Dato vs World Time Buddy

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

World Time Buddy

• Comparing working hours across several time zones at a glance
• Picking a call time for people in different countries
• Showing a webinar time in each website visitor's local time

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.

World Time Buddy

• Renaming locations and grouping them in tabs on the website require signing in.
• The iOS app lists a $2.99 in-app upgrade, although the maker's mobile page gives a workaround that unlocks it free of charge.
• The App Store shows iOS version 1.28 from November 2020, and Google Play shows the Android app last updated in January 2020.
• Google Play labels the Android app as containing ads and in-app purchases.

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.

World Time Buddy

Hour-tile time comparison

Add locations by searching for places or time zones such as UTC, reorder them by dragging and mark one as home. Each location gets a row of hour tiles aligned with the others.

Select and share a time range

Click and drag across the hour tiles to pick a range, then open it in Outlook, iCal, Google Calendar or Gmail, copy it to the clipboard, or create a public event page.

Google Calendar overlay

Signed-in users can overlay Google Calendar above the hour tiles to find open slots. The mobile apps can show the device's calendars in the same position.

DST warnings and weekend marking

Daylight saving warnings appear a week before a change. Weekends are highlighted, including in countries where the weekend is not Saturday and Sunday.

12-hour, 24-hour or mixed format

Hours can be shown in 12-hour or 24-hour format, or in a mixed mode that uses each location's native format.

Embeddable widgets

A world clock widget and an event widget can be placed on a website. Both detect each visitor's time zone, and the event widget shows the event in the visitor's local time.

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.

World Time Buddy

• Free$0

  The website with all features, plus the iOS and Android apps without the in-app upgrade.

• Upgrade$2.99

  in-app purchase on the App Store; billing basis not shown

  The iOS listing marks location groups as the pro feature. The maker's mobile page describes a temporary workaround that unlocks the upgrade at no charge.

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.

World Time Buddy

No public discounts listed.