If an app was built on top of other calendar platforms, I required it to add a lot of extra features to make the cut. The best online calendar lets you see your schedule no matter where you are or what device you have on hand-or at least on all the devices you own.įor the most part, I focused on calendar platforms-I didn't consider mobile- or desktop-only apps designed just to sync with other services. I gave preference to apps that are accessible on more than one platform. That way, you can keep your schedules in sync when you need to.Īvailable for multiple devices. The best shared calendar apps include invitations to events and even the ability to share entire calendars. You almost certainly need to schedule events with other people-whether they're for work or your personal life. For those apps that aren't heavy on features, I looked for customization options that make the app adjust to your style-a calendar app should give you options, not lock you into a certain way of planning your day. But if you're a serious scheduler, power features, such as customizable views and integrations, will help you get the most out of your calendar app. If you just need a way to keep track of your days, a desk calendar will do fine. How do they handle time zones? Or overlapping events? Can you use it for both your personal life and your professional life? I wanted to find calendars that feel like they were made by people who love calendars. Does the calendar software do what it says it's going to do? And does it do it well? While calendars are simple in principle, in practice, there are plenty of challenges to overcome. You should be able to add events quickly and accurately, see what's coming up, and arrange your schedule without having to hit up the help docs.ĭesigned with intention.

Calendar apps are easy to use when they require minimal clicking and menu exploration. In my opinion, the best calendar apps are:Įasy to use. My top choice, Fantastical (it's on this list) is one of a handful of apps I use every single day. I also use my calendar in my personal life to make sure nothing-like a trip to the dentist or friend's birthday-slips through the cracks.

I've been a tech writer for more than a decade and rely on my calendar to keep all the small moving pieces of a freelance career in check. Calendars that work well fit seamlessly into your life and give you the features that enable you to keep on top of how you spend your time.

Even the most barebones and buggy calendar app manages to pull that off the best calendars, however, aren't just functional. For more details on our process, read the full rundown of how we select apps to feature on the Zapier blog.Ĭalendars, of course, show you your schedule. We're never paid for placement in our articles from any app or for links to any site-we value the trust readers put in us to offer authentic evaluations of the categories and apps we review. We spend dozens of hours researching and testing apps, using each app as it's intended to be used and evaluating it against the criteria we set for the category. All of our best apps roundups are written by humans who've spent much of their careers using, testing, and writing about software.

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