Apple Calendar vs Notion Calendar
We give Apple Calendar and Notion Calendar the same GPA: 3.4 out of 4.0. Apple Calendar grades higher on ease of use. Notion Calendar grades higher on platforms. They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan and features.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
How we grade them
| 3.4GPAApple CalendarVery good | 3.4GPANotion CalendarVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AThere's nothing to buy. Every feature is free, including several accounts in one view and typed-in events on a Mac. Calendars by Readdle keeps both of those for its $19.99 a year plan. | AThere's nothing to buy. Several accounts in one view, scheduling links and Notion databases are all free. Fantastical keeps its booking links for the $4.75 a month plan. |
| Free plan and trial | AThe whole app is free. The US App Store shows no in-app purchases, so there's no paid tier holding anything back. You do need an Apple device, or an Apple Account for the iCloud.com version. | AThe whole app is free on every device, with no paid tier of its own. You do sign in with a Notion account, and Notion's free plan covers it. |
| Features | BSeveral accounts in one view, leave-now alerts based on traffic, shared calendars, reminders next to events and typed-in events on a Mac. But we found no booking links or meeting polls in Apple's guide, which Fantastical has. | BOn a computer you get scheduling links, time zones side by side, busy slots blocked across calendars and a shortcut for everything. But there's no travel time, and the phone app does far less. |
| Ease of use | A4.9 from about 1.5 million App Store ratings. It's already on your iPhone, iPad and Mac, so there's nothing to install and not much to learn. A few long-time users do find the newer layout cluttered. | B4.7 from about 7,600 App Store ratings, and reviewers like how calm it looks. But iCloud needs an app-specific password from Apple, and this year's reviews mention events vanishing on the phone. |
| Platforms and integrations | CiPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Watch, plus iCloud.com on a computer or tablet. That's the whole list. No Android app is listed, the website won't work in a phone browser, and Windows means syncing to Outlook through iCloud for Windows. | BWeb, Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android, reading Google, iCloud and Outlook calendars. But there's no Linux app, Outlook calendars aren't on the phone apps yet, and the only API is a link that opens an event. |
| Best for | a free calendar across your Apple devices | seeing Notion deadlines next to your meetings |
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 Notion Calendar. How we grade
Where they differ
- Apple Calendar is free. Notion Calendar is free.
- Only Notion Calendar lists Windows and Android apps.
- Apple Calendar also covers tasks and natural-language input.
- Notion Calendar also covers booking links.
In commonFree planWebmacOSiOSCalendar
At a glance
| Apple Calendar | Notion Calendar | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free |
| Starts at | Free | Free |
| 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. | Notion Calendar is free to use and has no paid tier of its own. Notion's pricing page lists it under every Notion plan, including the Free plan. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Apple Inc. | Notion Labs, Inc. |
| Price read from | apps.apple.com | notion.com |
| Checked | Oct 5, 2026 | Oct 4, 2026 |
Who each one suits
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
Notion Calendar
- Notion users who want database deadlines next to their meetings
- People who want a free calendar app with scheduling links
- Combining Google, iCloud and Outlook calendars in one view
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.
Notion Calendar
- The mobile apps show only 1 to 3 day views and cannot search events, edit most events or create Focus and out-of-office events.
- Notion's help center says mobile support for Microsoft Outlook calendars is still coming.
- Focus time and out-of-office events need a Google Workspace account, and travel time is not supported.
- Only one Notion account can be linked to a Notion Calendar account, and no Linux desktop app is listed.
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.
Notion Calendar
- Several calendar accounts in one view
- Connects Google Calendar, Apple iCloud and Microsoft Outlook calendars and can automatically block busy slots across them.
- Notion database items on the calendar
- Dated items from connected Notion databases appear next to events. Dragging one to a new time updates the Notion database.
- Availability and scheduling links
- Mark open times on the calendar and send them to others, or share a scheduling link that lets people book time with you.
- Command menu and shortcuts
- A command menu and keyboard shortcuts cover common actions; pressing ? in the app lists every shortcut.
- Time zone display
- Shows the day across several time zones, which helps when planning meetings with people in other regions.
- Conferencing links
- Creates Zoom meetings from an event, offers Google Meet by default on Google calendars and Microsoft Teams on Outlook calendars.
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.
Notion Calendar
Free$0
The full calendar app on web, desktop and mobile, with scheduling links and Notion database calendars.
