While many of the apps on this list have both Windows and Mac versions, Thunderbird Lightning is the best choice for Linux users who want a powerful calendar that runs natively. That said, there's no reason not to give this one a shot regardless of which operating system you're using if it meets your requirements.
- Try these steps first. Make sure that iCloud Contacts, Calendars, and Reminders are available.
- The Dark Sky app, priced at $3.99, continues to be available, and today Apple released an update for the app. Dark Sky version 6.8.5 features a new extra large watch complication to be used with.
- BusyCal, Calendar, and Fantastical 2 are probably your best bets out of the 14 options considered. 'Smart Filters' is the primary reason people pick BusyCal over the competition. This page is powered by a knowledgeable community that helps you make an informed decision.
- If you’re obsessive about your to-do lists, 2Do is the app for you. Available on iOS, Android, iPadOS, MacOS, and WatchOS, 2Do lets you create simple tasks, checklists, and projects, add notes.
- Rounding out the list is Calendar 366 II, which is another menubar calendar app. However, it's one of the more fully featured ones, which is quite impressive. With Calendar 366 II, you get full access to your calendar and reminders right from your menubar, and you can change the view to year, month, week, day, agenda, or even list.
I recently switched from Windows to a Mac and one of the first things I noticed was the lack of calendar in the menu bar. While there are plenty of full-fledged Calendar apps for Mac, I wanted a simple and easy app that sits on the Menu bar. Let’s check those out.
A calendar is an important utility app that every OS should have and macOS does have a pretty good Calendar app that syncs with your iCloud account. However, you can’t actually see the calendar in the menu ba and there is no widget to go with it as well. The apps listed below are built to offer that functionality in mind and have a few other options to enhance the user experience.
Best Calendars Apps
1. iCultus
Let’s start with a simple Calendar app, iCultus is the Calendar that should have been available by default. It sits on the Menu bar at the top and shows you a calendar for the current month when you click the icon.
To be honest that’s all I need for a widget to do and maybe move forward and backward in months to plan any upcoming holidays. While it doesn’t show any events lined up on your iCloud calendar, it gives you a button to launch the Calendar app so that you can take action in the real app. It is also open-source and free if you care about that kind of stuff.
Get iCultus (free)
2. Quick View Calendar
This next app does exactly what iCultus did, so why would you choose this app over the previous one? One word; aesthetics, if you care about consistency and want a Calendar app that matches the overall theme and layout of the OS then this app is perfect.
It has that translucent interface with a dark gray and white color scheme that matches well with the Dark theme on macOS. The icon sits on the Menu bar for quick access and has arrow keys to look up upcoming and past months.
Get Quick View Calendar (free)
3. ItsyCal
Okay, we’ve got the basics covered so let’s talk about some actual features. ItsyCal is built for easy access but also offers some functionality that you would want from a Calendar app. You can customize the app to your preferences, for example, you can set the theme to match the system, highlight a day of the week, get upcoming events notification in the widget itself, and the ability to create events and appointments.
The app can also automatically launch itself at the restart, unlike the above two apps which mean I don’t have to restart the app every time the Mac reboots.
The app syncs everything to the iCloud so whatever you have planned would show up on the widget. I like ItsyCal because of two features; pinning the widget to keep it on the top, and real-time Date and Month on the Menu bar icon. Also, it’s free.
Get ItsyCal (free)
4. Quick Calendar
We’ve got enough apps covered that sit on the Menu bar so let’s include one that sits in the Notification area. We all check out the notifications area anyway so it would be a good idea to put a small calendar there. Quick Calendar needs to be added manually by going to the edit menu on the bottom of the notifications panel. After you enable it, it will stay in the notifications panel.
Mac Calendar App To Do Lists
Feature-wise, it is as basic as it gets, it only shows the current month and arrow keys to look upcoming and past months. However, if you want to have a quick glance at the Calendar while checking out Notifications, then Quick Calendar is the one.
Get Quick Calendar (free)
5. Next Meeting
Next Meeting is a little widget that shows you upcoming events on the Menu Bar. Let’s say you plan out your week in advance and have meetings at different hours, this app would take that info from the iCloud and slap it on the Menu bar so that you can miss it ever. If you click the icon, it shows you upcoming events in the coming days. You can customize which meetings to display and choose between in-progress, today’s meetings, and all-day meetings.
Get Next Meeting (free)
Calendar To Do List App Mac
6. Calendars
Calendars is not like other apps in the list, instead of giving you a simple Calendar Widget on the Menu bar, it gives you full-fledged Calendar with lots of features. For starters, you can set a different picture for every month, just like a real calendar, if that’s not your jam, you can make it subtle and translucent to match the theme of your System.
It syncs with your iCloud, Facebook, and Google Calendar to keep you updated. If that wasn’t enough, you can also enable weather options in this app and you would get a real-time day-wise forecast, right below each day.
Calendars is a free app on the App Store but you can upgrade either with the Subscription($0.99/mo) or one-time license fee ($19.99).
Get Calendars (free)
7. InstaCal
Mac Calendar App To Do Listening
While Calendars app is great for remembering birthdays from Facebook and getting reminders from Google, InstaCal is meant for professionals who use Office 365, Google Calendar, and Outlook. You can integrate, view and respond to invitations right from the Menubar pop up. Along with the menu bar, InstaCal also has a Dock app which lets you use the app to its full potential.
Apart from events, you can also view your reminders within the app and create new ones. The themes can be customized and the app has Touchbar support as well. With all these features combined, you only have to $5 to own this app which in my opinion is pretty good.
Get InstaCal ($4.99)
Best Easy Calendar Apps for Mac
Well, these were my picks for best easy calendar apps for mac when you want more than what native Calendar app offers. Itsycal, Quick View Calendar, iCultus, are great choices when you just want a quick way to look at the Calendar. Next Meeting serves its own niche where it reminds you of upcoming events, and Calendars let you integrate Facebook and Google Calendar. Instacal is best for people who want a professional Calendar app with integrations for Outlook, Office 365, etc. Which app would you use, let me know in the comments?