Whether you’re in school, starting a new job or online course (opens in new tab) or are even working from home (opens in new tab) for the very first time, keeping track of your time and planning your days accordingly will help you succeed. While you could use a notebook and do things the old fashioned way, wouldn’t it be better to have your calendar readily accessible wherever you find yourself to be?
With the best calendar apps, you can easily create reminders, schedule meetings and plan out your days, weeks and months to ensure you’re using your time as efficiently as possible. At the same time, the best calendar apps will allow you to plan seamlessly across all of your devices. This means you can add an entry to your calendar on your smartphone (opens in new tab) and then later review or edit it on your desktop computer or laptop (opens in new tab) when you’re back at home.
While keeping a calendar can help you plan out your day, some users may need to juggle multiple calendars using the same app or online service. The best calendar apps allow you to see your work calendar, personal calendar and even your shared calendars all in the same place. Having to switch between apps can eat up your time especially on busy days so why not do all your planning in one place?
As video conferencing software (opens in new tab) has become one of the best ways to communicate with colleagues and friends over the past few years, you can also use a calendar app to keep track of your meetings on your own as opposed to being inundated with email reminders right before one of your meetings is about to begin.
Regardless of how busy you are or how much you want to get done, a great calendar app can help you stay on top of things which is why we’ve picked out the best calendar apps on the market today.
Best calendar apps of 2022 in full:
(Image credit: Calendar.com)
1. Calendar.com
Best calendar for users that want a simplified experience
VISIT SITE
(opens in new tab)
Reasons to buy
+
A good number of features available
+
Multiplatform support
+
Different pricing tiers
Reasons to avoid
–
Integration with other services could be improved
After testing out every other calendar app on the market and discovering that most users weren’t happy with the solutions available, the developers of Calendar.com first released their own calendar on the web, Android and iOS back in 2009.
Calendar.com includes all of the features you’d expect from one of the best calendar apps. You can view your schedule by day, week, month or year and easily share your calendar with others. However, it also includes the ability to embed calendars in web pages and has integrations with both Zapier (opens in new tab) and Zoom (opens in new tab). Free users also have the ability to set up meetings with five other people.
The Calendar.com app has a minimalist design where UI elements that aren’t frequently used are hidden from view to avoid unnecessary clutter. Color-coding allows you to keep your personal and work events separate though there is also an unified calendar feature that allows you to view multiple calendars at once. In fact, you can connect up to 10 different calendars which you can view from the app’s dashboard.
Calendar.com offers three separate plans in the form of Basic, Standard and Pro. The free Basic plan only allows you to connect one calendar while the Standard plan at $8 per month per user lets you connect three calendars and also includes five customizable scheduling time slots. The top of the line Pro plan for $10 per month per user lets you connect up to 10 calendars and gives you access to unlimited customizable scheduling time slots.
Read our full Calendar.com review (opens in new tab).
(Image credit: Microsoft)
2. Outlook Calendar
Best calendar for Windows users
VISIT SITE
(opens in new tab)
Reasons to buy
+
Completely free
+
Intuitive and familiar design
+
Integrates with Outlook, Windows and Microsoft’s other products
Reasons to avoid
–
Lacks customization
–
Exchange server needed for some features
–
Although Outlook Calendar was initially designed for corporate users and large organizations, Microsoft has revised this calendar app over the years to make it an excellent product for both personal and professional users. The best part about Outlook Calendar is that it’s completely free and you only need to create a Microsoft Outlook (opens in new tab) account to get started. In addition to email and a calendar, you also get access to Microsoft Office (opens in new tab) apps like Word, Excel and OneNote.
Outlook Calendar may seem a bit limited in terms of features but the app supports all of the standard view modes including day, week, month and schedule but it also allows you to view multiple calendars at once, organize them into folders and share them with others.
Scheduling is one of the things Outlook Calendar does really well. Using the app, you can easily preview scheduling conflicts and view suggestions for alternative time slots. It’s also easy to share events or even entire calendars even if the person you’re sharing them with doesn’t have Outlook Calendar.
Outlook Calendar is available as a standalone desktop app, a web app and as a mobile app for both iOS and Android. Microsoft also keeps all of these apps updated regularly and all versions share the same features so you’ll be right at home regardless of which platform you’re using.
It’s worth noting that you will miss out on some features if your email account doesn’t use an Exchange Server with the most useful one being able to categorize events with color-coded tags.
Read our full Outlook Calendar review (opens in new tab).
(Image credit: Fantastical)
3. Fantastical
Best third-party calendar for Apple users
VISIT SITE
(opens in new tab)
Reasons to buy
+
Intelligent suggestions
+
Beautiful interface with smooth navigation
+
Loads of useful extra features
Reasons to avoid
–
Desktop version only available for Mac
–
Premium subscription required for many features
Fantastical is a calendar app that is designed to bring all of your events, tasks and meetings together in one place. The app is primarily geared towards Mac users and is available on macOS, iPadOS, iOS and even watchOS so you can quickly check your calendar using your Apple Watch (opens in new tab).
While there is a free version available, you’ll need a Flexbits Premium Subscription to take full advantage of Fantastical’s features. There are two premium plans available with one designed for individuals at $3.33 per month and the other for families up to five at $5.42 per month. For the price though, you also get access to Flexbits’ Cardhop which integrates with your device’s contacts and serves as a digital rolodex you can use across all of your Apple devices.
In addition to helping you keep track of your personal and work calendars, Fantastical also has an innovative feature called Interesting Calendars that syncs external calendars based on your interests. This way you can stay up to date on your favorite shows, sports and more automatically.
Fantastical is well known for its beautiful design and interface. Everything inside the app is laid out logically and there is also plenty of customization options to make your calendars your own. Fantastical also provides three themes to choose from so you can have the standard Fantastical theme, a light one or a dark one that provide you with a consistent view of your calendar across both desktop and mobile.
Read our full Fantastical review (opens in new tab).
(Image credit: Google)
4. Google Calendar
The best cloud calendar app
VISIT SITE
(opens in new tab)
Reasons to buy
+
Free to use
+
Sleek interface
+
Integrated into Google Workspace
Reasons to avoid
–
No location-based reminders
If you have a Gmail (opens in new tab) account, then you already have access to and are likely familiar with Google Calendar. This calendar app is available on the web and on Android and ChromeOS but there is also an iOS app available for iPhone (opens in new tab) users. Just like with Gmail, Google Docs and the rest of Google’s products, Google Calendar is completely free to use though you do get access to a few more features when you sign up for a premium Google Workspace (opens in new tab) subscription.
Unlike other calendars apps that try to cram in as much as possible, Google Calendar relies on a simple and professional design to keep your calendar tidy. You can view one day, four days, a week, a month or even a whole year at one time. On desktop you can view your schedule across multiple days as a list but on mobile, there are colorful cards for each month and events like flights from your Gmail automatically show up in your calendar as well. Events can also be organized by sorting them into separate calendars or color-coded by their category.
The biggest strength of Google Calendar is that it’s a cloud-based app that syncs across all of your devices. This means that whether you’re at your computer or on your smartphone, as long as you’re signed into your Google account, you’ll have access to your calendar with notifications as well.
Read our full Google Calendar review (opens in new tab).
(Image credit: Appgenix Software)
5. Business Calendar 2
Best calendar for business users that need advanced features
VISIT SITE
(opens in new tab)
Reasons to buy
+
Advanced widgets
+
In-depth customization options
+
Can be used to manage multiple calendars
Reasons to avoid
–
Free version has adds
–
Can be overwhelming for new users
Business Calendar 2 from Appgenix Software is primarily aimed at business users that need access to loads of advanced features and customization options. In fact, some users might feel a bit intimidated by the sheer number of options available. Fortunately, Appgenix provides professional customer support and a knowledgebase with a lot of information on a wide variety of topics.
Unlike some of the other options on this list that offer web apps and support multiple platforms, Business Calendar 2 is an Android app that can be downloaded from either the Google Play Store or the Huawei App Gallery for Huawei smartphones (opens in new tab).
Still though, Business Calendar 2 offers more than enough in terms of features and customization. The app allows you to view your calendar in a day view, a week view and a month view and multiple events can be moved, copied or deleted at once using its agenda feature. There are also 22 themes available and seven beautiful widgets that can be customized down to the last detail.
Business Calendar 2 is available in both a free and premium version. The main difference between the two comes down to the features available as premium users can simultaneously manage multiple events and also get access to media attachments, private event invites, priorities, templates and other advanced customization options. Instead of being a monthly subscription, the premium upgrade for Business Calendar 2 is just a one-time payment that costs less than $10.
Read our full Business Calendar 2 review (opens in new tab).
(Image credit: Any.do)
6. Any.do
Best calendar for users that want to improve their productivity
VISIT SITE
(opens in new tab)
Reasons to buy
+
Customized themes
+
Sleek and fast interface
+
Wide range of supported devices
Reasons to avoid
–
Full experience requires a premium subscription
Any.do is known for providing several productivity tools (opens in new tab) which in addition to a calendar include a daily planner, a to-do list, a grocery list and reminders. The company’s calendar app also integrates with Google Calendar, iCloud, Outlook and more and is available on Android, iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, Wear OS and even on smart home devices (opens in new tab) like Amazon Alexa and Google Home.
While Any.do is free by default, upgrading to a premium subscription gives you access to advanced recurring reminders, customized themes, WhatsApp (opens in new tab) reminders, color tags, location reminders and an unlimited daily planner.
Any.do features a smooth interface that works as expected. Switching between different tasks and views is also easy just as it is to edit events. Speaking of tasks, the app also lets you create sub-tasks and configure them with options like a reminder, linked tasks, labels and more.
If you’re looking for a calendar app that works seamlessly across all of your devices, browsers and even your smart home, Any.do just might be for you.
Read our full Any.do review (opens in new tab).
(Image credit: Calendly)
7. Calendly
Best calendar for scheduling complex meetings
visit site
(opens in new tab)
Reasons to buy
+
Streamlined user interface
+
Can create rules based on your availability
+
Excellent scheduling options for one-on-one and group meetings
Reasons to avoid
–
Few customization options
Calendly is a calendar app with the aim of making scheduling a breeze for both your professional and personal life. It does this by first having you fill in your availability from which it creates simple rules so that it can do the work for you. From here, you can send guests your Calendly link or even embed it directly on your website. Calendly could be the perfect tool for hybrid workers (opens in new tab) as it lets you create and schedule meetings over Zoom or in person.
Events can be categorized by type, meetings can be set up as either recurring or one-off with specific options for both and there is a great deal of automation available to make scheduling very hands-off. Premium subscribers also get access to integrated metrics that can provide a comprehensive overview of how you’ve been using your calendar as well as changes you could make to your schedule to improve your daily life.
Although Calendly has a relatively simple user interface, its developers have put a lot of thought and attention into making the app both streamlined and accessible. The only downside is that there aren’t a lot of customization options though you can tweak how the app looks.
You can try Calendly for free and the company also offers a 14-day trial for its Teams plan. However, there isn’t any upfront pricing information and you will have to contact the company directly if you or your business does decide to upgrade.
Read our full Calendly review (opens in new tab).
(Image credit: Thunderbird)
8. Lightning Calendar
The best calendar for Linux users
visit site
(opens in new tab)
Reasons to buy
+
Free and open source
+
Large and supportive community
+
Runs well on older systems
Reasons to avoid
–
Dated interface
–
Not available as a standalone app
Lightning Calendar is the only open source (opens in new tab) option on this list and it’s offered as part of Mozilla’s email client (opens in new tab), Thunderbird. In addition to working on Windows PCs, Lightning Calendar is one of the best calendar apps for Linux.
Just like Mozilla Firefox, Lightning Calendar is completely free to download and use. However, it isn’t available as a standalone app which means you’ll have to install Mozilla Thunderbird (opens in new tab) to use it. This calendar app’s source code is also completely open and anyone can get involved and help contribute to it. While you can’t pay for Lightning Calendar, you can make a donation on Mozilla’s website to support its continued development.
Lightning Calendar allows you to create events, set up reminders and invite people but you can also take advantage of public calendars and add them to the app. In fact, on its website, Mozilla provides a full list of holiday calendars for countries around the world in case you want to know when your remote co-workers will or won’t be available. You can also create tasks with detailed configuration options like progress tracking and advanced postponing.
The biggest downside to Lightning Calendar is that it features an older, dated user interface. This could be perfect for those that like to keep things simple or for those with older machines that can’t be bogged down running multiple modern applications.
Read our full Lightning Calendar review (opens in new tab).
(Image credit: Apple)
9. Apple Calendar
Best first-party calendar for Apple users
visit site
(opens in new tab)
Reasons to buy
+
Completely free
+
Clean and smooth design
+
Integrates nicely with iOS, iPadOS and macOS
Reasons to avoid
–
No Android or Windows apps
–
Lacks themes and other customization options
Just like Outlook Calendar and Google Calendar come pre-installed on Windows and ChromeOS devices, Apple Calendar is installed on iOS, iPadOS and mac OS devices by default and is free to use. This means that if you have a MacBook (opens in new tab), you already have this calendar app installed on your device and ready to go.
Apple Calendar allows you to create and edit events with standard settings like time/date, location and recurrence though you can also invite others to your events if you have them as a contact first. Events support additional notes and links as well as file attachments. Apple Calendar lets you view your schedule in day, week, month and year view and color coding makes it easy to keep your calendars and events organized. That said, there are few customization options available which is typical of Apple’s other software.
Apple Calendar offers more than enough to handle the basics but if you want more customization or find yourself working on Windows or Linux devices in addition to your Mac, you might want to look elsewhere.
Read our full Apple Calendar review (opens in new tab).
How we tested the best calendar apps
To test for the best calendar apps we first set up an account with the relevant software platform, whether as a download or as an online service. We then tested the service to see how the software could be used for different purposes and in different situations, such as keeping a diary and scheduling conferences. The aim was to push each software platform to see how useful its basic tools were and also how easy it was to get to grips with any more advanced tools.
See how we test, rate, and review products on TechRadar.
Which calendar app is best for you?
When deciding which calendar apps to download and use, first consider what your actual needs are. A number of general software platforms already include a basic calendar, but can often lack the necessary tools for a dedicated diary. Additionally, free and budget calendar apps can provide a lot of the tools you need, but higher-end software can really cater for the specialist, so do ensure you have a good idea of which features you think you may need to save on the pain of changing to a different software platform later on.
We’ve also featured the best time management apps (opens in new tab).
