The Dato Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about Dato in one document: what it costs, its grades, getting a refund, getting help and what else to look at. Read it here, or keep a copy.
Dato
The Insider’s Guide
Mac menu bar calendar with world clocks and meeting alerts
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among calendar and scheduling apps, read from Dato’s own pages.
Made by Sindre Sorhus · checked Oct 9, 2026 · toolgpa.com
Contents
- 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
- 02What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
- 03What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
- 04Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
- 05The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
- 06Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
- 07About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
ToolGPA put this guide together from Dato’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on Dato’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Oct 9, 2026.
Part 01 · Overview
Welcome
What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
2.4
GPA, above 18 of the 74 other calendar and scheduling apps we grade
Dato is a Mac menu bar app from developer Sindre Sorhus. Clicking it opens a small calendar, a list of upcoming events and reminders, and world clocks, and it can show the next event in the menu bar and cover the screen with a notification when a meeting starts. It reads events from the calendar accounts already set up in macOS and does no syncing of its own. It is a one-time purchase on the Mac App Store and is also distributed through Setapp.
To get you started, here are 9 things to know about Dato, taken from its own pages and our grades.
It's Mac only, English only, with no typed natural-language entry.
- 1
Best for your schedule one click away in the Mac menu bar
Dato is a Mac menu bar app that shows a small calendar, your next events and world clocks, and fills the screen when a meeting starts.
- 2
What it costs
Paid plans start at $18 one-time purchase on the Mac App Store.
- 3
You can try it first
Free trial download with every feature; it shows a buy reminder every 12 hours and does not update automatically
- 4
It runs on macOS
macOS.
- 5
Menu bar calendar and event list
A month calendar with optional week numbers and event indicators sits above a list of upcoming events and reminders. How many days and events it shows is adjustable.
- 6
Fullscreen meeting notifications
A notification fills the screen when an event starts. It can be limited to video calls, events with an alert or accepted events, and paused with a Focus Filter.
- 7
Join video calls
Join the next call from a notification, the event details or a global keyboard shortcut. Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams and more than 50 other services are recognized, and others can be added.
- 8
A 2.4 GPA, above 18 of 74
That is against the other calendar and scheduling apps we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
- 9
Keep it
The plain part of Dato you could make: calendar. What surrounds it you could not. The 4 things listed below take a company, not a weekend.
Dato at a glance
- Pricing
- Free trial, from $18 one-time purchase on the Mac App Store
- Free plan
- No
- Free trial
- Free trial download with every feature; it shows a buy reminder every 12 hours and does not update automatically
- Runs on
- macOS
- Made by
- Sindre Sorhus
- Category
- Calendar & Scheduling
- Our grade
- 2.4 GPA, fair
The report card
Best for your schedule one click away in the Mac menu bar
Dato is a Mac menu bar app that shows a small calendar, your next events and world clocks, and fills the screen when a meeting starts. It's $18 once. It's a view onto your calendar rather than a calendar: it has no sync of its own, editing an event or answering an invite opens Apple's Calendar, and the current version needs macOS 26. It's Mac only, English only, with no typed natural-language entry.
| Subject | Grade | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | A | $18 once on the Mac App Store, with free upgrades and a line in the listing promising it will never go subscription. Three months of this category's middle subscription, paid one time and done. |
| Free plan and trial | C | No free version of the current app. The trial download has every feature and needs no card, but it nags you to buy every 12 hours and won't update itself. Older versions for older macOS are free. |
| Features | C | The menu bar job: month calendar, upcoming events, fullscreen meeting alerts, one-key joining for Zoom, Meet, Teams and 50 more, world clocks, widgets. It's a smaller job than a calendar, and it leans on Apple's Calendar app, which does the syncing and any editing. No plain-language entry yet. |
| Ease of use | B | No rating on record, but there's nothing to set up: install it and it shows whatever calendars your Mac already has. Those accounts do have to be in the built-in Calendar app first, and the menus are English only. |
| Platforms and integrations | D | One operating system. Mac only, and the current version needs macOS 26 or later. It works with Apple Calendar, Reminders, Shortcuts, Fantastical and BusyCal, but there's nothing for iPhone, Windows or the web. |
An A is worth 4 points, a B 3, a C 2, a D 1 and an F nothing. The GPA is the average of the five.
Who Dato is for
- Fits if you're on a Mac and want today's schedule without opening a calendar app
- Works for people who miss the start of video calls or keep an eye on several time zones
Who it is not for
- Skip it if you're not on a Mac, or your Mac can't run macOS 26, which the current version needs
- Not for you if you want to edit events or answer invitations in it, as that opens Apple's Calendar
- Too light for anyone wanting a full calendar: it has no sync, so Google or Outlook must be added to Apple's Calendar first
- Watch out: the free trial nags you to buy every 12 hours and doesn't update itself
- Watch out: there's no natural-language entry yet, and menus and settings are English only
Good to know
Good for
- Mac users who want their schedule one click away in the menu bar
- People who keep missing the start of video meetings
- Anyone working across time zones who wants several clocks in view
- Buyers who want a one-time purchase and no subscription
Worth knowing
- Mac only. The current version requires macOS 26 or later; older macOS releases get older versions of the app.
- The vendor calls it a read-only view of your events: it can create events, but editing one or answering an invitation opens Apple's Calendar app.
- It has no sync of its own. Google, Outlook and other accounts must first be added to the built-in Calendar app.
- Natural-language entry is not supported yet, and the menus and settings are in English only.
Part 02 · Pricing
What it costs
Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
$18 one-time
To start
Dato is a paid product with a free trial, starting at $18 one-time purchase on the Mac App Store.
Three months of this category's middle subscription, paid one time and done.
Dato
$18
one-time purchase on the Mac App Store
The full app. The App Store listing promises free upgrades and says Dato will never be subscription-based.
Trying it first
Free trial download with every feature; it shows a buy reminder every 12 hours and does not update automatically
Read from sindresorhus.com on Oct 9, 2026.
Ways to pay less
Other savings
Menu bar bundle of three apps for $18.00
The Mac App Store sells Sindre's Menu Bar Bundle, which contains Dato, Lungo and Battery Indicator, for $18.00, the same price as Dato alone.
Stated on apps.apple.comEducation
50% off for schools buying 20 or more copies
For his App Store apps, Sindre Sorhus says educational institutions get a 50% discount when they buy 20 or more copies of one app through Apple School Manager.
Stated on sindresorhus.comOther savings
Also available through Setapp
Dato is distributed through the Setapp app subscription as well as the App Store, and the vendor's page says Setapp can be tried free for 7 days.
Stated on sindresorhus.comOther savings
Older versions are free on older macOS
Earlier releases for macOS 10.14 through macOS 15 are listed as free for everyone on the vendor's page. They will not run on newer macOS versions.
Stated on sindresorhus.com
What the app costs elsewhere
Each country’s App Store price for the app, against $18.00 in the United States, in dollars at the day’s rate. The four cheapest and the four dearest of 11.
| Country | Price there | In dollars | Against the US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Philippines | ₱ 999.00 | $15.90 | 12% less |
| Canada | $25.00 | $17.57 | about the same |
| Indonesia | Rp 349ribu | $19.52 | 8% more |
| Australia | $29.00 | $20.25 | 12% more |
| Mexico | $399.00 | $21.92 | 22% more |
| Brazil | R$ 119,90 | $23.96 | 33% more |
| South Africa | R399.99 | $24.19 | 34% more |
| United Kingdom | £19.00 | $25.12 | 40% more |
Part 03 · Features
What it does
Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
1
Place it runs: macOS
Mac menu bar calendar with world clocks and meeting alerts. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: one-time purchase, calendar, menu bar app.
It's a smaller job than a calendar, and it leans on Apple's Calendar app, which does the syncing and any editing.
- Menu bar calendar and event list
- A month calendar with optional week numbers and event indicators sits above a list of upcoming events and reminders. How many days and events it shows is adjustable.
- Fullscreen meeting notifications
- A notification fills the screen when an event starts. It can be limited to video calls, events with an alert or accepted events, and paused with a Focus Filter.
- Join video calls
- Join the next call from a notification, the event details or a global keyboard shortcut. Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams and more than 50 other services are recognized, and others can be added.
- World clocks and time travel
- Clocks for several time zones appear in the Dato menu or the menu bar, with custom names and offline search of 15,000 cities. A slider shows what time it will be elsewhere.
- Upcoming event in the menu bar
- The next event can be shown as its own menu bar item, next to a date and time display whose format, icon and color can be customized.
- Shortcuts, widgets and quick entry
- A global keyboard shortcut opens the new event window, which can also create reminders. Shortcuts actions switch calendars and notifications on or off, and widgets show the date, calendar and world clocks.
Where it runs
- macOS
What it works with
- Apple Calendar
- Apple Reminders
- Zoom
- Google Meet
- Microsoft Teams
- Fantastical
- BusyCal
- Shortcuts
Dato is made by Sindre Sorhus.
Part 04 · Standing
Where it stands
Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
18/74
Other calendar and scheduling apps it is graded above
Dato's GPA of 2.4 is higher than 18 of the 74 other calendar and scheduling apps we grade, and level with 11.
It stands best on value for money (A, above 45 of 74) and worst on platforms and integrations (D, above 0).
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 75 calendar and scheduling apps we grade, cut by the letter each got. Dato’s own letter is outlined.
- AValue for moneyAbove 45 of 74
- CFree plan and trialAbove 3 of 74
- CFeaturesAbove 3 of 74
- BEase of useAbove 32 of 74
- DPlatforms and integrationsAbove 0 of 74
Keep it, or make your own?
Whether this is something you could build for yourself with an AI app builder, and what you would give up.
Keep it
The plain part of Dato you could make: calendar. What surrounds it you could not. The 4 things listed below take a company, not a weekend.
That makes this kind of software worth paying for, not this one in particular: 45 of the 74 other calendar and scheduling apps grade higher. It costs $18, paid once.
What you could make
- Calendar: an app builder makes this well.
What you could not
- A native app living in the menu bar.
- A real app for macOS. Something home-made would be a web page.
- It plugs into other products, Apple Calendar, Apple Reminders and Zoom among them.
- Hooks into the device itself: widgets and Shortcuts.
What this rests on. Dato’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
Part 05 · Alternatives
The alternatives
The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
Itsycal, MeetingBar, In Your Face, Fantastical and BusyCal
The 5 tools Dato is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.
- 2.6GPA
Itsycal
Free
Free, tiny menu bar calendar for the Mac.
- Itsycal has a free plan. Dato does not, though it has a free trial.
- Dato can be bought with a one-time purchase.
- Itsycal is open source, according to its own site.
- 2.6GPA
MeetingBar
Free
Free Mac menu bar app that shows and joins your next meeting.
- MeetingBar has a free plan. Dato does not, though it has a free trial.
- Dato can be bought with a one-time purchase.
- MeetingBar is open source, according to its own site.
- 2.8GPA
In Your Face
Free trial · from $3.99/mo
Full-screen meeting reminders for Mac, Windows, iPhone and iPad.
- Only In Your Face lists Windows and iOS apps.
- 2.4GPA
Fantastical
Free plan · from $4.75/mo
Calendar and tasks app for Apple devices, Windows and Googlebook.
- Fantastical has a free plan. Dato does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only Fantastical lists Windows and iOS apps.
- Dato can be bought with a one-time purchase.
- 2.4GPA
BusyCal
Free plan · from $49.99 one-time
Customizable calendar and task app for Mac and iPhone.
- BusyCal has a free plan. Dato does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only BusyCal lists an iOS app.
- BusyCal also covers tasks and natural-language input.
Part 06 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
13
Questions, each answered in a line or two
The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.
Is Dato free?
No, Dato is a paid product, but you can try it first. Free trial download with every feature; it shows a buy reminder every 12 hours and does not update automatically.
How much does Dato cost?
Dato lists one plan. Dato: $18 one-time purchase on the Mac App Store.
What platforms does Dato work on?
Dato is available on macOS.
Does Dato offer any discounts?
Dato publicly lists the following: Menu bar bundle of three apps for $18.00; 50% off for schools buying 20 or more copies; Also available through Setapp; Older versions are free on older macOS.
Does Dato have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 9, 2026. Dato is listed for macOS.
Does Dato have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 9, 2026. Dato is listed for macOS.
Is Dato open source?
Dato is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 9, 2026.
What does Dato integrate with?
Dato's listing names Apple Calendar, Apple Reminders, Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, Fantastical, BusyCal and Shortcuts.
Does Dato have a student discount?
50% off for schools buying 20 or more copies. For his App Store apps, Sindre Sorhus says educational institutions get a 50% discount when they buy 20 or more copies of one app through Apple School Manager.
Who makes Dato?
Dato is made by Sindre Sorhus.
What are the alternatives to Dato?
The closest alternatives to Dato in our directory are Itsycal, MeetingBar, In Your Face, Fantastical and BusyCal.
How does Dato compare with other calendar and scheduling apps?
Dato's GPA of 2.4 is higher than 18 of the 74 other calendar and scheduling apps we grade, and level with 11.
Could I make my own version of Dato?
The plain part of Dato you could make: calendar. What surrounds it you could not.
Where this guide comes from
The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from Dato’s own pages on Oct 9, 2026, and the grades were given on Oct 10, 2026. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Sindre Sorhus's own pages on 9 October 2026. Also tested with a demo account on 2026-05-06.
Every tool we list gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. How each is decided is at toolgpa.com/grades. This guide is ToolGPA’s own work; it is not made, paid for or approved by Sindre Sorhus. Prices change, so check sindresorhus.com before you buy.
Part 07 · About
About ToolGPA
Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
3,189
Tools graded, in 94 categories
ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.
Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.
3,189
tools graded
94
categories
426
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries
What else is on toolgpa.com
- Dato, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/dato
- How grades are givenThe rules behind every letter and every GPAtoolgpa.com/grades
- Value chartsWhat each tool costs against what it scores, for every categorytoolgpa.com/charts
- CompareAny two tools side by side, plan by plantoolgpa.com/compare
- Price changesEvery price rise and cut on record, each with its sourcetoolgpa.com/price-changes
- Prices by countryWhat apps cost on the App Store in 12 countriestoolgpa.com/prices-by-country
- Pay lessEvery public discount: yearly billing, students, nonprofitstoolgpa.com/save
- Keep or makeWhich tools are worth paying for, and which you could build yourselftoolgpa.com/keep-or-make
Scan for the live page
Prices and grades as they are today
Quoting this guide?
Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:
ToolGPA, "Dato: The Insider's Guide", checked Oct 9, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/dato
Know someone choosing between calendar and scheduling apps?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/dato/guide
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See our other guides
The best-graded calendar and scheduling apps after Dato, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.
- Calendar & Scheduling Insider's GuideEvery one of the 75 calendar and scheduling apps we grade, compared
- Notion Calendar Insider's GuideFree calendar app that connects to Notion databases3.6 GPA
- Google Calendar Insider's GuideOnline calendar from Google, free with a personal account3.4 GPA
- World Time Buddy Insider's GuideVisual time zone converter and world clock for planning calls3.4 GPA
Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.
Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what Dato’s pages, its app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Dato is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by Sindre Sorhus. Prices and plans change: check sindresorhus.com before you buy.