FamilyWall vs Skylight Calendar (2026): which should you pick?

Pick FamilyWall if

• Fits if you want the family calendar, shopping list and chat in one private app
• Works for households that plan meals and track a shared budget, on Premium

Look elsewhere if

• Tight if you're staying free and live in Google Calendar, because sync is Premium only
• Pricey if you pay monthly through the US App Store, at $7.99 against $4.99 on the website
• Skip it if all you want is a calendar, since much of this is lists, messages and photos
• Watch out: the meal planner, budget tracker, documents and location sharing are all Premium
• Watch out: Premium covers only the first 5 circles an account made, and its pages contradict each other on ads

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

FamilyWall

• The US App Store listing gives the monthly Premium price as $7.99, above the $4.99 on FamilyWall's website and Google Play listing. The yearly price is $44.99 on all three.
• Google and Outlook sync, the meal planner, budget tracker, timetables, documents and location sharing all need Premium.
• Premium applies to the first 5 circles an account created; any further circles stay on the free plan and cannot be chosen manually.
• The Premium page lists ad-free use as a Premium benefit, although the About page describes FamilyWall as ad-free.

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.

FamilyWall

Shared family calendar

A color-coded calendar shows one person's schedule or the whole family's at once. Any member can add or edit appointments, and reminders can be set for events.

Shopping and to-do lists

Shared shopping lists can be browsed offline in the store. To-do lists can be private or shared, and individual to-dos can be assigned to chosen family members.

Messenger, gallery and contacts

Family members post messages in threaded conversations, share photos and videos in a private gallery, and keep contacts such as a babysitter or doctor in a shared directory.

Calendar sync (Premium)

Premium connects Google and Outlook calendars to the family calendar and can subscribe to any public or shared calendar through its URL.

Meal planner and budget (Premium)

The meal planner lays out the week's meals, imports recipes from the web and turns a plan into a grocery list. The budget tracker records shared bills and everyday expenses.

Location and place alerts (Premium)

A map shows family members' recent and real-time positions, and alerts tell you when someone arrives at a saved place such as home or school. Each member chooses who sees their location.

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.

FamilyWall

• Standard$0

  Shared calendar, shopping lists, to-do lists, messenger and contact book. The Premium page does not mark this plan as ad free.

• Premium$4.99

  per month, or $44.99 billed annually

  Adds Google and Outlook.com sync, meal planner, recipe box, budget tracker, timetable, documents, family locator and place alerts, without ads. One subscription covers a circle.

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.

FamilyWall

• Annual discount

  About 25% less with annual billing

  The Premium page lists $4.99 per month or $44.99 billed annually. Twelve monthly payments come to $59.88, so paying for the year costs about 25% less.

Skylight Calendar

No public discounts listed.