Fantastical vs nocal
We give Fantastical a 3.0 GPA and nocal a 3.2, out of 4.0. Fantastical grades higher on features. nocal grades higher on platforms. They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Fantastical
Calendar and tasks app for Apple devices, Windows and Googlebook
nocal
Calendar, notes and tasks in one app, with an MCP server for AI
How we grade them
| 3.0GPAFantasticalVery good | 3.2GPAnocalVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | B$4.75 a month on yearly billing, with booking links and meeting polls thrown in. Fair. But Google's and Apple's calendars are free, so you have to want the extras. | BEverywhere is $4.99 a month for the phone apps and sync, about typical for a calendar app. Full Access is $9.99 a month, and that's where extra Google and Outlook accounts, calendar groups and widgets sit. The pricing page shows monthly prices only. |
| Free plan and trial | BFree with no end date: every view, typed-in events and your tasks. But it's 1 invitee per event and 1 calendar set, and the Apple Watch app needs Premium. | BThe Mac and Windows app is free, with full Google Calendar and Outlook management and unlimited notes. But it's desktop only, with one space. The phone apps and sync between devices need a paid plan. Students with a .edu address get it free. |
| Features | ATyped-in events, calendar sets, booking links, meeting polls, a Join button for video calls and a 10-day forecast. About as much calendar as you can get. | BA weekly note beside the calendar, notes on events, typed entry like "Lunch with Alex tomorrow at noon", and Calendar Ideas that suggest focus blocks. There's an MCP server for Claude and ChatGPT too. But no iCloud support, only a waitlist. |
| Ease of use | BTyping an event in is as quick as it gets. Its guesses do catch people out now and then, and 4.2 from about 24,500 App Store ratings trails Google Calendar's 4.5. | BDownload it, sign in with Google or Outlook and your calendar is there, with nothing to wire up unless you want the AI hookup. We have no App Store rating on record to go by, so it stops at a B. |
| Platforms and integrations | CMac, Windows, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Vision Pro, plus Googlebook since October. No Android phone app though (Flexibits says 2027), and no web version. | AMac, Windows, iPhone and Android, and its MCP server lets Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor and VS Code read and write your notes. No web or Linux version is listed, and the iPhone app needs iOS 26.2 or later. |
| Best for | juggling several calendars on a Mac and iPhone | planning your week in notes beside your calendar |
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: Fantastical and nocal. How we grade
Where they differ
- Fantastical starts at $4.75 per month, billed annually ($6.99 billed monthly). nocal starts at $4.99 per month (Everywhere).
- Only nocal lists an Android app.
- Fantastical also covers templates and booking links.
- nocal also covers notes, Markdown and linked notes.
At a glance
| Fantastical | nocal | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $4.75 per month, billed annually ($6.99 billed monthly) | $4.99 per month (Everywhere) |
| Free plan | Add accounts, events and tasks, with day-to-year views and home screen widgets. Limited to 1 calendar set, 1 invitee per event and a 3-day weather forecast. | The Mac and Windows desktop app with full Google Calendar and Outlook management, unlimited note taking and one space. Mobile apps and sync across devices need a paid plan. |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial of Flexibits Premium | None listed |
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Flexibits Inc. | Muse Tech, LLC |
| Price read from | flexibits.com | nocal.app |
| Checked | Oct 9, 2026 | Oct 9, 2026 |
Who each one suits
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
nocal
- People who plan the week in notes and want them next to their calendar
- Google Calendar and Outlook users who work on a Mac or Windows PC
- Developers who want AI agents to read and update their notes over MCP
- Students with a .edu address, who the vendor says can use it free
Worth knowing
Fantastical
- No web version, and the Googlebook app launched in October 2026 does not run on Android phones or tablets; Flexibits says Android support is coming in 2027.
- 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.
nocal
- Works only with Google Calendar and Outlook or Microsoft 365 accounts. Apple iCloud is not supported; the downloads page offers a waitlist.
- The free plan is desktop only. Mobile apps and sync need Everywhere at $4.99 per month; extra calendar accounts, calendar groups and widgets need Full Access.
- The pricing page shows monthly prices only. The App Store also lists $49.99 and $99.99 purchases without a billing period.
- No web or Linux version is listed, and the App Store listing is for iPhone only, requiring iOS 26.2 or later.
Key features
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.
nocal
- Weekly note beside the calendar
- Each week has a note written in Markdown that can hold bullet and numbered lists, task lists, tables, collapsible sections and code blocks, so a weekly plan sits next to the schedule.
- Notes attached to events
- Notes and action items can be written on a calendar event, and notes can nest inside or link to one another, so meetings and notes reference each other.
- Unified Google and Outlook calendar
- Google and Microsoft or Outlook accounts are merged on one timeline, with an inbox for answering invites. Connecting additional accounts requires the Full Access subscription.
- Calendar Ideas
- nocal reviews upcoming weekdays and suggests adding a focus block, moving a meeting or declining one. Nothing changes until you accept an idea, and the feature can be turned off.
- Built-in MCP server
- Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor and VS Code can connect through the Model Context Protocol to search and read notes and write their output back into them.
- Natural-language scheduling and widgets
- Events can be typed as a phrase such as "Lunch with Alex tomorrow at noon". The phone apps add a home screen widget that shows what is next and the shape of the day.
Plans
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.
nocal
Free$0
Desktop app for Mac and Windows with full Google Calendar and Outlook management, unlimited note taking and one space.
Everywhere$4.99
per month
Everything in Free, plus the iOS and Android apps, sync across all devices and unlimited spaces.
Full Access$9.99
per month
Everything in Everywhere, plus unlimited Google and Outlook connections, calendar groups, the tray app and widgets, and high visibility notifications.
Ways to pay less
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.
nocal
- Education
Free for students with a .edu address
nocal's students page says the app is free when you sign up with a .edu address and calls it free for students, forever. The page does not say which paid tier this covers.
