FlowSavvy and Motion are both auto-scheduling apps that help you plan your time more efficiently, but they have differing priorities and will work better for different types of people. Motion gears its features toward teams in a corporate setting, while FlowSavvy is crafted with the individual user in mind, focusing on user-friendly design, fully functional mobile apps, and affordability. Let’s dive deeper into how these two auto-schedulers compare and what makes FlowSavvy the best Motion alternative in 2024.
User Interface
A good app starts with an easy-to-use interface. FlowSavvy’s intuitive interface has been meticulously designed to enable users to quickly understand and take advantage of FlowSavvy’s powerful auto-scheduling capabilities. We wanted to make the process of scheduling as simple and straightforward as possible, even if you’ve never heard of time-blocking or auto-scheduling.
In comparison, some users have reported that Motion’s interface can be less intuitive and take a long time to get used to. Plus, if you don’t need all the teams features that Motion offers, the app can feel more complicated than it needs to be. Another notable shortfall in Motion’s UI is that all your tasks are colored gray, with no obvious way to change this. In FlowSavvy, tasks are automatically color-coded green, orange, or red, according to how close they are scheduled to their deadline, so you can very easily see at a glance if you’ll complete everything on time or if you’re missing any deadlines (and you can override the colors manually if you prefer!)
Motion:
FlowSavvy:
Auto-scheduling
FlowSavvy’s powerful auto-scheduling is one of the things that make it stand out as the best Motion alternative. Motion’s auto-scheduling algorithm fits tasks into your schedule as soon as there’s space, which isn’t always realistic. For example, if you have 20 hours of work due in 5 days, Motion will slam you with a wall of work today and tomorrow. This may work some of the time, but front-loading like this often leads to an unreasonable schedule and can cause burnout by doing too much work all at once.
FlowSavvy, on the other hand, offers users the option to either “front-load” or “balance” their workload. The balanced option is an advanced algorithm that optimizes your schedule holistically and spreads your workload evenly across multiple days. This creates a more reasonable schedule and gives you a balanced amount of work and free time every day, which is a more sustainable approach to time-management.
Along with creating a more realistic schedule, FlowSavvy’s auto-scheduling algorithm is also lightning fast, reacting to every change you make and rebuilding your entire schedule for up to 8 weeks almost instantaneously. FlowSavvy also provides a big “Recalculate” button at the top of the screen that lets you force the schedule to recalculate if you get behind or something comes up. On the other hand, Motion’s algorithm often takes several seconds for even simple scheduling adjustments and it is sometimes difficult to tell whether the rescheduling is finished, leaving you wondering if your schedule is up-to-date.
Events and Tasks Features
Both Motion and FlowSavvy allow for creation of robust tasks and events, so we’ll just highlight some differences here.
Motion allows you to:
- add guests and conferencing details to events. FlowSavvy focuses on individuals, so it doesn’t support this, but with its Google, iCloud, and Outlook calendar integrations, you can easily add your guests and conferencing details in those services.
- add assignees to tasks, which we don’t plan to do since FlowSavvy is more focused on the personal use-case.
- set the status of each task (“Backlog”, “Not Started”, “ToDo”, etc.)
- add custom fields to tasks.
FlowSavvy allows you to:
- quickly add tasks to your inbox and then come back and add details later to schedule them.
- add buffer time before and after your tasks so your tasks don’t get smashed together and you can take a break or transition between tasks.
- make repeating tasks with all the same repeat rules as events. In Motion, you’re limited to a more basic set of repeat rule options for tasks.
- turn off “smart scheduling” to choose a specific time for a task.
- choose any color for each task.
Features for Teams
Motion provides some features that are more appropriate for teams in a corporate setting, like task assignees, a Kanban view, and booking links so team members and clients can book time with you. While Motion offers some robust team features, we believe in doing one thing exceptionally well: providing a superior personal auto-scheduling experience. If team collaboration features are essential to you and you’re not satisfied with using the team features in the calendar services that FlowSavvy integrates with, Motion might be a better fit.
Mobile Apps
A huge differentiator between FlowSavvy and Motion is FlowSavvy’s mobile app. Not only does it support 100% of the features of the web app, it adds even more like push notifications, direct subscriptions through the app stores, and widgets. We’ve designed FlowSavvy with a mobile-first approach since the beginning, and we’re proud to offer users the same simple UI regardless of which device they use to access it.
Regarding Motion’s mobile app, their user reviews often point out that it only has a fraction of the capabilities of the web app, and it’s a completely different interface than the web version. Other limitations include only being able to see one day at a time, not being able to manage settings, and not being able to subscribe through the app.
FlowSavvy is the most fully-featured cross-platform auto-scheduler on the app stores. For a mobile auto-scheduler that’s easy to use and works just as well as on desktop, you just can’t beat FlowSavvy.
Pricing: a budget-friendly Motion alternative
We strive to offer excellent value at a fair price. FlowSavvy is available for $7 per month or $60 per year (varies slightly by region and app store), and it also has a robust free version that works for most people. If you compare this to Motion’s high price tag of $34 per month or $228 per year and lack of free tier, it’s a no-brainer. Users that switch from Motion to FlowSavvy say they are shocked that FlowSavvy provides all the functionality they need at 1/4th the price. Plus, FlowSavvy lets you subscribe directly through the app stores, whereas Motion forces you to subscribe through Stripe on a browser.
Summary
Both Motion and FlowSavvy are powerful auto-schedulers capable of enhancing your productivity and making you feel like you’ve got your own personal assistant. If you need features tailored for teams and are okay with the user interface limitations and high price tag, Motion could be a good fit for you. However, if you’re looking for an auto-scheduler that prioritizes individuals and emphasizes ease-of-use, cross-platform accessibility, and value for money, FlowSavvy stands out as the best Motion alternative. Get started with FlowSavvy for free today and discover a new level of productivity!