Apple Calendar vs Proton Calendar

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

Proton Calendar

• People who want event details kept unreadable to the provider
• Existing Proton Mail users who want invitations handled in the inbox
• Privacy-focused organizations standardizing on Proton's business suite

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.

Proton Calendar

• Proton Free allows 3 personal calendars; Mail Plus and higher plans allow 25.
• Calendar sharing and booking pages need a paid plan, and Mail Plus and Proton Unlimited include only 1 booking page.
• Calendar has no subscription of its own: paid features come with Mail Plus, Proton Unlimited or a business plan.
• Desktop use is through the Proton Mail app for Mac, Windows and Linux, a 14-day trial on free accounts; the Linux app is labeled beta.

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.

Proton Calendar

End-to-end encrypted events

An event's title, description, location and attendees are encrypted on your device. Events received from people on other calendar services are stored with zero-knowledge encryption.

Appointment booking pages

Publish a booking page that shows only the times you choose and syncs with your calendars to prevent double bookings. Confirmed meetings can include a Proton Meet link. Paid plans only.

Calendar sharing

On paid plans, share a calendar by link or by inviting people directly, showing either full event details or only your availability.

Works with Proton Mail

Send invitations from a Proton Mail address, manage them without leaving the inbox, and add events received by email, such as flights or meetings, to the calendar.

Recurring events and reminders

Events can repeat daily, weekly, monthly or on a custom pattern, with several reminders or email alerts each. Views switch between day, week and month.

Import and calendar subscriptions

The Easy Switch tool imports existing calendars from other providers, and you can subscribe to calendars that other people keep on a different service.

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.

Proton Calendar

• Proton Free$0

  3 personal calendars, end-to-end encryption, and sending and receiving invitations.

• Mail Plus$3.99

  per month, billed every 12 months ($47.88); $4.99 billed monthly

  25 personal calendars, calendar sharing and 1 booking page, plus 15 GB of storage and 10 email addresses.

• Proton Unlimited$9.99

  per month, billed every 12 months ($119.88); $12.99 billed monthly

  The same calendar features as Mail Plus, bundled with 500 GB of storage and Proton's VPN, password manager and cloud storage.

• Workspace Standard$12.99

  per user / month, billed every 12 months ($155.88)

  Business suite with 25 calendars and 25 booking pages per user, 1 TB of storage per user and 15 custom email domains.

• Workspace Premium$19.99

  per user / month, billed every 12 months ($239.88)

  Everything in Workspace Standard, plus 3 TB of storage per user, 20 custom email domains and data retention policies.

• EnterpriseCustom

  All Proton services in a customizable package with a dedicated account manager; priced through sales.

Apple Calendar

No public discounts listed.

Proton Calendar

• Annual discount

  20% off Mail Plus on the 12-month plan

  Proton's pricing page lists Mail Plus at $3.99 a month when billed every 12 months ($47.88), against $4.99 billed monthly. Proton Unlimited is $9.99 instead of $12.99.

• Education

  Student discount for the first 12 months

  Students verified through Student Beans get 50% off Mail Plus and 62% off Proton Unlimited for the first 12 months; the plan then renews at the regular price.

• Nonprofit

  Reduced pricing for registered nonprofits

  Registered nonprofits can request discounted pricing on Proton's business plans from the sales team. No fixed percentage is published.