Fantastical vs Google Calendar

Fantastical

• People with Google, iCloud and Microsoft calendars who want them in one app
• Adding events quickly by typing a sentence
• Households sharing one subscription across up to 5 members

Google Calendar

• Anyone who already has a Google Account and wants a free calendar
• Organizations standardizing on Google Workspace for mail, files and meetings
• Taking bookings through a single free appointment page

Fantastical

• No Android app or web version is listed; it runs on Mac, Windows, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Apple Vision Pro.
• The free version allows 1 invitee per event, 1 calendar set and a 3-day weather forecast.
• Apple Watch support, push sync, travel time, templates and conference-call detection all need Flexibits Premium.
• Single sign-on and Openings with multiple hosts are limited to the Team plan.

Google Calendar

• The paid version is only sold as part of Google Workspace, which also includes Gmail, Drive and Meet.
• Personal accounts and Business Starter get one booking page; extra schedules, payments and reminders need Business Standard or higher, or an eligible Google One plan.
• Time Insights and working hours and location are limited to work or school accounts, and Time Insights can only be viewed on a computer.
• No desktop app is listed; Google offers it on the web and as Android and iOS apps.

Fantastical

Natural-language event entry

Create events and tasks by typing a plain-language sentence instead of filling in a form field by field.

Day, week, month, quarter and year views

Full-screen views at every scale plus the DayTicker strip, all included in the free version.

Tasks next to events

Tasks from iCloud Reminders, Todoist and Google Tasks appear alongside calendar events on both free and paid tiers.

Openings and Proposals

Premium adds Openings, which let others book a slot from your availability, and Proposals, which poll invitees on meeting times.

Conference call detection

Premium detects Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams and Webex links in events and adds a single-click Join button.

Calendar sets

Group calendars into sets. Free allows 1 set; Premium allows unlimited sets, syncs them and can switch sets automatically by time or location.

Google Calendar

Appointment booking pages

Publish a page where others pick a time on your calendar. Eligible paid plans allow several schedules, Stripe payments, email verification and up to 20 co-hosts.

Shared and layered calendars

Create calendars shared with a team or a whole organization, and view several calendars together, color-coded by category.

Scheduling from Gmail with Gemini

On Workspace plans, Gemini in Gmail can suggest meeting times and add events detected in an email with one click.

Google Meet and attachments

Events can carry a Google Meet video link and attached files, so the call and its documents open from the invitation.

Time Insights and working location

Work and school accounts can see how much time goes to meetings and who they meet most, and can share working hours and location.

Tasks on the calendar

Items from Google Tasks appear on the calendar next to events.

Fantastical

• Free$0

  Basic calendar and tasks with full-screen views; 1 calendar set, 1 invitee per event and a 3-day forecast.

• Individual$4.75

  per month, billed annually ($6.99 billed monthly)

  All Premium features for one person, including Openings, Proposals, call detection and Apple Watch support.

• Family$7.50

  per month, billed annually ($10.49 billed monthly)

  Flexibits Premium shared by up to 5 family members.

• Team$4.75

  per user / month, billed annually ($6.99 billed monthly)

  Premium for each member, plus single sign-on, team roles and Openings with multiple hosts.

Google Calendar

• Personal Google Account$0

  Calendar for personal use with a single appointment booking page and no premium booking features.

• Business Starter$7

  per user / month, 1-year commitment ($8.40 flexible)

  Google Workspace with 30 GB pooled storage per user. Calendar is still limited to one booking page.

• Business Standard$14

  per user / month, 1-year commitment ($16.80 flexible)

  2 TB pooled storage per user, plus premium appointment schedules: multiple booking pages, payments and reminders.

• Business Plus$22

  per user / month, 1-year commitment ($26.40 flexible)

  5 TB pooled storage per user, with the same premium appointment schedule features as Business Standard.

• EnterpriseCustom

  For organizations beyond the 300-user limit of the Business editions; priced through Google sales.

Fantastical

• Annual discount

  About 32% less with yearly billing

  Flexibits' pricing page lists the Individual plan at $4.75 a month billed annually, against $6.99 billed monthly, which works out about 32% lower.

• Education

  Educational and military discount

  Flexibits says it offers an educational or military discount on request. Contact the company with proof of your institution, student status or military service.

• Other savings

  Family plan for up to 5 members

  The Family plan shares Flexibits Premium among up to 5 members at a reduced price compared with separate Individual subscriptions.

Google Calendar

• Annual discount

  Lower rate with a 1-year commitment

  Business Starter costs $7 per user per month on the Annual/Fixed-Term Plan versus $8.40 on the Flexible Plan. Standard drops from $16.80 to $14 and Plus from $26.40 to $22.

• Nonprofit

  Google Workspace for Nonprofits at $0

  Verified nonprofits get Google Workspace for Nonprofits at $0 per user, or Business Standard at $3.50 and Business Plus at $6.16 per user per month on a 1-year commitment.

• Education

  Education Fundamentals at no charge

  Google Workspace for Education Fundamentals is available at no charge to qualifying institutions.