BusyCal vs Dato

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

Dato

• Mac users who want their schedule one click away in the menu bar
• People who keep missing the start of video meetings
• Anyone working across time zones who wants several clocks in view
• Buyers who want a one-time purchase and no subscription

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.

Dato

• Mac only. The current version requires macOS 26 or later; older macOS releases get older versions of the app.
• The vendor calls it a read-only view of your events: it can create events, but editing one or answering an invitation opens Apple's Calendar app.
• It has no sync of its own. Google, Outlook and other accounts must first be added to the built-in Calendar app.
• Natural-language entry is not supported yet, and the menus and settings are in English 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.

Dato

Menu bar calendar and event list

A month calendar with optional week numbers and event indicators sits above a list of upcoming events and reminders. How many days and events it shows is adjustable.

Fullscreen meeting notifications

A notification fills the screen when an event starts. It can be limited to video calls, events with an alert or accepted events, and paused with a Focus Filter.

Join video calls

Join the next call from a notification, the event details or a global keyboard shortcut. Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams and more than 50 other services are recognized, and others can be added.

World clocks and time travel

Clocks for several time zones appear in the Dato menu or the menu bar, with custom names and offline search of 15,000 cities. A slider shows what time it will be elsewhere.

Upcoming event in the menu bar

The next event can be shown as its own menu bar item, next to a date and time display whose format, icon and color can be customized.

Shortcuts, widgets and quick entry

A global keyboard shortcut opens the new event window, which can also create reminders. Shortcuts actions switch calendars and notifications on or off, and widgets show the date, calendar and world clocks.

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.

Dato

• Dato$18

  one-time purchase on the Mac App Store

  The full app. The App Store listing promises free upgrades and says Dato will never be subscription-based.

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.

Dato

• Other savings

  Menu bar bundle of three apps for $18.00

  The Mac App Store sells Sindre's Menu Bar Bundle, which contains Dato, Lungo and Battery Indicator, for $18.00, the same price as Dato alone.

• Education

  50% off for schools buying 20 or more copies

  For his App Store apps, Sindre Sorhus says educational institutions get a 50% discount when they buy 20 or more copies of one app through Apple School Manager.

• Other savings

  Also available through Setapp

  Dato is distributed through the Setapp app subscription as well as the App Store, and the vendor's page says Setapp can be tried free for 7 days.

• Other savings

  Older versions are free on older macOS

  Earlier releases for macOS 10.14 through macOS 15 are listed as free for everyone on the vendor's page. They will not run on newer macOS versions.