Fantastical vs Itsycal

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

Itsycal

• Mac users who want a quick month view without opening a calendar app
• People who navigate by keyboard and like Vim-style keys
• Anyone looking for a free, open-source menu bar calendar

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.

Itsycal

• Mac only, and it depends on the Mac Calendar app: it shows only calendars already set up there.
• Events can be created and deleted but not edited; the project's README says editing is not supported.
• Only the Gregorian calendar is supported, and delegate calendars cannot be shown directly.
• The current download needs macOS 11 or later (macOS 27 has its own build); older versions cover earlier systems.

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.

Itsycal

Month calendar with agenda

A compact month grid opens from the menu bar with an agenda of events below it. It can show up to two months at a time, ISO week numbers and three text sizes.

Events from the Mac Calendar app

Displays events from whichever calendars you tick among those set up in the Mac Calendar app. New events can be created and existing ones deleted from Itsycal.

Join virtual meetings

A meeting icon in the agenda turns into a Join button 15 minutes before the start. Zoom and Teams links open in their apps, and Command-J joins the first active meeting.

Keyboard navigation with Vim motions

Arrow keys or H, J, K and L move by day, week, month and year, with an optional repeat count. Other keys pin the window, toggle week numbers and jump to a given date.

Menu bar clock replacement

The menu bar item can show the day, month and weekday, plus text built from a date and time pattern in the system clock's font, with or without the icon.

URL scheme and global shortcut

A configurable keyboard shortcut opens Itsycal from anywhere, and the itsycal://date/ URL scheme opens it at today or at a specific date.

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.

Itsycal

• Itsycal$0

  The complete app as a direct download for macOS 11 or later, with a separate build for macOS 27. Donations are optional.

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.

Itsycal

No public discounts listed.