Sunsama review: a calm planner with a catch
What Sunsama does beautifully, where the manual workflow wears thin, and whether it's worth $22 a month.
| Sunsama | ClaroCal | |
|---|---|---|
| Approach | Manual, guided daily planning | Auto-drafts your day |
| Price | $22/mo ($17 annually) | $7.99/mo (~$5 annually) |
| Free plan | No (14-day trial) | Yes |
| Best for | People who want a planning ritual | People who want the plan made for them |
What Sunsama gets right
Sunsama is a daily planner built around a ritual. Each morning you pull in tasks, from Todoist, Asana, Trello, your calendar, your inbox, and deliberately choose what the day will hold, estimating how long each thing takes and leaving the rest behind. At the end of the day, you review and roll over what’s left.
Done consistently, it’s genuinely calming. The whole product is designed to make you do less, on purpose, instead of cramming a list. The integrations are strong, the interface is unhurried, and the planning flow is the most thoughtful in the category.
Where it wears thin
The same thing that makes Sunsama good is its biggest risk: it’s entirely manual. Nothing schedules itself. You decide every block, every day. When you’re in the habit, that’s the value. When a few busy days knock you out of the routine, the app quietly stops earning its price, and at $22/month, that’s a noticeable bill for a habit you’re not currently keeping.
There’s also no free plan. The 14-day trial is generous (no card required), but after that it’s pay or leave, with no free tier to drop back to.
Who it’s for
Sunsama suits people who want a planning practice and will protect it, folks who find calm in a morning routine and don’t want software making decisions for them. If that’s you, it’s excellent.
It’s a poor fit if you want automation, if your days move too much to re-plan by hand, or if you need a free option.
The alternative if you want the plan made for you
ClaroCal is the other side of the same coin. Instead of guiding you through planning, it drafts the day itself from your task list, slots work around your meetings, and keeps everything in two-way sync with Google Calendar. The free plan syncs hourly; Basic is $7.99/month, about $5 annually.
If Sunsama’s ritual appeals but the daily effort (and the price) doesn’t, see ClaroCal vs Sunsama or the full Sunsama pricing breakdown.
What's good
- A genuinely calming, deliberate daily-planning ritual
- Pulls tasks from Todoist, Asana, Trello, email and more
- Strong focus on doing less, intentionally
- 14-day trial with no credit card
What's not
- It's all manual, nothing schedules itself
- $22/mo is steep for a personal planner
- No free plan, and the company says there won't be one
- The daily ritual is a commitment some people quietly stop doing
The verdict
Sunsama is the best-in-class tool for one specific thing: a slow, intentional daily-planning ritual. If that practice fits how you want to work, it's worth the money and the manual effort is the point, not a flaw.
But it asks for that effort every single day, has no free plan, and costs $22/month. If you want the calm of a planned day without the daily sit-down, ClaroCal drafts the plan for you for a third of the price, and you can try it free.
Frequently asked questions
Is Sunsama worth it?
Does Sunsama have a free plan?
What's the main downside of Sunsama?
What's a good Sunsama alternative?
Ready to clear your mind?
Connect Google Calendar, add your tasks, and let Claro draft your day. Free plan, no card required.
Last reviewed June 2026.