BusyCal vs fruux (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, fruux grades higher than BusyCal: 2.8 against 2.4 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 5, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
BusyCal grades higher on features. fruux grades higher on the free plan and platforms. They get the same grade on value for money and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
BusyCal
Customizable calendar and task app for Mac and iPhone
fruux
CalDAV and CardDAV sync for contacts, calendars and tasks
Which one is for you
Pick BusyCal if
- Fits if you're on a Mac and want to set exactly how your calendar looks
- Works for people who'd rather pay $49.99 once than subscribe, and keep iCloud, Google and Microsoft 365 accounts
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you use Windows or Android, because it's Mac, iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch only
- Pricey if you want it on your iPhone too, as the $9.99 iOS app isn't covered by the Mac license or subscription
- Watch out: the $49.99 license includes 18 months of updates, and newer versions after that need a $39.99 renewal
- Watch out: on the Mac App Store it's subscription only, $4.99 a month or $39.99 a year, and the Free Edition's limits aren't published
- Not for you if you need booking links, which BusyCal doesn't offer
Pick fruux if
- Fits if you want calendars and contacts in sync across phone and laptop
- Works for small teams that need shared address books
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you stay free: Basic stops at 2 devices and 2 shares
- Not for you if you want a calendar app, since fruux publishes no native apps in what we read
- Watch out: free-busy, out-of-office and delegation need a compatible calendar app
- Watch out: prices are in euros, with no US dollar price
How we grade them
| 2.4GPABusyCalFair | 2.8GPAfruuxGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | B$49.99 once is the dearest single payment in this category, whose one-time apps run from $2.49, and it buys 18 months of updates, after which a renewal is $39.99. The iPhone app is a further $9.99. Against a $6-a-month subscription it still pays itself back inside a year, which is why it isn't lower. | BPro is €4 a month or €40 a year, under the category's $4.99 cheapest quarter. Team is €20 a month for 5 members. |
| Free plan and trial | CThere is a Free Edition on the Mac App Store, described only as essential calendaring, and neither Apple's listing nor BusyMac says what it leaves out, while the licensing FAQ still says the App Store apps need a subscription. The 14-day trial of the full app is the dependable way to look. | BBasic is free with unlimited contacts, calendars, tasks and storage, limited to 2 devices and 2 shares. |
| Features | BIt covers the calendar job: five views you can reshape down to weeks per month and fonts, typed entry with a live preview, tasks that carry forward until done, Calendar Sets, Smart Filters, travel time with leave-now alerts and a menu bar calendar. No booking links, which Fantastical has. | CIt does one job, sync, and does it fully, which is a smaller job than a calendar app. Free-busy, out-of-office and delegation need a compatible client because the web app does not support them yet. |
| Ease of use | CNo rating on record. Nearly everything is adjustable, so there's a lot to set before it feels like yours, and accounts to connect first. Typed entry in plain words is the easy part. | CNo store rating on record. You set up accounts on each device through its own sync settings. |
| Platforms and integrations | COne family of devices: Mac, iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch, nothing beyond. It reads iCloud, Google, Microsoft 365, Exchange and Fastmail accounts, and pulls tasks from Reminders, Todoist and Microsoft To Do. | AWeb, Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android through standard clients, plus Thunderbird, Fantastical, BusyCal and Outlook, and a developer API. |
| Best for | Mac users who like to fiddle with every view | syncing calendars and contacts over CalDAV |
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: BusyCal and fruux. How we grade
Price against what you get
BusyCal starts at $3.33 a month when paid by the year and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. fruux starts at about $3.72 a month and scores 2.7.
fruux scores higher, and starts $0.39 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other calendar and scheduling apps on the chart, 12 score higher than BusyCal for less, and 6 score higher than fruux for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- BusyCal can be bought with a one-time purchase.
- BusyCal also covers natural-language input and menu bar app.
At a glance
| BusyCal | fruux | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $49.99 one-time for Mac, or $39.99 per year on the Mac App Store; iOS app $9.99 | €4 per month or €40 per year (Pro) |
| Free plan | The Mac App Store version has a Free Edition for non-subscribers that covers essential calendaring. The listing does not spell out which premium features it leaves out. | Basic plan: unlimited contacts, calendars, tasks and storage, up to 2 shares and up to 2 devices. |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial of the full Mac app, from the direct download or the Mac App Store | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Beehive Innovations FZE | fruux GmbH |
| Price read from | busymac.com | fruux.com |
| Checked | Oct 5, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
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.
fruux
- Free accounts stop at 2 devices and 2 shares; Pro raises these to 10 devices and unlimited shares.
- Prices are in euros, and there is no US dollar price.
- Free-busy, out-of-office and delegation features need a compatible calendar application, because the web app does not support them yet.
- fruux does not publish its own native apps in what we read; it relies on the devices' own CalDAV and CardDAV clients.
Key features
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.
fruux
- Standards-based sync
- Syncs through CardDAV and CalDAV, so apps such as Apple's built-in ones, Thunderbird, BusyCal, Fantastical and eM Client can connect without a fruux app.
- Contacts, calendars and tasks
- All three data types are kept together, with search, multiple task lists and filtering, calendar views and a web app.
- Sharing and public calendars
- Share calendars and address books with other people, or publish a public calendar as a link or embed on a website.
- Team accounts
- Create a team for a company or department, invite members, assign roles and control who can see which contacts, calendars and tasks.
- Free-busy scheduling
- Free-busy lookups show who is available when planning a meeting, and delegation lets an assistant manage your schedule. These need a compatible calendar app, not the web app.
- Developer API
- The API is built on CardDAV, CalDAV, vCard and iCalendar and covers what the web app can do. fruux also maintains the open-source sabre/dav server.
Plans
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.
fruux
Basic€0
Just for you: up to 2 shares and up to 2 devices, with unlimited contacts, calendars and tasks.
Pro€4
per month, or €40 per year
All Basic features with unlimited shares and up to 10 devices.
Team€20
per month for 5 team members, plus €4 per extra
Pro features for every member, easy team management, team address books and shared scheduling; extra members are €4 a month.
Ways to pay less
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.
fruux
- Annual discount
Pro is cheaper billed yearly
fruux's pricing page lists Pro at €4 a month or €40 a year, which is two months free against paying monthly.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, BusyCal or fruux?
As of Nov 12, 2026, BusyCal is cheaper to start with: $3.33 a month when paid by the year, against about $3.72 a month for fruux. BusyCal starts at $49.99 one-time for Mac, or $39.99 per year on the Mac App Store; iOS app $9.99, and fruux starts at €4 per month or €40 per year (Pro).
Which has a free plan, BusyCal or fruux?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both BusyCal and fruux have a free plan.
Which platforms do BusyCal and fruux run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only fruux lists a web app and Windows, Linux and Android apps. Both list macOS and iOS apps. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.