The most underrated productivity and time management hack? Use a calendar you love, feel comfortable with, and can trust to guide you daily.

Sure, other strategies like eating the frog and using the Eisenhower Matrix to prioritize your task list are helpful, but at the root of these time management tips and routines lies your calendar — the one tool you need for time blocking, event management, schedule coordination, and everything in between.

Hopefully, you already have a calendar (at work and for personal or family use), but you’re in the right place if you don't. We’ve rounded up some of the best calendar app options available in the market and who each calendar will benefit most. Note that all pricing information provided is from November 2024.

Why you need a great calendar app

Aside from the fact that a calendar app is the most critical thing you need to elevate your time management and productivity game, there are several benefits an excellent calendar app offers. Consider using a great calendar app because:

Our brains weren’t made for (and aren’t always good at) holding this information

If you’ve ever actually tried to store all of your appointments, meetings, tasks, family commitments, errands, holidays, and anything else in your brain, you know it’s nearly impossible, overwhelming, and ineffective. In a blog post, Unmistakable Creative wrote, “Just imagine if you had to keep track of every item on your to-do list, appointment on your calendar, and idea you’ve ever had using nothing but your brain. It would be a shit show. You’d forget things, never get anything done, and be stressed out and anxiety-ridden.” A calendar app frees your brain so you can focus on high-impact work.

They allow you to process your life visually

One of my favorite parts about using calendar apps is that I can open my calendar at any given moment and quickly understand how many commitments I have today, this week, or this month. There’s something different about seeing your schedule versus running through it in your head. (This works even better if you color code your calendar for quicker at-a-glance looks!)

They make it easier to coordinate shared time with others

How else would you coordinate meetings and events with team members, family members, clients, and other humans if you didn’t use a calendar app? Via phone with a paper planner? Technically, you could do it that way, but you’d lose so much of your time scheduling, rescheduling, and attempting to figure out what’s happening in your life.

Best calendar app for teams: Clockwise

First, let’s discuss why Clockwise is the best calendar app for teams of varying sizes, especially busy teams with many internal meetings. Clockwise helps individuals, groups, and companies improve productivity and share their time wisely. With Clockwise, individuals can protect sacred Focus Time and enhance their work-life harmony. Teams and companies using Clockwise improve productivity, team communication, meeting coordination, and more.

clockwise calendar app for teams — Clockwise is the best calendar app for teams and organizations

Key features:

Find time to meet where there is none with Prism, a first-of-its-kind intelligent calendar that lets anyone shortcut manual and complex scheduling. Type your request, let Prism work its magic, and be on your way!
Flexible meetings allow Clockwise to optimize the time of your events (great for events that aren’t super time-sensitive!)
The ability to automatically hold Focus Time for deep work
Flexible Holds (for one attendee calendar events) for recurring routines and task management
Scheduling Links that empower users to share their availability with others in just a few clicks

Platform:

Works with Google Calendar and Microsoft Outlook Calendar
Chrome extension available

Try Clockwise for free! The Teams plan starts at $6.75 per user per month, billed annually

Best for:

Organizations and teams of all sizes, especially those with heavy internal scheduling (Clockwise works best when your entire team and organization use it!)

Free calendar apps

Many free calendar apps, including Google Calendar, Microsoft Outlook Calendar, and Apple Calendar, are available for more basic calendaring and organizational needs.

Google Calendar

google calendar free app — Use Google Calendar for free | Image source: Deon Ashleigh on Medium in Better Humans

Google Calendar is an excellent option for free, seamless individual and team scheduling without additional time management and productivity bells and whistles. In other words, if you need a place to jot down important tasks and schedule meetings with others, Google Calendar is an excellent option (especially if you already have a Google account).

Key features:

Create and view multiple calendars at the same time in the Google Calendar app (connected visualization across work, life, and other commitments)
Ability to add meeting rooms, locations, and virtual conferencing information (even better if you use Google Meet) to an event in just a couple of clicks
Appointment schedule functionality for creating a professional booking page and sharing availability with others
Different types of holds: events (meetings), focus time (individual deep work time), out-of-office (with notifications), tasks, appointment scheduling

Platform:

Web browser (Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Firefox, and Safari)
Mobile devices (iOS and Android - download in the app store)

Free with a Google account
Google Workspace Business Starter (for access to more Google apps in addition to your calendar) starts at $6 per user per month, billed annually

Best for:

microsoft outlook — Microsoft Outlook for Microsoft users | Image source: Microsoft Tech Community

If you’re a Microsoft > Google team, the Microsoft Outlook Calendar is probably your best choice. Adding events and sending invitations to others is super easy.

Key features:

Seamless integration with Mail and contacts for an integrated experience
Organize your calendar events with custom color categories for grouping related items
“My Day” pane in the new Outlook for a look at upcoming calendar events and tasks

Platform:

Web browser
Mobile devices (iOS and Android - download in the app store)
macOS

Outlook.com is free
Explore Microsoft 365 Personal ($69.99 per year, billed annually for one user) or Microsoft 365 Business Basic ($6 per user per month, billed annually)

Best for: Microsoft users or those with experience using Microsoft products previously

Apple Calendar

Try Apple Calendar across Apple devices | Image source: Apple Support

If you’re deep into the Apple ecosystem like me and use a Mac, iPhone, Apple Watch, or any other Apple device, Apple Calendar might be the way to go. (And it’s a super simple calendar to use!)

Key features:

Integrates with other Apple apps like Apple Maps and Reminders for efficient workflows
Cross-platform accessibility across Apple devices (great option for those immersed in the Apple ecosystem)
Add travel time to an event to factor it into event alerts

Platform:

iOS, macOS, iPadOS, and watchOS
Sign in to iCloud Calendar on the web

Pricing:

Best for:

Apple users across all devices

Best shareable calendar apps

If your primary goal is to have a calendar that you can easily share with others (like your family), consider OurCal or Cozi.

OurCal

ourcal to share with family and friends — Share calendars in one place with OurCal | Image source: OurCal

OurCal helps groups and families stay connected and on top of each other’s schedules. This works well for calendar consolidation, so if you and your loved ones or friends use different calendar platforms, check this out.

Key features:

Share appointments, plans, important dates, and events with imports from Google Calendar, Microsoft Outlook Calendar, and more (easy to share calendars even if you and your people use different platforms)
Ability to comment on events

Platform:

Mobile devices (iOS and Android - download in the app store)

Pricing:

Best for:

Families, couples, friends, and groups coordinating calendars in one shareable, centralized place

Cozi

Coordinate family schedules with Cozi | Image source: Cozi

Like OurCal, Cozi is a calendar organizer primarily geared toward family calendar syncing.

Key features:

A color-coded, shared calendar for a quick visual overview of family events and commitments
Add to-do lists, like a shared family list, honey-do list, or chore chart for kiddos
Store your shopping lists and recipes for easy access

Platform:

Mobile devices (iOS and Android - download in the app store)

Pricing:

Best for:

Scheduling calendar apps

Finally, if scheduling is your top priority and use case for a calendar app, check out Acuity Scheduling and YouCanBookMe.

Acuity Scheduling

acuity client scheduling — Acuity Scheduling for client appointment bookings | Image source: Acuity Scheduling

Scheduling client appointments and bookings seamlessly, all while controlling your availability with a tool like Acuity Scheduling.

Key features:

Multiple location appointment management
A customizable branded scheduling page to highlight services and real-time availability with the option to gather payment and intake information
Client self-scheduling (so you can get more time back in your day!)

Platform:

Add to any Squarespace website
Mobile devices (iOS and Android - download in the app store)

The Emerging tier (for one calendar) is $16 per month, billed annually

Best for:

YouCanBookMe

YouCanBookMe is another shareable scheduling calendar app for those serving customers worth considering.

Key features:

Customizable notifications for events, including confirmation emails and SMS reminders, calendar event appearance, and automated follow-up emails
Fully customizable booking options that enable users to showcase their brand colors, logo, profile images, and more
Team availability consolidation and sharing capabilities

Platform:

Integrates with Google Calendar, Microsoft Outlook Calendar, and Apple Calendar
Chrome extension

The Free plan with one calendar connection and one booking page
The Professional plan starts at $11.70 per month, billed annually for six calendar connections and ten booking pages

Best for:

Cheers to your calendar

With one or more calendar apps mentioned above, you’ll be more in control of your time at work, at home, and in all the spaces in between. While Clockwise works best for teams and organizations with a heavy internal meeting focus, keep in mind that we also make it easy to share your availability, sync your personal and work calendars in one place, and help you block time for your tasks. And you can try Clockwise for free, so why not try it?

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The Ultimate Calendar App Guide: Best Apps, Features, & Tips | Clockwise