Digital Planner Templates: Complete Guide & Downloads

Okay so I just spent like three weeks testing every digital planner template I could find

And honestly the biggest thing nobody tells you is that the platform matters SO much more than the actual planner design. Like I bought this gorgeous minimalist planner last month and then realized it only worked on GoodNotes and I’m an Android user so… yeah that was $15 down the drain.

Let me break down what actually works on each platform because I’ve made all the mistakes already.

iPad + Apple Pencil users (GoodNotes or Notability)

You guys have it easiest honestly. GoodNotes is where like 80% of digital planners are designed to work. The hyperlinks work perfectly, you can duplicate pages without everything breaking, and the writing experience is smooth.

For GoodNotes specifically, look for planners that have:

• Hyperlinked tabs (so you can jump between months)
• Pre-cropped pages that fit the screen without zooming
• Separate files for each month if you don’t want one massive file
• Blank template pages you can duplicate

I tested about 12 different planners and the ones from Bloom Daily Planners actually had the best tab setup. Their monthly view links directly to each week and then back to the month. Sounds basic but SO many expensive planners don’t do this right and you’re just swiping through 400 pages trying to find March.

Oh and another thing – page size matters. Most are designed for iPad Pro 12.9 inch but if you have the regular iPad or the Mini, make sure it says it’s sized for your device. I bought one that was gorgeous on my client’s iPad Pro but on my regular iPad I had to zoom in so much I could only see like half the page at once.

Notability vs GoodNotes real talk

Notability people are gonna hate me for this but GoodNotes is just better for planners. Notability is amazing for actual note-taking (the audio recording feature is incredible for meetings) but for planners specifically, GoodNotes handles hyperlinks better and the page organization makes more sense.

That said, most GoodNotes planners will import into Notability fine, you just might lose some hyperlink functionality. Test with a free planner first before buying expensive ones.

Samsung tablet users (Samsung Notes or other Android apps)

This is where I live and honestly it’s frustrating. Most planner creators design for iPad first and then maybe consider Android as an afterthought.

Samsung Notes works great but you need PDF planners, not GoodNotes files obviously. The trick is finding ones that:

• Have working PDF hyperlinks (not all do)
• Are optimized for 16:10 aspect ratio if you have a Tab S series
• Don’t have super light colors because Samsung’s palm rejection can make light grays look muddy

I’ve had good luck with planners from Etsy shops that specifically mention Android compatibility. There’s one seller called Digital Planning Co or something like that who tests everything on both platforms. Their weekly spreads actually fit perfectly on my Tab S7 without awkward margins.

Wait I forgot to mention – if you’re using Samsung Notes, you can only have like 100 pages before it starts lagging. So those massive year-long planners? You gotta split them up. I usually do quarters (Jan-March, April-June, etc) and it works way better.

Other Android apps worth trying

Okay so Xodo is actually really good for hyperlinked PDFs. Better than Samsung Notes for that specific thing. But the writing experience isn’t as smooth. I use it for my budget planner because that one has a ton of hyperlinks between pages and Samsung Notes just… couldn’t handle it.

Squid (used to be called Papyrus I think?) is decent too. More customization options than Samsung Notes but the interface is kinda cluttered. My dog stepped on my tablet while I was testing this one and somehow created three new notebooks so that was fun.

Windows tablet or Surface users

OneNote is probably your best bet and honestly it’s so different from the other platforms that you might wanna skip traditional digital planners entirely and just use OneNote templates.

But if you really want that planner aesthetic, PDF planners work in OneNote. You insert them as printouts and then you can write on them. The downside is hyperlinks don’t work great and the writing experience is… fine? Not amazing but fine.

Drawboard PDF is what a lot of Surface users swear by. I borrowed my friend’s Surface for a weekend to test this (she was out of town and I may have told her I needed it for “urgent work stuff” but really I just wanted to test planners). Drawboard handled hyperlinks perfectly and the pen response was really good.

This is gonna sound weird but Windows users might actually be better off with web-based planners like Notion or Google Calendar templates. I know that’s not the same vibe as a pretty digital planner but the functionality is gonna be smoother.

What about Remarkable or other e-ink tablets

Oh man okay so e-ink is tricky. The Remarkable is gorgeous for writing but it’s black and white obviously, so all those pretty colored planners? Waste of money. You need planners specifically designed for grayscale.

There are some out there – mostly minimalist ones that were black and white to begin with. But hyperlinks are hit or miss depending on which Remarkable version you have.

I tested one planner on a Remarkable 2 (my friend Sarah let me borrow hers after the Surface weekend, I promise I do actually own some of my own devices) and the monthly tabs worked but the individual day links didn’t. So you could jump to a month but then you’re scrolling through the whole month to find the specific day.

Boox tablets

These run Android so theoretically anything that works on Samsung should work here. But the refresh rate on e-ink means writing feels delayed and honestly I found it annoying for daily planning. Great for reading planner pages but actually writing your tasks? Not my favorite.

File format stuff that actually matters

Okay so this is boring but important. Most planners come in these formats:

• GoodNotes files (.goodnotes) – only work in GoodNotes, duh
• PDF with hyperlinks – should work everywhere but quality varies
• PDF without hyperlinks – basically just pretty paper at that point
• Notability files – only Notability
• PNG files – you have to import these as images, kind of a pain

Always check what format you’re getting before buying. I’ve seen planners on Etsy where the photos show hyperlinked tabs but then you get a flat PDF with nothing clickable. Read the description carefully and check reviews.

The free vs paid situation

There are genuinely good free planners out there. I have a whole folder of free ones I’ve collected. But they’re usually either:

• Basic layouts (which is fine if that’s what you need)
• Missing some pages (like no habit trackers or meal planners)
• Not hyperlinked
• Watermarked

My advice is to start with free ones to figure out what layout you actually use. Because here’s what nobody tells you – that gorgeous hourly planner with space for 15 tasks per day? You’re probably not gonna use all that space. I learned this after buying like 5 different “comprehensive” planners that I never filled out.

I actually use a pretty basic weekly layout now. Just days of the week, a task list, and a notes section. Cost me $8 on Etsy and I’ve used it every day for six months. Meanwhile the $35 planner with all the bells and whistles is sitting in my digital filing cabinet untouched.

Where to actually find good planners

Etsy is the biggest marketplace but quality is all over the place. Look for sellers with lots of reviews and specifically read the 3-star reviews because those tell you the actual problems.

Some shops I keep going back to:

• Bloom Daily Planners (their GoodNotes ones are solid)
• MinimalPlannerCo on Etsy (good Android options)
• Blue Sky brand has some digital versions of their paper planners

Oh and another thing – a lot of planner creators have moved to Gumroad or their own websites. Sometimes cheaper there than on Etsy because no platform fees.

Customization and making planners actually work for you

Okay so funny story – I bought this undated planner thinking I’d just fill in the dates myself. Took me THREE HOURS to fill in dates for a whole year. My hand cramped. I was watching The Bear while doing it and I still associate that show with tedious date-writing now.

Get a dated planner unless you have a really specific reason not to. Or get one that comes with a date stamp tool.

Most good planners come with blank templates you can duplicate. This is crucial. You’re gonna want extra pages for random stuff. I duplicate the notes pages constantly for project planning, trip planning, whatever.

Some planners also come with sticker packs (digital stickers you can copy and paste). These are cute but I literally never use them. The time it takes to find the right sticker and resize it… I could’ve just written the word. But some people love them so if that’s your thing, look for planners that include them.

Hyperlink tips that’ll save you frustration

Test the hyperlinks as soon as you download a planner. Like before the return window closes if there is one. Click every tab, every link. I once had a planner where January through June worked fine but July through December just didn’t link anywhere. The seller fixed it but only because I caught it early.

If you’re on Android and hyperlinks aren’t working, try opening the PDF in a different app. Sometimes Samsung Notes doesn’t recognize links that Xodo does. No idea why.

And if you’re modifying a planner (like adding your own pages), be careful because you can break the hyperlinks. I learned this the hard way when I added a project planning section and suddenly none of the monthly tabs worked. Had to re-download the original file.

Storage and backup because losing your planner sucks

Your planner file can get pretty big, especially if you’re writing on it daily. My current planner is like 200MB because six months of handwriting adds up.

I keep mine in Google Drive so it syncs across devices. Some people use Dropbox. Just make sure you have automatic backup turned on because I’ve heard horror stories of people losing months of planning when their tablet died.

Also keep the original blank template file separate from your working file. That way if something gets corrupted or you wanna start fresh, you still have the clean version.

The reality of actually using digital planners daily

Look, I’m gonna be honest – the first week you use a digital planner feels amazing and productive and aesthetic. Week two is when you realize you keep forgetting to open it. By week three you’re either in the habit or the planner is abandoned.

What helped me stick with it was putting the planner app in my dock on my tablet. And I plan my next day every night before bed. That’s it. If I don’t do it at night, I forget in the morning chaos.

Also you don’t have to use every page. That financial tracker page? Never touched it. The meal planning spread? Used it twice. The habit tracker? Use it daily. Figure out what actually serves you and ignore the rest.

Some people like to have multiple planners – one for work, one for personal. I tried that and just got confused about where I wrote things. One planner, different sections works better for my brain but you gotta experiment.

The battery thing is real too. If you’re planning to use your tablet all day for planning, make sure it’s charged. Sounds obvious but I’ve definitely been stuck in meetings with a dead tablet and no way to check my schedule.