It’s coming ’round the bend again: New Year’s for planner lovers! 🎉
It’s that wonderful time of year when planner companies begin revealing their upcoming collections (or teasing them just enough to keep us guessing!). Suddenly, our social media feeds are filled with gorgeous covers, new layouts, colorful accessories, and enough planner inspiration to make our wish lists grow overnight.
Of course, all those choices can also feel a little overwhelming.
Which brand should I try this year? 🤔 Which layout? Weekly? Daily? Dashboard? Academic?
And that’s not even mentioning paper quality, planner covers, customization options, or whether I should order from a local company or one halfway around the world!
Excited? Overwhelmed? Maybe a little of both? You’re definitely not alone! Let’s take a look at some of the major brands in the planner world and maybe you’ll find a planner that feels like the perfect fit along the way. 🌸
- 🎉Why planner season is so exciting
- 🛍️ Before You Shop…
- 🗺️ Five Planner Companies to Explore
- 💭 Final Thoughts
🎉Why planner season is so exciting
Have you ever seen that meme that says something along the lines of:
“My brain is like a web browser with 16 tabs open: Three have crashed, one won’t load, and I have no idea where the music is coming from.”
If you’re anything like me, you probably laughed because… well… it’s a little too accurate. 😂
Maybe that’s part of why so many of us love planners.
They give us a place to collect all those floating thoughts, appointments, ideas, and to-do lists in one spot. They won’t magically organize our entire lives (I wish!), but they can certainly help quiet some of the mental clutter.
Sure, we’re excited about beautiful new covers, fountain pen-friendly paper, and layouts that fit our planning style. But I think what we’re really love is the feeling of possibility.
A fresh planner represents a fresh start. A clean slate. Another chance to build routines, stay organized, and fill our days with plans, goals, and maybe a few extra stickers along the way. ✨
🛍️ Before You Shop…
Before you fall in love with a pretty cover, it’s worth taking a moment to think about how you actually like to plan.
Every planner is designed a little differently, so asking yourself a few questions beforehand can make choosing one much easier.
For example:
- 📅 Do you prefer weekly or daily planning? (Or both?)
- ✍️ How much writing space do you need each day?
- 🎀 Do you like decorating your planner with stickers and washi tape?
- 🎒 Will you carry your planner with you every day?
- 🗓️ Do you prefer dated or undated planners?
- 🎨 Would interchangeable covers be a fun feature for you?
- ⚙️ How important is customization?
- 📄 Would you like to be able to add, remove, or rearrange pages?
Also, a biggie…
💻 Physical or Digital?
Before choosing a planner, it’s also worth deciding how you’d like to plan.
🖊️ Physical planners are wonderful if you enjoy writing things down, decorating with stickers and washi tape, or simply love the experience of putting pen to paper. Many people also find that handwriting helps them remember appointments and tasks more easily.
📱 Digital planners can be a great option if you like having everything on your phone or tablet, want automatic reminders, or need to keep your schedule synced across multiple devices.
As you may have guessed, you’ll only find paper planner companies in the list below. I’m definitely partial to physical planners… though that may have something to do with my slightly unreasonable collection of stickers and washi tape. 😄
That said, there’s no right or wrong choice. The best planner is simply the one you’ll enjoy reaching for every day. 💕
🗺️ Five Planner Companies to Explore
The planner world is a vast ecosystem, a giant map with countless places to explore. To help you get your bearings, I’ve gathered a little intel on some of its biggest cities.
(If I missed one of your favorites, send me an email at hello@miss-stickers.com and let me know! I’m always happy to expand my stationery cartography, and discovering a new place to shop is always an adventure.)
✨ Erin Condren
One of the best-known premium planner brands, Erin Condren is famous for its beautiful designs, high-quality products, and great selection of planners and accessories.
Whether you’re looking for a daily planner, a weekly planner, an academic planner, or even a planner designed especially for parents, chances are you’ll find something that suits your planning style.
Personally, I have a soft spot for their Petite Planner and Folio system, which lets me mix and match notebooks depending on what I need at the moment.
The thing that struck me the most with this brand is the paper; it’s always felt luxurious to me: velvety smooth and thick enough to handle most pens without any issues.
⭐ Best for: Planner lovers looking for premium quality, beautiful designs, and a wide variety of accessories.
Location: USA (Texas)
😊 The Happy Planner
Known for its clever disc-bound system, The Happy Planner delivers exactly what it promises: happy planners!
Its biggest strength is flexibility. Since the pages can easily be added, removed, or rearranged, it’s easy to build a planner that grows with your needs. The company also offers plenty of add-on kits, making it simple to customize your planner without having to start from scratch.
If you’re a Disney, Harry Potter, or Peanuts fan, you’ll also find plenty of officially licensed collections featuring your favorite characters. Also, in recent years, the brand has introduced customizable planners and beautiful folio bundles as well.
I’ve tried the vertical, horizontal, and dashboard layouts over the years. The dashboard layout ended up being my favorite because it matched the way my brain likes to organize information… even if I didn’t quite manage to stick with the planning habit that year. Maybe it’s time I gave it another chance…
⭐ Best for: People who like flexibility, colorful designs, and the ability to rearrange their planner whenever inspiration strikes.
Location: USA (California) – but their products are available at quite a few retail partners.
🎨 Plum Paper
If this were an award show, the Customization Award would undoubtedly go to Plum Paper.
With countless layouts, an impressive selection of add-ons, and what feels like an infinite number of cover designs, it’s incredibly easy to spend two hours experimenting with different combinations on their website.
(Yes… I’ve done it.)
You can even choose which holidays appear in your monthly spreads!
But customization isn’t the only thing Plum Paper does well. Their planners feature excellent paper quality, sturdy dividers, and thoughtful add-ons covering everything from budgeting and meal planning to social media, brainstorming, goal tracking, and so much more!
One feature I especially love is that you can choose whether your add-on sections appear throughout the planner or are grouped together at the end.
Now that’s customization.
⭐ Best for: Anyone who wants a planner that’s built around their life rather than the other way around.
Location: USA (California)
📖 Hobonichi
If you’ve spent any amount of time in the stationery community, you’ve probably encountered a Hobonichi planner.
Seriously, there isn’t a corner of the stationery world where you won’t spot at least one person happily showing off their Hobonichi setup.
Loved by fountain pen users, journalers, and creative planners alike, Hobonichi planners are known for their incredibly smooth paper, thoughtful layouts, and minimalist design.
Unlike some of the other brands on this list, Hobonichi doesn’t focus on endless customization options. Aside from choosing a planner cover, the layouts remain wonderfully simple.
And that’s exactly why so many people love them.
Those clean, minimalist pages become the perfect canvas for stickers, stamps, washi tape, drawings, photos, and little pieces of everyday life. A happy Hobonichi is a chonky Hobonichi!
In a way, that simplicity makes the Hobonichi almost infinitely customizable. I may have to take Plum Paper’s customization trophy away after all. 😄
I was seriously considering trying a Hobonichi Cousin for 2027…
Will this finally be the year?
⭐ Best for: Minimalists, journal lovers, fountain pen enthusiasts, and anyone who enjoys turning blank pages into tiny works of art.
Location: Japan
Hobonichi website 
Range of planner options at Hobonichi 
Details about the different types of planner available at Hobonichi 
Example of a Hobonichi planner cover 
Example of a Hobonichi planner layout 
Cute and useful sections available in Hobonichi planners (most planners offer a Japanese or English version) 
Important upcoming dates at Hobonichi
(Psst! Overwhelmed by the amount of Hobonichi options? Head over HERE for a super helpful guide!)
🍁 Hemlock & Oak
One of my newest discoveries is Hemlock & Oak, a Canadian company creating beautifully designed planners with premium paper and a strong focus on intentional planning.
If, like me, you appreciate companies that care about sustainability, you’ll be happy to know that Hemlock & Oak is committed to environmentally responsible production.
I’m particularly smitten with their Weekly + Daily Duo Bundle, and I absolutely love that you can personalize the fabric bookmarks with little charms. Their lay-flat binding is another feature that immediately caught my attention, and don’t even get me started on those gorgeous cover colors.
Bonus: Hemlock & Oak lets you download free samples of their layouts for you to print and test at home!
⭐ Best for: Thoughtful planning, premium paper, and anyone looking for a beautiful Canadian-made planner with a sustainable production.
Location: Canada
💭 Final Thoughts
Whether you’re buying your very first planner or searching for your next favorite, planner season is one of the most exciting times of the year for stationery lovers.
Especially since a new planner is only the beginning! Planner season is also the perfect excuse to discover new sticker shops, browse gorgeous washi tapes, find colorful pens, collect bookmarks, and maybe stumble upon a few talented artists you’ve never heard of before. Half the fun is exploring everything the stationery world has to offer. ✨
As for me? My planner heart is currently torn between finally trying the Hobonichi Cousin or giving Hemlock & Oak a chance. I’ll probably change my mind at least three more times before it’s time to order… but I guess that’s part of the fun! 😄
Now I’d love to hear from you!
💬 Which planner are you using for 2027?
Have you already picked one, or are you still exploring your options? And if you have a favorite planner brand that deserves a spot on this list, let me know in the comments or send me an email at hello@miss-stickers.com. I’d love to discover it!
Miss Stickers 
Leave a comment