Reddit's best free planner apps for students. ADHD-friendly options, study-life balance, and why your Notion template might be overrated.
Last updated: January 2025. Based on discussions from r/college, r/studytips, r/ADHD, r/productivity.
"I spent 3 weeks building the perfect Notion student dashboard. Color-coded databases, linked calendars, automated reminders. I've used it twice. Meanwhile my friends with basic reminder apps are crushing their GPAs. What am I doing wrong?"
This is the student productivity paradox: the more complex your system, the less likely you'll use it. Here's what actually works.
Deadlines, what's due when, quick add
Classes, study blocks, free time
Add tasks in seconds, not minutes
Not just studying - social, health, fun
Something to keep you going at 2am
Student budget reality
| App | Free Tier | Ease of Use | Life Balance | Gamification | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Funtasking | Yes, fully | Very easy | 8 life areas | Coins & rewards | Balance + motivation |
| Notion | Yes | Complex setup | DIY | None | Power users |
| Todoist | Limited | Easy | Work-focused | Karma | Simple lists |
| TickTick | Limited | Easy | Habits | Streaks | All-in-one |
| My Study Life | Yes | Student-focused | Classes only | None | Class schedules |
| Google Calendar | Yes | Familiar | None | None | Basic scheduling |
Natural language input ("Essay due Friday 5pm"), works everywhere, fast. Free tier is limiting but usable. Reddit: "Gets out of your way and just works."
Free / $4/month student
Tasks + calendar + habits + Pomodoro in one app. Slightly overwhelming at first but very capable. Better free tier than Todoist.
Free / $35.99/year
Built specifically for students. Classes, assignments, exams in one place. Syncs across devices. No gamification but very practical.
Free
8 life areas including Learning separate from Work. Coins for any task (not just studying). Shows if you're all study and no social. Free with premium option.
Free / $2.99 Pro
Notion is powerful. Too powerful. Reddit is full of students who spent weeks building elaborate dashboards with linked databases, Kanban boards, and automated formulas - then abandoned them. The setup cost is high, the maintenance is constant, and the simplest task (adding a homework assignment) requires too many clicks. Unless you genuinely enjoy system-building, simpler apps serve students better.
Studies (Hart Barnett, 2017) show that gamified apps maintain engagement in students with ADHD significantly better than traditional planners. Visual timelines help with time blindness. Immediate rewards (like Funtasking's coins) provide dopamine that delayed gratification systems (like Todoist Karma) fail to deliver. The British Journal of Education (2024) found gamification significantly improves student performance and engagement.
Funtasking has Learning as a dedicated life area (separate from Work). Coins earned for any 15-minute focus session - studying, exercise, socializing. Visual Purpose Wheel shows if you're hyper-focusing on one area and neglecting others. The gamification provides immediate dopamine that text-list apps can't match. And it's free for students.
Most planner apps track assignments and classes. But student wellbeing crashes when all you do is study. Research consistently shows that students who maintain social connections, exercise, and hobbies perform better academically AND have better mental health.
When your planner only tracks assignments, you optimize for assignments. You feel guilty for doing anything else. But seeing "Learning: 90%, Connection: 2%, Body: 0%" makes the imbalance visible. You can intentionally add non-academic tasks and see them as legitimate, not as "wasted time."
Depends on your brain. Paper: physical ritual, no phone distractions, can't be "lost" in notifications. Digital: syncs everywhere, reminders, searchable, backup. Many students use both: paper for daily planning, digital for long-term deadlines. Try each for a week and see what sticks.
Set a time limit for planning (5 minutes max). Use the simplest app that works - not the most powerful. If you're spending more time organizing than doing, your system is too complex. Consider: would a sticky note with today's 3 priorities work just as well?
For students: Funtasking (fully free, life balance), My Study Life (free, student-focused), or Google Calendar + Tasks (free, simple). Notion is free but time-consuming. Todoist and TickTick free tiers work but hit limits quickly.
Pick one app. Use it for everything. Make adding tasks easier than remembering them. Review once daily (morning or evening, pick one). Gamification helps - apps with rewards have better retention. And forgive yourself when you miss days; restart without guilt.
Learning as a dedicated life area. Coins for studying AND for taking breaks. Visual balance wheel shows when you need to touch grass. Free to start.
Start Free