Google Calendar vs GroupCal
We give Google Calendar and GroupCal the same GPA: 3.6 out of 4.0. Google Calendar grades higher on value for money. GroupCal grades higher on ease of use. They get the same grade on the free plan, features and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Google Calendar
Online calendar from Google, free with a personal account
GroupCal
Shared calendars for groups, teams and public audiences
How we grade them
| 3.6GPAGoogle CalendarExcellent | 3.6GPAGroupCalExcellent | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | BThe paid version only comes inside Google Workspace, from $7 a user a month on a 1-year commitment. That's about typical, and Gmail, Drive and Meet come with it. But Starter adds nothing to the calendar itself. More booking pages and payments wait for Standard at $14. | CPro is $10 a month billed annually ($120), the dear end for a calendar, and it mostly buys permission controls and member colours. More than one admin or hidden event details means Team at $50 a month. Only the owner pays, which helps. |
| Free plan and trial | AFree with a personal Google Account on web, Android and iPhone, with one appointment booking page thrown in. Most people will never pay. Extra booking pages, payments and automatic email reminders are the paid bits. | AFree forever with unlimited calendars and events, and members never pay. The limits are 25 event photos, 1 admin and no permission controls. A family or a group of friends could stay here for good. |
| Features | AShared, colour-coded calendars you can view together, a booking page, Google Meet links and files on events, and Google Tasks next to them. Workspace plans add Gemini scheduling from Gmail and Time Insights, though Time Insights only shows on a computer. | ASeparate calendars per group, push alerts on every change, RSVPs, owner, admin and member roles, your Google and Outlook events alongside, and public calendars you can embed with a WordPress plugin or Wix widget. That's the group job covered. |
| Ease of use | B4.5 from about 132,000 App Store ratings. If you have a Google Account there's nothing to set up. On Workspace plans, an event spotted in an email can be added with one click. | A4.7 from about 800 App Store ratings. People join from a link with no email address needed. Accounts hang on a phone number, so you sign in with the same number on every device. |
| Platforms and integrations | AWeb, Android and iPhone, tied into Gmail, Google Meet, Google Tasks and Stripe for paid bookings. No desktop app is listed, so on a computer it lives in a browser tab. | AiPhone, Android and the web, alongside Google Calendar, Outlook, iCloud, WordPress and Wix. There's a REST API with webhooks too, but only on Enterprise. |
| Best for | a free calendar for anyone with a Google Account | calendars lots of people join by link |
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: Google Calendar and GroupCal. How we grade
Where they differ
- Google Calendar starts at $7 per user / month with a 1-year commitment (Workspace Business Starter). GroupCal starts at $10 per month, billed annually at $120, per calendar owner (Pro).
- Google Calendar also covers tasks and booking links.
At a glance
| Google Calendar | GroupCal | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $7 per user / month with a 1-year commitment (Workspace Business Starter) | $10 per month, billed annually at $120, per calendar owner (Pro) |
| Free plan | Free with a personal Google Account on web, Android and iOS, including one appointment booking page. Extra booking pages, payments and automatic email reminders need a paid plan. | GroupCal Free: unlimited calendars and events, 25 event photo attachments and 1 admin. Permission controls, member colors and sharing of Google, Outlook and iCloud calendars need a paid plan. |
| Free trial | 14-day Google Workspace trial for new customers, limited to 10 users; billing details required | 7-day free trial of any paid plan, with no setup fee |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | 24me Ltd | |
| Price read from | knowledge.workspace.google.com | groupcal.app |
| Checked | Oct 9, 2026 | Oct 9, 2026 |
Who each one suits
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
GroupCal
- Clubs, communities and schools that publish a schedule to many people
- Small teams sharing shifts, bookings or meeting-room calendars
- Families and friends on a mix of iPhone and Android phones
- Groups where only the organizer should pay: members use the app free
Worth knowing
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.
GroupCal
- A plan covers the calendars its buyer owns, so prices are per calendar owner, not per member; members and admins of those calendars pay nothing.
- The free plan allows 1 admin and has no permission controls. More admins start at Team ($50 per month, billed annually).
- The REST API, webhooks and white-labeled apps are limited to Enterprise, which has custom pricing.
- Accounts are tied to a phone number: the guide says to sign in with the same number on every device.
Key features
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.
GroupCal
- Calendars joined by link
- Create separate calendars for different groups, topics or resources, each with its own color and photo. Members join from a shared link or an invite sent to their phone number, without an email address.
- Real-time updates and RSVP
- Members get push notifications when they are added to a calendar and when events are added or changed. Each event shows who accepted or declined.
- Roles and permissions
- Calendars have Owner, Admin and Member roles. Paid plans let the owner choose who can add events or members, and from Team hide event details or limit members to editing their own events.
- Personal calendars alongside
- Events from Apple Calendar, Google Calendar and Outlook appear next to GroupCal calendars in one view. From Pro, events from connected Google, Outlook and iCloud accounts can be shared with a group.
- Public channels and embeds
- A public calendar can be embedded in a website, with a WordPress plugin and a Wix widget. On Organization, a calendar channel is listed in GroupCal's search and takes unlimited followers.
- Linked calendars
- On the Organization plan, calendars can be linked so events sync across them, which lets a master calendar reflect several related schedules.
Plans
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.
GroupCal
Free$0
Unlimited calendars and events, 25 event photo attachments and 1 admin. Aimed at sharing calendars with family or friends.
Pro$10
per month, billed annually at $120 ($15 billed monthly)
150 photo attachments, control over who can add events and members, a color per member, advanced RSVP, and sharing of Google, Outlook and iCloud calendars.
Team$50
per month, billed annually at $600 ($75 billed monthly)
3 calendar admins, 500 photo attachments, event ownership, hidden event details, members limited to editing their own events, a business page and priority support.
Organization$150
per month, billed annually at $1,800 ($225 billed monthly)
Unlimited admins, 1,500 photo attachments, calendar channels, event sync across linked calendars, verified calendars and embedding several calendars together.
EnterpriseCustom
Unlimited attachments, REST API and webhooks, white-labeled web and mobile apps, a custom legal and security review and a dedicated success manager.
Ways to pay less
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.
- By country
Lower price shown to buyers in India
On 9 October 2026 Google's Workspace pricing page showed Starter at ₹270 per user a month to a reader in India. Google's help page gives the US rate for Business Starter as $7, or $8.40 without a 1-year commitment.
GroupCal
- Annual discount
Save 33% with yearly billing
The pricing page marks yearly billing as a 33% saving: Pro is $10 per month billed annually against $15 billed monthly, Team $50 against $75 and Organization $150 against $225.
