Today’s working professionals, like you, must stay on top of your to-do lists and show up at all your appointments for both your work and personal lives. The best online calendar apps can help you manage your time and stay productive.
This blog post discusses the best calendar apps you can use and how to choose one that suits your needs and business.
What is a calendar app?
A calendar app is software that can help you organize and manage your schedules, tasks, and appointments.
It can send you reminders about your upcoming appointments and tasks. Do you need to collaborate with your team or other people? You can share your availability through your calendar app, too.
6 best calendar apps to organize your life and stay productive [free and paid]
Now that you know what a calendar app is, let’s go through the best online calendar apps you can use today. The table below summarizes the tools’ price and the best uses for them:
Best online calendars
Price
Best for
Google Calendar
Free with every Google account
Teams looking for a free calendar
Microsoft Outlook Calendar
Free
Organizations using Microsoft 365
Calendar
Starts $20 per month (free limited plan and 14-day free trial available)
Individuals looking for a calendar with a built-in appointment scheduler
Apple Calendar
Free
Apple device users
Fantastical
Starts at $4.75 per month (14-day free trial available)
Users who want a virtual assistant-like feature that will create their events
Any.do
Starts at $3 per month (Free version available)
Users who need to turn WhatsApp messages into reminders and tasks
Let’s dive into each one:
1. Google Calendar
Price: Free with every Google account (a paid Google Workspace account starts at $6)
Availability: Web-based, iOS, and Android
Looking for the best free calendar apps that you can use? Google Calendar is a tool that comes free with every Google account.
This intuitive calendar app lets you create and manage events. You can also send meeting invites through Google Calendar for in-person meetings or conference calls. As a result, you won’t miss important personal and professional appointments.
Google Calendar also lets you add a task with a due date. Add subtasks within a task so you can keep track of individual deadlines. You can also create recurring tasks and get alerts when you need to do them.
You can also view your personal and professional appointments, holidays in your country, and birthday reminders in one calendar using this calendar app. Pick a color for each sub-calendar (personal, professional, task, or birthday reminders) to quickly identify each appointment.
If your account is part of the paid Google Workspace, you can also set your focus time and work location for the day to let your colleagues know the best time to arrange a meeting with you.
2. Microsoft Outlook Calendar
Price: Free (a Microsoft 365 paid account with Outlook Calendar starts at $69.99 per year)
Availability: Web-based, Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android
Do you want your email, calendar, phone book, tasks, and notes integrated into a single app? Consider Microsoft Outlook.
You can create appointments and provide links to meetings through this app. Manage multiple calendars and set reminders on Microsoft Outlook.
Schedule recurring tasks and appointments through this digital calendar and email app. You can even add categories with color codes to organize your meetings.
If you need to see what your schedule will look like for the work week, change the calendar view to Work Week. You can also use daily, weekly, and monthly views.
3. Calendar
Price: Starts at$20 per month (Free limited plan and 14-day free trial available)
Availability: iOS, Android, and web-based
One of the best digital calendar apps you can use is Calendar. This tool makes collaboration with others easier, thanks to its appointment scheduler and meeting poll features.
Create a public profile after signing up and set up your available times. You can then share your profile URL so that other people can schedule an appointment with you.
This calendar app costs $20 per month, but a free limited plan is available. Want to try the premium features before you sign up? A 14-day free trial is available.
4. Apple Calendar
Price: Free
Availability: Apple devices
Apple Calendar is the default calendar on Mac computers, iPhones, and iPads. It’s an intuitive calendar app that syncs with Google Calendar, Yahoo, and other calendar platforms.
I use this calendar app on my mobile phone and tablet. My work and personal calendars are integrated into this app, so all important appointments and reminders are in one place.
Do you need to save an appointment schedule while in the middle of a task? Apple Calendar works with Siri, so you can use the virtual assistant to book it for you.
5. Fantastical
Price: Starts at $4.75 per month (14-day free trial available)
Availability: Apple devices
Fantastical is another calendar app for Apple devices. It has a user-friendly interface that enables you to switch views—you can set it to a full-screen view.
You can link it with other calendar apps and providers to have a single view of all your events and tasks.
You can create an event and type in the details. Or you can tell the app what your event is about. Fantastical uses natural language to understand what you’re saying and create your event.
6. Any.do
Price: Starts at $3 per month (Free version available)
Availability: iOS and Android devices, Mac computers, desktops, Apple Watch, and Web-based
Any.do is a calendar app that lets you create to-do lists and events and get notified of important appointments and deadlines.
It also features collaboration tools so that you can tag people into tasks and other items in your online calendar. Creating recurring tasks is also a breeze with Any.do.
The paid version lets you choose your calendar theme. In addition, it has WhatsApp reminders, allowing you to turn messages from the platform into tasks and reminders using natural language. It can also integrate with over 5000 apps!
The benefits of using online calendar apps
Digital calendars are helpful tools for staying organized and productive. These apps also help you:
Remember important events: Committing to memory all the birthdays, anniversaries, appointments, and deadlines is easier when you use online calendars. They work like an extension of your memory for events you can’t risk forgetting. You can set alerts and reminders for these events so you can send well-wishes and greetings, or meet work deadlines.
Improve your time management: Online calendars enable you to schedule action items and set appointments with others, helping you to manage your time effectively.
Block times in your day: Set aside productive time for yourself with your online calendar. Doing so lets other people who can view your calendar schedule appointments outside these hours.
Access your calendar using different devices: Whether on your mobile device, tablet, or laptop, you can access your online calendar, so you don’t miss an important event!
What to look for in a calendar app
While most calendar apps have similar capabilities, your digital calendar app of choice must have these features:
Intuitive interface: Calendar apps must be as easy to use as a physical calendar. Look for a calendar app that makes managing your schedule easy!
Compatible with multiple devices: Is the calendar app available on devices you own? The best digital calendars let you check your schedule on any device you currently have access to.
Notification features: Digital calendars help you stay on top of your important appointments. The best online calendar apps enable you to set notifications and reminders. Do you have recurring appointments? These tools must let you set notifications for routine tasks and appointments.
Collaboration features: If you need to set a meeting, the best online calendars must let you schedule and send the details through any device you have the calendar installed. Other calendar apps even have scheduling capabilities, enabling you to find the common schedule that works for you and the person you’re meeting.
Privacy features: The best digital calendar apps keep your information private and have security features that safeguard your account.
Make your digital calendar more powerful with Nutshell
The best online calendars enable you to make the most of every hour of your day. By integrating your online calendar with Nutshell, a user-friendly customer relationship management (CRM) platform, you’re adding more useful features to your calendar, including a meeting scheduler.
Nutshell’s Scheduler is a calendar management app that works with our CRM platform to make meeting planning, connecting your appointments, and syncing meeting information a breeze. As a result, you streamline your scheduling process with your customers and prospects.
