Cozi vs Skylight Calendar (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Cozi grades higher than Skylight Calendar: 2.8 against 1.4 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 9, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Cozi grades higher on value for money, the free plan, ease of use and platforms. They get the same grade on features.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Cozi
Shared family calendar with shopping lists, to-dos and recipes
Skylight Calendar
Family touchscreen calendar with chore charts and optional Plus plan
Which one is for you
Pick Cozi if
- Fits if you want one calendar the whole family can see, color-coded by person
- Works for families of up to 12, since one $39 a year Gold subscription covers everyone
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want two-way sync with Google or Apple Calendar, since the feeds are read-only and can lag a day
- Tight if you're staying free: ads, events only 30 days ahead, one reminder per person and no month view on phones
- Not for you if the kids shouldn't be able to change everything, as everyone shares one password with full access
- Too light for work teams, with no file or photo attachments, no desktop app and no API
- Watch out: the Gold trial only exists on the website, and the AI tools cost $79 a year on Max
Pick Skylight Calendar if
- Fits if you want a family calendar on the wall with no monthly bill for basics
- Works for households that already use Google or Apple calendars
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you add it up: $299.99 for the device, $79 a year for Plus
- Skip it if you want software only, as there is no app-only version
- Tight if you want meal planning, rewards or the photo screensaver, all Calendar Plus
- Watch out: Plus subscriptions are excluded from promotions
- Watch out: the 27-inch Calendar Max and other devices are priced separately
How we grade them
| 2.8GPACoziGood | 1.4GPASkylight CalendarWeak | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | BGold is $39 a year for the whole family, up to 12 people, so $3.25 a month in total against a $6 middle per person in this category. Part of what it unlocks, though, like month view on your phone, is stuff free calendars give you anyway. | D$299.99 one-time, against a calendar-tool one-time middle of $5.99, though it includes the screen. |
| Free plan and trial | CThe calendar, lists and recipes are free for everyone in the family, but you can only add events for the next 30 days. The dentist in six weeks won't go in. Add ads and one reminder per person and you'll hit the wall quickly. | FNo free plan or trial; the first Calendar Plus month is free and hardware returns are accepted for 4 months. |
| Features | CColor-coded calendar, shopping and to-do lists, chores, recipes and a meal planner, all shared. The gaps are ones the site owns up to: other calendars connect as read-only feeds only, access is all or nothing, and you can't attach a photo or file to an event. | CSynced calendar, tasks, lists and views. Meal planning, rewards and Magic Import need Calendar Plus. |
| Ease of use | A4.8 from about 400,000 App Store ratings. One reviewer's teenage daughter suggested it, and another family's babysitter entered the whole summer. Undoing things, like clearing a recipe off the list, is fiddlier. | CNo store rating on record. You mount it and link family accounts. |
| Platforms and integrations | BiPhone, Android and any browser, with links to Google, Outlook and Apple calendars. There's no desktop app and no API, though, and those three links are read-only feeds that can lag by hours. | COne device with phone apps, linking Google, Outlook, Apple, Cozi and Yahoo calendars. |
| Best for | busy families sharing one calendar | a family calendar screen for the kitchen |
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: Cozi and Skylight Calendar. How we grade
Where they differ
- Skylight Calendar also covers habit tracking.
At a glance
| Cozi | Skylight Calendar | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $39 per year for the whole family (Cozi Gold) | $299.99 one-time for Calendar 2; optional Calendar Plus $79 per year |
| Free plan | Free with ads: shared calendar, to-do and shopping lists and recipes for the whole family. Events can be entered for the next 30 days, with one reminder per attendee. | The device's basic features work without a subscription: calendar sync, color coding, task manager, custom lists and day, week and month views. |
| Free trial | Two-week free trial of Cozi Gold, only for subscriptions started on the Cozi website | First month of Calendar Plus free with a Calendar purchase; 4-month free returns on hardware |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Cozi Inc. | Skylight |
| Price read from | cozi.com | myskylight.com |
| Checked | Oct 9, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Cozi
- The free version shows ads and only lets you enter events for the next 30 days; Cozi Gold gives unlimited future calendar access.
- Month view on mobile, calendar search, change notifications and the birthday tracker need Cozi Gold.
- Everyone on an account signs in with one shared password and has full access to its data; Cozi offers no restricted-access option.
- Connections to Google Calendar, Outlook and Apple Calendar are read-only feeds, not two-way sync.
Skylight Calendar
- The hardware costs $299.99 for Calendar 2; there is no software-only version.
- Meal planning, photo screensaver, rewards and Magic Import need Calendar Plus at $79 a year.
- The page says individual Calendar Plus subscriptions are excluded from promotions and discounts.
- Skylight also sells a 27-inch Calendar Max, a Care calendar, a photo Frame and a Buddy routine device, which this entry does not price.
Key features
Cozi
- Color-coded family calendar
- Each of up to 12 family members gets a name and a color. The calendar shows everyone at once or filters to one person, on a computer or a phone.
- Reminders and agenda emails
- Reminders arrive as push notifications or email, and each person can receive a daily or weekly agenda email. Free accounts get one reminder per attendee; Gold allows three.
- Shopping and to-do lists
- Shared grocery lists, chore lists and as many other lists as you want. The shopping list can be emailed to whoever is at the store.
- Recipes and meal planning
- Store recipes, plan dinners for the week and add a recipe's ingredients to the shopping list.
- Cozi Today
- A single daily view of upcoming appointments, current to-dos and recently added shopping list items.
- AI tools in Cozi Max
- AI Event Import reads invitations and calendar details from email and adds them to the calendar. Max also generates recipes and builds meal plans around your preferences.
Skylight Calendar
- Synced family calendar
- Pulls in Google, Outlook, Apple, Cozi and Yahoo calendars, with a color for each family member and day, week, month and schedule views.
- Tasks manager
- Interactive checklists for kids' routines and chores, included without a subscription.
- Custom lists
- Task, to-do and grocery lists usable on the device or in the free mobile app.
- Magic Import
- Forward school emails or PDFs, or upload photos of flyers, and they are converted into calendar events (Plus).
- Meal planning and rewards
- Plan meals and add star-based rewards to chores; both are part of Calendar Plus.
Plans
Cozi
Cozi (Free)$0
Shared calendar, automatic notifications, shared grocery and to-do lists, and recipes, supported by ads.
Cozi Gold$39
per year, one subscription for the whole family
No ads, month view on mobile, calendar search, up to three reminders per event, change notifications, birthday tracker and Shopping Mode.
Cozi Max$79
per year, one subscription for the whole family
Everything in Gold, plus AI Event Import, AI Recipe Creator and AI Meal Planner.
Skylight Calendar
Calendar 2 (15 inch)$299.99
one-time
Hardware with swappable Snap Frames and a tabletop stand or wall mount; basic features need no subscription.
Calendar Plus$79
per year, after a first free month for new subscribers
Adds meal planning, photo and video screensaver, rewards, Magic Import with Sidekick and Disney Mode.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Cozi or Skylight Calendar?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Cozi starts at $39 per year for the whole family (Cozi Gold), and Skylight Calendar starts at $299.99 one-time for Calendar 2; optional Calendar Plus $79 per year.
Which has a free plan, Cozi or Skylight Calendar?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Cozi and Skylight Calendar have a free plan.
Which platforms do Cozi and Skylight Calendar run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Cozi lists a web app. Both list iOS and Android 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.