What is the best digital or online calendar?

Digital calendars are a crutch for schedule management and team collaboration. What are the best and most private calendar products?

Skiff, Google, Apple, and Outlook calendar logos.

What is the best digital calendar? Although it depends slightly on your use cases and needs, most digital calendars share almost all major functionality: Creating events, scheduling meetings, and receiving calendar invitations. In this article, we’ll start by outlining criteria for the best digital calendar products. Then, we’ll review popular and privacy-first calendar apps and productivity tools.

What makes the best calendar app stand out?

Convenience: Online calendars are accessible from any device with an internet connection, so you can view and manage your schedule from anywhere, at any time. This is especially useful if you need to share your calendar with others or access it from multiple devices.
Collaboration: Online calendars often have built-in collaboration features, such as the ability to share your calendar with others and view their schedules in real-time. This makes it easy to coordinate meetings and events with other people, and ensures that everyone has the most up-to-date information about the schedule.
Integration: Online calendars can often be integrated with other tools and services, such as email, task managers, todo lists, and project management software. This allows you to manage your schedule and tasks in one place, and helps you stay organized and on top of your commitments.
Features: Online calendars often have a wide range of features, such as the ability to set reminders and notifications, add notes and attachments to events, and view your schedule in different formats, such as daily, weekly, or monthly.
Privacy and security: Online calendars often have advanced security features, such as end-to-end encryption and password protection, to protect your data and keep your schedule private. This is especially important if you are sharing your calendar with others or storing sensitive information on it.

Google Calendar

There are both pros and cons to using Google Calendar, and whether it is the right choice for you will depend on your specific needs and preferences. Some potential advantages of using Google Calendar include the following:

It is free to use and widely available, so you can access your calendar from any device with an internet connection.
It has a user-friendly interface and offers a range of useful features, such as the ability to set reminders and notifications, share your calendar with others, and view your schedule in different formats.
It integrates with your Google Account and other Google services, such as Gmail, Google Drive, and Google Maps, so you can manage your schedule and tasks in one place. It also integrates with third party task trackers and time management software, such as Any.do.

However, there are also some potential drawbacks to using Google Calendar, such as:

It is a cloud-based service, so you need an internet connection to access your calendar and your data is stored on Google's servers. This may not be ideal for people who are concerned about privacy or data security.
It is a proprietary service, so you are dependent on Google for access to your calendar and any updates or improvements to the service.
It is subject to Google's terms of service and privacy policies, which may change over time and may not align with your values or preferences.
It may not offer as much flexibility or customization as other calendar apps, such as the ability to use custom themes or add extensions or plug-ins.

Apple Calendar

It is a built-in feature of Apple's operating system, so it is easy to access and use if you already have an Apple device, such as an iPhone, iPad, Mac, or Apple Watches.
It has a clean and intuitive interface, and offers a range of useful features, such as the ability to set reminders and notifications for calendar events, share your calendar with others, and view your schedule in different formats.
It integrates with other Apple services, such as iCloud, Reminders, and Notes, so you can manage your schedule and tasks in one place.

However, there are also some potential drawbacks to using Apple Calendar, such as:

It is only available on Apple devices, so you will need to have an Apple device to use it, and you may not be able to access your calendar from other devices or platforms.
It is a proprietary service, so you are dependent on Apple for access to your calendar and any updates or improvements to the service.
It is subject to Apple's terms of service and privacy policies, which may change over time and may not align with your values or preferences.

It may not offer as much flexibility or customization as other calendar apps, such as the ability to use custom themes or add extensions or plug-ins.

Outlook Calendar

Some potential advantages of using Outlook Calendar include the following:

It is a part of the Microsoft Office suite, so it is easy to access and use if you already have a Microsoft account, such as a Hotmail or Outlook.com account.
It has a user-friendly interface and offers a range of useful features, such as the ability to set reminders and notifications, share your calendar with others, and view your schedule in different formats.
It integrates seamlessly with other Microsoft services, such as Outlook email, OneDrive, and Teams, so you can manage your schedule and tasks in one place. For Windows users, this may be appearling.

However, there are also some potential drawbacks to using Outlook Calendar, such as:

It is only available on Microsoft platforms, so you will need to have a Microsoft account to use it, and you may not be able to access your calendar from other devices or platforms.
It is a proprietary service, so you are dependent on Microsoft for access to your calendar and any updates or improvements to the service.
It is subject to Microsoft's terms of service and privacy policies, which may change over time and may not align with your values or preferences.
It may not offer as much flexibility or customization as other calendar apps or a daily planner, such as the ability to use custom themes or add extensions or plug-ins.

Yahoo Calendar

Of the alternatives mentioned here, Yahoo is likely the least privacy and feature work or family calendar product. Yahoo offers basic week and month views for your events, as well as the ability to send and respond to invites. However, Yahoo Calendar does not have mobile apps for iOS and Android, and Yahoo Mail notoriously has extremely weak privacy protections. Because the service only has a web calendar view, limited functionality, and limited privacy, we generally do not recommend it as an alternative.

Privacy-first calendars

Privacy is an essential aspect of a digital calendar, as it allows individuals to manage their schedules and personal information without fear of being accessed or shared without their consent. In today's world, where technology has become an integral part of our daily lives, maintaining privacy is more important than ever.One of the key benefits of privacy in a digital calendar is the ability to manage personal information and appointments without fear of being accessed by others. This is particularly important for individuals who use their calendars to schedule sensitive information, such as medical appointments or personal meetings, or even birthdays for everyone you know. By keeping this information private, individuals can ensure that their personal information is not shared with others without their consent.In addition to protecting personal information, privacy in a digital calendar also allows individuals to manage their schedules without fear of being interrupted or disturbed by others. For example, if an individual has a meeting or appointment marked as private in their calendar, they can be confident that others will not be able to access or see this information without their permission. This can help to reduce the chances of being interrupted or disturbed during important meetings or appointments.Furthermore, privacy in a digital calendar is also important for maintaining security. By keeping personal information and schedules private, individuals can reduce the chances of their information being accessed or stolen by hackers or other malicious actors. This is particularly important for individuals who use their digital calendars to store sensitive information, such as login credentials or financial information.In conclusion, privacy is an essential aspect of a digital calendar, as it allows individuals to manage their personal information and schedules without fear of being accessed or shared without their consent. By maintaining privacy in a digital calendar, individuals can ensure the security and confidentiality of their personal information, as well as reduce the chances of being interrupted or disturbed during important meetings or appointments.

Skiff Calendar

End-to-end encrypted calendars ensure that no one besides you has access to your event information. Skiff Calendar is fully end-to-end encrypted, meaning your event titles, content, notes, location, and external attendees are all kept completely private to you. Your calendar stores your life - your work meetings, daily tasks, family member events, and more - making privacy a critical need for which ever product you choose.Skiff Calendar has mobile apps that work on iOS, Android, MacOS, and any web browser, ensuring total compatibility and private, cross-device sync for all of your events, RSVPs, and invites. Skiff offers a free version as well as two premium plans: A Business tier, and a Pro tier. The two options offer different levels of storage, email aliasing limits, and custom domains, which can also be used to send calendar invites. Skiff Calendar also offers localization settings for weekdays, time zones, and color preferences.Skiff also offers a suite of productivity apps that work across all of your team members, including Skiff Mail (end-to-end encrypted email), as well as Skiff Drive and Pages, which enable private note-taking, task management, and file storage.

Conclusion

Today, popular digital calendars include Google Calendar, Apple Calendar, Microsoft Outlook Calendar, and Yahoo Calendar. Different calendars offer various features and privacy protections; most are typically cloud-based, meaning that users can access them from any internet-connected device and share their calendar with others.Beyond Google, Apple, Microsoft, and Yahoo, more privacy-respecting calendars include Skiff Calendar, Proton Calendar, and Tutanota Calendar. These calendars keep your personal information end-to-end encrypted and completely private to you. They also may offer digital planner functionality for your schedule and daily events.Some digital calendars are designed for specific purposes industries or calendar functions. For example, there are calendars for project management, team automation or collaboration (Zapier or Calendly), and even personal productivity, such as Asana or Trello; we will cover these tools and worksflows in another blog. With remote work becoming increasingly popular, calendars are also integrating digital meeting software more and more, including Zoom, Google Meet, and Teams. These calendars often come with additional features and integrations, such as task management, team communication, and integrations with other productivity tools.Overall, digital calendars offer a convenient and flexible way for users to manage their time and schedule events and appointments. They provide a wide range of features and capabilities, making them a valuable tool for individuals and teams of all sizes.Given that calendars store so much sensitive and personal information, we highly recommend using a privacy-first, end-to-end encrypted calendar. If you have any questions, please reach out to us on Twitter, Discord, Reddit, or via the contact form on our site.