BusyCal vs CalenGoo

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

CalenGoo

• Google Calendar users who want more views and settings than Google's own apps
• People who want to pay once per platform and avoid a subscription
• Anyone who wants calendar, tasks, contacts and email in one desktop window

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.

CalenGoo

• The iOS, Android and desktop versions are different apps and each is bought separately.
• There is no free version. Android has a 72-hour trial and the desktop download can be tried first, but no iOS trial is listed.
• The desktop app costs $49.99 on the Microsoft Store; the site gives no price for the in-app purchase in its own downloads, and says Linux support depends on the distribution.
• Online booking is a separate product: the Booking System is free up to 20 booking hours a month and about $10 a month after that.

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.

CalenGoo

Direct sync with Google and others

Syncs with Google Calendar, including all past and future events, and with iCloud, CalDAV servers such as Nextcloud, Exchange and the device's own calendars, depending on the platform.

Configurable views

Day, week, month, agenda and year views plus a landscape day view and a search view. The month view zooms and scrolls, and nearly every part of the display can be adjusted.

Tasks in the calendar

Google Tasks lists sync and appear on their due dates, with sub-tasks and recurring tasks. Small task lists can also be saved inside an event, such as a shopping list.

Templates and floating events

Events can be created from one template or several combined. Floating events move to the current day until they are completed, and drag and drop moves, copies or deletes entries.

Reminders, contacts and attachments

Up to five reminders per event by SMS, email or pop-up. Contacts can be linked to events, and files and Evernote notes attached.

Desktop app with movable panes

The desktop version arranges calendar, tasks, contacts, templates and email in panes you can drag around. It includes an email client for Gmail, IMAP and Exchange and a free-text quick add.

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.

CalenGoo

• CalenGoo for Android$5.99

  one-time purchase on Google Play

  Installs on every Android phone and tablet linked to the same Google account, with free updates. Also free with a Play Pass subscription.

• CalenGoo for iOS$6.99

  one-time purchase on the App Store

  One purchase covers iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch on the same Apple account. No in-app purchases are listed.

• CalenGoo for Desktop$49.99

  one-time purchase on the Microsoft Store

  The Windows app with calendar, tasks, contacts and email. macOS and Linux builds are downloaded from the site and bought inside the app.

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.

CalenGoo

• Other savings

  Android app included with Google Play Pass

  The Google Play listing for CalenGoo says the app is free with a Play Pass subscription.