Apple Calendar vs fruux (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Apple Calendar grades higher than fruux: 3.2 against 2.8 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 and ease of use. fruux grades higher on platforms. They get the same grade on features.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
fruux
CalDAV and CardDAV sync for contacts, calendars and tasks
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 fruux if
- Fits if you want calendars and contacts in sync across phone and laptop
- Works for small teams that need shared address books
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you stay free: Basic stops at 2 devices and 2 shares
- Not for you if you want a calendar app, since fruux publishes no native apps in what we read
- Watch out: free-busy, out-of-office and delegation need a compatible calendar app
- Watch out: prices are in euros, with no US dollar price
How we grade them
| 3.2GPAApple CalendarVery good | 2.8GPAfruuxGood | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | BPro is €4 a month or €40 a year, under the category's $4.99 cheapest quarter. Team is €20 a month for 5 members. |
| 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. | BBasic is free with unlimited contacts, calendars, tasks and storage, limited to 2 devices and 2 shares. |
| 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. | CIt does one job, sync, and does it fully, which is a smaller job than a calendar app. Free-busy, out-of-office and delegation need a compatible client because the web app does not support them yet. |
| 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 set up accounts on each device through its own sync settings. |
| 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. | AWeb, Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android through standard clients, plus Thunderbird, Fantastical, BusyCal and Outlook, and a developer API. |
| Best for | a free calendar across your Apple devices | syncing calendars and contacts over CalDAV |
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 fruux. 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. fruux starts at about $3.72 a month and scores 2.7.
They score the same, and Apple Calendar starts $3.72 a month lower. Of the other calendar and scheduling apps on the chart, none scores higher than Apple Calendar for less, and 6 score higher than fruux 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 natural-language input.
At a glance
| Apple Calendar | fruux | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free plan |
| Starts at | Free | €4 per month or €40 per year (Pro) |
| 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. | Basic plan: unlimited contacts, calendars, tasks and storage, up to 2 shares and up to 2 devices. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Apple Inc. | fruux GmbH |
| Price read from | apps.apple.com | fruux.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.
fruux
- Free accounts stop at 2 devices and 2 shares; Pro raises these to 10 devices and unlimited shares.
- Prices are in euros, and there is no US dollar price.
- Free-busy, out-of-office and delegation features need a compatible calendar application, because the web app does not support them yet.
- fruux does not publish its own native apps in what we read; it relies on the devices' own CalDAV and CardDAV clients.
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.
fruux
- Standards-based sync
- Syncs through CardDAV and CalDAV, so apps such as Apple's built-in ones, Thunderbird, BusyCal, Fantastical and eM Client can connect without a fruux app.
- Contacts, calendars and tasks
- All three data types are kept together, with search, multiple task lists and filtering, calendar views and a web app.
- Sharing and public calendars
- Share calendars and address books with other people, or publish a public calendar as a link or embed on a website.
- Team accounts
- Create a team for a company or department, invite members, assign roles and control who can see which contacts, calendars and tasks.
- Free-busy scheduling
- Free-busy lookups show who is available when planning a meeting, and delegation lets an assistant manage your schedule. These need a compatible calendar app, not the web app.
- Developer API
- The API is built on CardDAV, CalDAV, vCard and iCalendar and covers what the web app can do. fruux also maintains the open-source sabre/dav server.
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.
fruux
Basic€0
Just for you: up to 2 shares and up to 2 devices, with unlimited contacts, calendars and tasks.
Pro€4
per month, or €40 per year
All Basic features with unlimited shares and up to 10 devices.
Team€20
per month for 5 team members, plus €4 per extra
Pro features for every member, easy team management, team address books and shared scheduling; extra members are €4 a month.
Ways to pay less
Apple Calendar
No public discounts listed.
fruux
- Annual discount
Pro is cheaper billed yearly
fruux's pricing page lists Pro at €4 a month or €40 a year, which is two months free against paying monthly.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Apple Calendar or fruux?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Apple Calendar is cheaper to start with: it is free, against about $3.72 a month for fruux. Apple Calendar is free, and fruux starts at €4 per month or €40 per year (Pro).
Which has a free plan, Apple Calendar or fruux?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both Apple Calendar and fruux have a free plan.
Which platforms do Apple Calendar and fruux run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only fruux lists Windows, Linux and Android apps. Both list a web app and macOS and iOS apps. 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.