Always late for meetings or failing at life goals? This affordable planning app was made for you

How long has it been since you used a paper diary? 10 years, 15, maybe even 20. Can you remember the year it was or the brand of diary? Was it when you were in school, and you had to write down your homework? Long gone for me. Or was it your first job, and you used a Filofax to keep track of your meetings and action points? Or maybe you still use one to keep a note of everyone’s birthdays.

For me, there’s something strangely nostalgic and surprisingly grounding about flicking through a paper planner. I remember buying a new one each year, around Christmastime or January, if I’d completely failed at staying organized. Being able to discard an older diary and embrace a fresh one felt like a new start, a moment to turn my back on the difficulties of the previous year and embrace the opportunities ahead.

But it’s no surprise that digital diaries and online planning tools have made paper alternatives all but obsolete. Digital apps are available 24/7 on any device and have more features than you can shake a stick at. I think that’s a little bit of a shame, but one app trying to bring together paper and digital planning is Ultimate Planner.

Okay, Ultimate Planner is still a digital tool (sorry), but it replicates the paper diary experience in ways that I’ve never seen before. With paper diary-inspired layouts, Filofax-esque tabs, and stylus compatibility, it’s as close to a paper diary as you’re ever going to get without actually going to the shops and buying one.

The complete planning package

Ultimate Planner, according to its creators, is “the most customizable digital planner app” available. And after just five minutes of use, you’ll probably be inclined to agree. With it, you can plan your day, organize tasks and actions, manage goals, and even track habits.

The journey begins by picking a planner type. Your choice customizes the features, tabs, and tools you access. If you choose ‘Ultimate Planner,’ as I did, then you’ll be able to use everything the app has to offer without restriction. Just a word of warning: things can get pretty complex and overwhelming if you choose to show every single feature.

If you have a specific type of planner in mind related to teaching, gratitude, or business, for example, then you can choose one of those instead. Just note that these additional options require a Pro account, which costs $39.99 / £39.99 per year or a $69.99 / £69.99 one-off charge for lifetime access. Unfortunately, there’s no free trial, although you can access the core features with a free account.

Unlimited customization is a core part of the app’s raison d’être. Being able to customize layouts with bespoke sections means you can create a planner that matches your specific workflow. You can even choose from numerous templates to get an aesthetic that feels personal and inspiring. The reality is that with all the feature permutations, Ultimate Planner is far from a one-size-fits-all app.

Unlimited Planner also just keeps going. When one year is done, another year seamlessly rolls around. That means you have access to unlimited pages, notebooks, and planning layouts. With the Pro version, there’s no limit on the number of planners you can create, so why not use it for both work and personal reasons? That’ll certainly make the very most of the subscription cost.

One place for everything

The Ultimate Planner might look, for all intents and purposes, like a paper planner, but it’s also able to sync seamlessly with one or more of your digital calendars. This is an ideal solution for tracking events and managing tasks right alongside all your other planning notes and tables. Within each synced calendar account, you can choose which specific calendars you wish to display. This is ideal for work accounts, which might contain multiple people’s calendars.

You can also rest assured that your data will be perfectly synced across a range of platforms and devices, including iPad, iPhone, Android, and web. I’ve loved being able to access the planner on my phone on the go and then pick up where I left off when I’m sat at my desk. Having everything in one place, connected to all my devices, keeps me on track and organized.

Download Ultimate Planner on iOS and Android.

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Writer, app-hoarder, and professional “low battery” enthusiast. Paul spends his days testing wearables so you don’t have to, and his nights wondering if his sleep tracker is judging him. He’s fascinated by the tech that claims to make us better humans—and if it’s wearable, downloadable, or requires a firmware update, he has thoughts on it.

With over 20 years of experience and a first-class Computer Science degree, Paul has navigated the front lines of the tech and creative industries. His work has been published internationally and appears regularly in Digital Camera World and Creative Bloq.