Open Sunsama

Open Sunsama is a task manager and daily planner built around a board of days and time-blocked calendars. It best suits people who want to shape each workday themselves, especially those who value self-hosting or AI-agent connections. Its free personal-use option is appealing, but it does not schedule tasks automatically.

Overview

Move tasks from a backlog onto a daily board, arrange them into time blocks, and unfinished tasks roll over to tomorrow. That makes it easier to carry work forward without rebuilding the list each morning. Natural-language planning input, priority replanning, and recurring tasks add flexibility, but they do not make scheduling automatic: users still decide when work should happen.

Calendar sync connects Google Calendar, Outlook, and iCloud, including multiple accounts. Time blocks remain in Open Sunsama rather than being copied to Google or Outlook calendars. That separation suits people who want external appointments alongside their plan without filling their other calendars with planner blocks.

Key features

Daily planning and focus

Focus mode runs a timer and tracks actual time against a task estimate. This gives users a way to compare planned and spent time while working through a time-blocked day, but it does not adjust the schedule for them. Recurring tasks and rollover help with routines and ongoing work; people who want tasks placed and rearranged automatically should look elsewhere.

AI connections and API

The hosted MCP server connects through OAuth to Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, and other MCP clients, with 24 tools. That makes Open Sunsama relevant to users who want an AI agent to work with their planner. Its REST API covers tasks, subtasks, and time blocks, with API keys that can be given selectable scopes, which is useful for integrations that need controlled access.

Self-hosting and portability

Docker Compose runs the web app, REST API, MCP server, and PostgreSQL database on the user's server. Self-hosting requires Docker 20.10 or newer, Compose 2.24 or newer, and 2 GB of RAM, so it suits technically equipped users more than anyone seeking a hands-off setup. Self-hosted data can be copied with pg_dump; hosted tasks and time blocks can be retrieved through the API, but there is no one-click export button.

Pricing

Personal use / hosted app or self-hosted

The plan costs nothing and supports personal use on either the hosted app or a self-hosted instance. There is no separate paid tier described for personal use. The non-commercial license permits personal use, education, nonprofit groups, non-commercial open-source projects, evaluation, and testing. Companies need a commercial license for production use, and commercial resale also requires one. For-profit production use is therefore not covered by the free personal-use plan.

Unlike a paid plan with stated seat or usage caps, this plan has no seat or quota limit given. Its meaningful trade-offs are licensing and portability: commercial production requires a commercial license, and hosted data lacks a one-click export.

Platforms

Open Sunsama supports web, Android, iOS, Mac, Windows, Linux, API access, and self-hosting. Desktop apps for Mac, Windows, and Linux connect to the hosted service. On phones it works through a mobile web app in the browser, not a native app, which is a notable drawback for readers who prefer a dedicated mobile application.

Who it's for

Choose Open Sunsama if you prefer deliberate daily planning, want calendar context without copying time blocks to external calendars, or value the option to run the software on your own server. Its MCP server and scoped API also make it a plausible fit for people who want an AI agent or custom integration involved in their workflow. It is a poor fit for anyone who expects automatic scheduling or a native phone app, and businesses should account for the commercial-license requirement.

Pros and cons

• Pros: Free personal-use access works for both the hosted app and self-hosting, and calendar sync covers Google Calendar, Outlook, and iCloud with multiple accounts.
• Pros: The hosted MCP server and REST API offer concrete paths for AI-agent and custom-tool connections.
• Pros: Daily rollover, recurring tasks, and focus timing support a continuing time-blocked routine.
• Cons: Scheduling is manual, so users who need tasks automatically placed or reprioritized around their calendar will need another tool.
• Cons: Phone use depends on a browser-based mobile web app rather than a native app.
• Cons: Hosted data has no one-click export, while commercial production use requires a commercial license.

Alternatives

FlowSavvy is the better direction for readers who want automatic scheduling: its Basic plan includes three repeating auto-scheduled tasks and a two-week scheduling range, while Open Sunsama requires manual scheduling.

Reclaim AI is worth considering for readers who want an AI scheduling tool with a free Lite plan capped at one user, a one-week scheduling range, one Calendar Sync, one Scheduling Link, and five AI Agents.

DayWise offers a free plan with manual scheduling and core task management, and is an Android option for readers who want a mobile-focused alternative.

Trevor AI may suit web users who want to start with a free plan limited to one calendar account and have a $6 a month Pro plan option for multiple accounts.

Routine is another freemium planner, with Android, iOS, Linux, Mac, web, and Windows support; its Free plan includes three integrations, three custom databases, and 250 AI credits.

General Bots Calendar is a self-hosted alternative with a free plan described as allowing unlimited users and operations, without per-user licensing fees.

Sunsama is a paid alternative with a Pro plan at $17 a year and no free plan.

Taskal is a free web-based alternative.

For more options, see Time Blocking Apps, Daily Planner Apps, or AI Calendar Assistants.

Verdict

Open Sunsama is a strong choice for personal planners who want time blocking, calendar sync, and the option to self-host or connect AI tools without paying for personal use. The central reason to choose it is that combination of manual daily planning and technical flexibility; the central reason to look elsewhere is that it will not schedule tasks for you, and phone users must use the browser.