Apple Calendar follows Apple’s design policy. A minimalist layout with minimal features to get the job done. Unfortunately, Apple has largely ignored the Calendar app, forcing users to look for alternatives. One such app is Calendars 5, which has a plethora of options. Now that might make you wonder if you should switch from Apple Calendar to Calendars 5.
Both Apple Calendar and Calendars 5 apps are available to macOS users only. Considering how good other Readdle apps are, I wish Calendars 5 was available on Android. Let’s see what Apple Calendar and Calendars 5 have to offer, how they differ, and which one you should use.
Let’s start.
1. User Interface
Apple Calendar has a functional and easy to use user interface. You can easily switch between month and day view. If you don’t want to zoom in, tap the Activity icon to view all events for the selected day in month view.
In the Today view, you can tap the list icon to view all events, including upcoming events, in a nice little list. There is no drop down menu to choose different views on any screen.
The bottom bar includes options to add or manage calendars, quickly jump to the Today view from any screen, and Inbox, where you can find all invitations.
Calendars 5 offers a top bar to switch between different views and a bottom bar to switch months.
There’s a plus icon to quickly create events or tasks, and a menu on the left to access settings and other items. I would say that Calendars 5 has a better and more colorful design, aesthetically pleasing. This should make it clear which app should support your use, based on how you choose to view and access your information.
2. Creating Events and Tasks
The Apple Calendar app covers all the basics. Tap the ‘+’ icon to create an event where you can add location, attachments (local and iCloud only), and invite users. There is a feature called Travel time that will try and estimate the travel time based on the location you specify. Then it will be blocked in your calendar. Pretty thoughtful.
Note that Apple Calendar only works with Apple Maps and not Google Maps for location information. While Apple has recently updated its Maps app, it’s still nowhere near the current world leader.
Calendars 5 understands natural language, so you use it to create events more easily. Names, locations and time will be interpreted automatically. Then you can add URLs, notes and invite other users.
A great feature is the ability to add colors to events, which makes it easy to identify them when there are a lot of inputs on the screen. However, you cannot add attachments to events or tasks created in Calendars 5. Not everyone needs this feature, but I’m surprised it doesn’t.
3. Creating Tasks in the Calendar
This is one of the most important features of the Calendars 5 app. There is a special section or tab for creating tasks. Just like you would in a to-do app. Inbox is the default list, but you can easily create more lists as you go along and even color-code it.
Depending on the reminder date you set, you can view these tasks in smart lists such as Today, Upcoming, and Completed. If you use this, it will also sync with Apple Reminders.
Creating new tasks is the same as events in Calendars 5. Tap the ‘+’ icon to get started and then you can add time, location and details. This makes Calendars 5 incredibly useful and one of the few apps that can work with both events and tasks.
4. Third Party Integration
It is surprising that Apple Calendar only works with Apple Maps and not Google Maps. Both apps work with Apple Reminders, and adding third-party calendars is easy. However, you can add other calendars such as Google and Outlook to the Calendars 5 application itself.
In the case of Apple Calendars, you need to go to Settings > Passwords & Account > and add Gmail and Outlook from there. This is how iOS has always worked and I don’t think things will change in the near future.
Both calendar apps have left out popular apps like Todoist for now.
5. Pricing and Platform
Apple Calendar is completely free, ad-free and comes pre-installed on all iOS/iPadOS devices, including phones and tablets. Calendars 5 will cost you $6.99 and there are no ads. You can add interesting calendars, but this will cost you extra. Both apps are only available for Apple devices like iPhone and iPad. Apple Calendar also works with macOS.
Managing Dates Efficiently
Apple Calendar offers so much that it can only be called a calendar app, but there are much better options out there. One of them is Calendars 5 and although it is not free, it is also used as a task manager. This will seriously help you be more productive and manage both events categorized in multiple calendars and tasks in multiple lists. This means you can get rid of your regular to-do app forever. The only thing missing are plugins so keep that in mind.
Next: Want to access Apple Calendar on Windows 10 computer? Follow the link below to learn how you can do this to make the app more accessible and platform independent.
