Whether you want to keep your whole family up-to-speed, coordinate with friends, or keep track of colleagues’ plans, a shared calendar app can come in handy. We’ve researched your best options for iOS and Android.

Best for Busy Families: Cozi Family Organizer

This free app is popular with parents who use it to log and view every family member’s schedule in one place. You can view schedules by week or month, and each family member’s plans have a different color code, so you can quickly see who’s doing what.

  • Well-organized setup.

  • Built-in shopping and to-do lists.

  • Available across major mobile platforms.

  • Have to pay for some features and to remove ads.

With Cozi, you can set up automated emails with schedule details on a weekly or daily basis and set up reminders so that no one misses important events. The app also includes shopping and to-do list features, which let every family member contribute so that nothing gets overlooked.

In addition to using the Cozi app on your Android, iPhone, or Windows phone, you can log in from your computer.

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Best for Keeping Up With Relatives’ Activities: Family Wall

The Family Wall app offers much of the same great functionality as Cozi, including the ability to view and update a shared calendar and create and update task lists. Beyond that, however, it offers a private family social media-type experience with a built-in instant messaging tool.

  • Unique social media-style approach to family schedule management.

  • Option to create various groups.

  • You have to pay for location, safe zone notifications, and select other features.

With the premium version of the app, members of a shared Family Wall account can also send check-ins at specific locations to everyone in the group, which could provide parents some peace of mind. Another cool feature: You can create various Family Wall groups, such as one for your family, one for close friends, and one for extended family.

Best for Gmail Users: Google Calendar

The free Google calendar app is streamlined and simple. It lets you create events and appointments, and if you enter a location, it provides a map to help you get there. It also imports events from your Gmail account to the calendar automatically. As for sharing-specific features, you can create and share a calendar, after which all participants will be able to view and update it across your devices.

  • Automatically imports events from Gmail.

  • Intuitive design.

  • Some complaints from Android users about notifications being delayed.

Best for Mac and iOS Users: iCloud Calendar

This free option only makes sense if you’re heavily invested in Apple’s ecosystem, meaning you use the calendar and other Apple apps on your phone and laptop. If you do, you can create and share calendars with others. The recipients don’t need to be iCloud users to view your calendars.

  • Useful if you already work with iCloud.

  • Send calendars to non-iCloud users.

  • Only compatible with Apple hardware (iPhone, iPad, Mac, etc.).

You can make changes to your calendar from your iCloud account, and they’ll be reflected across all devices that have the app installed. The iCloud calendar isn’t the most robust, feature-packed option, but it could make sense if your family uses Apple services and needs to merge schedules.

In addition to integrating with Outlook email and your contacts list, this calendar includes the option to view group schedules. You just need to create a group calendar and invite all desired participants. You can also share your availability with others to help find a meeting time that works for everyone.

  • Helpful tools for finding workable meeting times, and coordinating schedules.

  • Built into Outlook mail app.

  • Must be a Microsoft 365 subscriber to get access.

Outlook Calendar is free with a Microsoft 365 subscription, which starts at $69.99 per year). Once again, this is an option that won’t make sense for everyone. However, if you use Outlook for work or personal email, it could be the right option for you.

Outlook’s calendar is part of the larger Outlook app, so you’ll need to toggle between your mail and your calendar within the app to view the different features. There’s also a desktop version of Outlook Calendar available for PC and Mac.

Best for Growing Businesses: Zoho Calendar

Part of Zoho’s suite of management tools, Zoho Calendar is a free app that syncs with your Google, Outlook, and other calendars. The app gives you an overview of your meetings and allows you to coordinate schedules with others to determine the best time and place for people to meet.

  • Automated meeting reminders.

  • Connects to other calendar apps via API.

  • Zoho integrations are nice but unnecessary.

There’s also an option to share your calendar as a URL with family members to help them keep up with your schedule. The URL can also be used to embed schedules on your website.

Best Mac Alternative: Fantastical Calendar

Some Apple users prefer Fantastical over iCloud Calendar. Just like Apple’s default calendar service, Fantastical syncs information across all Apple devices including your Apple Watch. However, you can do much more with Fantastical, so long as you don’t mind paying a monthly fee.

  • Autocomplete suggestions.

  • Intuitive interface.

  • Desktop version is for Mac only.

  • Free version is very limited.

Multiple themes and color-coding options make your schedule super easy to read. Thanks to smart suggestions, meetings can be set up within seconds. One of the coolest features is the Interesting Calendars tool, which automatically adds information about your favorite TV shows and sporting events to your calendar.

Use a calendar management app like Morgen to see all of your calendars in one place. It’s also possible to sync your Google Calendar with your iPhone calendar.

You can install a Chrome extension that gives you one-click access to your calendar. You can also create a shortcut on your desktop for Google Calendar.

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