To everyone who uses Ellie,
Ellie has a new look! The hamster Ellie is named after is now front and center, in the logo, on the website and in the App Store. I wanted to take a minute to share why I made the change, and what it means for Ellie going forward into 2027 (lots of good things 👀).
I built Ellie back in 2022 and named it after my hamster. For years, she only showed up quietly in the app.
My other apps, like Amy and Luna, are named after my pets too, and they had strong identities and mascots from day one.
I’ve wanted to bring that to Ellie for a long time, but I held back. So many of you use Ellie every single day (some of you for 3+ years), and I didn’t want to change something you rely on. But I think it’s time for a change.
To be honest, this refresh is mostly for me. It’s a little selfish, but a brand I’m proud of and love looking at makes me want to work on Ellie even more. I also wanted Ellie to be more memorable and stand out among productivity apps, with the same character and playfulness as my other apps, and a little more of me in it.
Change is hard, and I get it. If you prefer the original icon, you can switch back in the desktop and iOS apps. I’ve also added a bunch of new icons and logos that you can unlock as you use Ellie, which I’m really excited about.
This is also the start of me putting a lot more time into Ellie. It’s been getting updates for years, but slowly, and that’s changing. Alongside this letter, I’m shipping:
This brand refresh
A new landing page
A refreshed App Store listing
50+ improvements to the web app
30+ improvements to the iOS app, bringing it to almost full parity with the web version
And for the rest of this year and into 2027, I’m working on:
More integrations and connectors with the tools you already use
A calendar that’s on par with Google Calendar
An Android app and Apple Watch support
Refining the whole experience
My goal is to make Ellie the best daily planning app out there.
Thank you for using Ellie, and for being patient with the slow updates. There’s a lot more coming, and if you have any thoughts, I’d love to hear them at chris@ellieplanner.com ✌️
Chris Raroque
Creator of Ellie