Today we are going to look at a few of the best calendar software you can find on Windows.
Calendar software is an important tool that helps us stay organized and keep track of our events and appointments. They usually provide a simple and easy-to-use interface that lets you quickly input your events, set reminders, and see upcoming deadlines.
However, some of them may be better suited for certain tasks than others. For instance, if you have many events to keep track of each day then using something like Google Calendar might be more appropriate than using a basic app like Microsoft Outlook.
In this article we will take a look at five different calendars available on Microsoft Windows from both commercial and free sources. We will compare their features and see how well each one performs in terms of functionality as well as ease-of-use so that you can make an informed decision about which one is best for your needs!
Calendar Software For PC
We all have so much to organize in both our work lives and our personal lives. And while paper calendars can be useful, it’s impractical to carry them everywhere we go. So in 2021, it’s essential that we all use at least one of the calendar apps.
But with so many on the market, how do you choose? To help you out, we’ve tested dozens of calendar apps on a range of devices and platforms. In this article, we’ve explained the 12 best calendar apps in 2021, that we truly think are truly best in class & functionality.
While they all take different approaches and offer different features, all the apps on this list are easy to use, stable, and robust. Plus, each of them offers a few standout features that distinguish them from the rest of the pack.
Table of Contents
- Best Calendar Apps of 2021 for Windows, Mac, iOS & Android
- Best Cross-Platform Calendar Apps
- 1. Google Calendar
- 2. Woven
- 3. TimeTree
- 4. My Study Life
- Best Calendar Apps for iOS & Mac
- 5. Apple Calendar
- 6. Fantastical 3
- 7. BusyCal
- Best Calendar Apps for Windows
- 8. Microsoft Outlook Calendar
- 9. OneCalendar
- Best Mobile-ONLY Calendar Apps
- 10. ACalendar
- 11. Calendars 5
- 12. Cozi
Best Calendar Apps of 2021 for Windows, Mac, iOS & Android
Check out our list of the best calendar apps below, and find out which ones are best suited to your personal needs.
Best Cross-Platform Calendar Apps
1. Google Calendar
The best calendar app for GSuite users & in-general use
Google Calendar is free, easy to use, and allows you to plan your life, seamlessly, across all your devices.
Most suitable for: Anyone using G Suite for Business, or using Google apps regularly.
Pricing: Free
Platforms: iOS, Mac OS, Android OS, web browser
Key features
- Easy to set up and use: Google Calendar is very simple to set up and use, and lets you access your calendars on all of your devices easily and quickly; especially if they’re already logged into Google.
- Browse Calendars of Interest: Google Calendar includes prepared lists of dates, such as sporting events and religious holidays, to drag and drop to your calendar at will.
- Add events from Gmail: With Google Calendar, whenever you receive event invitations via Gmail, they’re added to your calendar automatically. Here’s how they’ll look in your Google Calendar:
- Integration with other apps: Millions of apps or websites are already integrated with Google Calendar. So whether you’re using a To-Do list app or a flight reservations service, you’ll be able to add tasks, bookings, etc, without leaving the app or site. Also, with a single click, you can now add a Google Meet Video Conferencing link to your Google Calendar event. Doing so, keep your attendees well informed about the meeting link and description while you send out the invitation via Google Calendar.Google Meet Video Conferencing in Google Calendar
Works with Automate.io
Automate.io can help you connect your apps with Google Calendar in many useful ways. For example, you might want to create Google Calendar events from rows on Google Spreadsheet or update a card in Trello when a Google Calendar event is modified.
2. Woven
Best Calendar App for arranging meetings
Woven is a calendar app specifically designed to help business people arranging meetings and other events with others.
Most suitable for: Busy professionals
Pricing: Free
Platforms: iOS, Mac, Windows, Web
For the Woven app, the mobile view doesn’t show the calendar view with each day but does show key dates and recent updates from your plan.
Key features
- Smart Templates: Most professionals have meetings where the details repeat often; for instance, perhaps your marketing meetings always take place in the same building and room. Smart Templates let you create a template for these meeting types, to save you entering the same information each time.
- Scheduling Links: Scheduling Calendar feature allows people to agree on a meeting time without having to get involved in endless email discussions. Instead, you just share a special scheduling link. Guests click on the link and select the most convenient time from those you offer.
- Availability Sharing: The Availability Sharing feature allows other people to see if you are free or busy at a specific time, without letting them see all the contents of your calendar.
- Group Polls: Group Polls are one further way of agreeing on the time of a meeting collectively. Once you activate your poll, Woven collects the votes, and reports back the results, leaving you to make the final decision on when to schedule the meeting.
3. TimeTree
The best calendar app for your personal life
TimeTree brings together your work and social calendars to help friends and relatives share information and keep track of what everyone is doing.
Most suitable for: Couples, families or small groups
Pricing: Free
Platforms: iOS, Android OS, web browser
Key features
- Contextual calendars: Whenever you create a new calendar, you’re asked whether it’s for personal, family, friends, work, relationship, or group use. This categorization really helps to keep the different aspects of your life organized.
- Chat rooms: TimeTree encourages collaboration, so each event you create is given its own chat room, to allow comments, ideas, questions, and images to be exchanged.
- Map of the event in the view: TimeTree allows you to add locations to each event, and automatically pulls in a Maps view.
- Undecided dates: If you want to plan an event, but don’t want to commit to a date as yet, the ‘Keep’ tab lets you create and store an event to be worked out later on. You can store To-do lists and simple notes around these events.
4. My Study Life
The best calendar app for education
A calendar created specifically for anyone studying or working in education, My Study Life makes it easy to plan your educational activities around the academic year, including classes, exams, holidays, and term times.
Most suitable for: Students and teachers
Pricing: Free
Platforms: iPhone, Android OS, Windows 8, Chrome, web browser
Key features
- Add academic schedules: The minute you open up the app, you’re prompted to add the dates for your academic year, term times, and holidays. This is all incorporated into your calendar automatically, saving you a lot of time.
- Add classes: You don’t have to add every date of each class manually. Just tell My Study Life how your schedule works – for example, class times, start and end dates – and it will work out the rest. My Study Life makes adding classes much easier than with a normal calendar app.
- Add holidays: When you add holidays to your schedule, not only can you see which days you have off but you can also shift rotation schedules. Usefully, you won’t get reminded about your classes while you’re on holiday.
- Track your homework and revision: Often you’ll start a study task but not finish it the same day. So My Study Life lets you specify how much of a task has been completed. You can also set reminders for unfinished assignments.
Below is the clean mobile view of the My Study Life Calendar app:
Best Calendar Apps for iOS & Mac
5. Apple Calendar
A powerful and lightweight calendar app for iOS and Mac
Installed for free on Mac and iOS, Apple Calendar is a great option for keeping your calendars synced across all your Apple devices.
Most suitable for: Apple users.
Pricing: Free
Platforms: macOS, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch
Key features:
- Built into Apple: Apple Calendar is pre-installed on all Apple devices, so there’s nothing to download, and it’s easy to sync your calendars across all of them. Plus, you can view and update your calendars via the iCloud web app.
- Clean and simple design: The beauty of the Apple Calendar lies in its simplicity. As with almost all Apple software, the interface is super-elegant, the features work smoothly and the app is very intuitive to use.
- Colour coding: Apple Calendar allows you to create multiple calendars for different areas of your life, and color-code them accordingly. That way, you can glance across your work, family, and personal events without fuss.
- Travel Time: Travel Time calculates when you need to leave for an event based on the likely length of your journey, using Apple Maps, and what mode of transportation you’ll be using to get there. Apple Calendar syncs with Apple Maps, although not with Google Maps.
6. Fantastical 3
The best calendar app for Mac
Fantastical 3 has long been the best calendar app for Mac, and the latest version brings even more improvements.
Most suitable for: Mac power users.
Pricing: $4.99 a month
Platforms: macOS, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch
Key features
- Streamlined interface: While Apple Calendar is nice and simple, Fantastical (now on version 3) has an even better looking and more streamlined interface, particularly on desktop and iPad.
- Events and tasks templates: You may have a recurring event or task that doesn’t always happen at the same time; eg, you visit the dentist every six months, but not always on the same day. For this, Fantastical lets you create templates to save you adding all the information each time.
- Weather forecast: When you attach a location to an event, weather forecast information, up to 10 days ahead, is automatically pulled in, and updated on a minute-by-minute basis.
- Event time proposal management: Need to get people to agree on a time for an event, such as a meeting? Fantastical 3 lets you suggest multiple dates and time options in an invite email. Invitees don’t have to reply to the email (saving your inbox from getting cluttered), but just click on the options within it. If there are date and time that works for all of them, that’s set and added to your calendar automatically.
7. BusyCal
A very customizable Mac calendar app for business use
BusyCal is a Mac calendar app aimed at people who need to stay on top of a lot of events, meetings, and tasks. Its flexible and customizable features allow you to do so with a minimum of effort.
Most suitable for: Busy professionals
Pricing: $49.99
Platforms: macOS (iOS app sold separately)
Key features:
- Customizable views: BusyCal doesn’t just offer day, week, month, year, and list views; it lets you customize these views precisely. For instance, you can choose the number of weeks shown in the month view and the number of days shown in the week view.
- Customizable info panel: Redesigned for version 3, the info panel that appears in the sidebar helps you view and edit event details quickly and easily. And if you want it to show different information than the presets, the panel itself also customizable.
- Integrated To-Dos: To-Dos are integrated into your calendar, display on the date they are due, and carry forward until completed. Alternatively, you can add Timed To-Dos, which are set to occur at a specific time of day.
- Travel Time: Similar to the Apple Calendar, BusyCal has the Travel Time feature to let you block out time for travel to an event or location. You can add your own estimate for how long to block out, or ask Location Services and Apple Maps to calculate it automatically. With this, you can ensure to build enough space into your schedule to get places on time.
Best Calendar Apps for Windows
8. Microsoft Outlook Calendar
The best calendar app for Windows and Outlook users
Outlook Calendar ties in nicely with both Windows and Outlook, and helps these systems work together efficiently and seamlessly.
Most suitable for: Windows and Outlook users.
Pricing: Free
Platforms: Web browser, Windows, Windows Phone, Android, iOS
Key features
- Integration into Windows and Outlook: Outlook Calendar is integrated smoothly into Windows and Outlook. So if you use either, you’ll find Outlook Calendar very simple to use. For example, in your Outlook email inbox, you can launch Outlook Calendar from the icon in the bottom left-hand corner.
- View side-by-side calendars: Outlook lets you view multiple calendars side-by-side, as well as calendars shared with you by other Outlook users. You can also view calendars on top of one another in the overlay view. Outlook Calendar lets you create multiple calendars and control their look and feel.
- Share only part of a calendar: Outlook Calendar allows you to share your calendar via email without sharing everything. The other person can open it in Outlook, but you control how much information they can see.
- Manage another user’s calendar: With the Delegate Access feature, you can manage another person’s Outlook Calendar once they give you permission. A personal assistant, for example, would be able to create, move, or delete appointments on their employer’s calendar.
9. OneCalendar
Best calendar app for Windows users & managing multiple calendars
OneCalendar is a great way to manage multiple calendars from different providers, bringing them all together in one, beautifully designed place.
Most suitable for: Windows power users.
Pricing: From free
Platforms: Windows 10, Windows, Windows Mobile, Android
Key features
- View all your calendars at once: OneCalendar lets you pull in calendars from a range of platforms, including Google, Live, Outlook, iCloud, Exchange, Office365, Facebook, and more.
- Multiple views: OneCalendar offers a variety of ways to view your calendars, including day view, week view, month view, year view, and list view. We especially like how all the views display week numbers.
- Customize your calendars: OneCalendar lets you choose different colors for each calendar, and select different colors for specific appointments.
- Lock screen and glance screen: To save time, you can quickly view all your upcoming appointments on the lock screen. For Windows Mobile, they can also be shown on Glance.
Best Mobile-ONLY Calendar Apps
10. ACalendar
The best calendar app for android users to customize calendars
If you’re an Android user but don’t like the way Google Calendar displays your information, then ACalendar can let you customize how your calendar looks, in several different ways.
Most suitable for: Android users.
Pricing: Free
Platforms: Android OS
Key features
- Easy interface: ACalendar’s interface is brilliantly intuitive. Switching between day, week, month, and agenda view using swipe and tap feels so natural that there’s virtually no learning curve.
- Colors: Many calendar apps only offer a limited range of colors, but ACalendar provides a generous 48 colors for each case type.
- Synchronized photos: ACalendar allows you to synchronize photos from your contact lists and social networks, to add an extra visual reminder on your calendar for birthdays, anniversaries, and other special days.
Special mention to its Charity donation: When you upgrade to a paid-for version of ACalendar, the makers of ACalendar will donate 10% to environmental groups such as the World Land Trust and the Rainforest Trust.
11. Calendars 5
Calendar app for iOS users to view events at-a-glance
Calendars 5 is a powerful, feature-rich calendar app that’s comparable to Fantastical, for iPhone and iPad.
Most suitable for: iOS users.
Pricing: $2.99 for 3 month subscription; $8.99 one-time purchase
Platforms: iOS
Key features
- Natural language input: Natural language processing makes adding events easier. For instance, if you just type “Meet Tom at Starbucks on Sunday”, the event will be created automatically.
- Drag and drop to reschedule: Calendars 5 lets you reschedule events with drag and drop. You can do this online and offline.
- Set up to five reminders: You can set up to five reminders for an important event like a meeting, dinner, or a birthday, by alarm or email.
- Timeline view: The simplified Timeline view just shows you colored dots for events and colored checkboxes for reminders. This is great for getting a quick sense of your day at a glance.
12. Cozi
The most suitable calendar app for family activities
Cozi is specifically designed to help everyone in your family to keep track of each other and take part in activities together.
Most suitable for: Families
Pricing: From free
Platforms: iOS, Android OS
Key features
- Family schedules in one place: Your color-coded calendar makes it easy to see the whole family’s schedules at once, or to filter by an individual. Reminders go out to each member of the family so that everyone stays on track.
- Shopping lists: Create online shopping lists that every member of the family can access, and add to. You can cross items off the list, and add others, whenever you like. You can also email your shopping lists to other people outside of your family.
- Recipe Box: Save recipes from the ‘Cozi Picks’ tab, and transfer the ingredients into your shopping lists. You can also drag and drop recipes onto specific days in your calendar to help with your weekly meal planning.
- Family Journal: The Family Journal feature allows you to write quick notes and store photos, to help build up a store of memories that you can look back on in years to come. You can share your journal updates via email or as a private family website.
Google calendar for pc
If you have a Google account, you automatically get free access to Google Calendar. But going to the website to check your calendar can take time. If you spend your workday on a desktop or laptop computer, you probably can easily see the benefits of being able to launch an app and see your upcoming events. There are three main ways you can get Google Calendar on your desktop:
Downloading Shift
Creating a shortcut to Google Calendar
Using a separate desktop calendar client
Is there a desktop app for Google Calendar?
Like Gmail, Google Calendar was built to be a browser-based app, which means there’s not a desktop client available. The good news is that you can get to your Google Calendar from any device. If you’re on your smartphone, there’s an app for both Android and iOS, or you can simply type Calendar.Google.com into your phone’s browser.
On your computer, there are a couple of ways to get to Google Calendar. As with your phone, you can type Calendar.Google.com into your browser and it will pop right up. If you’re in your Gmail account, you can click on the dots next to your profile picture in the upper-right corner. There, you’ll see Google Calendar as one of the apps you can access.
If you spend much of your day in Gmail, Google Docs, and other G Suite apps, you might find it beneficial to add Google Calendar to the apps on the right toolbar of your Google screen. First, click on the arrow in the bottom-right corner of any G Suite app to show your side panel. When you click on the calendar icon, you’ll be able to see the day’s schedule without leaving the Google app you’re already in.
There are some alternate ways to get Google Calendar on your desktop, though. You’ll just need to use a third-party app to do it.
Related Post: How to Get a Gmail App for Desktop (Mac or PC)
gmail ui
What is the best desktop email client for Google Calendar?
Shift provides an easy way to access Google Calendar alongside your other favorite apps. Everything you need to work throughout the day will be in one place, with icons lined up side by side.
To get Google Calendar on your desktop, first download Shift. Once you’ve opened the app:
Find the Plus sign in the left toolbar and click on it.
You’ll be given some options. Choose Add Account.
Input your Gmail address and Add.
Click Done.
Best of all, if you have calendars associated with multiple Google accounts, you can add them separately to check them. The same goes for your other Google accounts, including Gmail and Google Docs. Instead of having to log out and back in again throughout the day, you’ll have one-click access to the apps you use every day.
Once you’ve added your Google Calendar accounts, each one will be represented by the profile picture that you use for that account. You’ll be able to do everything the way you would if you pulled up your Google Calendar in your web browser.
As you add multiple Google accounts, one of the best things you can do is to make sure you have a distinctive profile picture for each account. This will make it easier, at a glance, to find the Google Calendar, Docs, or Gmail account you want. You’ll also get a different color for each account and, with regular use, you’ll start to associate that color with the calendar you’re using for that purpose.
Related Post: 4 Quick Tips for Mastering Google Calendar
Shift
How to get Google Calendar on your Mac
The easiest way to get Google Calendar on your Mac is to download Shift for Mac. You can set it up so that you can easily access your various Google apps, including multiple login instances, directly on your Mac desktop.
But if you’re a Mac user, you also have a desktop email client built into your operating system. You can sync Google Calendar with your Apple Calendar account and check your calendar directly from your desktop.
It takes several steps to sync your Google Calendar and Apple Calendar:
Go to System Preferences and click on Internet accounts.
Look at the accounts listed on the left to see if your calendar is already there. If not, click Google and sign into the Google account associated with the calendar you want to sync.
Check Calendar in the list of accounts you want to enable.
When you go to your Apple Calendar, your Google Calendar should be listed on the left, with all your events displayed. If you ever want to toggle that calendar off, you can uncheck it.
How to get Google Calendar on your PC
The best way to get Google Calendar on your PC is to download Shift for PC. You can set it up so that you can easily access your various Microsoft apps, including multiple login instances, directly on your PC desktop.
For PC users that don’t have Shift, the desktop client they need is already available: Outlook. You can sync your Google Calendar with your Outlook calendar and find all your appointments in the same place. First, you’ll need to subscribe to your Google Calendar in Outlook:
Log into your Google Calendar.
Look for My calendars in the left-hand column. Hover over the calendar you want to sync with Outlook and click on the three dots next to that calendar. Choose Settings.
Scroll down to Integrate calendar and right-click on Secret address in iCal format, then click Copy.
Open your Outlook desktop app and choose File, Account settings, and Account settings.
Click on the Internet calendars tab and choose New.
In the box that pops up, paste the address you copied from your Google Calendar and click Add.
You’ll then need to give the folder a name. This is where your Google Calendar will appear in Outlook.
Once connected, when you open your Outlook Calendar, it will automatically pull in your Google Calendar.
To have your Google Calendar appear side by side with your Outlook events, you’ll need to import your Google Calendar.
Go back to your Google Calendar and click on My Calendars on the left.
Click on the down arrow next to the calendar you want to import into Outlook and Calendar settings.
Under Private address, click on ICAL.
Under Calendar address, you’ll see the address for this particular Google Calendar.
In the box that pops up, choose Open to import the calendar into Outlook.
You’ll then see your calendar next to your Outlook Calendar when you open it. By subscribing, you’ll ensure you have the latest version. Otherwise, you’d have to import it every time to get the latest version.
How to create a desktop shortcut for Google Calendar
Sometimes what you really want is a way to get to your Google Calendar from your desktop. You don’t need an app to do that. You can create a shortcut that takes you directly to your Google Calendar account in your favorite web browser.
To create a shortcut to your Google Calendar in Chrome:
Go to your Google Calendar in Chrome and click the three vertical dots in the upper-right corner of your screen.
Choose More tools, Create shortcut.
Give your shortcut a name before clicking Create.
If Safari is your browser of choice, here are the steps to create a desktop shortcut:
Go to your Google Calendar in Safari.
Shrink the browser window so you can see your desktop.
Select the URL for your Google Calendar in the address bar.
Click and drag it to your desktop.
Once you’ve created this desktop shortcut, when you want to go to your Google Calendar, you simply click on it. It will open the calendar in your browser, but it’s a quick way to put it where you can find it.
Is there a Google Calendar app for Windows?
Shift is a great desktop app for Windows 10. If you have multiple Google accounts, it’s the best way to click between those accounts without having to go through the nuisance of logging in. Simply download Shift for Windows 10 and add your Google accounts.
As with Mac’s built-in calendar, you can also integrate your Google Calendar with the calendar that comes with Windows 10. Here are the steps to link up the two calendars:
Click on the Windows icon in the lower left-hand corner of the desktop.
Search for the Calendar App. Click to open it.
Click on the wheel icon to get to settings.
Choose Account and Add account.
You’ll then be prompted to enter the password associated with the Google account you want to connect.
Once you’ve accepted the terms, you’ll be able to check your Google Calendar from the built-in Windows calendar.
How to Manage Multiple Google Calendar Accounts on Desktop
What happens if you have more than one Google Calendar? If you have a Google account for work, as well as Gmail for your personal emails, for instance, it can be easy to see why you’d want to toggle between each of them on the same computer. But you may also have separate Google Calendars for the work you do with various clients or colleagues or projects.
Shift is the best way to manage multiple Google accounts. Whether it’s your Gmail, Google Docs, Google Calendar, or another app, moving between accounts takes time and multiple steps. You’ll have to log in and out each time. With Shift, you can click on the icon of the app you need with the account you need. For calendars, that means you’ll be able to keep an eye on things in one place.
Related Post: How to Manage Multiple Google Calendars
multiple google calendars
What is a desktop calendar app?
At one time, when you needed software, it was installed directly on a computer. In those earlier days, each computer had a calendar that you used when you were logged in. If it was your work computer, you could only see the calendar when you arrived at work and logged in for the day.
But the internet brought a new option: cloud software. Thanks to the internet, you can now see your emails, calendar, and other information from anywhere. This includes your mobile devices. The information is always updated in real time, so you’re getting the latest data no matter where you’re viewing it from.
But there’s a problem with that. The best thing about the old ways of doing things was that you could always get to your calendar from your desktop. Just a couple of clicks and you were there. A desktop app can give you the best of both worlds. You can not only stay on top of your calendar wherever you are, but you can also easily pull up your calendar throughout the day. You can even keep an icon on your taskbar, where you can see it at all times.
Why use a desktop calendar app?
There’s another way a desktop calendar app can help. You can boost your productivity and keep your desktop more organized when you aren’t relying on your browser. Instead of having multiple browser tabs open all the time, you can keep your calendar in a separate app that you pull up from your taskbar or keep running in the background.
In addition to streamlining things, a desktop app also creates a mental separation. Your messages are in a dedicated space away from your other online activities. That means that when it’s time to check your calendar, it’s its own activity.
But perhaps the biggest reason to use a desktop app for your calendar is that Google doesn’t make it easy to toggle between accounts. If you have only one calendar you use, that’s probably fine. But if you’re trying to keep one or more personal or work calendars, logging out and back in again will quickly grow tedious. For your Google Calendars, as well as your other accounts within Google Suite, you can get everything you need with Shift.
Get started with Shift – the Google Calendar App for Desktop
There are many ways to get Google Calendar on your desktop. But you can keep things simple by downloading Shift and adding all your Google accounts one at a time. Google isn’t the only app you can add so that you can enjoy convenient access on your desktop. We have a full list of app integrations that will help you ensure that you line up all the applications you need to remain productive.
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