> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://adhdproductivity.org/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Amazing Marvin vs Saner.ai for ADHD: Do You Want More Strategies or Fewer Decisions? - URL: https://adhdproductivity.org/amazing-marvin-vs-saner-ai-for-adhd/ - Published: 2026-10-25T13:12:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-25T13:11:59.000Z - Author: Matt Elior - Tags: Comparison, ADHD, Tools Amazing Marvin and Saner.ai both say they were built for brains like ours. They go about it in opposite ways. Marvin hands you a toolbox with a lot of drawers. Saner.ai tries to open the drawers for you. One rewards the person who likes to tinker. The other rewards the person who has tinkered enough for one lifetime and would like someone else to look at the inbox, thanks. I've written a full [Amazing Marvin review](https://adhdproductivity.org/amazing-marvin-review/) already, so this post isn't a feature tour. It answers one question: if you have ADHD and you're choosing between these two, which one fits the way your week actually falls apart ## Quick answer: Saner.ai or Amazing Marvin for ADHD? **Pick Amazing Marvin** if your main problem is *starting and finishing* tasks you already know about, you plan mostly on a computer, and you're willing to spend an hour setting it up. **Pick Saner.ai** if your main problem is that tasks never make it onto a list in the first place, because they're buried in email, Slack, meeting notes and your calendar. Saner.ai reads those sources and drafts a daily plan for you, so there's less to set up and fewer decisions each morning. ### Side-by-side comparison table | | Amazing Marvin | Saner.ai | | ------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Core idea | Customizable task manager with a large library of switchable "strategies" | AI assistant that pulls tasks from your email, notes and calendar | | Where tasks come from | You type them (with quick shorthand like @quick due 5d) | You type, talk or brain dump, plus Gmail, Calendar, Drive and Slack | | Who builds the daily plan | You do, with tools that help | The AI drafts it; you edit | | Procrastination tools | Delay Count, Task Jar, Procrastination Wizard, Super Focus Mode | Focus Box on desktop; chat to break tasks down | | Rewards and gamification | Reward Points you spend on treats you choose | None built in | | Notes | Basic task notes | Full notes app with search and chat | | Mobile | Apps exist, but setup and some features need desktop | iOS and Android apps, Skai available on mobile | | Free plan | No (14-day trial) | Yes (30 AI requests a month) | | Paid price | $96/year | $8/month (Starter) or $16/month (Standard) | | Best ADHD strength | Makes avoided tasks impossible to ignore | Removes the "where do I even start" planning step | | Biggest ADHD risk | Setup becomes the new procrastination | You stop checking the plan it makes | ## How does Amazing Marvin help with ADHD? ![How does Amazing Marvin help with ADHD?](https://storage.ghost.io/c/99/b0/99b001cf-099d-4600-ba8b-c373f317b704/content/images/2026/10/image-103.png) Marvin is a task manager where almost every feature is optional. The company calls them strategies. You switch them on and off, and the help center itself says it's "best to start simple and then add things as the need arises" ### Where Marvin is better than Saner.ai ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/99/b0/99b001cf-099d-4600-ba8b-c373f317b704/content/images/2026/10/image-99.png) - **Delay Count.** Schedule a task, and every day it slides, Marvin adds an exclamation mark to the front of its name. The marks go from orange to red after three days. - **Task Jar.** Can't pick? Marvin puts today's tasks in a jar and hands you one at random. If [ADHD paralysis](https://adhdproductivity.org/adhd-paralysis/) hits you at the decision step, this is gold. - **Super Focus Mode.** One task on screen. Everything else disappears. Pair it with Marvin's built-in timer and you've got a decent [Pomodoro setup for ADHD](https://adhdproductivity.org/pomodoro-for-adhd/) without another app. - **Reward Points.** You assign points to tasks and spend them on rewards you pick. Given that delay discounting research, an immediate payoff matters. If you've made a [dopamine menu](https://adhdproductivity.org/dopamine-menu-for-adhd/), Reward Points can be the bridge between "did the hard thing" and "get the good thing." - **Price and simplicity of billing.** One tier. $96 a year. Students get 50% off, and there's a pay-what-you-can option if cost is a barrier ([Marvin pricing](https://amazingmarvin.com/pricing/?ref=adhdproductivity.org)). - **It doesn't need your inbox.** Some people don't want an AI reading their email. Marvin never asks. ## Where Marvin falls short for ADHD ![Where Marvin falls short for ADHD](https://storage.ghost.io/c/99/b0/99b001cf-099d-4600-ba8b-c373f317b704/content/images/2026/10/image-102.png) - **The setup trap.** A big menu of options is a playground for an ADHD brain that would rather configure than do. You can spend a day building filters and feel incredibly productive. You have not been productive. - **It only knows what you tell it.** Marvin doesn't read email or Slack. If the capture gap is your problem, Marvin won't close it. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/99/b0/99b001cf-099d-4600-ba8b-c373f317b704/content/images/2026/10/image-100.png) - **Desktop does the heavy lifting.** If your planning happens on your phone in a parking lot, factor that in. - **No AI planning.** I checked Marvin's help center for AI features and found its shorthand input language, not an assistant. You still have to sit down and decide what today looks like. - **No free plan.** After 14 days, you can't add or complete tasks until you pay. ## How does Saner.ai help with ADHD? ![How does Saner.ai help with ADHD?](https://storage.ghost.io/c/99/b0/99b001cf-099d-4600-ba8b-c373f317b704/content/images/2026/10/image-101.png) Saner.ai is an AI assistant with notes, tasks and a calendar view in one place. The assistant is called Skai. You connect Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Drive and Slack, and it pulls commitments out of them ([saner.ai](https://saner.ai/?ref=adhdproductivity.org)). Each day it drafts a plan from your tasks, notes, events and emails. You tweak it by chatting, which is a lot less scary than staring at a blank planner. ## Where Saner.ai is better than Marvin - **It closes the capture gap.** Emails can become tasks with reminders automatically. If your [inbox is where tasks go to die](https://adhdproductivity.org/ai-for-email-adhd/), this is the main reason to pick Saner.ai. - **Brain dumps turn into tasks.** Type or talk a messy paragraph, and Skai picks out the tasks. If you already do an [ADHD brain dump](https://adhdproductivity.org/adhd-brain-dump/) on paper, this skips the copying step. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/99/b0/99b001cf-099d-4600-ba8b-c373f317b704/content/images/2026/10/rant-to-tasks-1.png) - **Less setup.** There's no strategy library to explore. Connect your accounts and the daily plan shows up. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/99/b0/99b001cf-099d-4600-ba8b-c373f317b704/content/images/2026/10/proactive-white--remove-bg-1.png) - **Notes live next to tasks.** Meeting notes, PDFs and random ideas sit in the same app, and you can ask questions across them instead of filing everything perfectly. - **A free plan.** You can try it for longer than two weeks without paying, which matters if you've been burned by subscriptions before. - **Focus Box.** On desktop, your key task stays visible while you work. It's lighter than Marvin's Super Focus Mode, but it's there. ### Where Saner.ai falls short for ADHD - AI caps on cheaper plans. - Fewer power-user controls. No custom filter language, no deep project hierarchies like Marvin's. Saner.ai is opinionated about how things should look. - It's younger, and some integrations are still landing ## Head-to-head: which one wins for each ADHD problem? #### Which is better if tasks fall through the cracks? **Saner.ai.** Marvin can't catch what you never typed in. Saner.ai reads your email and calendar and surfaces things you'd otherwise miss. #### Which is better for time blindness? **Roughly a tie, for different reasons.** Marvin lets you add time estimates and see if your day is overstuffed, which is a direct fix for [ADHD time blindness](https://adhdproductivity.org/adhd-time-blindness/). Saner.ai syncs tasks with Google Calendar so they sit beside your meetings. If you [time block](https://adhdproductivity.org/adhd-time-blocking/), Marvin's estimates are more precise; Saner.ai is faster to get on the calendar. #### Which is better for people who get bored of apps? **Marvin, oddly.** When you get bored, you can switch on a new strategy instead of migrating your whole life to a new app. That's a real advantage, as long as "trying a new strategy" doesn't replace doing the work. #### Which is better for people who hate setup? **Saner.ai.** Connect accounts, get a plan. Marvin's setup is the price of its flexibility. #### Which is cheaper? **Marvin, if you'll use AI heavily on Saner.ai.** Marvin is $96 a year flat. Saner.ai Standard at $16 a month comes to $192 a year at monthly billing (the pricing page advertises a yearly discount but didn't show the yearly figure when I checked). **Saner.ai, if the free plan or Starter is enough.** --- ## My take ![](https://static.klipy.com/ii/39f2394ae36df6e199be9eb7c9fa1012/04/9f/TGnXHt5E.gif) If I could only give one piece of advice: be honest about whether you *lose* tasks or *avoid* them. So, roughly: - Avoiders who like control: **Marvin.** - Losers of tasks who hate setup: **Saner.ai.** - People who've tried five planners and quit all of them during setup: start with **Saner.ai's free plan**, because the setup is what keeps killing you. If neither sounds right, our roundup of the [best ADHD task management apps](https://adhdproductivity.org/best-adhd-task-management-apps/) has options that sit between these two. ### Your action steps for today 1. Write down the last three tasks you dropped. For each, note: did I lose it, or avoid it? 2. Two or more "lost"? Sign up for Saner.ai's free plan and connect only Gmail and Google Calendar. 3. Two or more "avoided"? Start Marvin's 14-day trial and turn on only Delay Count and Task Jar. 4. Put a 15-minute "check the plan" block on your calendar for tomorrow morning. Whichever app you chose, that block is what makes it work. 5. Set a reminder for 14 days from now to decide. Don't decide sooner because you're bored. ### FAQ #### Is Saner.ai or Amazing Marvin better for ADHD? It depends on where your tasks break down. Amazing Marvin is better if you know what to do but struggle to start, thanks to Delay Count, Task Jar and Super Focus Mode. Saner.ai is better if tasks get lost in email, Slack and meetings, because it reads those sources and drafts a daily plan for you. #### Is there a free version of Amazing Marvin? No. Marvin has a 14-day free trial with no credit card needed, then costs $96 per year billed annually. Students get 50% off by emailing the company, and there's a pay-what-you-can option for people who can't afford it. #### Does Amazing Marvin work well on mobile? Marvin has iOS and Android apps for adding and completing tasks, but its help center says some setup jobs, like building smart-list filters, connecting calendars and redeeming rewards, still need the web or desktop app. If you plan mostly from your phone, test this during the trial. #### Can a task app treat ADHD? No. Task apps are tools that can make daily life easier, but they're not a treatment. If ADHD is affecting your work, health or relationships, talk to a doctor or a licensed clinician about evaluation and treatment options. ### Sources - Jackson, J.N.S. & MacKillop, J. (2016). Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Monetary Delay Discounting: A Meta-Analysis of Case-Control Studies. *Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging*, 1(4), 316–325\. [McMaster University record](https://experts.mcmaster.ca/scholarly-works/275822?ref=adhdproductivity.org) - Pievsky, M.A. & McGrath, R.E. (2018). The Neurocognitive Profile of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: A Review of Meta-Analyses. *Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology*, 33(2), 143–157\. [PubMed](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29106438/?ref=adhdproductivity.org) - Lally, P., van Jaarsveld, C.H.M., Potts, H.W.W. & Wardle, J. (2010). How are habits formed: Modelling habit formation in the real world. *European Journal of Social Psychology*, 40(6), 998–1009\. [DOI](https://doi.org/10.1002/ejsp.674?ref=adhdproductivity.org)