Apple Calendar vs Itsycal

Apple Calendar

• People with an iPhone, iPad or Mac who want a calendar at no cost
• Seeing iCloud, Google and Exchange calendars side by side
• Families and friends sharing an iCloud calendar

Itsycal

• Mac users who want a quick month view without opening a calendar app
• People who navigate by keyboard and like Vim-style keys
• Anyone looking for a free, open-source menu bar calendar

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.

Itsycal

• Mac only, and it depends on the Mac Calendar app: it shows only calendars already set up there.
• Events can be created and deleted but not edited; the project's README says editing is not supported.
• Only the Gregorian calendar is supported, and delegate calendars cannot be shown directly.
• The current download needs macOS 11 or later (macOS 27 has its own build); older versions cover earlier systems.

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.

Itsycal

Month calendar with agenda

A compact month grid opens from the menu bar with an agenda of events below it. It can show up to two months at a time, ISO week numbers and three text sizes.

Events from the Mac Calendar app

Displays events from whichever calendars you tick among those set up in the Mac Calendar app. New events can be created and existing ones deleted from Itsycal.

Join virtual meetings

A meeting icon in the agenda turns into a Join button 15 minutes before the start. Zoom and Teams links open in their apps, and Command-J joins the first active meeting.

Keyboard navigation with Vim motions

Arrow keys or H, J, K and L move by day, week, month and year, with an optional repeat count. Other keys pin the window, toggle week numbers and jump to a given date.

Menu bar clock replacement

The menu bar item can show the day, month and weekday, plus text built from a date and time pattern in the system clock's font, with or without the icon.

URL scheme and global shortcut

A configurable keyboard shortcut opens Itsycal from anywhere, and the itsycal://date/ URL scheme opens it at today or at a specific date.

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.

Itsycal

• Itsycal$0

  The complete app as a direct download for macOS 11 or later, with a separate build for macOS 27. Donations are optional.