Motion AI review: can one tool really replace your project manager and scheduler?

If you’ve ever used five different productivity tools just to schedule one meeting, you know the struggle. Everything claims to streamline your workflow, but half the time, you end up spending more time managing your tools than your actual work. That’s exactly what got me thinking: is there any app out there that can truly take things off your plate?

So, my research team and I decided to put Motion AI to the test. It's supposed to be a full-blown AI project manager and smart scheduler, not just another to-do list or calendar. Can it actually take the chaos of daily work and turn it into something that runs itself? Or is it just another layer of tech pretending to help?

In this Motion AI review, I’ll break down what it does well, where it struggles, and whether it can boost your current workflow. Keep reading to find out if this tool can really handle your scheduling and project management.

Quick overview of Motion AI

Overall rating:	4.3
Brief description:	Motion AI is an adaptable scheduler and project management tool rolled into one powerful package. It saves time and money by automating your scheduling and shuffling items based on your priorities. Its ML algorithms learn your habits and become more effective over time. It can accommodate teams of all sizes and is ideal for growing businesses looking to scale their productivity.
Pricing:	From $29 per seat per month

What is Motion AI?

Motion App is an AI productivity hub that puts all the tools you'll ever need under one umbrella. But it comes with a special twist. It takes rigid scheduling out of the equation and can reshuffle your day when things change. However, its adaptations are anything but random.

Motion AI "learns" your habits and priorities through ML algorithms, and dishes out personalized plans instead of generic to-do lists. After you tell it what you have to do, it'll the best time for each item. If something comes up, it reshuffles your plan to keep things on track.

If you're in a fast-paced industry with ever-shifting schedules, this is the tool for you. Think e-commerce, marketing, or data work. You can use it to give a personal touch to your customer experience, boost your workflows, or pull smarter insights from your team's activities.

Pros and cons of Motion AI

During my testing, I saw some truly innovative features, but also some points that need more work. Here's what I liked:

• Scalability: Motion AI works for solo freelancers, but also large teams (think 1,000+ people). It can grow with your business without falling behind with its automations.
• Ease of use: The user-friendly UI certainly helps with what would otherwise be a pretty complicated platform. Fortunately, you don't have to be an AI expert to start using Motion.
• Integration capabilities: Motion's native integrations include the likes of Google Calendar, Zoom, Zapier, Gmail, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, Siri, iCloud Calendar, and Microsoft Outlook 365. The API is also available for all users.
• Advanced analytics: Motion AI's reports include data about task completion rate, average handling time, overtime hours, and much more. This info provides a fresh pair of eyes that'll tell you if your strategy is working and point you in the right direction if it's not.

Here are some of the main cons I noticed during my research:

• Pricing: Despite offering a lot of solid features, Motion can feel a bit pricey, especially for smaller teams. Scrapping monthly billing certainly doesn't help here.
• Learning curve: Motion's UI is sleek and simple, but there's still a slight learning curve if you want to make the most of its features.
• Limited features on lower plans: If you want features like reporting and analytics, time tracking, and advanced dashboards, you'll have to go with one of the higher plans. This can be a deal breaker for smaller teams and businesses.

Key features of Motion AI

Motion App managed to stand out in the sea of productivity and automation tools. They all use AI to make your life easier, but Motion does it in a unique way. So, let's find out more about its main features.

Predictive analytics

Motion AI logs your past activity, tracks surface-level trends, and uses this data to anticipate what's coming. For example, it can spot future bottlenecks or help you shift priorities ahead of time.

Custom automation

The app gives you full control to automate the repetitive stuff that eats up your day. It takes all the tedious tasks off your plate (think assignments, task reminders, follow-ups). It also gives you freedom to customize and avoid rigid one-size-fits-all workflows.

Machine learning integration

Motion learns from you and your team, refining its suggestions and automation over time. It doesn’t just follow rules – it adapts, making your processes more efficient the more you use it.

Real-time insights

Motion lets you react to what's happening right now, not what happened yesterday. Your data updates instantly, so you'll never make a decision based on stale info.

Dashboards and reporting tools

Motion's dashboards showed me everything I needed to see. For example, how many tasks are in progress, who’s overloaded, and what’s falling behind. They were easy to scan and gave me a good overview of current bottlenecks.

I was also able to generate automated reports on task completion, time usage, project status, and more. This is a huge bonus if you're managing clients who want regular updates. The real-time operation also means your reports are always fresh.

Motion AI: pricing and plans

Motion AI has three subscription options, and you can specify the number of seats for each plan. The more seats you need, the higher the price. Here's a detailed overview of each package:

Pro AI ($29 per seat)	Business AI ($39 per seat)	Enterprise (custom pricing)
AI Task Planner	Everything in Pro AI	Everything in Business AI
AI Task Manager	Productivity charts	SOC 2 and security reports
AI Calendar and Scheduling	Team capacity planning	integrations
AI Meeting Notetaker	Advanced dashboards	API (with expert support for implementation)
AI Docs and Notes	Reporting and analytics	Unlimited AI usage
AI Writer and Editor	Timeline and Gantt	Unlimited storage
AI Workflows Generator	Time tracking	Data backup
AI Search and Ask	Central billing	Role-based access control
AI Agent Assistants (in beta)	Permissions	Share docs externally
Integrations	Business support	Complete IT and security questionnaires
Unlimited AI usage		Single sign on
Unlimited storage		Engineering support
iOS, Android, and desktop apps		Ongoing dedicated project management expert for customer success
Priority support

The basic plan is perfect for freelancers, but Motion doesn't offer monthly subscriptions anymore. The Business package offers the best value for 3+ seats, but you need a team to get this benefit. The Enterprise option offers the best features but doesn't have transparent pricing.

Motion is more expensive than tools like Asana, Reclaim, or other schedulers, but offers both project management and scheduling in one package. Not to mention a slew of other features. If you're looking for free (partial) alternatives, however, Reclaim or Trello may offer better value.

You can test Motion AI for seven days completely free of charge. Furthermore, there's a 50% discount for undergraduate students and nonprofit organizations.

Motion AI: project management system

During my testing, I discovered that the best way to approach Motion AI is breaking large tasks into smaller chunks. Then, I delegated those smaller tasks to team members and kept tabs on deadlines without constantly rewriting the schedule.

I organized the work into various workspaces to keep things clean and skimmable. I loved the overall customization – I had a workspace for each feature we tested with different tasks and projects. You can also create separate workspaces for each client.

Within each workspace, Motion differentiates between:

• Tasks: Motion will automatically schedule all the things you need to do. Maybe you have to write an article, launch a campaign, or add a new tool to your existing stack.
• Events: These are things that have to happen at a specific time. Think lunches and meetings. Motion will automatically schedule these around your tasks.

Creating a task in the system is as easy as providing basic info and checking a few boxes. When you define a task, you'll get a checklist and some factors like priority, assignee, start date/deadline, duration, and # of chunks. Motion will automatically push tasks with higher priority or tighter deadlines.

I especially liked the ability to record changes made by people within each task. So, I could see how my research was evolving in real time.

Motion AI: booking and scheduling tool

Motion AI doesn't just give you a calendar – it tries to be your personal assistant. Tools like Calendly or Google Calendar usually depend on your input, but Motion uses AI time blocking to rearrange your schedule. After you plug in your meetings, tasks, and deadlines, it'll automatically build your day.

I tested Motion's scheduler with some solo work, but also team projects, and I was impressed by its overall adaptability. It always prioritized my most important tasks and shuffled low-priority items around. I intentionally missed a deadline to see what would happen, and it just re-blocked time later in the week. I especially liked how the AI takes potential burnout into account and pays attention to how much time you have, not just what you do.

It also works well for external meetings in client-facing scenarios, but it didn't feel as smooth as Calendly, for example. I liked how it kept the calendars aligned across my team and helped us flag time conflicts before they became problems.

Motion AI: user experience

I liked Motion AI's sleek interface that manages to be comprehensive and beginner-friendly at the same time. I enjoyed its clean week and day layouts with drag-and-drop scheduling and color-coded tasks. The kanban-style project boards are next to the calendar slots, which makes it easy to visualize what's happening and when.

That said, some features felt less polished. As one Redditor put it, “Motion is a good tool but not a good quick-capture tool,” meaning adding a task often requires thinking through its duration and context, which interrupts flow. Another described the mobile app as “pretty clunky,” noting recurring events and task entry were unreliable without manual fixes.

Feedback from users on r/ProductivityApps highlights that Motion’s AI rescheduling feature is a selling point: “automatically prioritizes tasks and adjusts your calendar… which could save a lot of time”. But enthusiasm is mixed – some find the learning curve steep, especially for quick capture or non-tech workflows.

Overall, desktop use delivers a polished experience, with thoughtful design and useful AI features. But mobile app reliability and initial setup may frustrate users who value speed and simplicity. If you’re comfortable putting in a little effort up front, Motion offers a powerful organizational experience. Just be ready to tweak settings and occasionally correct glitches.

How to get started with Motion AI

Here's how to set up your Motion AI workspace in a few easy steps:

1. Create your account: Sign up, and pick your team size and subscription. I recommend starting with the free 7-day trial to test the waters.
2. Set up your profile: Provide info like your time zones, work hours, and integration preferences.
3. Integrate with your other tools: After logging in, you’ll be prompted to link your Google or Outlook calendar. Grant permissions so Motion can read and sync all your existing events. You can also integrate with other tools like Slack, Trello, or Asana.
4. Add your tasks: Go to Tasks -> Add Task. Enter a task name, due date, and time estimate. Always include how long each task will take – Motion uses this for smart scheduling.
5. Review your AI-generated schedule: Navigate to the Calendar view. Motion will have auto-slotted tasks around your appointments. You’ll see colored blocks representing work chunks. Adjust, drag, or lock as needed.
6. Set Up Automation Rules: Go to Settings -> Automations and enable options like Auto-schedule new tasks and Auto-reschedule missed tasks. These will keep your day aligned with real-time changes.

I suggest blocking out focused time with recurring events (deep work, for example). Also, try to use clear task names and realistic estimates for better AI accuracy. Finally, I like pinning essential meetings and tasks with the lock feature to keep them anchored.

Final word on Motion AI review

Motion AI is trying to be the smartest calendar you've ever used, and succeeds in many ways. During my testing, I was pleasantly surprised by its scheduling algorithms and the ability to shift things around based on my needs. It also comes with solid project management tools, which just add to its overall value.

That said, it does have some flaws. The learning curve is there, especially if you're coming from a simpler planner or calendar app. Some users may also find the price a bit steep, especially if they’re not fully using both the scheduling and project management sides of the platform.

However, Motion AI can accommodate any team size, which makes it a great scaling solution. As such, it's ideal for startups and growing companies. It's probably too expensive for solo freelancers, but a great addition to your arsenal if you can afford it. After weeks of extensive testing, I see it as a great time saver and would rate it 4.3/5.

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