Category: Reviews · Stage: Decision

By Max Beech, Head of Content

Sunsama is intentionally slow—forces daily planning ritual, discourages rushing. Chaos is AI-fast—suggests priorities instantly, optimized for speed.

These are opposite philosophies. After using both for 30 days each: both work, for different personality types.

Philosophy Clash

Sunsama's approach: Mindful productivity

"Slow down. Plan your day intentionally. Review how it went. Find balance."

Chaos's approach: AI-enhanced efficiency

"AI handles prioritization. You handle execution. Move fast."

The fundamental question: Do you want tools that force slowness (Sunsama) or enable speed (Chaos)?

Feature Comparison

| Feature | Sunsama | Chaos | |---------|---------|-------| | Daily planning ritual | Required (10-15 min) | Optional (AI suggests, you approve) | | Calendar integration | Time-boxing (drag tasks to calendar) | Native (tasks ARE calendar events) | | AI assistance | None (deliberately) | Extensive (priority, scheduling, context) | | Reflection | Built-in evening review | None | | Speed | Slow (intentional friction) | Fast (minimal friction) | | Price | £20/month | £8/month |

When Sunsama Wins

1. You Want Forced Reflection

Sunsama requires daily planning ritual. Can't skip it. This forces you to think: "What actually matters today?"

User quote: "Sunsama slowed me down in a good way. I was reactive before—now I'm intentional." — Consultant, 36

2. You Value Work-Life Balance Features

Sunsama tracks planned vs actual hours, encourages shutdown ritual, integrates gratitude prompts.

Philosophy: Productivity isn't maximizing output—it's sustainable balance.

3. You Want Task Consolidation

Sunsama pulls tasks from Asana, Trello, Gmail, etc. into single daily view.

Benefit: See everything in one place, drag to calendar, time-box.

When Chaos Wins

1. You Want Speed

Chaos voice input: "Remind me to email Sarah tomorrow" → task created in 3 seconds.

Sunsama: Open app → import from source tool → drag to calendar → time-box → done (30-60 seconds).

Winner: Chaos (10× faster capture).

2. You Trust AI Prioritization

Chaos suggests what to work on based on deadlines, calendar, patterns.

Sunsama requires manual daily prioritization (you decide what goes on today's list).

User quote: "Decision fatigue was killing me. Chaos AI suggests priorities—I just approve. Massive mental load reduction." — Developer, 29

3. Budget Constraints

£8/month (Chaos) vs £20/month (Sunsama) = £144/year savings.

4. You Don't Want Forced Rituals

Sunsama's daily planning ritual is non-negotiable. If you skip a day, guilt accumulates.

Chaos has no ritual requirement—use it however you want.

Real Usage Patterns

My 30-Day Sunsama Experience

Week 1: Loved the ritual. Planning each morning felt grounding. Shutdown ritual at day's end created closure.

Week 2: Ritual started feeling burdensome. "I know what I need to do—why must I drag it to calendar?"

Week 3: Skipped ritual twice (busy mornings). Guilt about "breaking the system." Considered quitting.

Week 4: Accepted ritual as valuable even when it feels slow. Finished month with better work-life boundaries.

Verdict: Sunsama works if you commit to the philosophy. If you resent the slowness, it fails.

My 30-Day Chaos Experience

Week 1: AI suggestions felt weird. "Can I trust this?" Overrode AI frequently.

Week 2: AI accuracy improved (learning my patterns). Started trusting suggestions more.

Week 3: Rarely overrode AI. Prioritization became effortless. Decision fatigue disappeared.

Week 4: Worried I'm too dependent on AI. "What if it suggests wrong priority and I blindly follow?"

Verdict: Chaos works if you trust AI assistance. If you need manual control, it frustrates.

Detailed Feature Breakdown

Time Blocking Approach

Sunsama: Manual time-boxing. Drag tasks to calendar slots, assign duration estimate, tool blocks that time. If task takes longer, manually adjust.

Philosophy: Estimating time forces realistic planning. Seeing calendar blocked with tasks prevents over-committing.

Chaos: AI suggests optimal task timing based on calendar availability, energy patterns, task priority. You approve or override suggestions.

Philosophy: AI handles scheduling optimization—you focus on execution.

Winner: Depends on preference for manual control (Sunsama) vs AI efficiency (Chaos).

Task Import & Integration

Sunsama integrates:

Asana, Trello, ClickUp, Monday (full two-way sync)
Gmail, Outlook (emails → tasks)
Slack (messages → tasks)
GitHub, Jira (pull requests, issues → tasks)

Strength: Consolidates tasks from 10+ sources into single daily view.

Chaos integrates:

Google Calendar, Apple Calendar (native sync)
Email forwarding (email → task)
Voice input (fastest capture)
Manual import from other tools (CSV)

Strength: Native calendar integration means tasks ARE calendar events, not separate entities.

Winner: Sunsama for multi-tool consolidation; Chaos for calendar-centric workflows.

Mobile Experience

Sunsama mobile: Functional but desktop experience is primary. Daily planning ritual awkward on phone (dragging tasks to calendar). Most users plan on desktop, check progress on mobile.

Chaos mobile: iOS-native app, voice input optimized. Mobile-first design—add tasks via Siri, AI handles scheduling. Desktop app exists but mobile is primary interface for many users.

Winner: Chaos for mobile-centric users; Sunsama for desktop-primary workflows.

Team Collaboration

Sunsama: Individual-focused. No shared workspaces, team dashboards, or collaboration features. Each user manages own tasks pulled from team tools (Asana, etc.).

Chaos: Also individual-focused. Not designed for team collaboration. Both are personal productivity tools, not team project management.

Winner: Tie—neither excels at team collaboration (use Linear, Asana, etc. for team work).

Pricing & ROI Comparison

Sunsama:

£20/month or £16/month annual (£192/year)
14-day free trial
No free tier

Chaos:

£8/month or £6.40/month annual (£76.80/year)
14-day free trial
No free tier

Cost difference: £115.20/year (Sunsama costs 2.5× more than Chaos)

ROI calculation:

Sunsama user case:

Spend 15 min/day on planning ritual = 90 hours/year
Value: Better work-life balance, reduced burnout (hard to quantify)
Cost: £192/year + 90 hours time investment
Worth it if: Balance and intentionality worth £192 + time investment

Chaos user case:

Save 10-15 min/day via AI prioritization = 60-90 hours/year
Value: Time savings + reduced decision fatigue
Cost: £76.80/year
Worth it if: 60-90 hours saved valued at >£1/hour (clearly yes for knowledge workers)

Budget-constrained decision: Chaos offers better value for money—lower price, time-saving (vs time-investing).

Migration Considerations

Moving from Sunsama to Chaos: Export task list from Sunsama integrations (Asana, etc.) and import to Chaos. Lose ritual structure and reflection features—expect adjustment period adapting to less structured approach.

Moving from Chaos to Sunsama: Sunsama imports from calendar, so Chaos tasks (calendar events) transfer cleanly. Gain ritual structure, lose AI prioritization—expect initial friction learning manual planning workflow.

Moving from Todoist/Things to either: Both import standard task formats (CSV, iCal). Sunsama has direct Todoist integration. Chaos requires manual import but AI learns patterns quickly (1-2 weeks).

FAQ

Q: Can I use both tools together?

Technically yes, but philosophically contradictory. Sunsama enforces slow, intentional planning. Chaos enables fast, AI-driven execution. Using both creates workflow conflict—pick one that matches your temperament.

Q: Which has better calendar integration?

Chaos. Tasks ARE calendar events (native integration). Sunsama time-boxes tasks onto calendar but maintains separation between task list and calendar—requires manual syncing.

Q: Can I try both before deciding?

Yes. Both offer 14-day trials. Recommended approach: Sunsama for 2 weeks, then Chaos for 2 weeks. Evaluate which philosophy suits your work style.

Q: Does either work for ADHD brains?

Mixed results. Sunsama's structure helps some ADHD users (external scaffolding for executive function). Chaos's low-friction capture helps others (reduces activation energy). Try both—ADHD brains vary significantly in what works.

Temperament Match

You'll love Sunsama if you:

Value mindfulness and reflection
Want forced slowness (counteracting reactive work culture)
Enjoy rituals and structure
Willing to invest 20-30 min daily planning/review
Price isn't primary concern

You'll love Chaos if you:

Want speed and efficiency
Trust AI to handle prioritization
Prefer minimal friction
Budget-conscious (£8 vs £20)
Don't want required rituals

You'll hate Sunsama if you:

Find enforced slowness frustrating
Want quick capture (Sunsama is deliberately slow)
Can't commit to daily ritual

You'll hate Chaos if you:

Distrust AI suggestions
Want manual control over every decision
Prefer human judgment over algorithms

Key Takeaways

Sunsama = intentional slowness, mindful productivity, required daily ritual (£20/month)
Chaos = AI-powered speed, minimal friction, optional planning (£8/month)
Sunsama wins: Forced reflection, work-life balance features, task consolidation from multiple sources
Chaos wins: Speed (10× faster capture), AI prioritization (less decision fatigue), lower price
Choose based on temperament: Mindful/ritualistic → Sunsama; Fast/efficiency-focused → Chaos
Both work—for different personality types and productivity philosophies

Disclosure: I currently use Chaos (temperament match). Tested Sunsama genuinely for 30 days.

Try Chaos: 14-day free trial →

Chaos vs Sunsama: AI Speed vs Intentional Slowness