Finding a laurel denise planner dupe isn't as easy as finding a cheaper version of a Stanley cup or a Lululemon legging. It's tough. Most planners on the market follow a standard "flip-the-page" logic. You see the month, you flip. You see the week, you flip back to check the month. It’s annoying.
The Laurel Denise system is famous because it uses a "Dutch door" or split-page layout. Basically, the weekly pages are cut shorter so they sit inside the monthly spread. You see everything at once. No flipping. For people with ADHD or just very busy "visual" brains, this is the holy grail.
But let’s be real. They are expensive. Shipping can be a beast. And sometimes they just sell out. If you’re looking for that specific "all-in-one-view" vibe without the $50+ price tag or the massive "wingspan" of a full-size Laurel Denise, you have a few actual options.
The Reality of the All-In-One View
Most people looking for a laurel denise planner dupe are actually looking for a specific functional fix. You want to see your monthly deadlines while you're looking at your Tuesday morning tasks.
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If you buy a standard Erin Condren or a Target Blue Sky planner, you won't get this. Those are great planners, but they are linear. You move through time page by page. To get the Laurel Denise effect, you need a layout that is non-linear.
1. The Muji Viewable-at-Once Planner
This is probably the closest "true" dupe in terms of logic. Muji released a version called the A5 Viewable at Once Monthly/Daily Planner.
Here is how it works: The monthly calendar folds out. While that calendar is extended, you can flip through the daily or weekly pages underneath it. It’s a genius bit of paper engineering. It’s much smaller than the "Large Anne" or "Nancy" layouts from Laurel Denise, which is actually a plus if you have a tiny desk.
The Pros:
- Way cheaper (usually under $15-$20).
- Very minimalist. No floral prints or "live your best life" quotes.
- High-quality Muji paper that handles gel pens well.
The Cons:
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- It’s hard to find. You usually have to check Muji’s site right when the 2026 stock drops (usually October/November).
- It’s much thinner. If you’re a "sticker-heavy" planner, you’ll bulk this thing out in a month.
2. The Greeting Life Moment Planner
This is a Japanese import that you can often find on Amazon or through specialty stationery sites like JetPens. It uses a fold-up/fold-down system.
The monthly view is on the top half, and the weekly view is on the bottom half. You don't have to flip pages to see how your week aligns with your monthly goals. It’s a different orientation than the side-by-side Laurel Denise, but it achieves the same mental "click."
DIY: The Bullet Journal "Dutch Door"
Honestly? The best laurel denise planner dupe is one you make yourself with a pair of scissors and a $10 notebook.
Planner enthusiasts have been doing "Dutch doors" in bullet journals for years. You take a standard notebook (like a Leuchtturm1917 or a cheap Walmart Exceed) and you literally cut the middle out of some pages.
- Draw your monthly spread across a full two-page opening.
- Take the next 4 or 5 pages (your weeks for that month).
- Cut the top or side off those pages so the "border" of your monthly spread remains visible.
- Now, as you turn those middle "short" pages, your monthly calendar stays perfectly in view.
It takes about 20 minutes of setup once a month. If you’re trying to save $40, it’s a high-value 20 minutes.
3. The Yumekirock Separate Diary
This is a "hidden gem" in the planner world. It’s a Japanese system where the planner is physically split into two horizontal sections. The top half and bottom half move independently.
You can keep the top half on the Monthly view and flip the bottom half through the Weekly or Daily views. It is remarkably sturdy because it’s designed to be used this way. You aren't hacking a regular planner; the binding is built for the split.
When a Dupe Isn't Actually a Dupe
Be careful with "Productivity Planners" that claim to be alternatives. A lot of blogs will tell you that the Passion Planner or Happy Planner are Laurel Denise alternatives.
They aren't.
The Passion Planner is a vertical time-blocking dream, but it’s a standard book format. You cannot see the month and week simultaneously. The Happy Planner is disc-bound, which means you could take pages out and move them around, but it’s still not the same visual experience.
If you’re a teacher specifically looking for the "Valerie" layout, you might look at Sugar Paper Essentials at Target. They have multi-column layouts that allow for category-based planning, though you'll lose that "short page" magic.
4. Personal Planner (Customizable)
There is a company called Personal Planner (based in Sweden but ships globally) that lets you design your own layout. While they don't have a "cut page" option, they do have "fold-out" pages you can add to your order.
You can choose a horizontal layout and then add a fold-out for your monthly overview or a "to-do" tracker. It’s a middle-ground price point—usually around $35-$45.
Why People Still Go Back to the Original
I've talked to a lot of people who tried the "dupe" route. Usually, they end up buying the real thing eventually. Why?
The Wingspan Issue.
The Large Laurel Denise is massive. When it's open, it's about the size of a 15-inch laptop. Most dupes are A5 or smaller. If you have big handwriting or a lot of "brain-dumping" to do, the smaller dupes like the Muji can feel cramped.
Paper Quality.
Laurel Denise uses a specific 120gsm paper. It’s thick. If you try to DIY a dupe in a cheap notebook, your markers will bleed through, and the "cut" pages will eventually tear at the seam.
Actionable Steps for Your Next Planner
Don't just buy the first thing you see. If you're on the fence about the Laurel Denise price tag, do this first:
- Try the "Scrappy" Test: Take an old notebook. Cut two pages into "short pages" (Dutch doors). Try to plan your next week that way. If you find yourself not actually looking at the monthly border, you don't need a Laurel Denise—you just need a standard weekly planner.
- Check the "Undated" Sales: Laurel Denise often has sales on undated planners or "last year's" academic stock. You can get the real deal for nearly 40% off if you’re willing to write in the dates yourself.
- Look for "Discbound" Hacks: If you use a Happy Planner or a Tul system, you can buy a discbound punch and manually cut your own "short" weekly pages to snap in between your monthly spreads.
The "perfect" planner doesn't exist, but the "perfect for your brain" layout does. If you need that constant visual of the whole month to keep from forgetting deadlines, stick to the Muji Viewable-at-Once or the DIY Dutch door method.
Go grab a notebook and a pair of scissors. Test the layout for a week before you drop $60 on a system that might be too big for your desk. You'll know pretty quickly if the split-page life is for you.