Raise your hand if you are a planner enthusiast. I am! And with a great planner, comes great responsibility. Of choosing the right pen for your sacred pages of course… With so many options out there it gets difficult to truly choose which pen is best for you. Whether it is a gel pen or a felt-tip pen it’s important to know when and how to invest in the right writing tool. So grab your notebook and get ready to discover the best pens to use in your 2024 Planner.
With 8 years of decorative planning experience, I wanted to share my thoughts on my favorite writing utensils. My planner of choice is the Erin Condren Life Planner. Therefore you will find that a lot of these pens are best paired with this planner. However, you will find that these are also a great choice for your Happy Planner, Hobonichi planner or your favorite planner of choice.
*Some of the links included may be affiliate links which means that I may earn a small commission when you make a purchase. However this does not affect the end price. These are all products I use and love so I am sharing my true opinion on these. Thank you for your support!
The Best Gel Pens For Your Planner
Gel ink is a favorite among the planner community. My YouTube Community spoke up and shared their favorite Gel Pens! We will be deep diving into all of these below.
1. Pilot G2 Gel Pen
As seen above, the Pilot G2 Gel Pens are a beloved choice among avid planner enthusiasts for their exceptional performance and versatility. It is said that this pen is an excellent alternative to a fountain pen as it doesn’t require the upkeep of one and it is more affordable.
As for me, the Pilot G2 is my go-to for when I write in my journal as it has a comfortable grip and it glides so easily on the page. This makes it easy for you to write with for prolonged periods of time. Additionally and to my great surprise, I haven’t experienced a Pilot G2 with ink that streaks!
- Price Range: Starting at $5.00 for a 4-pack of black pens. An 8-pack of color pens is typically around $12.00
- Drying time: Over 30 seconds. If you try to wipe it beforehand it will smudge.
- Color Range: 27 Color Options
- Point Sizes: 4 Point Sizes Including 0.38 mm, 0.5 mm, 0.7 mm and 1.0 mm
2. Paper Mate Inkjoy Gel
Let’s head on over to the cult classic Paper Mate Inkjoy Gel Pen. I have found that in the planner community, there are many mixed thoughts about this pen. Some people love it and others absolutely hate it. Why would people hate this pen? Well, it tends to skip… Why would people love this pen? It makes for an enjoyable writing experience and they will last you for life. Love it or hate it, this pen belongs in every collection.
My favorite thing about the Paper Mate Inkjoy Gel is that the ink distribution is very smooth. This means that it doesn’t dispense too much ink. It is my go-to for a black ink pen and may I also add that it also has the perfect brown ink… It also comes in a variety of bright and vivid colors. Lastly, this pen tends to be quite affordable as far as gel pens go.
- Price Range: Around $12.00 for a 14-pen pack with 14 different colors.
- Drying time: At least 5 seconds. They don’t dry instantly but generally the ink is pretty quick-drying. They don’t smudge as much as long as you wait a few seconds.
- Color Range: Up to 30 colors in 0.7 mm tip, you can find them all here. Up to 14 colors in 0.5 mm tip.
- Point Sizes: 0.7 mm and 0.5 mm
3. Tul Gel Pens
Although it is a lesser known gel pen brand, the Tul Gel really packs a punch. It dispenses the ink quite nicely and the available colors are truly vibrant. The downside is that the grip is not very ergonomic which means that you may get a little tired if you write for long periods of time. All in all, this is a formidable pen that deserves a spot in your pen collection!
- Price Range: Starting at $8.00 for a pack of 4 black pens. About $14.00 for a pack of 8 assorted colors.
- Drying time: It has a pretty quick dry time at about 5 seconds. This tends to be a good pen for people who are left-handed.
- Color Range: Typically 14 colors but they also offer their limited edition metallic colors.
- Point Sizes: 0.7 mm and 0.5 mm
4. Pentel Energel Infree
Now this is a new discovery for me and these pens have quickly become a favorite among my pen collection. It is necessary to point out that there are several types of Pentel Energel gel pens, therefore we will only be focusing on the “Infree” version as I have not tried the rest. You can find a full list of the Energel pens here.
These tend to be on the higher end as far as price but they are worth every penny. It is considered the best gel pen by the Unsharpen.com team and I completely agree. This pen makes for an incredibly smooth writing experience, it dries fast, and the grip is comfortable. Which is everything you would want in a gel pen. The only downside is that it is not easy to tell exactly what color you are using since the pen is clear all over and only displays the ink color. This is me being very picky but it is an incredible pen overall!
- Price Range: $25.00 for a pack of 10 assorted colors
- Drying time: It is almost instant coming at about 3 seconds. Many people claim this pen is smudge-proof
- Color Range: Typically 10 colors but they have some limited edition color releases.
- Point Sizes: 0.7 mm and 0.5 mm
5. Zebra Sarasa Dry X20
Widely considered THE pen for left-handed people, its claim to fame is its instant dry time. I can attest to this claim because the Zebra Sarasa Dry gel pen dries almost instantly. As soon as you write a word, you can wipe your finger over it and it won’t smudge. Overrall, the colors are vibrant, the ink is dispensed very well meaning that the skipping is minimal, and it has a comfortable grip.
- Price Range: $28.00 for a pack of 14 assorted colors
- Dry time: Instant drying time!
- Color Range: 14 colors.
- Point Sizes: 0.7 mm and 0.5 mm
The Best Felt Tip Pens / Fineliners For Your Planner
Equally important to gel pens, felt tip pens are amazing pens for your planner. It all comes down to preference… However, correct me if I am wrong but sometimes it does feel that your felt tip pens will dry out if you use them too much. Am I the only one that feels this way? Regardless, felt tip pens provide a great writing experience and most of the time have more color options (If you are a color ink gal).
Below I will share my thoughts on popular felt tip pens and my all-time favorites: Erin Condren pens!
1. Sakura Pigma Micron Fineliner Pens
If you are into bullet journaling, you are probably heavy breathing just about now. These fine liners are the pen of choice due to their assortment of tip sizes. Additionally, they are popular among artists as they are very high quality and durable. Sakura claims that they have a 24-month shelf life but mine have lasted way longer than that.
Personally, I enjoy creating different effects in my planner using a thicker tip for headers and a smaller tip for the text body. Not to mention that if you have a smaller writing area such as a smaller planner or a smaller box to write in, the smaller tips are the best.
- Price Range: $14.00 for a pack of 6 to 8 pens.
- Color Range: They are known for their black ink but available in 16 assorted colors in the 08 tip.
- Point Sizes: 8 sizes: 003 (0.15 mm), 005 (0.2 mm), 01 (0.25 mm), 02 (0.30 mm), 03 (0.35 mm), 04 (0.40 mm), 05 (0.45 mm), 08 (0.50 mm). Source: Royaltalens
2. Erin Condren Focused Multiliners
Although these are very similar to the Sakura Pigma Micron pens, the Erin Condren version offer point sizes not available in the Sakura Micron sizes. My favorite feature of these pens is their highly elegant design. The color is so neutral and can blend easily with your desk decor, if you are going for an aesthetic look. Overall, it is a very high quality, pigmented black felt tip that will elevate your planner spreads.
Are the Erin Condren Focused Fineliners a dupe for the Sakura Micron Fineliners? Well, they are similar in price but you can get the focused pens highly discounted in an EC sale. In my opinion, they are very similar in how they write and feel. My heart cannot choose between these two because they are both incredible black felt-tip pens. The main reason I would choose the Erin Condren version is aesthetics because the Sakura version is not as pretty to look at.
- Price Range: $16.50 for a pack of 6 pens.
- Color Range: Black, that’s all you need! (You will see many more color options in other Erin Condren pen choices).
- Point Sizes: 6 different size felt-tips: 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8, 1.0, brush tip
3. Sakura Microperm Ultra Fine Point Pens
Aside from planner pens, you need a good sticker pen, especially if you tend to go heavy on the stickers. These permanent fineliner pens are the perfect solution for your vinyl or glossy stickers. I didn’t say it, the Stickerguru team recommended them and I can finally write over my stickers without smudging. These are similar to the regular Sakura Pigma Micron, just permanent (and in less tip sizes, but that’s ok).
The only down side to these is that they are hard to find. It takes some digging on the Amazon site to be able to find them. Luckily they are linked here for you!
- Price Range: $9.00 for a pack of 3 pens.
- Color Range: Black.
- Point Sizes: 01 (0.25 mm), 03 (0.35 mm), 05 (0.45 mm)
4. Paper Mate Flair Felt Tip Pens
Let me start off by sharing something that really caught my eye. An Amazon reviewer wrote: They are in a class all their own, and I personally consider them the standard for felt tip pens. Thank you RP, I couldn’t have said it better myself. The Paper Mate Flair Pens, are the standard for felt-tip pens. They are durable, they come in so many different colors and they are great to write with.
Personally, I love the Paper Mate Flair Medium Tip pens because they are thick enough to make for great headers when you are writing in your planner. However, the tip is not so thick that you can use it to write inside boxes in your planner. These are a favorite among the planner community but not only that. Teachers and office workers love them too!
- Price Range: $20.00 for a pack of 24 assorted color pens.
- Color Range: 32 Vibrant Colors
- Point Sizes: Medium tip 0.7 mm and Ultra Fine Tip 0.4 mm
5. Stabilo Point 88 Fineliners
This is another fineliner pen that is common amongst artists as it is considered very easy and comfortable to write with. It is also a great pen to use in your planner and offers a wide variety of vibrant colors, especially if you love to color code.
Personally, I think it is a great pen but the hexagonal shape of the pen is not the most comfortable and it is also very thin. My hand gets tired if I try to use it for prolonged periods of time. However, the colors are amazing so I would use these pens mainly for the colors. It also claims to have a long cap off time which I can attest that it is very true!
Is the Stabilo Point 88 better than the Staedtler Triplus Fineliner? I don’t know😭. Don’t come at me, I have never tried the Staedtler brand but if you have, let me know in the comments below!
- Price Range: $10.00 for a pack of 8 assorted color pens.
- Color Range: Over 40 Colors
- Point Sizes: Ultra Fine Tip 0.4 mm
6. Erin Condren Felt Tip Pens
Saving the best for last… Everyone knows that Erin Condren is synonymous with planners, but did you know that they also have some incredible felt-tip pens? Some of the best out there in fact and they come in a wide range of colors as well as seasonal and special edition colors based on launches. The colors really pop off the page in all of their collections. I will add my favorite pens below.
Erin Condren Dual Tip Markers
These are the most popular Erin Condren pens and it is easy to see why. They come in an assortment of vibrant colors. They are so many colors to count and each seasonal launch, they offer a special collection with a unique set of colors for that collection. For example, this year they launched the Wildflower dual-tip markers with beautiful colors that match your planner designs.
One side of the tip is a fine tip of 0.6 mm and the other side is a medium tip 1.2 mm. The medium tip is much thicker than a Paper Mate Flair so it is great when you want to write a header or on a larger surface. (I use the medium tip on my deskpads). All in all these pens are extremely durable. You can buy them a-la-carte if you have an EC store near you or in assorted color packs if you buy them on the website, the most common pack being the 10-pack.
I will say, beware of the surprise writing tool bundles during their sales because you can end up with a bunch of the same colored pens, especially if you already have a hefty collection.
Erin Condren Ultra Fine Markers
If you are not a fan of the medium tip and just want a fine tip, these Ultra Fine Tip markers are a great choice. They are a 0.5 mm tip and have the beautiful Erin Condren mid-century circles design. They come in a pack of 12 but that is enough because the available colors are simply gorgeous.
Erin Condren Fine Tip Markers
Lastly, the Fine Tip Markers are the smallest of the bunch with a 0.4 mm tip. They are available in 24 vibrant colors and the tip is great to use if you need to write with a smaller font on a small space. The only downside is that it is a very thin pen so you may get tired after writing for a short period of time.
Final Thoughts…
Whether you prefer the smooth glide of gel pens or the precision of felt-tip pens, there are options for every planner enthusiast’s needs. I just wanted to share with you my favorite pens that I use in my planners. Finding the right pen is a personal choice but I hope that I helped you make an informed decision before going out and spending your hard-earned cash on your search for that perfect planner pen.
Stay tuned for a future article where I will share my favorite highlighters including the famous Mildliners and Pilot Frixion Erasable Highlighters. Happy Planning in 2024!
