co-designed with ADHD and autism experts. Its AI Co-Planner breaks a task into steps and estimates how long each takes, which is the part of timeboxing many people find hardest. This is practical advice about software, not medical advice.

- **Price:** Tiimo Pro is sold monthly or yearly at prices that vary by location. The free tier is on iOS and Android only, and the 7-day trial applies only to yearly plans.
- **Platforms:** iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Mac (macOS 15 or later, M1 or newer), Vision Pro, Android and the web.
- **Best for:** people who stall in front of a big task.
- **Drawbacks:** the Mac and web apps need Pro, and there is no published US price.
- **Link:** [tiimoapp.com](https://www.tiimoapp.com)

### Todoist and TickTick: low-cost lists that show a calendar

If you mostly used Sunsama’s task list, a task manager costs far less. Todoist’s Beginner plan is free with 5 personal projects; Pro costs $5 a month billed yearly ($60) or $7 monthly on [Todoist’s pricing page](https://www.todoist.com/pricing) and adds the calendar layout and task durations, so tasks can fill blocks of time. Google Calendar and Outlook events show in Today and Upcoming on every plan. TickTick is free with 9 lists of 99 tasks each, and [TickTick Premium](https://ticktick.com/about/upgrade) costs $49.99 a year for multiple calendar views and task durations; it also has a Pomodoro timer and a habit tracker built in.

- **Platforms:** both run on Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone, iPad, Android and the web.
- **Best for:** people who want one list on every device and only sometimes timebox.
- **Drawbacks:** neither has a guided planning ritual or an evening shutdown. Todoist has no focus timer.
- **Links:** [todoist.com](https://www.todoist.com) and [ticktick.com](https://ticktick.com). See [NotchOwl vs Todoist](/blog/notchowl-vs-todoist) for a closer look at Todoist.

### Things 3: a quiet Today list, paid once

Things 3 by Cultured Code is built around a morning choice: you pick the day’s to-dos into Today, and an optional This Evening section holds what can only happen later. Calendar events show at the top of Today and in Upcoming.

- **Price:** $49.99 once for the Mac on the [Mac App Store](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/things-3/id904280696?mt=12), $9.99 for iPhone and Apple Watch, and $19.99 for iPad, as of November 2026, with a [15-day Mac trial](https://culturedcode.com/things/support/articles/2803551/).
- **Platforms:** Mac, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Vision Pro.
- **Best for:** Apple users who want Sunsama’s calm without a monthly bill.
- **Drawbacks:** no time-blocking, no focus timer and no shared lists. See [the best Things 3 alternatives](/blog/things-3-alternatives-mac).
- **Link:** [culturedcode.com/things](https://culturedcode.com/things/)

### Apple Calendar with Reminders: a free planner you already have

You can rebuild Sunsama’s core for free with two built-in apps. Keep tasks in Apple Reminders, which has Today and Scheduled lists, subtasks and shared lists. Block time in Apple Calendar by dragging from a start time to an end time in Day or Week view. On macOS 15 Sequoia and later, Calendar can also [show scheduled reminders](https://support.apple.com/guide/calendar/icl873b9a527/mac) at their time, and you can create, edit and complete them there, so tasks with a time sit next to your meetings.

- **Price:** free.
- **Platforms:** Mac, iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch, synced through iCloud.
- **Best for:** trying a planned day for free before paying for any app.
- **Drawbacks:** no ritual, workload check, shutdown or timer; you supply the routine.

## When to stay with Sunsama

Sunsama is still the right choice for many people.

- **You actually do the ritual.** If the morning plan and evening shutdown are why your days work, no app here copies both as closely.
- **Your work is spread across many tools.** Sunsama pulls tasks from tools such as Jira, Linear, Notion, Slack, Asana, Todoist and Apple Reminders into one plan. Of the alternatives, Akiflow and [Morgen](https://www.morgen.so/integrations) are the ones built to pull tasks in from other tools, and Akiflow costs more; Motion [takes tasks in](https://www.usemotion.com/help/settings/integrations/reference-integrations) by email, Siri, its API or Zapier.
- **You need two-way calendar sync.** Sunsama syncs both ways with Google, Outlook and Apple calendars, so timeboxed tasks land on the calendar you already use.
- **You use Windows or Linux as well as a Mac.** Sunsama runs on both; NotchOwl and Things 3 don’t, and Tiimo works there only through its [web app](https://www.tiimoapp.com).

If the problem is only the monthly bill, Sunsama’s yearly plan brings it down from $22 to $17 a month.

## How to choose a Sunsama alternative

- **The same idea, cheaper:** Morgen on yearly billing, or Apple Calendar with Reminders for free.
- **Software that plans for you:** Motion, or Morgen’s AI Planner.
- **Planning on your phone:** Structured, Tiimo or TickTick.
- **Help starting tasks:** Tiimo’s small timed steps; [the best ADHD apps for Mac](/blog/best-adhd-apps-for-mac) compares more options.
- **No more monthly bills:** NotchOwl ($12 once), Things 3 ($49.99 once for the Mac) or Structured’s lifetime Pro. More are in [Mac productivity apps with no subscription](/blog/mac-productivity-apps-no-subscription).
- **A timer with your plan:** NotchOwl, Structured, Tiimo and TickTick have one built in.

For wider roundups, see [the best daily planner apps for Mac](/blog/best-daily-planner-apps-mac) and [the best time blocking apps for Mac](/blog/best-time-blocking-apps-mac).

## Before you cancel Sunsama

Run the new app beside Sunsama for a week; most alternatives have a trial or free plan, and NotchOwl’s 7-day refund covers the same week. Tasks Sunsama shows from Todoist, Asana or Apple Reminders live in those apps, so an alternative that reads the same source saves you retyping. Whatever you pick, keep a fixed time to plan and a short end-of-day review; without them, any planner becomes a list you stop opening.

Cal Newport explains an end-of-day shutdown ritual in this clip from his conversation with Andrew Huberman:

[Lower Stress With an End-of-Day Ritual | Dr. Cal Newport & Dr. Andrew Huberman](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NsNA8XHbQjQ "Huberman Lab Clips")

## When NotchOwl is the wrong choice

- **You want blocks on your calendar.** NotchOwl can’t add or move events. Pick Morgen, Akiflow, Motion or Apple Calendar.
- **You plan work from Jira, Slack or email.** NotchOwl doesn’t import tasks from other tools.
- **You plan on your phone, use Windows or have an Intel Mac.** NotchOwl is Mac-only and needs Apple silicon; it reaches iPhone only through Apple Reminders.
- **You plan with a team.** NotchOwl has no shared lists.
- **You want to try before paying.** NotchOwl has no trial, only a 7-day refund. Structured, Todoist, TickTick and Apple’s apps are free to start.

## Frequently asked questions

### What is the best Sunsama alternative?

It depends on why you are leaving. NotchOwl ($12 once) keeps a planned day in the MacBook notch without a subscription, Morgen ($15 a month billed yearly) is the closest match for work planning across many tools, Motion schedules tasks for you, and Structured and Apple Calendar with Reminders are free.

### Is there a free alternative to Sunsama?

Yes. Apple Calendar and Apple Reminders are free on every Mac, Structured’s core app is free, and Todoist and TickTick have free plans. Sunsama itself has no free plan; after a 14-day trial it costs $17 a month billed yearly or $22 monthly, as of November 2026.

### Is there a Sunsama alternative without a subscription?

Yes. NotchOwl costs $12 once for up to 3 Macs, Things 3 costs $49.99 once for the Mac, and Structured offers a lifetime Pro purchase ($99.99 on the US App Store in November 2026). Apple Calendar and Reminders are free.

### Is Akiflow cheaper than Sunsama?

No. Akiflow Pro costs $19 a month billed yearly ($228) or $34 monthly, while Sunsama costs $17 a month billed yearly ($204) or $22 monthly, as of November 2026. Akiflow’s trial is 7 days and needs a card; Sunsama’s is 14 days with no card.

### Which Sunsama alternative schedules my tasks for me?

Motion. It prioritizes your tasks, time-blocks them on your calendar and re-plans the day when something changes. Morgen’s AI Planner also suggests time blocks you can accept or adjust, while Sunsama has you timebox tasks yourself during daily planning.

### Can I use Sunsama on my iPhone without the desktop app?

Not at first. Sunsama’s App Store listing says you can use the mobile app once you’ve planned your first day in the desktop app, and describes the iPhone app as a companion rather than a replacement. Structured, Tiimo and TickTick work fully on a phone.