Time is the most valuable, non-renewable resource any corporation, small business, solo entrepreneur, student, and anyone in between has. No matter where you are in life or what level of success you've achieved (whatever success looks like to you), the secret ingredient to move you closer to your goals is time management. And now that our world is moving more online every day, a physical planner isn't just going to cut it anymore. You need an online calendar management tool that is robust (yet simple), so you never miss important dates.
We plumbed the depths of the internet and gathered up the best free and best premium calendar software, to help you select one that's as ambitious as you and your goals. But first, let's go over the types of calendar software and how to choose a calendar app that's best for you.
What are the types of online calendars?
There are many types of calendar software on the market today. To save you the headache from comparing all of your options, we've rounded up seven of the best calendar and scheduling software, including free and paid apps.
The free versions are going to be best for people and teams who don't need a lot of app integrations or project management tools. These free apps are still sophisticated programs that are compatible with many devices, easy to use, and have shared calendar capabilities. But they, of course, won't be as limitless as the paid calendar management tools.
With the premium calendars, you can expect much more options for integrations (such as with Zoom and Google Calendar), more complex project management features, extensive customization, CRM capabilities, iCloud storage, and even secure messaging.
How to choose the right online calendar software for you
While we can't tell you exactly which calendar software is best for your specific needs, there are a few elements you should look out for that can help you narrow your choices and eventually select one.
All calendars come with schedule management, but the leading calendar management tools don’t just show you important dates that you've penciled in — they also act like a personal assistant. A calendar tool might tell you if you're overbooking yourself, reveal how you're using your time, and most important of all: it will help you feel in control of your schedule, no matter how busy you are.
To pick out these calendar management tools, these were the features we looked for. You can take and leave what you want from this list when selecting the calendar software that's best for you, but these are factors we thought were the most important for schedule management:
1. Modern design
This doesn't just mean the interface is easy to look at (it’s crucial to have a minimalistic design so you're not left feeling overwhelmed). We also asked: Is this calendar app designed for today's digitally-based world?
2. Integrations
Compatibility with other apps is almost a must-have nowadays, so it was important to include calendars that have many integration opportunities for the most streamlined experience.
3. Intuitive design
When you're using a calendar, it probably means you're looking for a way to easily see and organize all your tasks. These calendar apps shouldn't require you to click around much just to manage and schedule meetings and events.
4. Sharing capabilities
Whether for team members or family members, the ability to share calendars was a must-have.
5. Cross-platform versions
Most people are using all sorts of platforms from Android/iPhone to desktop and more. That's why each calendar software needed to be available for several platforms.
We also awarded bonus points for customization. When using a calendar, it's important that you enjoy using it! Plus, if you're a part of or manage a business, it's important to remain cohesive with your branding.
Onto our picks!
The 4 best free calendar software options
1. Clockwise
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Ever wish your schedule could magically plan itself? With Clockwise, it can. Clockwise is an AI-powered calendar platform that lets you automate your scheduling — all while optimizing your workday for better focus and productivity.
Clockwise is also jam-packed with team features, making it easier to coordinate meetings and collaborate with one other. Once everyone in your team inputs their unique preferences (like Focus Time goals, meeting hours, and lunch hold), Clockwise gets to work — automatically finding the best meeting times for everyone involved. It’s one of the best online scheduling tools you can use for free.
Key features
- Focus Time: Studies show that interruptions and context switching can eat up to 40% of productive time. That’s why Clockwise creates Focus Time in your schedule by rearranging your existing meetings to open up long blocks of free time, perfect for focused work.
- Clockwise Scheduling Links: Remove the back-and-forth of scheduling, and share your availability instantly with a customized booking page. Unlike other scheduling links, Clockwise uses AI to suggest the best time — not just the next open time.
- AI Scheduler: Send your scheduling requests via chat, and watch as Clockwise AI Scheduler uses natural language processing to coordinate those changes for you.
Pricing
Get started with Clockwise for free and enjoy features like smart scheduling, protected personal time, and unlimited Clockwise Scheduling Links.
For more AI-powered features, upgrade to a paid plan, starting at $6.75 per user per month.
2. Google Calendar
It may seem obvious to put Google Calendar on this list since it is by far the most popular calendar scheduling tool. But it turns out that most people aren’t actually taking full advantage of all the features of this humble-yet-mighty calendar app!
Key features
- Calendar sharing: If you’re looking for a shareable online calendar, Google Calendar is a great choice. This platform lets you share individual calendars with specific people, with the public, or with everyone in your organization.
- Appointment scheduling: Like Clockwise, Google Calendar also provides an easy way to book appointments and meetings via customizable booking page. Just input your availability and other preferences, then share your link with anyone who wants to schedule.
- Integrations: As a Google app, you can count on Calendar integrating with tools like Google Meet, Gmail, and Chat. However, Calendar’s integrations extend far beyond Google Workspace. From Slack to your project management platform, Google Calendar pairs up nicely with the rest of your workflow.
Pricing
Google Calendar is free with a personal Google account. For access to premium features, upgrade to a Google Workspace Business or Enterprise plan, starting at $6 per user per month.
3. 24Me
As our lives become more dependent on online innovations (think: remote jobs, communication with friends and family, news alerts, etc.), it's more important than ever to consolidate all reminders coming from all different places into as few platforms as possible. That's why we believe 24me earns the title of Gen-Z’s best calendar app. It has all the calendar management tools you could ever need, organized in one place.
24me says they're a "Smart Personal Assistant" that's easy-to-use and helps boost productivity for people all over the world. So what exactly makes this calendar software so powerful? Here are some of the features you can get for free.
Key features
- Integrations: 24me syncs with all the most popular calendar tools online, such as Google Calendar, Apple iCal, Microsoft Outlook, and more. 24me also integrates with social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
- Notifications: 24me will send you smart alerts (traffic updates), so you can always (or, at least make a genuine effort to) get to your meetings on time. You can also opt to receive weather alerts, upcoming birthday notifications, and 'heads ups' for any to-dos planned for the next day.
- Collaboration: Another useful tool is the ability to share calendars with team members and share grocery lists with family members separately but simultaneously (and with real-time updates).
Pricing
Get started with 24Me for free, or upgrade to a premium plan for $47.99 per year.
4. Zoho Calendar
Designed with professionals and small businesses with hectic schedules, Zoho Calendar makes scheduling events, appointments, and meetings simple and quick. (The last thing any professional needs is a calendar app that takes ages to get accustomed to.)
Similar to 24me, Zoho Calendar acts as a personal assistant, but strictly for business-related tasks. For example, Zoho Calendar can handle sales follow-ups and appointment confirmations with its CRM features. It also has a user-friendly, minimalistic interface like Google Calendar, so you can think of Zoho Calendar as the best of both worlds.
Key features
- Smart Add: One way Zoho Calendar makes it easy to schedule meetings and stay on top of project management is with their Smart Add functionality. This feature automatically fills in new tasks with necessary information based on the phrase you typed in. The calendar software will also send you and other collaborators email reminders in their respective time zones, so you don’t have to worry about figuring out all the conversions yourself.
- Calendar sharing: You can also share calendars with team members, making it clear for everyone to see scheduled meetings.
- Branding: And unlike most free calendar management tools, Zoho Calendar allows you to customize your calendar to match your business's branding, so you always remain cohesive and consistent in front of your clients.
- Integrations: Where Zoho Calendar starts to really differentiate itself from other free calendar tools online is with its hundreds of integration options. If you decide to use their sales & marketing, email and collaboration, customer service, finance, and all other features, Zoho Calendar becomes more like a calendar tool and CRM all in one.
Pricing
Zoho Calendar is free to use!
The 3 best paid calendar software options
5. Microsoft Outlook
Microsoft Outlook Calendar is another A-list calendar management tool (along with Google Calendar) since many people know about it and use it! Despite its widespread popularity, we had to include it on this list of best calendar apps for its boundless functionality.
Key features
- Microsoft ecosystem: Anyone who has a Microsoft Outlook email can access the calendar scheduling tool, which also syncs up with your contacts, emails, and other Outlook features for free — similar to Gmail accounts and Google Calendar. Team members can also 'subscribe' to each other's calendars to receive real-time updates, which means less tedious back-and-forth emails or confusion.
- Email: Not content with being just another online calendar, Microsoft Outlook is an all-in-one email and calendar platform. Outlook also includes built-in editing tools to help you write better emails.
- Syncing: Outlook connects with your other email accounts, including Gmail, Yahoo!, iCloud, and more.
If you're wondering if a Microsoft Office subscription is worth it, we suggest it is if you have a small business or corporation that deals with complex files that need to be created, edited, and collaborated with (and securely protected) among team members and/or departments.
Pricing
Outlook is free to use. Paid plans start at $6 per user per month and give you access to an ad-free experience, more storage, advanced security, and more.
6. Fantastical
Fantastical lives up to its name because it has a fantastic interface, especially after their most recent and biggest update to-date, where they optimized the platform for iOS devices. This calendar app is not only easy to use and easy to set up, but it's also quite detailed. Fantastical lets you add unlimited details to your events, such as locations, notes, links (it will automatically detect and add links for video conferences, like Zoom, to your calendar), and the weather forecast.
You may be thinking, “some of this sounds like 24me” — so what can Fantastical do that others can't? Mainily how integrated it is with the "Apple ecosystem." If you're an Apple user and have a Mac, iPhone, iPad, and/or Apple Watch, Fantastical arguably does a better job at syncing and keeping all your events and tasks organized than Apple iCal. Plus, you can set geofence reminders, which means you can receive notifications only when you're in a specific location. Another great bonus is that the calendar software is optimized for other languages (Japanese, Spanish, Italian, German, French, and English) making it a prime option if you have shared calendars with multilingual team members or clients.
Key features
- Natural language processing: Similar to Clockwise, you can input your scheduling commands using plain English and allow the AI to make those changes for you.
- Proposals: Make group scheduling a little easier by proposing multiple options and letting attendees respond.
- Openings: Create a booking page based on your available time slots. Easily add your Openings into any conversation with the OpeningsKeyboard.
Pricing
Fantastical offers a free version with core features like notifications and different calendar views. A premium subscription starts at $4.75 per user per month and gives you access to more advanced scheduling, collaboration, and customization features.
7. Bitrix24
If you're a small business, Bitrix24 is the calendar scheduling tool you need since it was made specifically for small businesses! This calendar app comes with many amazing features that were designed to help streamline tasks and stay on top of project management. One of the most notable features is the option to share calendars with everyone in your business, just some team members, or even the public. Bitrix24 also realized that not a lot of meetings are held in-person anymore, so it makes it easy to schedule meetings and attend them via their free video conferencing tool or with other popular apps such as Zoom.
Key features
- All-in-one workspace: Bitrix24 combines CRM, project management, team collaboration, HR, and more into one platform.
- Meeting briefs: Create a group calendar for meetings and other team events. Plus, add your meeting briefs directly into the group calendar, so everyone can stay aligned.
- Appointment scheduling: With their appointment scheduling feature, Bitrix24 makes it easy to find a time that works for everyone without your team needing to send a bunch of emails to sort it out, even if you live in different time zones.
Pricing
Get started with Bitrix24 for free, or upgrade to a premium plan, starting at $49 per month (including up to five users).
FAQ
What are the best free online calendars?
Clockwise, Google Calendar, 24Me, and Zoho Calendar are our top picks for best free online calendars. Read our app breakdown above to figure out which one is right for you.
Which online calendar is best for appointments?
When it comes to appointment scheduling, we recommend Clockwise Scheduling Links. Simply create your event type, input your preferences, and voilà — your personal booking page is ready to share with other people. With the power of AI, Clockwise Scheduling Links also helps you find the best times to meet, rather than treating all of your available time slots in the same way. This is just one way Clockwise optimizes your schedule for your ideal day.
What is the best shared online calendar?
For ease of use, Google Calendar is one of the best shared online calendars. To learn how to share your calendar in Google, read our guide here.
Final thoughts
Physical planners just don't do the trick anymore, so it's time to take control of your time with a calendar scheduling tool like the ones we suggested today. With their ease-of-use and modern designs, options for complete customization, and unrestricted app integration, calendar software can help you transform the way you think about and manage your schedule. Schedules can even start to become, dare we say, fun to organize!
Ready to get started with Clockwise, your AI-powered calendar assistant? Try it for free today!
About the author
Judy Tsuei is a Simon & Schuster author, speaker, and podcast host. She has been writing for Clockwise for several years while also being featured in MindBodyGreen, BBC Travel, Fast Company, Hello Giggles, and more. As the founder of Wild Hearted Words, a creative marketing agency for global brands, Judy is also a mentor with the Founder Institute, the world's largest pre-seed accelerator. Judy advocates for mental and emotional health on her popular podcast, F*ck Saving Face. Follow along her journey at WildHeartedWords.com.
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