Apple Calendar vs DAKboard (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Apple Calendar grades higher than DAKboard: 3.2 against 2.0 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 5, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Apple Calendar grades higher on value for money, the free plan, features and ease of use. DAKboard grades higher on platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
DAKboard
Wall display for calendars, photos and weather on any screen
Which one is for you
Pick Apple Calendar if
- Fits if you have an iPhone, iPad or Mac and want a calendar that costs nothing
- Works for seeing iCloud, Google and Exchange events in one view
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if anyone you plan with has an Android phone, because there's no app for it
- Not for you if you want people to book time with you, as we found no booking links or polls in Apple's guide
- Tight if you share with people outside iCloud, who only get a public calendar they can't edit
- Watch out: on Windows it means syncing into Outlook, and the iCloud.com version won't run in a phone browser
- Too light for custom settings: no 45-minute travel time, no leave alert past 3 hours away, and typed-in events only on a Mac
Pick DAKboard if
- Fits if you want the family schedule on a wall screen
- Works for an office that wants meeting rooms and photos on a display
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you want to plan or book anything, since it only displays
- Tight if you stay on Free: 1 predefined screen, 2 calendars and DAKboard branding
- Watch out: calendars refresh every 60 minutes on Free and every 30 on Essential
- Watch out: extra screens cost $4 to $6 a month, and screens and hardware are sold separately
How we grade them
| 3.2GPAApple CalendarVery good | 2.0GPADAKboardFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | ANothing to buy, now or later. The US App Store shows no in-app purchases, so several accounts in one view and typed-in events on a Mac come free, where Calendars by Readdle keeps both for its $19.99 a year plan. | CEssential is $5 a month billed annually and Plus $8, around the category's $4.99 to $6.99 range. Hardware is sold separately. |
| Free plan and trial | AFree outright, with no paid tier above it holding anything back and no trial to run out. All you need is Apple kit, or an Apple Account for the iCloud.com version. | CFree plan: 1 predefined screen, up to 2 calendars and DAKboard branding. A 30-day Essential trial is for new users only. |
| Features | CThe basic calendar, plus one extra: a location on an event gets you a map and an alert when traffic says leave now. The gaps are on Apple's own pages. No booking links or polls, typed-in events only on a Mac, editable sharing only for iCloud users, and no leaving alert past three hours away. | DIt displays calendars, photos and weather but needs a calendar elsewhere to show anything useful. It is not a calendar you plan in. |
| Ease of use | A4.9 from about 1.5 million App Store ratings, which is the highest mark in this whole category. It's already on the iPhone, iPad and Mac, so nothing to install and barely anything to learn. Some long-time users do find the newer layout cramped. | CNo store rating on record. You lay out screens and connect each calendar account. |
| Platforms and integrations | COne family of devices: iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Watch, plus iCloud.com, and Apple's guide says that website needs a tablet or computer rather than a phone. No Android app, and Windows means syncing into Outlook through iCloud for Windows. | BWeb and an Android app, on any display, with Google Calendar, iCloud, Microsoft 365, Home Assistant, SmartThings and Todoist. |
| Best for | a free calendar across your Apple devices | a calendar and photo screen for a wall |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Apple Calendar and DAKboard. How we grade
Price against what you get
Apple Calendar has no paid plan and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. DAKboard starts at $5 a month and scores 2.0.
Apple Calendar scores higher and starts $5 a month lower. Of the other calendar and scheduling apps on the chart, none scores higher than Apple Calendar for less, and 31 score higher than DAKboard for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Apple Calendar also covers tasks and natural-language input.
- DAKboard also covers templates and dashboards.
At a glance
| Apple Calendar | DAKboard | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free plan |
| Starts at | Free | $5 per month, billed annually ($6 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | The whole app is free: the US App Store lists Calendar as Free with no in-app purchases shown. Syncing iCloud calendars needs an Apple Account. | 1 predefined screen, up to 2 calendars, photos, weather, news and RSS, with DAKboard branding. |
| Free trial | None listed | 30-day free trial of Essential for users who have not tried Essential or Plus. |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Apple Inc. | DAKboard |
| Price read from | apps.apple.com | dakboard.com |
| Checked | Oct 5, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Apple Calendar
- Apple's setup guide covers iPhone, iPad, Mac and iCloud.com, with Windows handled by syncing to Outlook through iCloud for Windows. No Android app is listed.
- Calendar on iCloud.com needs a tablet or computer; Apple's guide says it cannot be used from a phone browser.
- Editable sharing is limited to iCloud calendars and people with iCloud accounts. Everyone else can only view a public, read-only calendar.
- Time-to-leave alerts are not sent for destinations more than three hours away, and travel time does not update when an event's location changes.
DAKboard
- The free plan is limited to 1 predefined screen and 2 calendars, and keeps DAKboard branding.
- Calendars refresh only every 60 minutes on Free and every 30 on Essential.
- Extra screens cost $4 to $6 a month depending on plan and billing, and the trial is only for users who have not tried Essential or Plus.
- DAKboard also sells its own displays and hardware separately, which these plans do not include.
Key features
Apple Calendar
- Several accounts in one calendar
- Add iCloud, Google, Microsoft Exchange and other CalDAV accounts and see their events together in List, Day, Week or Month view, with a color for each calendar.
- Natural-language event entry
- On Mac, typing a phrase such as "Football Game on Saturday from 11 am - 1 pm" creates the event with its date and time filled in. Siri can add or change events by voice.
- Travel time and time-to-leave alerts
- Adding a location attaches a map and weather, and Calendar sends an alert when it is time to leave, based on traffic or transit conditions. Travel time can be added to the event's duration.
- Shared and public calendars
- Share an iCloud calendar with other iCloud users as view-only or editable, or turn on Public Calendar so anyone with the link can view and subscribe to it.
- Reminders next to events
- Scheduled reminders from the Reminders app appear on the calendar, where they can be created, edited and marked complete.
- Invitations and video call links
- Send and answer invitations through iCloud, Exchange and other accounts. Events can carry a video call link, a FaceTime call on Mac, attachments and notes.
DAKboard
- Drag-and-drop screens
- Arrange blocks for calendars, photos, weather, news and more on a custom screen. The free plan offers predefined layouts only.
- Calendar sources
- Add Google, Apple iCloud and Microsoft Office 365 calendars, Facebook Events, or any ICS feed, and show them as monthly, weekly, agenda or up-next views.
- Any display
- Runs in a browser on smart TVs, tablets and monitors, as a native app on Fire TV and Android, or on a Raspberry Pi with DAKboard's downloadable OS.
- Screen loops and scheduling
- Plus can chain screens into a loop and schedule when blocks or whole screens show or hide. Both are listed against the Plus plan.
- Refresh speed by plan
- Calendars refresh every 60 minutes on Free, 30 on Essential and 15 on Plus; Plus also has an instant display refresh.
- Integrations
- Essential and Plus open every integration, including Home Assistant, SmartThings, Todoist, stock quotes and external JSON data.
Plans
Apple Calendar
Free$0
Every feature of the app on iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Mac, plus Calendar on iCloud.com with an Apple Account.
DAKboard
Free$0
1 predefined screen layout, up to 2 calendars, TouchHub, photos, weather and news.
Essential$5
per month, billed annually ($6 billed monthly)
2 custom screens (extra $4 a month), up to 5 calendars, all integrations, templates and custom CSS.
Plus$8
per month, billed annually ($10 billed monthly)
3 custom screens (extra $5 a month), unlimited calendars, 500 MB media library, screen loops and scheduling.
Ways to pay less
Apple Calendar
No public discounts listed.
DAKboard
- Annual discount
Cheaper per month on yearly billing
DAKboard's pricing page lists Essential at $5 a month and Plus at $8 when billed annually, against $6 and $10 billed monthly.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Apple Calendar or DAKboard?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Apple Calendar is cheaper to start with: it is free, against $5 a month for DAKboard. Apple Calendar is free, and DAKboard starts at $5 per month, billed annually ($6 billed monthly).
Which has a free plan, Apple Calendar or DAKboard?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both Apple Calendar and DAKboard have a free plan.
Which platforms do Apple Calendar and DAKboard run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Apple Calendar lists macOS and iOS apps and only DAKboard lists an Android app. Both list a web app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.