Digital Project Planner: Best Apps & Templates

Okay so I’ve been testing digital project planners basically nonstop for the past month because three of my clients asked me about them in the same week and I figured the universe was telling me something. Let me just dump everything I learned because honestly some of these apps are incredible and some are just… why does this exist.

Starting with Notion because everyone asks about it

Notion is the one everyone’s gonna recommend first and look, they’re not wrong but they’re also not entirely right? I spent like two weeks building the perfect project planner in Notion and here’s what I figured out. It’s incredibly flexible which sounds great until you’re staring at a blank page at 10pm trying to remember how databases work. The learning curve is real.

But once you get it, you can customize literally everything. I made a project tracker that links to my client database, my content calendar, and my finances all in one place. The templates in their gallery are actually pretty solid too. There’s this one called “Project & Tasks” that I modified for my coaching business and it’s been working for like six months now.

The mobile app used to be terrible but they fixed it mostly. You can check stuff on your phone now without wanting to throw it across the room. Syncing is fast which matters when you’re updating things between your laptop and phone constantly.

The actual setup I use in Notion

I’ve got a main projects database with these properties: Status (dropdown), Priority (select), Deadline (date), Client (relation to another database), and Progress (formula that calculates percentage done). Then each project page has a linked tasks database filtered to show only tasks for that project. Sounds complicated but once it’s set up you barely think about it.

Cost is $10/month for the Plus plan which is what you need if you want unlimited file uploads. The free version works fine if you’re just starting though.

ClickUp if you want everything and also maybe too much

Oh and another thing, ClickUp is like if Notion had a baby with a traditional project management tool and that baby drank five espressos. It’s SO powerful but also I’m not gonna lie, it’s overwhelming at first. My dog literally knocked over my coffee while I was setting this up and I was almost grateful for the distraction.

The reason I keep coming back to ClickUp though is the views. You get list view, board view (like Trello), calendar view, Gantt charts, timeline view, and this weird but useful workload view that shows if you’re overcommitting yourself. I use board view for my content projects and timeline view for client work that has dependencies.

They have these things called ClickApps which are basically features you can turn on or off. Time tracking, custom fields, automation, email integration. I have automations set up so when I move a task to “Complete” it automatically notifies me in Slack and updates the project progress. Sounds fancy but it took like three minutes to set up.

Templates worth grabbing

Their template library is huge. The “Simple Project Management” template is actually the best place to start, not the complicated ones. I also really like their “Content Calendar” template which I modified for blog planning. You can import templates from their library or create your own once you figure out what works.

Free plan gives you unlimited tasks and users which is wild. Paid plans start at $7/month and honestly the free version is pretty generous compared to most apps.

Wait I forgot to mention Asana

Asana is like the professional older sister of project planning apps. It’s clean, it’s reliable, it doesn’t try to do weird experimental features. Sometimes I just want something that works without thinking about it and that’s Asana.

The interface makes sense immediately. You’ve got projects, within projects you have tasks, tasks can have subtasks, you can assign them to people or yourself, set due dates, add descriptions and files. Board view and list view are both excellent. The timeline view (Gantt chart basically) is only on paid plans but it’s really well done if you need to see how projects overlap.

I use Asana for my coaching business backend stuff because I don’t want to think about the tool, I just want to track what needs to happen. My weekly review template lives in Asana. My course creation project lives in Asana. It just works and stays out of my way.

They have these things called Rules which are automation triggers. When I mark a task complete in my “Content Creation” project, it automatically creates the next task in the sequence and assigns it to me for three days later. Saved me so much time on repetitive workflows.

Free for up to 15 users which is plenty for most people. Premium is $10.99/month and adds timeline view, custom fields, and better reporting.

Trello for people who think visually

This is gonna sound weird but I actually plan my stationery reviews in Trello because the board view is just so satisfying. Trello is basically digital sticky notes on digital boards and that’s it and sometimes that’s exactly what you need.

Each board is a project. Each list is a stage (like “Ideas,” “In Progress,” “Editing,” “Published”). Each card is a task. You drag cards between lists. My brain likes this. It’s visual and tactile in a way that feels more like moving physical papers around.

Power-Ups are Trello’s version of integrations and they’re actually really good. I have the Calendar Power-Up so I can see all my deadlines in calendar view, and the Custom Fields Power-Up to add priority levels and estimated time to cards. Butler automation is built in now and it’s surprisingly powerful for such a simple-looking app.

My actual Trello setup

I have a “Blog Production” board with lists for: Ideas, Research, Writing, Editing, Scheduling, Published. Each card is one blog post. I use labels for categories (productivity, stationery, digital tools) and due dates for publication dates. There’s a card template I made that has a checklist for my standard blog process so I just copy that template for new posts.

Free version is totally usable. Paid starts at $5/month per user and gets you unlimited Power-Ups and better automation limits.

Todoist but like for projects not just tasks

Okay so funny story, I originally thought Todoist was just a task app but they added these project features that are actually really solid for simple project planning. If you don’t need all the bells and whistles of ClickUp but want more structure than Trello, this is a good middle ground.

You can create projects and sub-projects, add tasks with subtasks, set due dates and recurring schedules, use labels and filters, and the natural language input is chef’s kiss. I can type “write newsletter every Monday at 9am starting Dec 1” and it figures out exactly what I mean.

I use Todoist for my personal productivity system and my smaller client projects. The Today view shows everything due today across all projects which keeps me focused. The filters are powerful, I have one that shows “assigned to me, due in next 7 days, priority 1” which is basically my weekly focus list.

Sections within projects are great for organizing tasks by phase or category. My “Course Launch” project has sections for content creation, marketing, tech setup, and admin stuff. Clean and simple.

Free version works fine for basic use. Pro is $4/month and adds reminders, labels, comments, and file uploads. I think Pro is worth it if you’re using it daily.

Monday.com if someone else is paying

Monday is powerful and colorful and kinda expensive which is why I mainly recommend it for teams or if you’re using it for work and not paying personally. The visual aspect is really good though, everything is color-coded and satisfying to look at.

The timeline view is excellent for seeing project phases. The workload view helps you avoid overcommitting. Automations are easy to set up with their visual builder, no coding needed. I tested it for a month when they had a trial and I actually really liked it but couldn’t justify the cost for just me.

They have a ton of templates for different industries and project types. The “Project Management” template is solid for general use. You can customize columns to track whatever metrics matter to you.

Pricing starts at $8/month per user but you need at least 3 users so it’s really $24/month minimum. For teams it makes more sense than for solo users.

Airtable when you want a database but friendly

Wait I should mention Airtable because it’s like if spreadsheets and databases had a baby that was actually pleasant to use. My client canceled last Tuesday so I spent an hour comparing Airtable to Notion for project tracking and they’re surprisingly similar in capability but different in feel.

Airtable is table-first, everything is a database at its core but you can view it as a grid, calendar, kanban board, gallery, or Gantt chart. The linking between tables is really powerful. I have a Projects table linked to a Tasks table linked to a Clients table and it all connects beautifully.

The interface is more polished than Notion in my opinion. Things just look nice without trying hard. The mobile app is also really good for quick updates.

Templates are organized by use case and industry. The “Project Tracker” template is a good starting point. You can also browse their Universe section where people share their bases publicly.

Free plan gives you 1,000 records per base which sounds like a lot until you’ve been using it for a year. Plus plan is $10/month and gives you 5,000 records and more features.

Google Sheets because sometimes simple is better

This is gonna sound basic but honestly I have a Google Sheet project tracker that I’ve used for three years and it just works. Sometimes you don’t need a fancy app, you just need columns for Project Name, Status, Deadline, Priority, and Notes.

The advantage is everyone knows how to use spreadsheets, it’s free, it syncs automatically, and you can customize it however you want. I have formulas that calculate days until deadline, conditional formatting that turns overdue items red, and dropdown menus for status updates.

I made a template with tabs for Projects, Tasks, Clients, and a Dashboard that pulls everything together with charts and summary stats. Took me a weekend to set up perfectly but now I just copy it for new clients who want something simple.

Sharing is straightforward, you can protect certain cells from editing, and the version history has saved me multiple times when I accidentally deleted something.

What I actually recommend based on your situation

If you’re just starting with digital project planning, start with Trello or Todoist. They’re simple enough that you’ll actually use them and not get overwhelmed. Trello if you like visual boards, Todoist if you like lists.

If you want maximum flexibility and don’t mind a learning curve, Notion or Airtable. Notion if you want more than just project planning (notes, wikis, databases), Airtable if you really want database power with pretty views.

If you’re managing complex projects with dependencies and timelines, ClickUp or Asana. ClickUp if you want every possible feature, Asana if you want something powerful but not overwhelming.

If you’re on a team with budget, Monday.com is actually really good for collaboration and visual project tracking.

If you want free and simple, Google Sheets or Notion’s free plan. Both are surprisingly capable without paying anything.

Templates I actually use and recommend

For Notion: Thomas Frank’s “Ultimate Brain” template has a good project management section. The “Project Roadmap” template from Notion’s gallery is also solid.

For ClickUp: Start with their “Simple Project Management” template, seriously don’t start with the complicated ones.

For Asana: Their “Project Plan” template and “Team Weekly Tasks” template are both excellent starting points.

For Trello: The “Simple Project Board” template or just make your own with lists for Backlog, To Do, In Progress, Done. That’s all you really need.

For Airtable: The “Project Tracker” and “Content Calendar” templates are both really well designed.

My cat just knocked a pen off my desk so I’m gonna wrap this up but one last thing, the best project planner is the one you’ll actually use consistently. I’ve seen people succeed with simple Google Sheets and fail with fancy Notion setups because they never opened it. Start simple, get consistent with it, then add complexity if you need it. Don’t build the perfect system before you’ve even used it for a week because you’ll just be reorganizing instead of actually working.