Erin Condren Softbound LifePlanner vs Coiled LifePlanner -

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After years of loving my Erin Condren Coiled Weekly LifePlanner, I decided to give the Erin Condren Softbound LifePlanner a try for 2024. My main reasons are a slimmer, less bulky planner, and losing the large coil for a truly lay-flat experience.

Despite searching the internet, there is surprisingly little information on the Softbound LifePlanner. Now that I own and am more familiar with this new planner style, here is a rundown of the 2024 Erin Condren Softbound LifePlanner, including a quick comparison to the coiled LifePlanner and a list of pros and cons.

Erin Conner Softbound Planner Details (2024)

Erin Condren Softbound Planner Sizes

The Softbound LifePlanner comes in 2 sizes. There is a larger 8×10-inch planner and a smaller A5 planner. The covers of all 3 are made of vegan leather and are able to be personalized.

There are also Focused Planners available in A5 size and a Pocket Planner, but those are not the traditional LifePlanner and therefore not included in this post.

Erin Condren Softbound Planner Layouts

There are 3 layout options for the 8×10-inch Softbound LifePlanner- Hourly, Vertical or Horizontal. Additionally, there are 4 interior design options for the planners, colorful, floral, and neutral (colorless). However, you cannot mix and match interiors with covers like the fully customizable, coiled LifePlanner. For example, the Inspire cover only comes with a colorful interior and hourly or vertical layouts.

The A5 Softbound LifePlanner for 2024 offers the Inspire cover with a colorful interior, the Mauve cover with a neutral interior, or you can choose between the Wildflowers or Wisteria cover, both with a floral interior. All A5 Softbound planners have a horizontal layout.

I chose the A5 size with the Mauve cover with asterisks and rose gold personalization of the year 2024 on the bottom right front cover. For the first time ever, I did not choose the colorful interior design, called “Inspire” 2024, and instead went with totally neutral, also known as “Canvas.” This planner is gorgeous and so much more than I imagined it would be!

Softbound LifePlanner versus Coiled LifePlanner

The Softbound LifePlanner does have some key elements of the famed LifePlanner such as monthly dashboards, Erin Condren’s amazing quality paper, and inspirational quotes throughout the planner.

But let’s get down to the nitty-gritty, while it meets my needs (so far) the Erin Condren Softbound LifePlanner is not the Erin Condren Coiled LifePlanner. Google it and you will see, that it is not nearly as popular and therefore is not given the same level of available features or customization. Here are my Pros and Cons of the 2024 Erin Condren Softbound LifePlanner.

Erin Condren Softbound LifePlanner Pros and Cons

Pros of the Erin Condren Softbound LifePlanner

Half the thickness (if not less) of the coiled LifePlanner
No coil in the way when you’re trying to write
The same thick, quality paper of the coiled planners
Personalization is available in silver, gold, and rose gold lettering
Offers monthly calendars, followed by monthly dashboard then weekly pages (same order as the coiled LifePlanner)
The covers are beautiful and durable vegan leather with a continuation of the exterior print on the inside cover paper
Interior options include colorful, floral, and neutral (no color)
Motivational quotes through the softbound planner
2025 calendar at the end of the planner with bullets and notes
1 extra Notes page before the start of your first month in the planner (different than the Coiled LifePlanner)
The weekly layout header is the perfect height/size for standard washi tape

Cons of the Erin Condren Softbound LifePlanner

Not released until mid-September (Coiled LifePlanners come out in July)
Offered in 12-month length only
Limited cover choices (only 4 choices for 2024)
Only 1 interior color option and layout are offered per cover (cannot mix and match like the coiled LifePlanner)
The horizontal layout is the only available layout for the A5 size
There is no compact vertical layout available in the Softbound LifePlanner of any size
No monthly tabs. They must be purchased separately and stick out past the edges of the planner
Fewer notes pages at the end of the planner (6 in the softbound planner vs. 10 in the coiled LifePlanner)
No folder in the inside back cover of the planner
No sticker pages! (What?!)
No contact page at the end of the planner (FYI if that is important to you)
Only 1 ribbon page marker for the entire planner (as a comparison Commit30 offers 2 and Clever Fox offers 3 for their 12-month calendars)