BusyCal vs Calendar 366

BusyCal

• Mac users who want fine control over how their calendar looks
• People who prefer a one-time license to a subscription
• Anyone juggling iCloud, Google, Microsoft 365 and CalDAV accounts

Calendar 366

• People who keep everything on Apple devices and want events and tasks in one app
• Mixing iCloud, Google, Microsoft 365, Fastmail and CalDAV accounts
• Buyers who prefer a one-time purchase to a subscription
• Mac users who want to manage their calendar from an AI assistant over MCP

BusyCal

• Mac and iOS only. The iPhone and iPad app is a separate $9.99 purchase and is not covered by the Mac license or subscription.
• A direct license includes 18 months of updates. The app keeps working after that, but newer versions need a paid renewal.
• The Mac App Store version is sold by subscription only ($4.99 a month or $39.99 a year); the one-time license is sold on BusyMac's own store.
• The App Store listing does not detail the Free Edition's limits, and BusyMac's licensing FAQ still says the App Store apps need an active subscription.

Calendar 366

• Apple only: iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Mac. No Android, Windows or web version is listed.
• After the 7-day trial the free download keeps only basic features, and the vendor does not publish which features are premium.
• Prices appear only as App Store in-app purchases. Several have no billing period, and no monthly price for single-user Pro is shown.
• Siri AI is in beta, English only, and needs iOS, iPadOS or macOS 27. The MCP connection to AI assistants is Mac only.

BusyCal

Views you can reshape

Day, Week, Month, Year planner and List views, with control over weeks per month, days per week, fonts, colors and density, plus a sidebar or floating Info Panel.

Natural language quick entry

Type a phrase such as "Lunch with Joe next Tuesday at 12:30" to create an event or task, with a live preview of the title, time and location. Several languages are supported.

Tasks on the calendar

Tasks appear on their due dates and carry forward until completed, and a sidebar list sorts them by date, priority or tag. They sync with Apple Reminders, Google Tasks, Todoist and Microsoft To Do.

Smart Filters and Calendar Sets

Group calendars into sets for work, personal or family, and save combinations of searches, sets and view settings as Smart Filters you can switch between.

Travel time and time-to-leave alerts

Travel time to an event is calculated from your location or set by hand, and alerts adjust to traffic so you know when to leave.

Menu bar app

A menu bar calendar with a mini month, a heat map of availability, a scrolling event list and task entry. It keeps working when the main app is closed.

Calendar 366

Natural language entry

Type what, when and where to create an event or task, with shorthand such as /Work for a calendar, -r1w for a weekly repeat and ! for priority. Apple Intelligence can be picked as the engine on iOS, iPadOS or macOS 27.

Tasks next to events

Tasks sit in the calendar with reminders, location-based alerts, priorities and notes, and can be filtered by today, overdue or important. They sync with Apple Reminders, Google Tasks, Microsoft to-dos and Todoist.

Views and calendar sets

Year, month, week, day and agenda views, plus month and week views paired with a list, in portrait and landscape. Calendar sets group calendars and lists and sync across devices.

Meetings and invitations

Creates Zoom, Google Meet and Microsoft Teams meetings and opens join links for services such as Webex and FaceTime. Invitations arrive in an inbox and can be accepted or declined there.

Widgets, Apple Watch and menu bar

20 home screen and desktop widgets, 6 lock screen widgets and 10 watch complications. The Watch app creates events and completes tasks, and the Mac version adds a full menu bar calendar.

Shortcuts, URL scheme and MCP

Supports Apple Shortcuts and a cal366:// URL scheme for automation. On Mac it can connect to Claude Desktop or LM Studio through the Model Context Protocol to show, create and reschedule entries by chat.

BusyCal

• Free Edition$0

  Essential calendaring in the Mac App Store version, for people without a subscription.

• Mac App Store subscription$4.99

  per month, or $39.99 per year

  The full Mac app by subscription. One subscription covers a family's Macs through Family Sharing.

• BusyCal iOS$9.99

  one-time purchase on the App Store

  Universal app for iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch, with Family Sharing. Not included with the Mac license or subscription.

• BusyCal for Mac license$49.99

  one-time purchase with 18 months of updates

  Perpetual license from BusyMac's store for one user on up to 5 personal Macs. Renewing for further updates is optional.

• BusyCal + BusyContacts$79.99

  one-time purchase

  Both Mac apps as a bundle, listed at 20% off the $99.99 combined price.

Calendar 366

• Free$0

  Free download with basic features. Neither the site nor the App Store listing says which features stay free after the 7-day trial.

• Pro (Yearly)$19.99

  per year

  Yearly subscription that unlocks the premium features, as labelled in the App Store's in-app purchase list.

• Pro (iOS)$19.99

  billing basis not shown on the App Store listing

  Listed without a period. The vendor's FAQ says a one-time purchase is offered next to the subscriptions.

• Pro$49.99

  billing basis not shown on the App Store listing

  Listed without a period or platform label. The site describes the app as a universal purchase across iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Mac.

• Pro Family (Monthly)$4.99

  per month, or $29.99 per year as Pro Family (Yearly)

  Family version of the Pro subscription, with monthly and yearly options in the App Store's in-app purchase list.

• Pro Family (iOS)$29.99

  billing basis not shown on the App Store listing

  Family version listed without a period. A second item named Pro Family, with no platform label, is listed at $69.99.

BusyCal

• Education

  20% off for staff and students

  BusyMac's store offers a 20% discount to staff and students at educational institutions, requested by email.

• Other savings

  Volume discounts from 2 licenses

  Discounts apply automatically at checkout: 10% off 2 to 4 licenses, 20% off 5 to 9, 25% off 10 to 49, 30% off 50 to 99 and 35% off 100 or more.

• Other savings

  Discounted license renewals

  Renewing a license for another 18 months of updates is 20% to 40% off the original price. The licensing FAQ puts a renewal at $39.99.

• Other savings

  Bundle with BusyContacts for $79.99

  Buying BusyCal and BusyContacts together costs $79.99, which the store lists as 20% off the $99.99 combined price.

Calendar 366

• Lifetime license

  One-time purchase in place of a subscription

  The FAQ on Calendar 366's site says that after the 7-day trial you can choose a subscription or a one-time purchase. The App Store lists Pro (iOS) at $19.99 and Pro at $49.99 without a billing period.