Best AI Planners in 2025: I Tested 12 Apps So You Don't Have To

My desk used to be covered in sticky notes. Color-coded ones for different projects, reminder notes for meetings, lists scribbled on whatever paper was nearby. My digital life wasn't much better – tasks scattered across Apple Reminders, Google Calendar, random note apps, and about forty browser tabs I kept open as "reminders."

Then a friend asked me, "Why don't you just use an AI planner?"

I rolled my eyes. Another overhyped tech solution, right? But I was desperate enough to try it, and honestly, it changed how I work. Not all AI planners are created equal though – some are genuinely brilliant, others are barely better than a basic to-do list with a fancy name.

I've spent the last month testing twelve different AI planning apps, running my actual life through them. Client projects, personal goals, family schedules, workout plans – everything. Here's what actually works in 2025.

What even is an AI planner?

Before diving into specific apps, let's clarify what we're talking about. An AI planner isn't just a digital calendar or to-do list. It's an app that uses artificial intelligence to:

• Automatically schedule tasks based on priorities and available time
• Learn your patterns and suggest optimal times for different activities
• Adjust your schedule when things inevitably go wrong
• Break down complex projects into manageable steps
• Predict how long tasks will actually take (not how long you hope they'll take)
• Integrate information from multiple sources (email, calendar, messages) to keep you on track

The good ones feel like having a personal assistant who knows your work style, energy patterns, and actual capabilities. The bad ones feel like an over-engineered to-do list that creates more work than it saves.

How I tested these apps

I didn't just download these apps and click around. I actually used each one for at least a week, managing my real work and life through them. I evaluated:

• Setup time: How long before the app was actually useful?
• Daily friction: Did it integrate smoothly or require constant maintenance?
• AI quality: Did the "smart" features actually feel smart or just gimmicky?
• Reliability: Did it work consistently or have frustrating bugs?
• Value: Is the price justified by the features?

My test scenario included managing: freelance writing projects with multiple deadlines, a side business launch, gym sessions, family commitments, and the general chaos of modern life. If an app couldn't handle that reality, it's not worth recommending.

Motion – Best Overall (Despite the Price)

Price: $34/month or $228/year
Platform: Web, iOS, Android

Yeah, that price made me wince too. But Motion is the only app that genuinely felt like it was doing the planning for me, not just helping me plan.

The core feature is automatic scheduling. You tell Motion what needs to be done, when it's due, how long it'll take, and how important it is. Then the AI builds your calendar, fitting tasks into available time slots between meetings and commitments.

What makes Motion special is how it handles reality. When a meeting runs long or a task takes more time than expected, Motion automatically reshuffles everything that comes after. It's constantly optimizing your schedule in the background.

I tested this hard. Mid-week, I got a same-day deadline for a client project. I added it to Motion with high priority, and it immediately reorganized my afternoon, moving less urgent tasks to later slots and even suggesting which could be postponed to the next day.

• The workflow feels natural: My inbox has a meeting request. I accept it. Motion sees the new calendar block and automatically adjusts today's tasks to fit the remaining time. I don't touch the app – it just happens.
• Project management is surprisingly solid: Break big projects into subtasks, set dependencies (can't edit the video until the filming is done), and Motion schedules everything in a logical sequence.
• The AI learns your patterns: After two weeks, Motion noticed I'm more productive in the morning and started scheduling focused work before noon, saving easier tasks for afternoon slumps.
• The downsides are real though. That price is hard to justify if you're not managing a heavy, complex workload. For someone with a straightforward job and minimal outside commitments, Motion is overkill.

The learning curve exists. The first few days felt chaotic as I figured out how to properly categorize tasks and set realistic time estimates. Motion is only as good as the information you give it.

And sometimes the AI makes weird decisions. It scheduled a workout right before an important client call because technically the time was available. I had to manually block "buffer time" before big meetings.

Best for: Professionals with complex, deadline-heavy work. Freelancers juggling multiple clients. Anyone whose schedule changes frequently and needs automatic replanning.

Skip if: You have a simple, predictable schedule. The price seems insane for your needs. You prefer manual control over your day.

Reclaim AI – Best for Google Calendar Users

Price: Free tier available, $10/month for premium
Platform: Web (syncs with Google Calendar)

Reclaim takes a different approach. Instead of being a separate app, it works inside Google Calendar, adding AI-powered scheduling on top of your existing setup.

The killer feature is "habits" – recurring tasks that need to happen regularly but with flexibility on when. Things like "workout 4x per week" or "deep work sessions 5 hours weekly" or "one-on-one time with each team member."

You set the habit parameters, and Reclaim automatically finds time slots that work, spreading them throughout the week intelligently. If something comes up and blocks a scheduled habit, Reclaim moves it to another open slot automatically.

I used it for workouts, which I chronically skip when they're scheduled at inconvenient times. Reclaim noticed when I consistently ignored 6 AM workout slots and started scheduling them mid-morning instead. After three weeks, my workout completion rate went from maybe 40% to consistently 80%.

The free tier is genuinely useful, not a limited trial designed to frustrate you into upgrading. You get the core scheduling features, habit tracking, and calendar integration. Premium adds team features, priority controls, and more habits.

It plays nice with existing tools: If you're already living in Google Calendar and don't want to switch apps, Reclaim is perfect. Everything happens in your normal calendar interface.

The limitations: It only works with Google Calendar. If you're on Outlook or Apple Calendar, Reclaim isn't an option. The AI is less sophisticated than Motion's – it schedules habits and defends time blocks, but it won't completely restructure your day when priorities shift.

And because it's integrated with Google Calendar, the interface has constraints. You can't customize as much as standalone apps allow.

Best for: Google Calendar devotees who want AI features without switching apps. People with flexible recurring tasks (workouts, deep work, admin time) that need scheduling help. Teams that need to coordinate schedules.

Skip if: You don't use Google Calendar. You need more sophisticated project management. The habit-focused approach doesn't match your planning style.

Trevor AI – Best for Simple, Visual Planning

Price: $3.99/month or $29.99/year
Platform: Web, iOS, Android, Mac, Windows

Trevor is what would happen if a traditional daily planner had a baby with AI. It's not trying to be sophisticated – it's trying to be simple and actually useful.

Every morning, Trevor shows you a list of tasks. You drag them onto a timeline view of your day, blocking time for each. The AI suggests optimal ordering based on task type, energy levels, and past patterns, but you're still in control.

What I love about Trevor is the visual approach. Instead of lists or calendar grids, you see your day as a timeline with colored blocks for different tasks. It's immediately obvious when you're overbooked or when you have weird gaps.

The AI is subtle. It's not trying to run your life – it's offering helpful nudges. "You usually do deep work in the morning, want to schedule that writing project before lunch?" or "This task has been postponed three times, maybe set a specific time block today?"

• Task scheduling feels natural: You dump everything that needs doing into Trevor. Each morning, you build your day by dragging tasks into time slots. Takes maybe five minutes but gives you a concrete, achievable plan.
• It connects to everything: Syncs with your calendar so meetings appear automatically. Connects to Todoist, Google Tasks, and other task managers if you're already using those.
• The reality check feature is brilliant: At the end of each day, Trevor shows you what got done and what didn't. Over time, this data helps the AI understand how long tasks actually take you (usually longer than you think).

The downsides: It's not truly automatic. You're building your daily schedule manually with AI assistance, not having it built for you. If you want hands-off planning, this isn't it.

The project management is basic. Trevor is focused on daily execution, not long-term project planning. You'll need another tool for complex projects.

And the timeline interface, while visual, isn't for everyone. Some people prefer list views or traditional calendars.

Best for: People who like the ritual of daily planning but want AI suggestions. Visual thinkers who respond better to timeline layouts. Anyone transitioning from paper planners to digital.

Skip if: You want fully automatic scheduling. You need robust project management. List views work better for your brain than timelines.

Akiflow – Best for Task Consolidation

Price: $19/month or $167/year
Platform: Web, iOS, Mac, Windows

The problem Akiflow solves: your tasks are scattered everywhere. Emails you need to respond to, Slack messages that require action, Trello cards, Asana projects, handwritten notes, that thing you promised to do in last week's meeting.

Akiflow pulls it all into one place. It integrates with Gmail, Slack, Asana, Todoist, Google Calendar, and about twenty other tools. Everything that requires your attention flows into Akiflow's unified inbox.

The AI helps you process this chaos. It categorizes incoming tasks, suggests priorities, and recommends when to schedule things based on deadlines and your calendar.

I tested this with my actual overwhelming digital life. Within two days, I had tasks automatically flowing in from four different sources. The feeling of having everything in one place was genuinely relieving.

• The command bar is addictive: Press a keyboard shortcut and you can quickly add tasks, schedule things, or search your entire system without touching the mouse. Once you learn it, you fly through planning.
• Time blocking is smooth: Like Trevor, you drag tasks onto a timeline. But Akiflow's timeline includes your calendar events, so you're scheduling around your actual day, not a blank slate.
• The AI is helpful without being pushy: It surfaces tasks that are becoming overdue, suggests bundling similar tasks together, and notices when you're consistently scheduling too much for one day.

The problems: That price is steep for what's essentially a task aggregator with AI. You're paying for convenience and integration, which is valuable, but $19/month adds up.

Setup takes time. Connecting all your tools and configuring how tasks flow in isn't difficult, but it's not instant either. Plan on spending an hour getting everything configured properly.

The AI isn't as sophisticated as Motion's. It helps you plan, but it won't automatically reschedule your entire day when something changes.

Best for: People whose tasks live in multiple different tools. Anyone who feels overwhelmed by digital clutter. Keyboard shortcut lovers who want to work fast.

Skip if: Your tasks already live in one place. The price seems excessive. You prefer a simpler, more focused app.

Sunsama – Best for Intentional Planning

Price: $20/month or $192/year (14-day free trial)
Platform: Web, iOS, Android, Mac, Windows

Sunsama isn't trying to automate your life. It's built around the idea of intentional daily planning – taking time to thoughtfully decide what you'll work on, rather than reacting to whatever seems urgent.

Every day starts with a planning ritual. Review yesterday, pull in today's tasks from connected apps (Asana, Trello, Gmail, etc.), schedule time for each, and set a realistic goal for the day. It takes 10-15 minutes, which is actually the point.

The AI helps with this ritual. It suggests which tasks should be priorities based on deadlines, identifies tasks you've been avoiding, and recommends time allocations based on similar past tasks.

The daily shutdown is equally important: At day's end, you review what got done, reflect on why things went unfinished, and move incomplete tasks to tomorrow or the backlog. It's like journaling but focused on productivity.

I'm naturally resistant to structured rituals, but Sunsama's approach grew on me. That 15 minutes of morning planning actually made me more productive because I started days with clarity instead of just opening my laptop and reacting to whatever appeared first.

• The focus mode is excellent: When it's time to work on a scheduled task, Sunsama shows you only that task, full screen. No distractions, no sidebar full of other things calling for attention. Just this one thing right now.
• The integrations are thoughtful: It pulls tasks from other tools but doesn't try to replace them. If you're happy with Asana for project management, great – Sunsama works with it rather than trying to become your new project manager.

The downsides: The structured approach isn't for everyone. If you like flexibility and spontaneity, Sunsama's daily rituals might feel constraining.

It's another $20/month app in a world where you're probably already paying for too many subscriptions. The value is there if you'll actually use the daily planning system, but that's a big if.

The AI is more about helpful prompts than automation. Don't expect it to build your schedule for you – expect it to guide you through building your own schedule thoughtfully.

Best for: People who thrive with structure and rituals. Anyone trying to be more intentional about time. Teams using Asana or Trello who want better daily planning on top.

Skip if: You hate structured routines. You want automation, not guided planning. Another $20/month subscription seems ridiculous.

Amie – Best Looking and Most Pleasant to Use

Price: Free (with some premium features coming)
Platform: Web, iOS, Mac

Sometimes an app is just nice to use, you know? Amie is beautiful, smooth, and genuinely pleasant to open every day. That matters more than you might think.

It combines calendar and tasks in one interface that doesn't feel cluttered. Your day appears as a timeline with meetings and time-blocked tasks seamlessly integrated. Everything is color-coded, but in a subtle, tasteful way that helps rather than overwhelms.

The AI features are relatively light but useful. It suggests optimal times for tasks, learns your scheduling patterns, and helps with meeting scheduling through an integrated booking page.

What Amie really nails is the experience. Adding a task is fast and natural. Rescheduling something is a simple drag. Checking what's coming tomorrow takes one click. There's no friction – everything works like you'd expect it to.

• The calendar view is chef's kiss: Multiple calendar integrations displayed clearly. Easy switching between day, week, and month views. Weather displayed so you know if that outdoor meeting will be miserable.
• Email integration is smart: Connect Gmail or Outlook, and Amie shows you emails that require action alongside your tasks and calendar. You can schedule time to respond without leaving the app.
• The social features are interesting: See when friends or coworkers are free for a coffee chat. It's like a lightweight Calendly built into your planner.

The limitations: Because it's still relatively new (and free), some features aren't as developed as paid competitors. The AI is helpful but not groundbreaking. Project management capabilities are basic.

It's also very focused on the daily/weekly view. If you need long-term project planning or complex task dependencies, you'll need another tool.

Best for: People who value design and user experience. Anyone tired of clunky planning apps. Casual users who need calendar and tasks but not heavy project management.

Skip if: You need advanced AI automation. Complex project management is a priority. You're suspicious of free apps (fair).

Sorted³ – Best Mobile-First Experience

Price: Free with $14.99/year premium
Platform: iOS, Mac (iPad and Mac versions feel like afterthoughts)

If you plan your day from your phone, Sorted³ is built for you. Most planning apps are desktop-first with okay mobile versions. Sorted³ is the opposite – mobile is where it shines.

The interface is gesture-based. Swipe to schedule, drag to reschedule, long-press for options. After a day of use, managing your schedule becomes muscle memory.

The "Auto Schedule" feature is Sorted's AI magic. You have a list of tasks with rough time estimates. Tap Auto Schedule, and the app fits them into your available time, working around calendar commitments. If something takes longer than expected, you can tap "reschedule remaining" and the AI adjusts the rest of your day.

I used this constantly. Morning would start with a list of eight tasks. Auto Schedule would plot them across the day. Invariably, something would take longer than planned, but instead of my entire day falling apart, I'd tap one button and Sorted would shift everything that remained to still-available time slots.

• The mobile experience is unmatched: Planning on your phone doesn't feel like a compromise – it feels natural and efficient. Great for people who spend lots of time away from desks.
• Hyper Scheduling is clever: Instead of blocking exact times, you set rough availability ("work on this between 2-5 PM") and Sorted finds the optimal slot within that window.
• The premium price is incredibly reasonable: Fifteen bucks per year for the full features? That's less than most apps charge monthly.

The downsides: The Mac version exists but feels like an afterthought. If you do most planning on desktop, this isn't ideal.

Integration with other tools is limited. Sorted is designed to be your sole system, not a hub connecting other apps.

The AI, while useful, is relatively simple. It schedules tasks into available time but doesn't have the sophisticated learning and optimization of Motion or Reclaim.

Best for: Mobile-first users. People who want simple, effective scheduling without complexity. Anyone on a tight budget who still wants AI features.

Skip if: You primarily plan on desktop. You need extensive tool integrations. You want advanced project management.

The Apps That Didn't Make the Cut

I tested five other apps that didn't earn full write-ups:

TimeHero has interesting AI features but the interface felt stuck in 2018. Good ideas, clunky execution.

Routine looked promising but had too many bugs during testing. Maybe check back in six months.

Clockwise (for teams) is solid for group schedule optimization but isn't really a personal planner.

Llama Life is charming and simple, but the AI features are minimal – it's more of a focus timer than a true planner.

Structured has a great design but no AI features despite marketing itself as "smart." It's just a time-blocking app.

What I learned from living in twelve different planners

After a month of switching between these apps constantly, some patterns emerged.

1. No app can fix unclear priorities. The AI can shuffle your schedule optimally, but if you don't know what actually matters, optimal scheduling of the wrong things is still useless. The most valuable apps were ones that forced me to think about priorities, not just automatically scheduled everything.
2. Automation has diminishing returns. Motion's aggressive automation is amazing when it works but occasionally feels like fighting with a too-helpful assistant who won't let you do things your way. Sometimes manual control is better.
3. Integration is everything. Apps that connected with my existing tools (email, calendar, project management) were infinitely more useful than ones trying to become my entire digital life. I'm not starting over.
4. The best planner is the one you'll actually use. Sounds obvious, but it's true. Trevor's simple approach worked better for me than Motion's sophistication because I consistently used Trevor, while Motion required more maintenance than I wanted to provide.
5. Price matters more than features. Motion might be the "best" technically, but if $34/month makes you resentful every time you open it, you won't use it consistently. A $4/month app you actually use beats a $34/month app you feel guilty about.

My actual recommendation (it's complicated)

If you made me choose one app for most people, I'd probably say Reclaim AI with the free tier. It's useful immediately, requires minimal setup, works with tools you already use, and costs nothing to try seriously.

But honestly, the right answer depends entirely on your situation:

If you're a freelancer or entrepreneur juggling multiple complex projects: Motion, despite the price. The automatic scheduling genuinely saves hours per week.

If you're a Google Calendar user who needs help with recurring tasks: Reclaim, obviously. Free tier first, upgrade if you need more features.

If you want to transition from paper planning to digital: Trevor. The visual timeline and manual-with-AI-suggestions approach bridges that gap nicely.

If you're drowning in tasks across multiple tools: Akiflow. Consolidating everything into one place is worth the money.

If you thrive with structure and intentional planning: Sunsama. The daily ritual either clicks with you or doesn't – try the 14-day trial.

If you primarily plan from your phone: Sorted³. Nothing else works as smoothly on mobile.

If you want something beautiful that just works: Amie. It's free, try it.

For me personally? I ended up with a hybrid approach. Reclaim AI handles my recurring habits and calendar. Trevor is where I do daily planning. It's not elegant, but it works for how my brain works.

The future of AI planning

These apps are impressive now, but they're evolving fast. Here's what's coming based on beta features I've seen and developer roadmaps:

Voice planning is the obvious next step. "Hey Siri, find time this week for three hours of deep work and four gym sessions" and your AI planner handles it. Some apps have early versions of this.

Cross-app intelligence where your planner learns from everything. It notices you're less productive after late nights (tracked by your sleep app), sees when you typically get interrupted (message apps), and factors all that into scheduling.

Predictive rescheduling that shifts your day before you even realize you're behind. The AI notices that first task took 30% longer than estimated and proactively adjusts the rest of your day before you hit a cascade of missed commitments.

Team mind-melding where AI optimizes schedules across entire teams, finding optimal meeting times, distributing work based on everyone's capacity and energy patterns, and automatically coordinating handoffs.

Habit formation intelligence that doesn't just schedule habits but understands when you're likely to actually complete them and optimizes timing accordingly.

Some of this feels slightly dystopian – do we want AI that knows us this well? But I thought the same thing about smartphones, and here we are.

FAQ

Should you use an AI planner?

If you're happy with your current system, stick with it. Don't change things that work just because AI is trendy.

But if you're constantly feeling behind, struggling to prioritize, or spending more time organizing your todo list than actually doing tasks, AI planners are genuinely helpful.

The key is finding one that matches your planning style. Don't force yourself into Motion's automation if you prefer manual control. Don't use Trevor's timeline if you're a list person. Try a few (most have free trials) and see what clicks.

I was skeptical a month ago. Now I can't imagine going back to scattered sticky notes and forty browser tabs. Not because AI is magic, but because the right tool, used consistently, actually makes a difference.

Just maybe start with the free options before committing to $34/month. That's what I should have done.

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