In short
- A freelancer needs four things: a calendar, a task list, time tracking and an overview for invoicing. Most tools do one or two of them well.
- Google Calendar, Todoist and Notion are strong at their own part, but you track hours and invoicing somewhere else.
- Motion schedules your tasks automatically; Toggl Track is a strong time tracker.
- Dowit brings the four together and lets you run it with Claude or ChatGPT. We make Dowit, so read this guide with that in mind: we're honest about where the others are better.
As a freelancer you're your own planner, project manager and bookkeeper. So the question isn't just "where do I put my tasks?", but also "where do I track my hours?" and "how do I know what to invoice?". Every app you add is one more place to forget something.
This guide compares six popular options. Not a ranking with one winner for everyone, but for each tool what it's good at, what's missing, and who it suits best.
What does a freelancer need from a planner?
Four things that are connected:
- A calendar with your events, so you know how much time you really have.
- A task list with due dates and priorities, per client or project.
- Time tracking, even when you charge a fixed price, to know what a project earns.
- An overview for invoicing: per client and per month, what you did and what it costs.
If those live in four separate apps, the risk is in the seams: hours you never logged, tasks with no place in your week, months that aren't fully invoiced.
The 6 options compared
| Calendar | Tasks | Hours | Invoicing overview | Free plan | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Google Calendar | Yes | Limited | No | No | Yes |
| Todoist | Through integrations | Yes | Not mentioned | No | Yes, with limits |
| Notion | Notion Calendar | Yes, set it up yourself | Not mentioned | Set it up yourself | Yes |
| Motion | Yes, scheduled automatically | Yes | Only in the Business AI plan | Not mentioned | No, trial |
| Toggl Track | Not the focus (time tracking) | Projects and tasks | Yes | Through a separate feature | Yes, up to 3 users |
| Dowit | Yes, Google Calendar both ways | Yes | Yes | Yes, per client and month | Yes, up to 3 clients |
Details of the other tools from their pricing pages on 10 November 2026: Todoist, Notion, Motion, Toggl. Features and prices can change.
Google Calendar: simple and free
Many freelancers simply plan in their calendar: events, and work blocks for their tasks.
- Good at: free, available everywhere, and your clients use it too.
- Less: no real task list with priorities, no hours, no invoicing. Whatever doesn't fit in a block drops out of sight.
- Suits: people with few clients who mostly work in meetings.
Todoist: a strong task list
Todoist is one of the best-known task apps, with projects, due dates, priorities and its own AI help (Todoist Assist).
- Good at: fast task entry, overview per project, apps on every device.
- Less: no time tracking or invoicing on the pricing page. The free plan has limits (such as 5 personal projects).
- Suits: people who mainly want to manage tasks and handle hours and invoicing elsewhere.
Notion: build your own system
Notion is a workspace for notes, docs and databases, with Notion Calendar alongside.
- Good at: hugely flexible; you build exactly the system you want, with templates from others.
- Less: you have to set it up and maintain it yourself. Hours and invoicing you rebuild yourself, and that stays manual work.
- Suits: people who like building their own system and want notes and docs in the same place.
Motion: automatic scheduling
Motion uses its own AI to schedule your tasks into your calendar automatically, and moves them when something comes up.
- Good at: your day is arranged for you, including rescheduling.
- Less: no free plan; time tracking is only in the higher plan, and invoicing isn't on the pricing page.
- Suits: people who want an app to run their day completely. See also our Motion comparison.
Toggl Track: time tracking
Toggl Track is one of the best-known time trackers, with browser extensions and desktop apps.
- Good at: tracking hours wherever you work, with lots of integrations and strong reports.
- Less: it isn't a planner for your day or week; your calendar and tasks live somewhere else.
- Suits: people who mainly want to count hours. See also our Toggl and Clockify comparison.
Dowit: planning, hours and invoicing, with your own AI
Dowit is the work planner we make, for freelancers and small agencies.
- Good at: your calendar (Google Calendar, both ways), tasks, projects, hours and a client report for invoicing in one place. You run it in the app or by talking to Claude or ChatGPT: "block two hours tomorrow for the Acme proposal", "1h Acme, 30m Northwind", "what do I still need to invoice?".
- Less: no browser extension or desktop app (it's a web app you can install on your phone), fewer integrations than the big names, and Dowit doesn't schedule on its own in the background: your AI plans when you ask. Dowit also doesn't create invoices; you make those in your own accounting tool.
- Suits: freelancers and small agencies who want planning, hours and invoicing together, and who already work with Claude or ChatGPT.
How do you choose the right planner?
Ask yourself three questions:
- Do you bill by the hour? Then you want your hours close to your planning, or you'll forget them. Choose Dowit, or a planner plus Toggl Track.
- Do you want to decide yourself, or have an app arrange your day? Yourself: Dowit, Todoist or your calendar. Automatically: Motion.
- Do you already work with Claude or ChatGPT all day? Then a planner you run through your AI saves a lot of time. See AI work planner for freelancers.
Really try your favourite for a week or two, with your real clients. A planner that looks good but that you stop opening after three days doesn't help you.
Frequently asked questions
What's the best free planner for freelancers?
It depends on what you need. Google Calendar is free and simple. Todoist and Notion have a free plan for tasks and notes. Dowit has a free plan with tasks, projects and hours for up to 3 clients; connecting Google Calendar is part of Pro, which you get free for the first 14 days.
Do I need a separate app for time tracking?
Not if your planner tracks hours. A separate app like Toggl Track works too, but then you keep your hours and your planning in two places.
Can AI do my planning?
Yes, in two ways. Motion schedules automatically with its own AI. With Dowit you plan with Claude or ChatGPT: you say what you want, and your AI puts it in your calendar and task list.
Which planner works with Claude or ChatGPT?
Check for each tool whether it has its own connector (MCP) for Claude or ChatGPT, and what your AI can do with it. Dowit is built for it: your AI can read and update your calendar, tasks, hours and client reports. Read how to connect Claude to your calendar.