Apple Calendar vs Zoho Calendar
We give Apple Calendar a 3.4 GPA and Zoho Calendar a 3.6, out of 4.0. Apple Calendar grades higher on ease of use. Zoho 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.
Zoho Calendar
Free online calendar for teams, part of Zoho Mail and Workplace
How we grade them
| 3.4GPAApple CalendarVery good | 3.6GPAZoho CalendarExcellent | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | AThe calendar itself is free, with no paid plan of its own. If you want more, the step up is Zoho Mail Lite at $1 a user a month billed annually, which is about as cheap as paid plans come. That one has no monthly option. |
| 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. | AEvents, shared calendars, subscriptions, sync with other calendars, the phone apps and 1 appointment booking link are all free. Most people could stay on it. Booking meeting rooms needs a paid Zoho Mail plan. |
| 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. | BSmart Add for typed-in events, group calendars, two-way sync with Google Calendar and Outlook, booking pages with buffers and a daily cap, and a REST API. Solid. But booking links stop at 1 for free users and 10 for paid ones, and Calendly events can only be viewed. |
| 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. | BIt's a web calendar with day, week, month and agenda views and drag and drop, so nothing here will surprise you. We have no App Store rating on record to go by, so it stops at a B. |
| 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. | AWeb, iPhone and Android, with CalDAV and Exchange ActiveSync for other apps and devices. It works with Google Calendar, Outlook, Zoom, Teams, Slack and Zapier, and there's an API. Zoho's Trident desktop app for macOS and Windows is on paid plans. |
| Best for | a free calendar across your Apple devices | a free shared calendar, above all for Zoho Mail teams |
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 Zoho Calendar. How we grade
Where they differ
- Apple Calendar is free. Zoho Calendar starts at $1 per user / month, billed annually (Zoho Mail Lite).
- Only Apple Calendar lists a macOS app.
- Only Zoho Calendar lists an Android app.
- Apple Calendar also covers tasks.
- Zoho Calendar also covers booking links.
At a glance
| Apple Calendar | Zoho Calendar | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free plan |
| Starts at | Free | $1 per user / month, billed annually (Zoho Mail Lite) |
| 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. | Zoho Calendar is a free web application with mobile apps: events, shared calendars, subscriptions, sync and 1 appointment booking link. Resource booking needs a paid Zoho Mail plan. |
| Free trial | None listed | 15-day free trial of the highest edition, no credit card required |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Apple Inc. | Zoho Corporation |
| Price read from | apps.apple.com | zoho.com |
| Checked | Oct 5, 2026 | Oct 5, 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
Zoho Calendar
- Teams already using Zoho Mail or Zoho Workplace
- Individuals who want a free web calendar with one booking page
- Organizations that need free/busy lookups across Zoho, Exchange and Google
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.
Zoho Calendar
- Free users can create 1 appointment booking link; paid Zoho Mail or Workplace users can create up to 10.
- Resource booking for meeting rooms is available only with a paid Zoho Mail plan.
- There is no standalone paid Calendar plan: upgrades are Zoho Mail or Workplace subscriptions, and Mail Lite and Mail Premium are billed annually only.
- Calendar's own apps are for the web, iOS and Android; Zoho's Trident desktop app for macOS and Windows is listed on paid plans.
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.
Zoho Calendar
- Events with Smart Add
- Type a phrase such as "Meeting with John tomorrow at 2pm" and the event is created. Views switch between day, week, month and agenda, and events move by drag and drop.
- Appointment booking pages
- Share a booking page with set durations, buffer times and a daily cap, and require guests to verify their email. Free users get 1 booking link; paid users get up to 10.
- Shared and group calendars
- Share a calendar publicly or with chosen people, create group calendars for a team, and subscribe to holiday, public or colleagues' calendars.
- Sync with other calendars
- Two-way sync with Google Calendar and Outlook lets you add, edit and delete their events in Zoho Calendar. Calendly events can be viewed, and CalDAV and Exchange ActiveSync connect other apps and devices.
- Resource booking
- Check the availability of meeting rooms and other resources in your organization and book them in advance. Available only on paid Zoho Mail plans.
- Interoperability and API
- Admins can let Zoho users and Microsoft Exchange or Google Calendar users see each other's free/busy status. A REST API and a Zapier integration are available.
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.
Zoho Calendar
Free$0
The calendar with events, sharing, subscriptions, sync and 1 booking link. Zoho's Mail Free plan covers up to 5 users.
Mail Lite$1
per user / month, billed annually; no monthly plan
Zoho Mail with 5 GB of mail storage per user ($1.25 for 10 GB) and shared calendars. Paid users can create up to 10 booking links.
Workplace Standard$3
per user / month, billed annually ($4 billed monthly)
30 GB of mail storage per user, plus WorkDrive file storage, the office apps, Cliq chat and Zoho Meeting next to Calendar.
Mail Premium$4
per user / month, billed annually; no monthly plan
50 GB of mail storage per user plus 50 GB of retention storage, with email retention and eDiscovery, S/MIME and shared calendars.
Workplace Professional$6
per user / month, billed annually ($7 billed monthly)
100 GB of mail storage per user, 1 TB of team file storage, and the full Workplace suite including Meeting, Vault and Connect.
Workplace EnterpriseCustom
The highest plans and custom limits of the included Workplace products, priced through sales.
Ways to pay less
Apple Calendar
No public discounts listed.
Zoho Calendar
- Annual discount
Lower Workplace rates with annual billing
Zoho's pricing lists Workplace Standard at $3 per user a month billed annually against $4 billed monthly, and Workplace Professional at $6 against $7.
