Paper vs Digital Planner – pros and cons

I discovered digital planning in 2017 and haven’t looked back, although I still kept some information in my beloved Filofax. Having used both digital planners and regular planners, here’s a summary of the pros and cons to help choose between a digital or paper planner

If you’re not sure if digital planning is for you, the best thing to do is to download a freebie digital planner or purchase from a seller that offers refunds to try it out. We offer a 30-day money back guarantee on all our products in our digital planner shop so you can try out digital planning completely risk free.

Advantages of Digital Planners

1 – Easy to get creative with your planner using digital planner stickers

• With a digital planner you can add stickers and images to your planner easily.
• You can duplicate all the stickers and use them again and again, unlike paper stickers where you need to top up your supply if you run out.
• There’s lots of digital stickers available for purchase but you can also make your own stickers using free clipart on the internet so you don’t even have to spend anything.

2 – You don’t need to worry if you make a mistake

 Ok, I admit it, I’m a perfectionist. I had to use an erasable pen with my Filofax because I just hate messy handwriting or when I make a mistake. With digital planners, it’s super easy to fix any mistakes because you have an erase and undo function. No more covering up mistakes in my Filofax with washi tape!

There’s lots of different colors and layouts available so you can find something that works for you (and maybe even achieve planner peace!). With most of our digital planners in the shop, we offer a bundle that includes both a vertical and a horizontal weekly layout so you have the options to use either.

There’s also lots of options of templates and you can even create your own, so you can have a planner that works perfectly for your planning needs. When I was using a Filofax, I also made my own inserts but printing them out and cutting the pages to the correct size was a huge pain!

3 – Adding photos easily

You can add photos directly from your device without needing to print it out and sticking it in. With a paper planner I always had intentions of adding photos but never got round to it, simply because it was too much hassle!

4 – Having all your planners with you everywhere

Some people like to use different planners for different purposes. I was using several different paper planners and found it hard to carry them with me everywhere. So I usually left my Filofax Malden at home and carried around a smaller planner. With digital planners, you can have as many planners as you want and be able to access them anywhere.

5 – No fear of damaging the rings or the leather

I don’t know about you but I babied my Filofaxes so much. I always took care not to overstuff them for fear of damaging the rings. And I NEVER put my Malden directly into my bag in case the leather got scratched by my keys. With a digital planner you can totally relax. Add as many pages and stickers as you like!

I’m sure there’s other pros but before I get carried away let me move onto the cons.

Disadvantages of Digital Planners

1 – Learning curve

If you’ve never used a digital planner before, it will likely feel unfamiliar to you to begin with as you get to grips with how to use it. It gets a lot easier with practice so I recommend you stick with it for a few weeks at least. We offer a 30-day money back guarantee on all our products in the shop so you can try out digital planning completely risk free.

Also check out our YouTube channel for beginners videos.

2 – I like the feel of leather planners

I absolutely love the leather on my Filofax Malden and a digital planner doesn’t have that. But like I mentioned above, this is both a pro and a con.

3 – Writing on a screen vs writing on paper

Personally I don’t mind this one but I know lots of people prefer writing on paper. There are some screen protectors that promise to make your screen feel like writing on paper but I haven’t tried these out myself.

4 – Flipping through pages and adding in tabs

You can use the bookmark function in some apps to bookmark pages but it’s still not as easy as simply putting in a tab on a paper planner and flipping to it.

It’s also easier to flip through the pages generally in a regular planner however if you choose a digital planner with lots of hyperlinks (like our planner), it is still easy to navigate around.

So there you go, a summary of the pros and cons of digital planners compared to regular paper planners to help you choose between a digital and paper planner. What do you think, are there any points you think I’ve missed? Let me know in the comments section.