7 Best Calendar Apps for Mac

In today’s world, calendar apps have become essential to almost every workplace, organization, and individual of different professions. However, while most calendar programs function the same, they vary in design, ease of use, reliability, and extra features. Accordingly, these things can make choosing the right one confusing, especially for those unfamiliar with the available options. Also, as macOS has more selections of productivity tools than other platforms, this dilemma is more prevalent for people using Macs. Thankfully, this article can help. In the following sections, we’d listed and discussed the seven best calendar apps for mac 2022; please read on.

1. Boxy for Calendar

Boxy for Calendar, a well-designed and developed client for Google’s event tracking tool, is the best calendar app for Mac. It is part of Boxysuite, an all-in-one Gmail, Calendar, Contacts, and Keep native macOS app. In contrast to the other choices in this list, Boxy for Calendar balances function, design, and reliability very well. In the app, users can open, switch to, and manage multiple Google Calendar accounts easily with quick shortcuts, through the dashboard, or in separate windows.

Moreover, creating events is as easy as doing it on the tool’s web version, only in a different, resizable, and more workable popup window. Even with various calendars, it can send notifications from all accounts on the desktop, Notification Center, and a quick glance in the status menu icon so that users can maintain their schedules.

Since Boxy for Calendar is the first and only native Google Calendar Mac app available, it can integrate well with macOS, including System-linked Dark Mode, Current Date Display on Dock Icon, Multiple Windows Support, and Continuous Background Update. However, it also retains the natural appeal of Google Calendar, only in a more beautiful, focused, and cleaner environment.

Unlike browsers, it enhances productivity with pixel-perfect and native macOS design, reliable syncing, quick actions, and direct integration with other Google Workspace services, namely Contacts, Keep, and Gmail. Boxy for Calendar is available for anyone who wants the best calendar app experience on Mac, so please learn more or try it for free.

2. Apple’s Calendar

While additional calendar features help users’ productivity, simplicity still works for many people. Moreover, unlike other basic calendar apps, none comes close to the popularity of Apple’s own offering. Apple or iCloud Calendar is the built-in event tracking app in Mac, iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch.

Like the company’s other products, it’s free to use and integrates well with the ecosystem. As such, one can easily sync and view events across Apple devices, create schedules using Siri voice dictation, and recently, manage calendars from the browser, regardless of the OS. Also, it stores data into iCloud, so if other apps are already eating the free 5GB cloud storage, users will have to subscribe to premium plans or regularly clear events.

Apple Calendar is a pretty basic calendar app. However, recent updates make it more than enough for at least casual users. In the app, one can choose to use a new iCloud/Apple ID (Apple’s authentication method for its devices), Microsoft Exchange, Google, Yahoo!, AOL, or other CalDav accounts. Though, it’s still possible to log in to multiple accounts and view them separately or mixed. Moreover, users can create events, color-code schedules, invite participants, attach locations and files, and access more standard features of a calendar program.

3. BusyCal

BusyCal is the opposite of Apple Calendar. Instead of sticking with the fundamental functions, it offers an extensive number of handy extra features. BusyCal, a premium subscription-based program, allows accessing multiple online accounts like iCloud, Apple Reminders, Google Calendar, Office 365, Microsoft Exchange, Zoom, and other CalDav servers. Also, it allows Wireless-LAN syncing, so users who use local storage solutions can use the app offline or over home WiFi. Like other event tracking apps, it’s pretty easy to create new events. However, with its Quick Entry feature, one can compose schedules using natural language, where instead of manually toggling buttons, it’s possible to type phrases like “Lunch w/Fred tomorrow at Starbucks.”

BusyCal offers customizable views where users can choose the app’s theme (light/dark mode), colors, and even typefaces (font and font size). Aside from that, it’s possible to set the calendar view in a day, week, month, year, or as a list of schedules. Users can also customize the number of weeks and days in the month and week view. Additional features include the flexible Info Panel of events, Travel Time inclusion to schedules, Smart Filters for search, customizable alarms, tags, 8-day weather display, ability to add emoji, icons, or images to events, and more. Lastly, calendars are visible on the app itself, on the Mac menu bar, and integrates with Apple’s Reminders app.

4. InstaCal: Menu Bar Calendar

Sometimes, convenience and ease-of-access matter more than the number of features. In calendars, InstaCal fits this philosophy the most. While it’s as simple-looking as Apple Calendar, InstaCal makes events and schedules accessible anywhere via the Mac menu bar, both on the desktop or any app. With an option to replace or duplicate macOS’ date and time widget, users won’t have to add extra clutter in the menu bar and make the app look like a native system function. However, unlike Apple’s built-in program, InstaCal has more features to offer.

InstaCal accepts different and multiple online accounts, namely Google Calendar, Microsoft Outlook, Office 365, and Apple iCloud. It integrates well with various macOS functions like global keyboard shortcuts, support for Touch Bar quick controls, and desktop notifications. It also offers customization options like themes, colors, and the choice of using/accessing the app either via the dock or menu bar.

Moreover, InstaCal displays a monthly view of selected or multiple calendars with color indicators and a list view of all added reminders and events from Google Calendar or Apple’s Reminders app. Aside from that, the menu widget also allows event creation, viewing sync status, and quick access to app settings. Finally, InstaCal provides actionable and detailed notification control so users can respond directly to events or invites and disable alerts for specific accounts or event types.

5. WeekCal

WeekCal has long been a famous app for iPhones and iPads before coming to the Mac. While it may be late to the scene, WeekCal offers powerful features that aren’t present on others. However, it also provides the standard functions of an event scheduling program. As such, it accepts online accounts with/without setup, including iCloud, iCal, Google Calendar, Microsoft Exchange, Outlook, and CalDav servers. It also supports alternate calendars, namely Chinese, Indian, Hebrew, Persian, and Islamitic. Aside from that, subscribing to the premium plan unlocks the Calendar Store, where users can install extensions to view the weather, sports schedules, and more popular calendar presets.

WeekCal’s unique features include a quick button to join Google Meet, Zoom and meetings from other services right from events. Also, it’s possible to customize the day, week, mini month, month, and year views, depending on the information density and number of days and weeks on the main screen. Moreover, repetitive scheduling and modifications are easier with the app’s drag and drop event editing, templates, and recurrence rules.

Regarding customizability, WeekCal has an auto-adjusting dark/light theme, ten selection of dock icons, Control Center widgets, and different choices for map attachments or navigation (Apple Maps, Google Maps, Citymapper, and more). Apart from that, the app can sync to Apple Watch (Series 1-6), support various time zones, perform batch operations, and allows event invites by email, iMessage, or WhatsApp.

6. Calendars

Calendars 5 by Readdle, a famous developer of productivity tools for Apple devices, is a great-looking and feature-packed calendar app. Since it has been around for years now, it has become very stable, mature-looking, and complete for any user’s needs. Like other options, Calendars supports multiple accounts, including iCloud, Google Calendar, Exchange, AOL, Outlook, Yahoo!, and even Facebook events. Also, it allows sharing schedules and event invites with other users or contacts through email, iMessage, and other sharing apps.

The app has a powerful assistant that can organize different lists, add due dates or repeat tasks, and automate gentle reminders. Through its natural language processing, it’s easier to create events using continuous words without segmented steps. Furthermore, for busy individuals, Calendars 5’s drag and drop editing makes it easy to remove or relocate events to other dates. Aside from that, the focused and customizable display allows alternating from the day, week, month, and list of schedules mode quickly and without distractions. Lastly, it supports video calls integration to events, options for either Google or Apple Maps directions, color coding schedules, and hiding calendars to improve focus.

7. Informant

Informant is a powerful all-in-one productivity and calendar app for macOS. Aside from its excellent calendar feature, it also supports tasks, projects, and even notes. Unlike the competition, Informant is highly flexible with tabs for opening different instances and a side-by-side calendar and task list view. With its powerful search, it shouldn’t take long to find something, even with multiple schedules and calendars. Additionally, using its templates, tags, and drag and drop function, users can quickly create events, set detailed event conditions, and edit existing schedules.

Aside from the well-designed main app, Informant is also accessible from the Mac menu bar. Its menu bar widget shows a focused month view of a calendar, a list of weather, events, reminders, tasks, and keyboard shortcut support for composing events using natural language. Moreover, some of its unique features are QuickLook Summary for quickly searching/attaching data into events, powerful projects, and more. Thankfully, it’s also highly customizable with colors, icons, event default details, alarms, and calendar view options.

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