
With an increase in the number of active iOS and Mac users, people realize that Apple’s products are quite business-friendly with an excellent and smooth UI.
As Apple continues to improve customer experience and customer satisfaction, Mac and iOS users find it difficult to switch back to Android – and many do not.
Clearly, Macs and iOS are here to bring productivity and efficiency.
That said, calendar apps associated with these operating systems certainly enhance your personal and professional life in ways that Apple’s products single-handedly might not.
- You get timely reminders about your tasks and meetings.
- These apps provide you with a bird view of your entire day.
- It saves you a lot of the time and effort that is required to make last-minute decisions.
- Using these apps, you can schedule breaks and shoot a midday slump right out the window.
Besides these advantages, there is a lot more to know about these Mac and iOS calendar apps.
Below are the top-ranked calendar apps for Mac and iOS which meet a variety of needs.
Contents
1. Apple’s Calendar App
Installed by default on Mac, iPhone, and iPad, this calendar app is a good place, to begin with scheduling your tasks and events.
It allows you to add a task with a simple click, move your scheduled tasks/events with a simple drag, and categorize them in different colors.
Alongside a smooth user interface that allows you to be efficient with your scheduling, Calendar enables you to use NLP (Natural Language Processing) and Apple’s voice assistant (Siri) to dictate your appointments.
And it automatically schedules said appointments at the mentioned time.
You can create several local calendars within Apple’s Calendar app.
You can also divide these calendars based on your email IDs, sync it all using the cloud, and add calendar apps such as Google, Yahoo, and Exchange.
Pros
- It allows you to view on the following basis: daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly.
- Functional, clean, and simple-to-use user interface.
- It is free of cost for Apple users.
Cons
- Apple Calendar app does not include task management options.
- There have not been any new updates for some time now.
- If you use the Reminders app on your Apple product, it can get confusing to align recurring tasks between these two apps.
Price
It is included with iOS and macOS products.
2. Fantastical
Fantastical is a calendar app designed to organize and plan schedules for you as well as your team. It is suitable for the use of freelancers, small-sized businesses to mid-sized businesses.
Available on Mac, iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch, Fantastical allows you to keep a check and manage your upcoming events and meetings. It also offers access to features such as task lists, availability insights, time zone support, and weather updates.
As you have the option to mark your availability, Fantastical is a good fit for you to use in a work environment.
This allows your colleagues or teammates to check your availability before scheduling or inviting you for a meeting. All in all, it makes collaboration over tasks and projects more convenient than ever.
Pros
- It allows you to leverage automated scheduling.
- Supports voice assistance to add events to the calendar.
- It helps with categorizing tasks using different colors.
Cons
- A one-time payment option is not available.
- Users have faced problems with notifications not fading away on Macs.
- No quick way to view it in a different time zone.
Price
- A 14-day free trial is available.
- This plan is available at $3.33 for individuals.
- This plan is available at $5.42 for a team of up to 5 members.
3. Calendar 366 II
Depending on your workflow, Calendar 366 II is known to replace Apple Calendar entirely. With its convenient user interface, it is a breeze to manage your time, date, and events associated with them.
It is straightforward to input data with its natural text input. You can integrate your app’s data across devices and manage your life’s happenings without being dependent on a certain device.
Unlike its competitors, Calendar 366 II allows you to search your data extensively using its Spotlight search feature.
Calendar 366 II’s default setting shows your schedule on a monthly view, but you can change it to year, week, current day, and even on an agenda basis.
Besides the view, Calendar 366 II’s elements such as color schemes, fonts, and layout are also customizable.
Pros
- It allows you to add a task or event by using a global keyboard shortcut or by clicking the menu bar icon.
- It allows you to use natural language processing.
- Supports multiple languages.
Cons
- Its iCloud integration is not up to the mark.
- Indicators on this app are small dots, which are not noticeable.
- Does not come with a free trial on macs.
Price
- It is available for $14.99.
4. BusyCal
BusyCal is one of the most powerful and flexible calendar apps for macOS and iOS. This is a popular choice of calendar app among freelancers, small-sized businesses to mid-sized businesses.
BusyCal offers a lot of user-friendly features while staying familiar with Apple’s calendar app. These features include viewing your calendar in day, week, month, year, and list views; you can customize these to precisely meet your needs.
It also features an info panel that allows you to view and edit details of an event or meeting with speed and precision, with options to select dates, add locations, attendees, URLs, and notes.
Another one of its features is its integrated to-do list section, which is in sync with Apple’s Reminder App with iCloud.
Pros
- It features an option to factor in Travel Time for an event or meeting.
- Displays a live 10-day weather forecast and moon phases.
- Customizable font options.
Cons
- It does not allow integration with Microsoft Teams.
- Doesn’t support the sync of event colors from a Google calendar.
- It is a bit more expensive than its competitors.
Price
- Plan BusyCal is available at $49.99.
- Plan BusyContacts is available at $49.99.
- Plan BusyCal + BusyContacts is available at $79.98.
5. Calendar 5
Calendar 5 is an ideal calendar app for all iOS users who prefer an event-focused interface. You can have a look at these overviews of your schedules on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis.
It gives you an overall view of your forthcoming tasks and events in a jiffy. Calendar 5 is working towards becoming your go-to To-Do app as well, where your calendar views will show both tasks and events.
Not only does it allow you to quickly create an event, but it also encourages you to customize events, invite people to your event, create custom alerts, edit and delete tasks and events offline. As you switch it online, it is already synced.
Pros
- Easy to copy and move your appointments.
- Integrates perfectly with the Apple Calendar app.
- Its week-view is extraordinarily convenient.
Cons
- It is not as dedicated a task management app as its competitors.
- It is refreshing, and the loading time is quite slow.
- You cannot use the export and share features regarding tasks.
- The Mac version is not available.
Price
- It is available at $35.
6. Any.do
Any.do is a perfect combination of a calendar and a to-do list app. It is a web-based platform that also has applications for iPhone, iPad, and macOS.
Besides personal use, it is best for freelancers, small-sized businesses to mid-sized businesses to schedule their tasks and activities.
This platform can be used to manage your individual tasks as well as your team projects. It allows you to create a task and assign it to a particular member of the team; using the calendar tool, you can keep track of these tasks.
It has the option of scheduling both one-off and recurring tasks. You can also set task reminders, which are associated either by date, time, or location.
It also offers integration with third-party calendar tools such as Google Calendar and Microsoft Outlook.
Pros
- Teams can collaborate with each other by adding notes and commenting directly.
- It offers a seamless transition between desktop and mobile apps.
Cons
- Any.do does not provide an option to add a subtask to its associated main task.
- Its Microsoft integration has a slow loading time.
Price
- A free package is available.
- This plan is available at $2.99; billed annually.
- This plan is available at $4.49; billed every 6 months.
- This plan is available at $5.99; billed monthly.
7. Mini Calendar
Mini Calendar is one of the best and most lightweight third-party calendar apps.
It is easy on your pockets and gives you several meaningful features; Some of these features are aesthetic integration of sunrise and sundown times and customizable global shortcuts.
One of the aspects in which Mini Calendar shines is its multiple and convenient ways to open it.
You can access it by clicking on the menu bar icon, or the Dock icon, a configurable keyboard shortcut, and as a notification widget. It is a near-perfect solution for people who want a calendar in the Mac menu bar.
Its elegant design is enhanced with its capabilities concerning multiple integrations across apps.
Pros
- On the Dock icon, you can check the current date and month at all times.
- You can customize its colors on your Mac.
Cons
- It does not include regional holidays.
- Mini Calendar widget size is not resizable.
Price
- It is available for free of cost.
8. WeekCal
WeekCal is a calendar app developed for iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch. It has a wide variety of users ranging from freelancers, small-sized businesses, mid-sized businesses to large enterprises.
It gives you an overview of your appointments in daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly formats, which can be customized as per your preferences.
While scheduling your tasks or appointments, you have the option to categorize them using colors and emojis. This gives a good visual overview of your various tasks and appointments.
It allows you to import and integrate other calendars in ICS file format. It also offers other paid services like synchronization with AOL, Exchange, and Google.
You can also share calendars with WeekCal and set third-party access to read-only or full-access permissions.
Pros
- It provides different types of templates for scheduling an event or meeting.
- It provides you with about 40 different types of automated actions.
Cons
- Its free version restricts you from a lot of features.
- When creating templates, multiple repeating events can’t be duplicated from within the same file.
Price
- Free application
- Offers in-app purchases
9. Microsoft Outlook
While it is a renowned work-focused calendar, you can also use it for your personal schedules. Known for its features such as collaboration, forecasts, and support, Outlook has been an excellent addition to Mac and iOS devices.
Mac has different apps which focus on one task (Mail, Contacts, Tasks, Notes, etc.). Outlook, on the other hand, is a powerhouse of all these apps combined in one.
You can view your events and tasks in four views: daily, work-weekly, weekly, and monthly. It also helps your team to know your schedule and invite you to a meeting accordingly. Given its endless features, Microsoft Outlook is an app you must try.
Pros
- It integrates with emails, contacts, and web conferencing app: Zoom.
- You can leverage its customizable meeting templates.
- It exclusively offers a workweek view.
Cons
- It is a bit more complicated regarding adding tasks.
- There is no smart input.
In Conclusion
With the right calendar app, you can make the most out of your day without exhausting yourself or wasting your time on avoidable tasks.
I do not believe that scheduling your day should be a complicated task. With these calendar apps, you can combine digitization and automation with the simplicity of once-used paper calendars.
While there are many calendar apps available, these 9 calendar apps for Mac and iOS users are the ones with the best reviews, ratings, and features.