What is the best app for calendar
A practical look at what is the best app for calendar: what actually matters, how the options compare, and how to decide.
HeyGrowin Desk7 min read
1. Ranked shortlist – How recent reviews place the leading calendar apps
The following list reflects two independent sources that evaluate productivity software: The Verge’s 2024 “Best Calendar Apps” roundup and G2’s 2024 user‑rating summary for calendar tools. Both sources rank the apps on overall satisfaction, feature depth, and cross‑platform availability. The order below follows the average of those two rankings.
| Rank | App | Core strengths (pros) | Core weaknesses (cons) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fantastical (Flexibits) | • Natural‑language entry works on macOS, iOS and iPadOS • Unified view of personal, work and shared calendars • AI‑driven suggestions for meeting times and travel buffers | • Premium subscription required for full team‑sharing features • No native Android client; Android users must use the web version |
| 2 | Google Calendar | • Free, unlimited calendars and invites • Seamless sync across Android, iOS, web and ChromeOS • Deep integration with Gmail, Meet and many third‑party services | • Limited offline editing on mobile devices • Recurrence rules are less flexible than those of some competitors |
| 3 | Microsoft Outlook Calendar | • Integrated with Outlook email and Teams • Enterprise‑grade security and admin controls • Strong support for recurring series and time‑zone conversion | • Interface can feel cluttered when used only as a calendar • Some premium add‑ons (e.g., advanced analytics) are unavailable on the free tier |
| 4 | Apple Calendar | • Native experience on macOS, iOS and watchOS • Simple, privacy‑first design with no ads • Good handling of time‑zone‑aware events | • No dedicated Windows or Android client (web only) • Collaboration is limited to iCloud sharing |
| 5 | Calendly (Pro plan) | • Optimised for meeting‑booking rather than day‑to‑day planning • Automatic time‑zone detection for invitees • Integrates with Zoom, Google Meet and several CRMs | • Not a full‑featured calendar; works best alongside another calendar app • Free tier restricts the number of active event types |
How to use this ranking – If you need a single app that covers personal scheduling, team calendars and AI‑assisted suggestions without buying a broader suite, Fantastical offers the most balanced feature set. Users already invested in Google’s ecosystem may stay with Google Calendar for cost‑free convenience, while organisations that rely on Microsoft 365 will find Outlook Calendar the least disruptive transition.
2. Feature‑by‑feature comparison
| Feature | Fantastical | Google Calendar | Outlook Calendar | Apple Calendar | Calendly (Pro) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smart / Adaptive reminders | AI‑driven “smart alerts” that suggest earlier reminders based on travel time and past behaviour | Standard push notifications; multiple alerts per event are supported | Outlook’s reminder system with snooze options; integrates with Teams notifications | Basic alerts (10 min, 30 min, custom) | No native reminders; relies on the connected calendar |
| AI / Suggested meeting times | “Fantastical AI” proposes slots, accounts for participants’ availability and adds travel buffers | “Find a time” in Google Workspace suggests slots when all guests are free | “Scheduling Assistant” proposes times based on free/busy data | No AI suggestions | Suggests slots based on invitee’s availability via linked calendars |
| Recurring‑event flexibility | Full iCalendar RRULE support; can create complex patterns (e.g., “every 3rd Friday”) | Supports common recurrences; custom patterns are limited | Enterprise‑grade recurrence with exception handling | Supports basic daily/weekly/monthly recurrences | Not a full calendar; recurring event types are limited to meeting templates |
| Multi‑time‑zone support | Shows event in creator’s and participants’ zones; can set a “home” zone for quick reference | Automatic conversion for guests; “World Clock” widget for reference | Strong conversion; default zone can be set per calendar | Shows event time in the device’s current zone; no dedicated multi‑zone view | Handles time‑zone conversion for invitees automatically |
| Sharing & collaboration | Team calendars, shared lists and delegated access (premium only) | Share calendars with any Google account; granular view/edit permissions | Full sharing within an organisation; external sharing via link (admin‑controlled) | iCloud sharing with other Apple IDs; limited to individuals | Public booking pages; can embed on websites; limited to meeting‑type sharing |
| Offline access | Full offline read/write on macOS, iOS and web (syncs later) | Offline on Android/iOS for existing events; new events created offline sync later | Desktop Outlook works offline; mobile apps cache recent data | Offline on macOS/iOS; changes sync when back online | Web‑only; requires an internet connection to book |
| Key integrations | Google, Outlook/Exchange, iCloud, Zapier, Todoist, Slack, Zoom, Teams | Gmail, Meet, Drive, Asana, Trello, Zapier, most Google Workspace Marketplace apps | Teams, OneDrive, SharePoint, Planner, Power Automate, wide enterprise connector library | iCloud, Mail, Reminders, Siri, HomeKit; CalDAV for third‑party calendars | Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, Salesforce, HubSpot, Zapier, Slack |
| Platform availability | macOS, iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, web (Android via browser) | Android, iOS, web, ChromeOS | Windows, macOS (desktop), iOS, Android, web | macOS, iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, web (limited) | Web, iOS and Android native booking apps |
How to read the table – A checkmark (✓) indicates native support. When a feature is listed as “via integration,” it works only after the app is linked to the relevant third‑party service. Features marked “premium only” are unavailable on the free tier or are offered with reduced capability.
3. Pricing overview – What you pay for and what you get
| App | Free tier | Paid tier(s) | Typical cost (USD) | Main unlocks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fantastical | ✓ Basic calendar view, natural‑language entry, one personal calendar, limited AI suggestions | Premium (individual) | $4.99 / month or $39.99 / year | Unlimited calendars, team sharing, advanced AI, custom alerts, priority support, Zapier integration |
| Team (2‑20 users) | $7.99 / user / month (annual billing) | All Premium features + admin console, shared team calendars, SSO (single sign‑on) | ||
| Google Calendar | ✓ Unlimited calendars, invites, basic reminders, free Google Meet (up to 60 min) | Google Workspace (Business Starter, Standard, Plus, Enterprise) | $6 – $18 / user / month, depending on plan | Longer Meet sessions, advanced admin controls, Vault archiving, enhanced security, larger Cloud storage |
| Outlook Calendar | ✓ Part of free Outlook.com account (ad‑supported) | Microsoft 365 Personal | $69.99 / year (one user) | 1 TB OneDrive, premium Outlook features, Teams, advanced security, ad‑free experience |
| Microsoft 365 Business Standard | $12.50 / user / month (annual) | Full Office suite, Exchange email, Teams, SharePoint, admin tools | ||
| Apple Calendar | ✓ Free with iCloud (5 GB storage) | iCloud+ (optional storage upgrade) | $0.99 – $9.99 / month, based on storage tier | Higher iCloud storage, Private Relay, Hide My Email (no direct calendar impact) |
| Calendly | ✓ One event type, basic integrations, limited team members | Premium | $12 / user / month (annual) | Unlimited event types, SMS reminders, custom branding, Zapier integration |
| Pro | $16 / user / month (annual) | All Premium features + advanced reporting, round‑robin routing, Salesforce integration | ||
| Enterprise | Custom pricing | SSO, API access, dedicated support, compliance certifications (SOC 2, ISO 27001) |
Practical takeaways
- Solo users – The free tiers of Fantastical, Google Calendar, Outlook.com and Apple Calendar all provide enough functionality for personal event creation, basic reminders and single‑device sync.
- Team collaboration – Unlimited shared calendars and delegated access are only available on Fantastical’s Team plan, Google Workspace (any paid tier), Microsoft 365 Business Standard, or via Calendly’s Pro/Enterprise plans.
- AI‑driven assistance – Advanced AI suggestions for meeting times and travel buffers are locked behind Fantastical Premium and Google Workspace’s “Find a time” (which is free but less sophisticated).
- Licensing nuances – Most subscription‑based calendars charge per user, meaning a single licence covers iOS, Android and desktop clients for that user. Exceptions: Apple Calendar is free per device as part of iCloud, while Outlook.com’s ad‑supported tier is free for any number of devices but includes ads. Enterprise licences (e.g., Microsoft 365 Business Standard) may also be purchased per device in some volume‑licensing agreements, though the per‑user model is far more common.
- Bundled suites – If you already pay for Google Workspace, Microsoft 365 or iCloud+, the calendar component is included at no additional cost. In that case, upgrading to a higher‑priced tier solely for calendar features is unnecessary.
4. Compatibility matrix – Operating‑system support and integration depth
| App | iOS | Android | Windows | macOS | Web | Notable integrations |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fantastical | ✓ native app (iPhone, iPad) | Web‑only (Safari/Chrome) | ✓ native macOS app; Windows via web | ✓ native macOS app | ✓ full‑feature web app | Google Calendar, Outlook/Exchange, iCloud, Zapier, Todoist, Slack, Zoom, Microsoft Teams |
| Google Calendar | ✓ native app | ✓ native app | ✓ web (Chrome/Edge) | ✓ web (Chrome/Edge) | ✓ full‑feature web app | Gmail, Google Meet, Drive, Asana, Trello, Zapier, most third‑party CRMs |
| Outlook Calendar | ✓ native Outlook app | ✓ native Outlook app | ✓ desktop |
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