But no single calendar app is best for everyone. Everyone's workflow is a little different, and our scheduling needs vary. Some want their calendars to be simple and streamlined; others prefer robust, customizable calendar apps that track tasks and notes alongside events. BusyCal 3 is the most powerful, flexible, reliable calendar app for macOS. It's packed with time-saving features and compatible with all leading cloud services including iCloud, Google, Exchange and more.
But what if you need something simple; something easy to use and readily available? If that's the case, you're still in luck - there are desktop calendar apps out there that are ready to serve.
Although you won't be integrating with an Exchange server, you can at least enjoy your own personal desktop calendar and, in some cases, even link your Google calendar. Let's take a look at this list of desktop calendar apps and see if any of them offer the features that you need. Rainlendar doesn't have the most user-friendly name, but it's an outstanding entry in the desktop calendar group. Rainlendar allows you to set up alarms, reminders, tasks, and events. You can also share your calendar and subscribe to other's calendars, import and edit your Outlook calendars, and much more. Rainlendar is standards based, cross platform, and allows you to choose from various layouts.
There is also plenty of customization available for Rainlendar with skins. You can even mix and match the skins to create a very unique layout. Rainlendar is available for Windows, OS X, and Linux. There are two versions of this app: Free and Paid. The free does have a few limitations (for more information on these limitations and pricing for the paid versions, visit ). The calendar creation feature allows you to create printable calendars with over seventy layouts.
The calendar creator actually runs through either MS Word or Excel, which makes for easy printable calendar creation. WinCalendar is only available for Windows. Google Calendar Windows Client does exactly what you would expect. If you have a Google account, you can add this handy app to present your Google Calendars on your desktop. This app will automatically sync with any Google Calendar (even from multiple accounts) and can display all tasks and events. The synchronized calendars can be both displayed on the desktop and saved as a file for offline use.
You can also send events to Outlook or export them as vCalendar. If you do opt to use the offline access option, do not do so on a public computer as that information is stored on the computer (meaning someone could access your Google account). Google Calendar Windows Client is only available for the Windows platform. Desktop iCalendar Lite is another 'widget' type calendar that lives, unobtrusively, in the upper right corner of your desktop. With this handy app you can add reminders, to-dos, events, alarms, subscribe to public Google and iCloud calendars, change skins and opacity, and more. You can opt to display three different sections: Calendars, Events, and/or To do.
This is the Free version of the Pro calendar. The Pro version can sync your own personal Google Calendar. Desktop iCalendar Lite has a system tray icon where all options can be accessed. If you're looking for simplicity and ease of use, Desktop iCalendar Lite is a fairly smooth candidate. Desktop iCalendar Lite is only available for the Windows operating system. OSMO is the only entry in the list that is Linux only.
OSMO is also more than just a calendar -it is a personal organizer. With this handy desktop tool you can organize your calendars, tasks, contacts, and notes. The calendar tool offers features like: Day notes with text attributes, date calculator, full year calendar, compact mode, iCal support, integration with Tasks and Contact modules. The one caveat with OSMO is that it does not sync with other computers or other calendars.
This is a local calendar only. But if you're looking for a local desktop calendar that offers a bit more than just straight-up calendaring, OSMO might fit the bill. There is an included spell checker and you can even hide components of the tool so you only see what you need. OSMO runs in the background and does not display a widget on the desktop.
A quick right-click on the panel icon will pop up the OSMO window. Bottom line There are countless ways to keep a calendar at the ready.
Some users rely upon the constant connectedness of Google Calendar, while others prefer a more stand-alone means to keep track of their dates. But not matter what type of user you are, there is a desktop calendar for you. Related Topics.
Free; iOS, Android, Windows Phone 8, BlackBerry, Mac, Windows, Web Pros: Makes inputting text, audio, images, and Web content easy; OCR for images and handwriting Cons: No calendar sync, reminders, or true collaboration features in the free version is perhaps the most popular note-taking app, and a favorite of aficionados. Although it isn’t a to-do app, you can make it act like one by activating its checkbox feature. You can share notes via email, easily insert photos and audio clips, and organize items by date, tags, and location. Evernote Business ($10 per user per month) adds a companywide Business Library and admin console.
Free ($25 per year for Pro); Web, iOS, Android, Windows Phone 8 (MilkMan app), Gmail and Outlook extensions Pros: Simple; syncs with Google and Outlook; adds tasks quickly Cons: No collaboration; limited automatic syncing in free version stands out for its sheer number of platforms and ways to schedule a task. You can, use, even.
Options for sorting tasks include “smart lists” that update based on criteria you define; for example, you might set tasks in a Work list as high priority. And the 'smart add' feature can add tasks with date and time reminders, locations, and tags all on one line. Free; iOS, Android, Web, Mac, Windows Pros: Sleek design; useful collaboration and reminders; automatic syncing Cons: No priority task assignment A sleek interface and plentiful features make Wunderlist one of the best freebies. The landscape layout offers a wide view of upcoming projects and tasks, with wallpapers for customizing the design. You can invite others to collaborate on tasks, and use a nifty 'activity center' to manage the status of projects, tasks, and lists.
You can also create subtasks and attach and detach sticky notes to tasks. Free; iOS, Android, Chrome extension, Web Pros: Clean look and feel; predicts text as you type; audio note-taking Cons: Limited collaboration Any.Do can predict task-related text while you type, which is a big timesaver. On top of that, it takes full advantage of multitouch and motion functionality on your smartphone. You can drag and drop action items, swipe to mark tasks as complete, and shake your device to clear completed projects. Android users get a home-screen widget while iOS users get a landscape mode with calendar view. Although you can easily share tasks, you’ll find better collaboration options elsewhere.
Free ($53 per year for ConquSync); iOS, Android, BlackBerry, Nook Color, Mac, Windows, Linux Pros: Beautiful on tablets; simple task delegation; useful filters Cons: Cloud backup and collaboration cost extra Conqu's useful filtering system is sure to please nerds. You can set up the app to organize tasks automatically by context, energy level, time required, and so on. Have a low-priority project?
Move it to Conqu’s back burner, a procrastinator's dream. Assigning tasks via email is a snap. For true collaboration, however, ConquSync integrates tasks within a team and adds mobile backup to the cloud.
$2; iOS (Android and BlackBerry via third-party apps) Pros: Flexibility to meet individual needs; 'hotlist' compiles important tasks; good collaboration Cons: Dated look; no native Android or BlackBerry app won't turn heads, but it’s packed with features. It works with a ton of third-party apps, from which you can easily import to-do lists. (Try for Android or BlackBerry.) You can break large tasks into multiple subtasks, group action items by location, and view graphical stats of your progress. Collaboration is solid: When you share tasks, you have control over who can read, edit, or add. Free ($29 per year for Premium); iOS, Android, BlackBerry, Mac, Windows, Web, plus extensions for Chrome, Firefox, Outlook, Thunderbird Pros: Email, browser, and platform integration; customizable views Cons: Must pay to search by keyword; no sharing Thanks to its HTML5 foundation, Todoist is especially speedy. Plus, its extensive platform support means you can fully manage your tasks across tech tools.
Unfortunately, it's lacking in collaboration features. (Business users working in teams should check out, the developer’s Web-based project-management tool.). Free ($20 per month for sharing); iOS, Android, Mac, Windows, Google Apps Pros: Sleek look; robust collaboration; automatic cloud syncing Cons: Sharing costs extra Producteev is perhaps the most business-friendly task management app, thanks to its workspace and collaboration functionality. The latter isn’t free, but it lets you assign tasks, add comments, and monitor your team in real time to keep projects on target. In addition to using the various apps, you can post items to your to-do list quickly and easily through email or IM.