There are calendar apps for managing a typical schedule, and then there’s a singular app for those juggling so many activities at once, interfacing with others across the world, and constantly trying to manage meetings and keep track of tasks.
You know the first category, iCal, Outlook and Google Calendar. But you may not be aware of the other app that helps you keep organized at a whole new level. It’s Fantastical, originally developed for the Mac, iPhone and iPad, it’s now available for Windows.
Over its thirteen years of existence it’s been considered one of the best independently produced Apple app of any kind. It blows Apple’s iCal out of the water, that’s barely changed in more than fifteen years.
In a world overflowing with scheduling apps, Fantastical is one of the most polished and intelligent calendar applications available. Developed by Flexibits, it is known for its natural language input, aesthetically pleasing interface, and deep integration with Apple’s ecosystem. But one of its most underrated strengths is how it handles complex calendars and time zones—features that are invaluable for professionals, frequent travelers, and anyone coordinating across different regions of the world.
Fantastical’s design is both visually appealing and functionally effective. Unlike many bloated calendar apps, it offers a clean and intuitive interface that balances simplicity with powerful features. The app provides multiple viewing options, including a List, Day, Week, Month, and Quarter view, all of which are easy to navigate. The List view and Week view are what I use most. The inclusion of subtle animations and color-coded events makes it easy to scan for important appointments at a glance. One feature I love is the weather forecast shown for each day.
The natural language input feature remains one of Fantastical’s standout offerings. Users can type something like, “Lunch with Joe at 2 PM on Friday in downtown” and the app instantly translates it into a fully structured calendar entry, complete with time and location. This smart parsing saves time and reduces friction in event creation.
Fantastical’s Calendar Sets feature is a clever feature for those juggling multiple aspects of life. Users can create different sets of calendars tailored to specific contexts—such as work, personal life, or hobbies—and switch between them seamlessly. This is particularly useful for users managing different responsibilities who don’t want their personal calendar cluttering their work schedule and vice versa.
A unique aspect of Calendar Sets is its ability to change dynamically based on location. For instance, when arriving at the office, Fantastical can automatically switch to a work calendar set, and upon returning home, it can revert to a personal set. This level of automation ensures that users always see the most relevant events without any manual toggling.
Fantastical’s recently added feature called Interesting Calendars allows users to subscribe to curated calendars based on their personal interests, making it easy to keep track of important dates without manually adding them. Interesting Calendars cover a wide range of topics, including:
• Sports Schedules – Stay updated with game schedules for major leagues like the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, Premier League, and more.
• Holidays & Observances – Subscribe to national and international public holidays, religious observances, and cultural celebrations.
• Entertainment & TV Shows – Track release dates for popular TV shows, movies, and other entertainment events.
• Astronomical Events – Keep up with celestial events like full moons, eclipses, and meteor showers.
• Finance & Business Events – Stay informed about stock market holidays, earnings reports, and economic data releases.
For those working with people in different countries, scheduling across time zones can be a nightmare. Fantastical alleviates this issue with its powerful time zone support.
- Time Zone Proposals: When creating an event, users can easily see the corresponding times in different time zones, helping to ensure meetings are scheduled conveniently for all participants. This feature is invaluable for remote teams and frequent travelers who regularly coordinate across multiple regions.
- Floating Time Zone Events: Unlike many calendar apps that fix events to a local time zone, Fantastical allows for floating time zones, meaning an event will maintain its set time regardless of the user’s location. This is particularly useful for tasks that need to occur at a specific hour regardless of where you are in the world.
- Time Zone Conversion Made Simple: Fantastical also includes an elegant built-in time zone conversion tool that allows users to quickly determine what time an event will be in another location. This eliminates the need to rely on external time zone calculators and reduces errors in scheduling international meetings.
Fantastical integrates with a wide range of third-party services, including Google Calendar, iCloud, Exchange, and even Todoist for task management. This makes it a powerful hub for not just events but also task planning and reminders. Tasks can also be added directly to the calendar just like appointments.
Additionally, the app supports conference call integrations for Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Google Meet, allowing users to join meetings directly from their event entries. This is especially useful for professionals who frequently hop from one virtual meeting to another.
Fantastical’s Siri integration allows for hands-free event creation, making it even easier to add appointments while on the go. Additionally, its handoff support means users can start scheduling an event on their iPhone and seamlessly continue on their Mac. Calendars on your computer, table, and phone are always in sync. It also supports Apple Watch, showing you upcoming meetings on your dial.
Fantastical offers both free and premium versions, with the premium subscription unlocking advanced features across all your devices. The premium subscription is priced at $4.75 per month when billed annually, totaling $56.99 per year. Alternatively, you can opt for a monthly subscription at $6.99 per month. For families, Fantastical provides a Premium for Families plan at $10.49 per month or $89.99 per year, supporting up to five members. The free version includes basic calendaring features, while the premium subscription offers advanced functionalities such as scheduling, integrations with other services, and more.
There’s one thing Fantastical does not have that Google Calendar does: A political agenda. Google Calendar has recently removed several culturally significant observances from its default settings, including: Black History Month, Pride Month, Women’s History Month, Indigenous People’s Month, Hispanic Heritage Month, and Holocaust Remembrance Day.
If you find you spend much of your time working around your calendar, setting appointments, planning travel, and managing activities, you may find Fantastical to be the one app that becomes your default home screen, since so much is integrated within. There’s a 30-day free trial available.
