Top 3 Motion Alternatives in 2026 (And Why Motion Still Wins)

Motion Is Powerful — But Let’s Be Honest, It’s Not Cheap

Features	Motion (Best AI)	Sunsama (Mindful)	Notion (Flexible)
Monthly Price	$34 / month	$20 / month	Free / $10
AI Auto-Scheduling	✅ Advanced	❌ Manual	❌ No
Focus Time Blocking	✅ Automatic	⚠️ Manual Setup	❌ No
Best For	Busy Pros / ADHD	Mindful Planners	System Builders
Our Rating	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4.9/5)	⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ (4.5/5)	⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4.0/5)
Link	Try Motion	Try Sunsama	Try Notion

If you’ve looked into Motion before, you probably had the same reaction many people do:

“This looks amazing… but $34 a month feels expensive.”

And that’s fair.

Motion isn’t a casual to-do app. It’s an investment.
So naturally, a lot of people start searching for cheaper alternatives that promise similar results.

The good news?
There are solid alternatives in 2026.

The bad news?
Once you understand what Motion actually does, you also understand why most alternatives fall short.

Let’s break them down honestly.

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Sunsama – The “Mindful” Planner

Sunsama is often the first alternative people look at — and for good reason.

✅ Pros

• Beautiful, calm interface that encourages intentional planning
• Great daily planning rituals if you enjoy slowing down and reflecting
• Excellent for people who like manual control over their schedule

Sunsama feels thoughtful. It encourages you to be present with your tasks.

❌ Cons

• No AI auto-scheduling
• You still have to drag and drop tasks yourself
• Doesn’t adapt automatically when your day falls apart

In other words: Sunsama helps you plan better, but it doesn’t plan for you.

If your schedule is stable and you enjoy manual planning, Sunsama works well.
If your days change constantly, it quickly becomes another thing you have to manage.

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Reclaim.ai – The Google Calendar Extension

Reclaim.ai takes a different approach.
It lives inside Google Calendar and focuses heavily on habits and meetings.

✅ Pros

• Strong habit tracking and recurring routines
• Automatically schedules habits around meetings
• More affordable than Motion
• Works well for teams already deep in Google Calendar

For many people, Reclaim feels like a “smart upgrade” to Google Calendar.

❌ Cons

• Weak project and task management
• Relies heavily on Google Calendar to function properly
• Less effective if you manage complex projects or deadlines

Reclaim is great at protecting time around meetings.
But when it comes to planning actual work, it feels limited.

It optimizes your calendar — not your workload.

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Akiflow – The Aggregator

Akiflow has gained popularity for one main reason: speed.

✅ Pros

• Pulls tasks from many apps into one place
• Extremely fast to capture tasks
• Clean, efficient interface
• Great if you live across multiple tools

Akiflow shines as a central inbox for tasks.

❌ Cons

• It’s still just a list
• No real AI planning logic
• You decide what to work on and when

Akiflow organizes your tasks beautifully —
but you still do all the thinking.

If decision fatigue is your problem, Akiflow doesn’t really solve it.

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The Verdict: Why Motion Is Still King

Here’s the key difference most comparisons miss:

Other tools help you organize tasks.
Motion actually plans your time.

That distinction matters more than it sounds.

With Motion:

• You don’t decide what to work on next
• You don’t reshuffle tasks when meetings change
• You don’t mentally track deadlines

Motion does that automatically.

It looks at:

• Priorities
• Deadlines
• Available time
• Real-world interruptions

Then it builds — and constantly rebuilds — your schedule.

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Time Is Money (And Motion Gets This Right)

Let’s talk numbers.

If Motion helps you save even 8–10 hours per week, that’s:

• 30–40 hours per month
• Nearly a full workweek gained

Compared to that, saving $10–15 a month on a cheaper tool doesn’t really matter.

Saving time beats saving subscription fees.

Especially if:

• You bill clients
• You run a business
• Or your time directly impacts your income

Motion isn’t cheaper because it doesn’t try to be.
It’s built to replace mental effort, not just organize it.

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Final Thoughts

If you enjoy manual planning and calm rituals, Sunsama is a great choice.
If you live in Google Calendar and want better habit scheduling, Reclaim.ai works well.
If you want one fast list for everything, Akiflow delivers.

But if your real problem is:

• Constant replanning
• Decision fatigue
• Never knowing what to work on next

Motion still wins in 2026.

👉 Check out our full Motion Review to see the real ROI and decide whether saving hours every week is worth the investment for you.