Lifestack alternatives for planning around your energy
Lifestack suits people who wear a tracker and want their schedule drafted from their sleep, recovery and heart-rate data. BALAY, a daily companion for adults with ADHD on iPhone and Android, suits people who would rather tell the app how they are, and it works without a wearable.
How do Lifestack and the alternatives compare?
| Lifestack | BALAY | Structured | Tiimo | Routinery | Sunsama | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| What it plans around | Energy predicted from sleep, recovery and heart-rate data | The energy you check in with, in five states | A visual timeline, with an optional Energy Monitor | A visual timeline of your day, with a focus timer | Step-by-step routines with a guided timer | A guided daily planning routine with timeboxing |
| Platforms | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Android, Mac, Chrome | iPhone (iOS 17 and later) and Android (8.0 and later) | Apple devices, Android and web | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Mac, Android, web | Apple devices and Android | iPhone, iPad, Android, Mac, Windows, Linux |
| Free tier | No free plan. A 7-day trial on the yearly plan | Free, which isn't a trial and doesn't expire. Up to two tasks at a time | Free to start. The Energy Monitor is free | A free version on iPhone and Android | Two routines free. Premium removes the limit | None, by choice. A 14-day free trial |
| AI or companion feature | An AI copilot that plans your day or week | Sumi, an AI companion, not a clinician. One conversation on Free | AI that drafts your day, and suggested subtasks | AI Co-Planner: step-by-step plans with time estimates | Connects to AI assistants you already use | AI features in the Pro plan |
| Wearable or Apple Health | Central: Apple Health, Oura, WHOOP, Garmin, Fitbit | Apple Health on iPhone: reads context, writes cycle data. Health Connect on Android (coming) | Apple Watch app. Apple Health not mentioned | Apple Watch app. Mood reflections sync to Apple Health | Apple Watch app. No direct sync with Apple Health | None mentioned on its ADHD page |
| Research or clinical page | None found | Sources for each finding, and what BALAY does not claim | Energy Monitor built with the Dutch institute Breinstraat | Says it is rooted in executive functioning research | An analysis of 7,948 user reviews. Not clinical | None found |
| Price model | Monthly, yearly or lifetime | Free, Plus at £7.99 or Ultimate at £14.99 a month, or yearly | Structured Pro, monthly, yearly or lifetime | Free version, then Tiimo Pro, monthly or yearly | Weekly to yearly subscriptions, or lifetime | Pro subscription, monthly or yearly |
| Where it is made | San Francisco, United States | UK. Data stored in the EU | Berlin, Germany | Denmark | South Korea | United States |
Scroll sideways to see every app.
Where these facts come from
Each app's details were read on its own website or App Store listing on the date shown. Features and plans change, so each company's own site is the authoritative version. BALAY's come from the features and pricing pages.
- Lifestack. Facts checked on : apps.apple.com/us/app/lifestack-ai-planner-for-adhd/id6473464429, lifestack.ai, lifestack.ai/pricing, linkedin.com/company/demind-inc
- Structured. Facts checked on : apps.apple.com/us/app/structured-daily-planner/id1499198946, help.structured.app/en/articles/1747650, play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=io.unorderly.structured, structured.app, structured.app/imprint
- Tiimo. Facts checked on : tiimoapp.com, tiimoapp.com/pricing, tiimoapp.com/resource-hub/apple-tiimo-wellbeing, tiimoapp.com/resource-hub/inclusive-planning, tiimoapp.com/faq
- Routinery. Facts checked on : apps.apple.com/us/app/routinery-self-care-routine/id1450486923, routinery.app, routinery.app/blog/routine-app-adhd-what-users-want, kedglobal.com/korean-startups/newsView/ked202407110012
- Sunsama. Facts checked on : sunsama.com/for-adhd, sunsama.com/pricing, ycombinator.com/companies/sunsama
What does Lifestack do?
Lifestack reads your sleep, recovery and focus, then drafts a schedule that puts the right work at the right time. The data comes from Apple Health and wearables such as Oura, WHOOP and Garmin. There is no free plan: it is a monthly, yearly or lifetime payment.
Why look for an alternative?
Usually because you do not wear a tracker, want a free plan you can stay on, or you need help starting and coping more than scheduling.
Which apps are like Lifestack for ADHD energy?
BALAY
BALAY plans around energy too, but asks rather than measures. You check in with one of five states, and the task list reorders so the ones you can start today are at the top. Apple Health on iPhone can add context, with Health Connect coming on Android, and everything works without it. The Free plan isn't a trial and doesn't expire, and includes one conversation with Sumi, an AI companion, not a clinician; Plus and Ultimate add more. BALAY is new on iPhone and Android, coming soon to the App Store and Google Play, and made in the UK.
Structured
Structured puts tasks, routines and calendar events on one drag-and-drop timeline. Its free Energy Monitor, built with researchers at the Dutch institute Breinstraat, lets you rate how energy-consuming each task is and shows how much of the day's energy you have used. It is free to start, with a paid Pro tier, and made in Berlin.
Tiimo
Tiimo is a visual planner for neurodivergent people, with a colour-coded timeline, a focus timer, and an AI Co-Planner that turns a list into steps with time estimates. Tiimo says it doesn't track physical health metrics directly, though mood reflections sync to Apple Health.
Routinery
Routinery is for routines rather than whole days. A guided timer with voice alerts walks you through each step, and it tracks habits over weeks and months. It publishes an analysis of 7,948 of its own user reviews: user feedback, not clinical evidence.
Sunsama
Sunsama describes itself as a daily planner for busy professionals. It walks you through pulling in tasks from tools such as Asana, Notion and Gmail and timeboxing them onto your calendar. Its ADHD page does not mention energy or health data. There is no free plan, by choice: a 14-day trial, then a subscription.
Who each is for
- You wear a tracker and want the schedule drafted from it: Lifestack.
- You want to rate how draining tasks are: Structured.
- You think in pictures: Tiimo.
- It is routines that fall apart: Routinery.
- Your work lives in a dozen tools: Sunsama.
- You would rather say how you are than track it: BALAY.
Common questions
Several have a free way in. BALAY's Free plan isn't a trial and doesn't expire. Structured and Tiimo have free versions, and Routinery keeps two routines free. Lifestack itself has no free plan, and Sunsama has a 14-day trial.
All five alternatives on this page plan your day without one. BALAY can read Apple Health on iPhone as context, with Health Connect coming on Android, and everything works on what you log yourself.
BALAY asks rather than predicts. A check-in is two taps. After a few weeks of check-ins the energy map shows when your good hours tend to land.
It depends which part you liked. For energy on a timeline, Structured's Energy Monitor is the nearest idea. For planning that starts from how you are rather than from the calendar, BALAY is.
BALAY is a wellness app, not a medical one. Wellness insight, not medical advice. Check with a professional for anything health-related.