It’s that time of year again. The time for the planners of the world to gather together and compare thoughts on finding planner peace. Well, I am guilty of buying expensive planners this year because I couldn’t make my mind up, and I thought I would pass on the experience I gained from spending way too much so you don’t have to.
Here are the main points I will be covering: Size, covers, appearance, coils, paper, extras, and prices. And so, here we go!
- The Erin Condren and the InkWELL Press planners are almost exactly the same size. The Erin Condren gives you the option of adding months to it if you order mid-year for a little extra money, I think it is $5 if I remember correctly, and I chose to do that in October of last year so the thickness of my Erin Condren is a bit thicker than it would be if you had a 12 month planner. The “guts” of the planners are both 9 1/4 by 7 1/2, but the InkWELL Press planner is 1 1/8 inches thick, where the Erin Condren is 7/8 of an inch thick, even with the 3 extra months in there. The Erin Condren is the thinner of the two. When you include the coil, the Erin Condren is 8 1/2 inches wide and the InkWELL Press planner is 8 1/4 inches wide.
- The covers are very different in feel, material, and appearance.
- The Erin Condren planner has a very smooth, shiny, thick laminated cover that can be personalized and changed out for different covers if you like. It has a firm feel, with a little bendability, but it feels sturdy. It does not, however, reach out past the divider tabs which leaves them unprotected if you are kind of rough with your stuff like I can be. I, therefore, felt like I had to handle mine with care and left it at home because I didn’t want the cover to fall off or the tabs to get destroyed. There are so many options for personalization though and there are even seasonal options! Changing the cover is very easy once you get the hang of it. And now they have come out with a Luxe planner with a non-changeable cover and a faux leather feel which sounds neat, but no personalization on that option. The covers measure 9 1/4 inches high by 7 1/4 inches wide. This is the option you want to go with if you crave a personal touch and an ability to change anytime you want.
- The InkWELL Press planner cover is made of a hard board material, covered with the look that you chose from the site. It is more of a matte appearance, with no bendability, and so strong! I often feel comfortable tossing it across the room, confident that the cover will be just fine. In terms of appearance, they are pretty limited and don’t offer personalization that I am aware of. The cover does extend far enough to protect the dividers and all the pages. And BONUS! it comes with a nifty elastic strap attached to the back over that you can use to keep it shut. I strap it around the remaining pages to make flipping it to the current page very quick and easy. The cover measures 9 1/4 inches high by 7 1/2 inches wide (a 1/4 inch that covers the dividers). This is the sturdier, stronger and more durable of the two.
- The Erin Condren planner has a very smooth, shiny, thick laminated cover that can be personalized and changed out for different covers if you like. It has a firm feel, with a little bendability, but it feels sturdy. It does not, however, reach out past the divider tabs which leaves them unprotected if you are kind of rough with your stuff like I can be. I, therefore, felt like I had to handle mine with care and left it at home because I didn’t want the cover to fall off or the tabs to get destroyed. There are so many options for personalization though and there are even seasonal options! Changing the cover is very easy once you get the hang of it. And now they have come out with a Luxe planner with a non-changeable cover and a faux leather feel which sounds neat, but no personalization on that option. The covers measure 9 1/4 inches high by 7 1/4 inches wide. This is the option you want to go with if you crave a personal touch and an ability to change anytime you want.
- Comparing the appearance of the inside of these two.
- The Erin Condren planner now has a colorful and a neutral option, an hourly layout, a horizontal layout, and their classic vertical layout. They again have a far wider array of customization options. I chose the horizontal layout, and I bought it last year when the only option was the colorful version, which has a different color scheme for each month. I have to say, I love the colors and the happy encouraging quotes inside this planner. I think this is really a strong point for the Erin Condren, and it is great how many options they offer.
- The InkWELL Press planner very pretty with more muted colors. You have a choice between vertical and horizontal layouts as well, but there are no neutral or hourly options. It is beautiful as well, but it only has 5 color schemes so they are repeated over the year.
- The Erin Condren planner now has a colorful and a neutral option, an hourly layout, a horizontal layout, and their classic vertical layout. They again have a far wider array of customization options. I chose the horizontal layout, and I bought it last year when the only option was the colorful version, which has a different color scheme for each month. I have to say, I love the colors and the happy encouraging quotes inside this planner. I think this is really a strong point for the Erin Condren, and it is great how many options they offer.
- Coil Comparison:
- The Erin Condren coil also has customization options, with platinum, gold, rose gold, and black. Seriously, this company is amazing for customization! This coil is not playing around, it is super strong and sturdy and measures 1 1/4 inch diameter. I only have experience with the platinum, so I can only comment on that color. It has always been shiny and it doesn’t tarnish from my experience. The Erin Condren planner coil can’t be beaten.
- The InkWELL Press planner coil is a bit smaller, measuring in at 1 1/8 inch diameter, and it is not as sturdy, but it is still a strong twin-loop wire binding. Now I bring this with me everywhere, so it has bent a bit and I bend it back to shape, and the antique bronze color that came with the modern mermaid cover I chose is coming off, exposing the silver color underneath. It is less imposing, but not nearly as strong, and there is no customization option available for the coil.
- The papers used to make these two planners are quite different.
- The Erin Condren planner is printed on 70-pound paper. It is thicker than your average printer paper, but the tooth/feel is very similar, and you can see a ghost of the previous page’s printing showing through.
a little see-through - The InkWELL Press planner is printed on 100-pound paper. It is significantly thicker and smoother, and there is no sign of the previous pages on the page you are writing on. InkWELL Press wins this one without a doubt.
- The Erin Condren planner is printed on 70-pound paper. It is thicker than your average printer paper, but the tooth/feel is very similar, and you can see a ghost of the previous page’s printing showing through.
- Extras are in both of these are definitely appreciated.
- The Erin Condren planner comes with lots of little goodies! It comes with a thick, 2-sided folder, a clear plastic moveable page marker that is as long as the page, a great plastic zip-lock type pocket that is nice and thick, filled with compliment cards, referral card, do-it-all dots (cute little stickers), coil clips, and tons of stickers bound inside the back of the planner. It also has a notes section with a couple lined, graph, and blank pages.
- The InkWELL Planner also has great extras! With, a plastic page marker that is a little bit flimsier than the one included in the EC and shorter than the page, an accordion pocket in the back, a heavy-duty 2-sided folder, a pretty greeting card, goal setting pages, a page for budget keeping, trip planning, gift ideas, and movies and books to see. It also has a notes section with only graph paper. The thing I like about the InkWELL Press experience is you receive videos with tips for using your planner to its fullest potential absolutely free.
My favorite part! A page breaking down your goals by category and time frame.
Keep track of your travels.
EXTRAS! 2 pages for a gift list, and a section to keep track of ideas for yourself.
- The Erin Condren planner comes with lots of little goodies! It comes with a thick, 2-sided folder, a clear plastic moveable page marker that is as long as the page, a great plastic zip-lock type pocket that is nice and thick, filled with compliment cards, referral card, do-it-all dots (cute little stickers), coil clips, and tons of stickers bound inside the back of the planner. It also has a notes section with a couple lined, graph, and blank pages.
- Pricing:
- The Erin Condren Planner starts at $55, choosing a coil color other than platinum costs $10, bringing it to $65, a metallic cover is $5 more than a non-metallic cover so it would bring the total to $70, and for the luxe planner it can reach $75 and shipping is $7.95, bringing your total to between $62.95 and $82.95. If this is your first Erin Condren Purchase, use this link CLICK HERE to receive $10 off your order bringing it down to $52.95 and $72.95, but right now they are offering %25 off everything and free shipping over $100.
- The InkWELL Press planner is $54 and shipping is $10, bringing the total to $64, but if this is your first InkWELL Press purchase, CLICK HERE to receive $10 off your purchase bringing it back to $54.
Honestly, they are both fantastic options, and even after using both for a year I still am not sure which I want to choose for next year. They make this decision hard, so if you find yourself stumped and you have considered all your options and you are just stuck floundering without a clear decision, here is my suggestion: Flip a coin, and as soon as that coin gets in the air you will feel yourself rooting for one, and then, just go with your gut. Between these two planners, you will be happy with your decision.
So, to sum it all up: 
Squirrel Smooches 
Thanks for your review!
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