Honest comparison
Locked In vs Notion vs Motion vs Sunsama vs Todoist
Eight tools, eight different philosophies. We built one of them — so this page names where each tool genuinely wins, including where it's not Locked In. Pricing was checked September 2026 and changes often; confirm on each site before deciding.
| Tool | Price | Free plan reality | AI plans adapt to you? | Focus timer | Stress-aware? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Locked In | Free forever | All features free — no ads, no data selling | Goals + deadlines + follow-through memory | Built-in Pomodoro timer wired to each plan block | Cortisol Meter — a live stress/readiness gauge from your real activity |
| Notion (+ AI) | Free plan; Plus ~$10–12/user/mo; Business higher | Generous free plan; AI bundled into paid tiers | No | None built in | None |
| Motion | ~$19/mo billed yearly (up to ~$34 monthly); teams higher | None — trial only | Reschedules, no follow-through memory | Calendar blocks | None |
| Akiflow | ~$15–22/user/mo | None — trial only | No | Timeboxed calendar slots | None |
| Sunsama | $17/mo yearly, $22/mo monthly (verified Sep 2026) | Deliberately none — their manifesto argues against free plans | Daily ritual, no adaptation | Timeboxing with realistic-workload limits | Workload limits prevent overcommitting |
| Todoist | Free (5 projects); Pro ~$4–5/mo (verified Sep 2026); Business per seat | Free plan capped at 5 projects | Assist features, no plan adaptation | None built in | None |
| Trello | Free plan; Standard/Premium ~$5–10/user/mo | Solid free plan for personal boards | No | None built in | None |
| ChatGPT / Claude | Free tiers; ~$20/mo for top models | Capable free tier | No | None | None |
Locked In — Students, Gen Z, ADHD brains, anyone overwhelmed
AI planning: Conversational — plans adapt to your goals, deadlines, mood and follow-through history Accountability: Next-day check-ins, streaks with freezes, goal progress, Roast mode Verdict: Best if your problem is starting, focusing and following through.
Notion (+ AI) — Notes, wikis, databases, knowledge management
AI planning: AI writes, searches and agents inside your workspace — no deadline pacing or follow-through memory Accountability: None — no memory of what you completed Verdict: The best knowledge base here; setup-heavy for daily planning.
Motion — Professionals with meeting-heavy calendars
AI planning: Auto-reschedules your calendar around meetings — strong, but no adaptation to whether you did the work Accountability: Deadline-driven rearranging Verdict: Best-in-class calendar automation, priced for companies not students.
Akiflow — Time-blocking power users
AI planning: Task import + time-blocking, light AI assist Accountability: Basic Verdict: Blazing keyboard-first time-blocking; professional focus.
Sunsama — Daily planning rituals for professionals
AI planning: Guided daily planning with guardrails; AI + integrations added recently Accountability: Daily ritual + weekly review Verdict: The calmest daily planner here — thoughtful product, premium price by philosophy.
Todoist — Fast task capture for anything, teams too
AI planning: Task Assist + Ramble voice capture on paid tiers — assistive, not deadline-paced planning Accountability: Karma levels + streaks on tasks; no plan adaptation Verdict: The gold standard for capturing tasks quickly; organize, don't execute.
Trello — Visual kanban, small teams
AI planning: Atlassian Intelligence assist; no adaptive planning Accountability: None Verdict: Simplest way to see work visually; no planning brain.
ChatGPT / Claude — Explaining, drafting, research — anything conversational
AI planning: Brilliant one-off plans, zero memory between chats Accountability: None — stateless Verdict: A superb tool that cannot run a planning system.
What actually makes them different
Notion, Todoist and Trello are organizers — they structure information and tasks you already understand. Akiflow and Sunsama are time-blocking rituals, Motion an auto-scheduler for calendar-heavy professionals. ChatGPT and Claude are conversations. Locked In is the odd one out: it's a coach with memory — it plans your day around your goals and deadlines, then asks how yesterday went and adapts. That loop (plan → execute → check-in → adapt) is the part none of the others attempt.
If you're a student, the practical answer: use one of these for notes or calendar, and Locked In for the daily doing. It's free, works in your browser, and takes 40 seconds to produce a first plan.