Hearth Display vs Skylight Calendar (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Hearth Display and Skylight Calendar share a 1.4 GPA, and only Skylight Calendar has a free plan.
Checked Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
They get the same grade on all five counts.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Hearth Display
Wall-mounted family touchscreen for calendars, routines and meals
Skylight Calendar
Family touchscreen calendar with chore charts and optional Plus plan
Which one is for you
Pick Hearth Display if
- Fits if a family wants one screen in the hall showing everyone's week
- Works for households with kids and chore routines
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you add it up: $699 for the screen, then a membership of $5.76 to $9 a month
- Watch out: the display does not run without a Family Membership
- Skip it if you want software only, as there is no cheaper app version
- Watch out: the lowest rate needs a three-year commitment
- Watch out: companion app platforms are not stated on the pages read
Pick Skylight Calendar if
- Fits if you want a family calendar on the wall with no monthly bill for basics
- Works for households that already use Google or Apple calendars
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you add it up: $299.99 for the device, $79 a year for Plus
- Skip it if you want software only, as there is no app-only version
- Tight if you want meal planning, rewards or the photo screensaver, all Calendar Plus
- Watch out: Plus subscriptions are excluded from promotions
- Watch out: the 27-inch Calendar Max and other devices are priced separately
How we grade them
| 1.4GPAHearth DisplayWeak | 1.4GPASkylight CalendarWeak | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | D$699 for the display plus $5.76 a month on a 3-year plan, far above the $5.99 middle one-time price of calendar tools, though it includes hardware. | D$299.99 one-time, against a calendar-tool one-time middle of $5.99, though it includes the screen. |
| Free plan and trial | FNo free tier: the first membership month is free and the display has a 120-day return window, which is not a trial. | FNo free plan or trial; the first Calendar Plus month is free and hardware returns are accepted for 4 months. |
| Features | CShared calendar, a helper, routines and rewards, lists and meal planning. It needs the paid membership to run. | CSynced calendar, tasks, lists and views. Meal planning, rewards and Magic Import need Calendar Plus. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. You mount the screen and connect your calendars. | CNo store rating on record. You mount it and link family accounts. |
| Platforms and integrations | COne device plus a companion app, and the platforms for the app are not stated. | COne device with phone apps, linking Google, Outlook, Apple, Cozi and Yahoo calendars. |
| Best for | a wall-mounted family calendar screen | a family calendar screen for the kitchen |
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: Hearth Display and Skylight Calendar. How we grade
Where they differ
At a glance
| Hearth Display | Skylight Calendar | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free plan |
| Starts at | $5.76 per month on a 3-year membership, plus a $699 display | $299.99 one-time for Calendar 2; optional Calendar Plus $79 per year |
| Free plan | None | The device's basic features work without a subscription: calendar sync, color coding, task manager, custom lists and day, week and month views. |
| Free trial | First membership month free; the display has a 120-day return window | First month of Calendar Plus free with a Calendar purchase; 4-month free returns on hardware |
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Hearth | Skylight |
| Price read from | hearthdisplay.com | myskylight.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Hearth Display
- It needs the $699 display, which is sold at list price; the display alone does not run without a membership.
- The software is a Family Membership with no free tier; the cheapest rate needs a three-year commitment.
- A Black Friday discount code was advertised at 20% off the display; codes are not counted in the listed prices.
- Platform support for the companion app is not stated on the pages read.
Skylight Calendar
- The hardware costs $299.99 for Calendar 2; there is no software-only version.
- Meal planning, photo screensaver, rewards and Magic Import need Calendar Plus at $79 a year.
- The page says individual Calendar Plus subscriptions are excluded from promotions and discounts.
- Skylight also sells a 27-inch Calendar Max, a Care calendar, a photo Frame and a Buddy routine device, which this entry does not price.
Key features
Hearth Display
- Shared family calendar
- Daily, weekly and monthly views, with Google, iCal, Outlook and URL-based calendars (such as TeamSnap or school calendars) connected for free.
- Hearth Helper
- Turns invitations and uploaded school menus into events or meal plans that a parent approves.
- Routines, stars and rewards
- Kid-friendly routines with streaks, stars and custom rewards.
- Lists, to-dos and meal planning
- Shared lists, assignable recurring to-dos and a meal schedule that can be assigned per family member.
- Companion app
- Parents add events, meals and to-dos from a phone; private lists live in the app.
Skylight Calendar
- Synced family calendar
- Pulls in Google, Outlook, Apple, Cozi and Yahoo calendars, with a color for each family member and day, week, month and schedule views.
- Tasks manager
- Interactive checklists for kids' routines and chores, included without a subscription.
- Custom lists
- Task, to-do and grocery lists usable on the device or in the free mobile app.
- Magic Import
- Forward school emails or PDFs, or upload photos of flyers, and they are converted into calendar events (Plus).
- Meal planning and rewards
- Plan meals and add star-based rewards to chores; both are part of Calendar Plus.
Plans
Hearth Display
Hearth Display$699
one-time
The 27-inch touchscreen with mount and power cord; a Family Membership is needed to run the software. Open-box units appear at $499.
3-Year Membership$5.76
per month, billed $207.36 every 3 years
Hearth Helper, routines, meal planning, lists, rewards, companion app and future updates.
2-Year Membership$6.48
per month, billed $155.52 every 2 years
Same membership, billed for two years.
Annual Membership$7.20
per month, billed $86.40 a year ($9 billed monthly)
Same membership, billed yearly.
Monthly Membership$9
per month
Same membership, billed monthly.
Skylight Calendar
Calendar 2 (15 inch)$299.99
one-time
Hardware with swappable Snap Frames and a tabletop stand or wall mount; basic features need no subscription.
Calendar Plus$79
per year, after a first free month for new subscribers
Adds meal planning, photo and video screensaver, rewards, Magic Import with Sidekick and Disney Mode.
Ways to pay less
Hearth Display
- Annual discount
Longer membership terms cost less per month
The product page lists $9 monthly, $7.20 a month on annual billing, $6.48 on 2 years and $5.76 on 3 years.
Skylight Calendar
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Hearth Display or Skylight Calendar?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Hearth Display starts at $5.76 per month on a 3-year membership, plus a $699 display, and Skylight Calendar starts at $299.99 one-time for Calendar 2; optional Calendar Plus $79 per year.
Which has a free plan, Hearth Display or Skylight Calendar?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Skylight Calendar has a free plan. Hearth Display does not, though it has a free trial.
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.