Calendar apps are handy digital journals that can help keep you organized. While some people still prefer the traditional pen and paper to keep notes of appointments, events, and other meetings, storing that information on your smartphone, which you are likely to carry almost anywhere you go, is one convenient way to make the most of today’s technology. Not to mention that your phone can provide other features to help you remember important dates. You can set up alarms and notifications to pop up when there is an event nearing. And the in-app layouts are so varied; you have the choice to opt for monthly, weekly, and daily views. Unlike the old paper planners, you can also sync up calendars with other people. In this way, you can see someone else’s appointments without having to peruse their entire planner.
While we could go on and on about the many benefits of mobile calendars over paper journals, there is still the problem of picking out the best app. There are so many that are now available; with some from major companies such as Google and Microsoft, while others are from independent developers who wanted to create something a bit different. This list goes over many of the best apps on both iOS and Android markets.
Top 15 Calendar Apps For Mobile
1. Google Calendar
Developer: Google LLC
Available on: Android and iOS
Cost: Free
Downloads: 100 million+
The Google Calendar is the app that comes pre-installed on the Android platform. While most stock apps may not be the best, this one offers most of the features that you need to stay organized. One of the main advantages is that it easily syncs with your google account, allowing you to access the calendar from both your laptop, tablet, and smartphone; as long as you are logged in to the same Google account on all those devices. Another benefit is that you can easily create events directly from your emails.
Smart technology allows Gmail to recognize emails that contain event information. And as you read it, you’re likely to receive a pop-up asking you whether you’d like to add the event to your Calendar. When you do accept invites, you can also share certain events, or even your whole calendar, to other people. You can customize what other people can do with it – whether they can just view your schedule or add on to it. This can be extremely useful if you have a secretary organizing your day to day schedule.
The layout is pretty simple but you have the option to choose color themes, add labels, and customize your calendar to look the way you want it to.
2. Microsoft Outlook
Developer: Microsoft Corporation
Available on: Android and iOS
Cost: Free
Downloads: 50 million+
This app is not specifically a Calendar app but it does offer the added Calendar feature. Microsoft outlook is actually an email integration app that carries your emails, calendars, contacts, and other important information in place. Think about it as an app that functions like a work desk. It keeps everything organized and also allows you to easily move between your messages to your appointments.
3. Business Calendar 2
Developer: Appgenix Software
Available on: Android
Cost: Free
Downloads: 5 million+
This calendar app is not just built for the office, although its name suggests so, it can actually function very well as a good-for-all organizer. It’s UI is very simple and looks nice on-screen. Some of the best advantages to the app is actually the different customizations and widgets that are available for use.
4. Business Calendar
Developer: Appgenix Software
Available on: Android
Cost: Free
Downloads: 5 million+
The first version of the Business Calendar still functions very well. While the 2nd version has a few new features, the classic offering from Appgenix carries a traditional layout of the usual calendar. You can easily shift between views of monthly, weekly, and daily events, as well as view a list of tasks that you need to work on. Like most other calendar apps, it offers color coding organization and multiple customizable themes to make the calendar suit your own style.
5. aCalendar
Developer: Tapir Apps GmbH
Available on: Android
Cost: Free
Downloads: 5 million+
Another calendar app that is, unfortunately for Apple users, only available on Android. The aCalendar is graded “A” for the easy to navigate layout, customization features, and the event reminders. It is very similar to a notebook organizer that you would often use for written notes. You can color-code your different reminders for events. The best part is that the app is free and does not annoy users with constant ad pop-ups.
6. Cal – Any.Do
Developer: Any.Do
Available on: Android and iOS
Cost: Free; Premium ($32.88/year)
Downloads: 10 million+
The Any.Do app actually started as a to-do list type of app that had a partner calendar app called Cal. Recently, these 2 apps have been combined to create a single place where you can keep your schedule, notes, and other reminders. It is a great way to keep track of your daily agenda. If you already have some events on your stock Google or Apple calendars, you can easily sync it to this app. The interface makes it easy to see an overview of your tasks and your overall schedule, whether for the day, the week, or the entire month. Since the app was created for mobile use, the UI is a lot easier to navigate through and shows a lot of information on the small screen without cramming all of it in.
7. Jorte Calendar
Developer: Jorte Inc.
Available on: Android and iOS
Cost: Free
Downloads: 10 million+
This calendar app makes it so easy to input entries since it actually supports voice control. Putting down a reminder is as easy as just telling your phone to remind you of an event on a particular date instead of having to manually type in all the information on your phone. In terms of customization, this app is a major contender against the others on this list. It is highly customizable and allows most users to change way more than just the color schemes.
8. Cozi – Best Calendar Apps
Developer: Cozi Inc.
Available on: Android and iOS
Cost: Free; Premium ($29.99/year)
Downloads: 1 million+
Cozi is actually a family calendar. With this app, you get to create individual calendars for family members as well as a centralized calendar that allows everyone to know what each person is up to. You can schedule appointments together for the whole family or just for a few people. Aside from connecting everyone through the calendar, there is also the added feature of having a to-do list, message board, and journal. This helps everyone communicate through the app.
9. My Study Life
Developer: My Study Life, Ltd.
Available on: Android and iOS
Cost: Free
Downloads: 1 million+
Built especially for busy, and sometimes absent-minded, students who have too much on their minds, the My Study Life app lets users put in their class schedules and automatically integrates any holidays and events that might cancel out a class. As a bonus, students don’t just get reminded of classes, they can also put in some notes, assignments, and set reminders for class deadlines. It’s definitely a great way to stay organized for school.
10. DigiCal – Best Calendar Apps
Developer: Digibites
Available on: Android
Cost: Free
Downloads: 5 million+
DigiCal is another neat app that can help you keep track of your schedule. You can view your plans in different layouts, and add in different colored labels to distinguish between school, work, home, or special activities and events. If you need to sync it up with your current calendar, you can easily do that as well. It offers a really neat layout that makes it easy to find specific events.
11. Touch Calendar
Developer: Touchable Apps
Available on: Android
Cost: Free
Downloads: 1 million+
This is one of the simplest apps on the list. The Touch calendar is very easy to navigate; you just have to swipe to move the calendar and then zoom in to see more details. Its like having a bulletin board on your phone. You can customize the entire view by choosing the themes that fit your style, but aside from that, the app keeps it simple.
12. Calengoo – Best Calendar Apps
Developer: Dominique Andre Gunia
Available on: Android and iOS
Cost: Free
Downloads: 100,000+
The Calengoo app has an integrated weather forecast to help you plan out your week. This is one of the features that makes the app stand out. Most of the other features are the typical functionalities that you would find in other great calendar apps – synchronization with stock calendars, sharing capabilities, customizable themes, and color coding for events.
13. Zenday
Developer: Aerocom
Available on: Android
Cost: Free
Downloads: 100,000+
This is a more complex app that has high-end graphics that come along with it. A 3D calendar app which lets you zoom in on important details, the Zenday carries your schedule and your to do list. The layout is fairly customizable but, aside from the colored labels for events, you are probably going to focus more on the things you need to do rather than the calendar itself.
14. TimeTree – Best Calendar Apps
Developer: TimeTree, Inc.
Available on: Android and iOS
Cost: Free
Downloads: 1 million+
The TimeTree calendar app is one of the most intuitive apps on the market. Before you can make your calendar, it finds out what you need the calendar for and provides you with the best template for your purpose. For example, if you are looking for a calendar to help you sync your family schedule, it gives you a calendar that you can easily share and delegate with your family members. You can actually create many different calendars with this app. And, with all the different events in each one, you can create your own all-seeing calendar to carry all of the events that you need to partake in. Customization is also part of the package, as well as the ability to sync with your stock Android or iOS calendars.
15. Informant
Developer: Fanatic Software
Available on: Android
Cost: Free
Downloads: 50,000+
Another great customizable and color-coded organizer is the Informant App by Fanatic Software. While this is one of the least known apps on the list, the calendar layout is really neat and organized. Synchronization with your other calendars is also seamless. And you can expect to easily identify between events because of the multiple colored labels you can set. Users are also able to adjust the themes of their calendar.
Final Thoughts On The Best Calendar Apps For Mobile
Picking out the best calendar app for yourself may require a bit of trial and error. While most apps offer much of the same features, there are some that stand out or function better for certain people. If you’d prefer a simple zoom-in and zoom-out kind of app that doesn’t require you to sift through multiple views, you might prefer the Touch Calendar. However, if you like something that looks a bit more techy and cool, the Zenday Calendar might be a better fit.
What you do need to keep in mind is that everyone has a different set of needs. Luckily, there are so many apps on the market that are currently available. While we don’t want you to limit yourself to the list we’ve prepared, you’ll find that these are definitely some of the tried and tested, top mobile calendar apps available.
