The Best BusyCal Alternatives for Seamless Scheduling
BusyCal is renowned as a powerful and flexible calendar app for macOS, offering extensive customization options and compatibility with major cloud services like iCloud, Google, and Exchange. Its ability to fine-tune views and appearance makes it a favorite for many. However, for various reasons—be it platform compatibility, specific feature needs, or budget considerations—users often seek a robust BusyCal alternative. This guide explores some of the top contenders that can fill the void and even offer unique advantages.
Top BusyCal Alternatives
Whether you're looking for a free solution, a cross-platform giant, or a specialized tool, there's an alternative out there to help you manage your schedule efficiently. Let's dive into some of the best options available.
Google Calendar
Google Calendar is a multi-platform, free calendar tool that allows you to fill in events with images and map coordinates. It's an excellent BusyCal alternative, offering seamless sync across devices (Web, Android, iPhone, Chrome OS, iPad), shared calendars, event reminders, and IFTTT integration. Its material design provides a clean and intuitive user experience.
Microsoft Office Outlook
Part of the Microsoft Office Suite, Outlook is a comprehensive personal information manager that integrates email, calendar, contacts, and tasks. Available across multiple platforms (Mac, Windows, Web, Android, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch) and offering both freemium and premium tiers, it's a powerful BusyCal alternative, especially for those in the Microsoft ecosystem. Key features include built-in calendar integration, Exchange support, shared calendars, and a unified inbox.
Lightning Calendar
Lightning Calendar is a free and open-source calendar fully integrated with Thunderbird or Seamonkey email clients. It's a great BusyCal alternative for users who prefer open-source solutions and already use these email platforms on Mac, Windows, or Linux. It supports CalDAV and CardDAV, making task management and calendar sync straightforward.
Apple Calendar
For macOS and iOS users, Apple Calendar (formerly iCal) is a free, built-in solution that keeps track of your busy schedule and lets you share it with others. It's a direct BusyCal alternative if you're looking for deep integration within the Apple ecosystem, offering seamless iCloud sync and a simple week planner.
Simple Calendar
Simple Calendar is an open-source option primarily for Android and Android Tablet users, offering optional CalDAV synchronization. This commercial (though with open-source roots) BusyCal alternative is known for its ability to easily create recurring events, set up reminders, display week numbers, and offer customization options for events and notifications.
Fantastical
Fantastical is a commercial calendar app for Mac, iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch, celebrated for its natural language event creation and beautiful interface. It's a strong BusyCal alternative for Apple users, supporting CalDAV, Exchange, and iCloud integration, making event entry and management intuitive and quick.
Itsycal
Itsycal is a free and open-source tiny menu bar calendar for Mac. While not a full-fledged calendar app like BusyCal, it serves as an excellent companion, displaying your events alongside the Mac Calendar app. Its features include Dark Mode, ISO week numbers, and a convenient menu bar presence, making it a handy BusyCal alternative for quick glance scheduling.
MineTime
MineTime is a free, modern, and multi-platform (Mac, Windows, Linux) calendar application. It connects to various calendar providers including Google Calendar and Microsoft Exchange, offering AI-powered scheduling and personal assistant features. This makes it a compelling BusyCal alternative for users seeking smart scheduling capabilities and cross-platform access.
Calendar 366
Calendar 366 II is a commercial calendar for Mac, iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch that aims to maximize your time with comprehensive appointment and reminder management. It's a feature-rich BusyCal alternative, offering event management, iCloud sync, offline functionality, and robust task management, ensuring you stay organized across your Apple devices.
CalenGoo
CalenGoo is a commercial application for Android devices (also available for Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone, iPad) that provides a fast and easy way to access and modify your Google Calendar. As a strong BusyCal alternative for Android users and those deeply integrated with Google Calendar, it offers robust synchronization and CardDAV support.
Ultimately, the best BusyCal alternative for you will depend on your specific operating system, budget, preferred features (like natural language input, integration with other services, or open-source availability), and the level of customization you require. Explore these options to find the perfect calendar app that fits your unique scheduling needs.