fruux vs Proton Calendar (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, fruux grades higher than Proton Calendar: 2.8 against 2.6 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 5, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
fruux grades higher on platforms. They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan, features and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
fruux
CalDAV and CardDAV sync for contacts, calendars and tasks
Proton Calendar
End-to-end encrypted calendar from the maker of Proton Mail
Which one is for you
Pick fruux if
- Fits if you want calendars and contacts in sync across phone and laptop
- Works for small teams that need shared address books
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you stay free: Basic stops at 2 devices and 2 shares
- Not for you if you want a calendar app, since fruux publishes no native apps in what we read
- Watch out: free-busy, out-of-office and delegation need a compatible calendar app
- Watch out: prices are in euros, with no US dollar price
Pick Proton Calendar if
- Fits if you want your event details unreadable to the company storing them
- Works for people already on Proton Mail who want invitations handled in the inbox
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want to share a calendar for free, because sharing needs a paid plan
- Tight if you're staying free and juggle more than 3 calendars
- Not for you if you want to pay for a calendar alone, since the paid features come bundled with mail
- Tight if you take bookings: Mail Plus and Unlimited include 1 booking page, and 25 need Workspace at $12.99 a user
- Watch out: on a computer it runs through the Proton Mail app, a 14-day trial on free accounts, and the Linux app is beta
How we grade them
| 2.8GPAfruuxGood | 2.6GPAProton CalendarGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | BPro is €4 a month or €40 a year, under the category's $4.99 cheapest quarter. Team is €20 a month for 5 members. | BMail Plus is $3.99 a month billed yearly, inside this category's lowest quarter, and it brings encrypted email, 15 GB and 10 addresses with it. The odd part: there's no Calendar-only plan, so you're buying mail whether you want it or not. |
| Free plan and trial | BBasic is free with unlimited contacts, calendars, tasks and storage, limited to 2 devices and 2 shares. | BFree gives 3 encrypted calendars and invitations with no time limit. No calendar sharing and no booking page, though, and on a free account the desktop app is a 14-day trial. |
| Features | CIt does one job, sync, and does it fully, which is a smaller job than a calendar app. Free-busy, out-of-office and delegation need a compatible client because the web app does not support them yet. | CThe basics, encrypted: repeating events with several reminders, day, week and month views, imports through Easy Switch, invitations handled inside Proton Mail. The gaps are the listing's own. Sharing and booking pages are paid, Mail Plus includes just 1 booking page, and there are no tasks. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. You set up accounts on each device through its own sync settings. | C4.1 from about 1,500 App Store ratings, which is low for a calendar. On a computer there's no Calendar app of its own either: you reach it through the Proton Mail app. |
| Platforms and integrations | AWeb, Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android through standard clients, plus Thunderbird, Fantastical, BusyCal and Outlook, and a developer API. | BWeb, Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone and Android. What it connects to is all its own, though: Proton Mail and Proton Meet, no API, and the Linux app is beta. |
| Best for | syncing calendars and contacts over CalDAV | a calendar your provider can't read |
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: fruux and Proton Calendar. How we grade
Price against what you get
fruux starts at about $3.72 a month and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Proton Calendar starts at $3.99 a month and scores 2.3.
fruux scores higher and starts $0.27 a month lower. Of the other calendar and scheduling apps on the chart, 6 score higher than fruux for less, and 16 score higher than Proton Calendar for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Proton Calendar is open source and end-to-end encrypted, according to its own site.
- fruux also covers tasks.
- Proton Calendar also covers booking links.
At a glance
| fruux | Proton Calendar | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | €4 per month or €40 per year (Pro) | $3.99 per month, billed every 12 months ($47.88); $4.99 billed monthly |
| Free plan | Basic plan: unlimited contacts, calendars, tasks and storage, up to 2 shares and up to 2 devices. | Proton Free: 3 personal calendars with end-to-end encryption and event invitations. No calendar sharing or booking pages, and the desktop app is a 14-day trial. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | fruux GmbH | Proton AG |
| Price read from | fruux.com | proton.me |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Oct 5, 2026 |
Worth knowing
fruux
- Free accounts stop at 2 devices and 2 shares; Pro raises these to 10 devices and unlimited shares.
- Prices are in euros, and there is no US dollar price.
- Free-busy, out-of-office and delegation features need a compatible calendar application, because the web app does not support them yet.
- fruux does not publish its own native apps in what we read; it relies on the devices' own CalDAV and CardDAV clients.
Proton Calendar
- Proton Free allows 3 personal calendars; Mail Plus and higher plans allow 25.
- Calendar sharing and booking pages need a paid plan, and Mail Plus and Proton Unlimited include only 1 booking page.
- Calendar has no subscription of its own: paid features come with Mail Plus, Proton Unlimited or a business plan.
- Desktop use is through the Proton Mail app for Mac, Windows and Linux, a 14-day trial on free accounts; the Linux app is labeled beta.
Key features
fruux
- Standards-based sync
- Syncs through CardDAV and CalDAV, so apps such as Apple's built-in ones, Thunderbird, BusyCal, Fantastical and eM Client can connect without a fruux app.
- Contacts, calendars and tasks
- All three data types are kept together, with search, multiple task lists and filtering, calendar views and a web app.
- Sharing and public calendars
- Share calendars and address books with other people, or publish a public calendar as a link or embed on a website.
- Team accounts
- Create a team for a company or department, invite members, assign roles and control who can see which contacts, calendars and tasks.
- Free-busy scheduling
- Free-busy lookups show who is available when planning a meeting, and delegation lets an assistant manage your schedule. These need a compatible calendar app, not the web app.
- Developer API
- The API is built on CardDAV, CalDAV, vCard and iCalendar and covers what the web app can do. fruux also maintains the open-source sabre/dav server.
Proton Calendar
- End-to-end encrypted events
- An event's title, description, location and attendees are encrypted on your device. Events received from people on other calendar services are stored with zero-knowledge encryption.
- Appointment booking pages
- Publish a booking page that shows only the times you choose and syncs with your calendars to prevent double bookings. Confirmed meetings can include a Proton Meet link. Paid plans only.
- Calendar sharing
- On paid plans, share a calendar by link or by inviting people directly, showing either full event details or only your availability.
- Works with Proton Mail
- Send invitations from a Proton Mail address, manage them without leaving the inbox, and add events received by email, such as flights or meetings, to the calendar.
- Recurring events and reminders
- Events can repeat daily, weekly, monthly or on a custom pattern, with several reminders or email alerts each. Views switch between day, week and month.
- Import and calendar subscriptions
- The Easy Switch tool imports existing calendars from other providers, and you can subscribe to calendars that other people keep on a different service.
Plans
fruux
Basic€0
Just for you: up to 2 shares and up to 2 devices, with unlimited contacts, calendars and tasks.
Pro€4
per month, or €40 per year
All Basic features with unlimited shares and up to 10 devices.
Team€20
per month for 5 team members, plus €4 per extra
Pro features for every member, easy team management, team address books and shared scheduling; extra members are €4 a month.
Proton Calendar
Proton Free$0
3 personal calendars, end-to-end encryption, and sending and receiving invitations.
Mail Plus$3.99
per month, billed every 12 months ($47.88); $4.99 billed monthly
25 personal calendars, calendar sharing and 1 booking page, plus 15 GB of storage and 10 email addresses.
Proton Unlimited$9.99
per month, billed every 12 months ($119.88); $12.99 billed monthly
The same calendar features as Mail Plus, bundled with 500 GB of storage and Proton's VPN, password manager and cloud storage.
Workspace Standard$12.99
per user / month, billed every 12 months ($155.88)
Business suite with 25 calendars and 25 booking pages per user, 1 TB of storage per user and 15 custom email domains.
Workspace Premium$19.99
per user / month, billed every 12 months ($239.88)
Everything in Workspace Standard, plus 3 TB of storage per user, 20 custom email domains and data retention policies.
EnterpriseCustom
All Proton services in a customizable package with a dedicated account manager; priced through sales.
Ways to pay less
fruux
- Annual discount
Pro is cheaper billed yearly
fruux's pricing page lists Pro at €4 a month or €40 a year, which is two months free against paying monthly.
Proton Calendar
- Annual discount
20% off Mail Plus on the 12-month plan
Proton's pricing page lists Mail Plus at $3.99 a month when billed every 12 months ($47.88), against $4.99 billed monthly. Proton Unlimited is $9.99 instead of $12.99.
- Education
Student discount for the first 12 months
Students verified through Student Beans get 50% off Mail Plus and 62% off Proton Unlimited for the first 12 months; the plan then renews at the regular price.
- Nonprofit
Reduced pricing for registered nonprofits
Registered nonprofits can request discounted pricing on Proton's business plans from the sales team. No fixed percentage is published.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, fruux or Proton Calendar?
As of Nov 12, 2026, fruux is cheaper to start with: about $3.72 a month, against $3.99 a month for Proton Calendar. fruux starts at €4 per month or €40 per year (Pro), and Proton Calendar starts at $3.99 per month, billed every 12 months ($47.88); $4.99 billed monthly.
Which has a free plan, fruux or Proton Calendar?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both fruux and Proton Calendar have a free plan.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.