The short answer: for most people, the calendar already on the iPhone is enough. Apple Calendar shows your iCloud, Google and Exchange calendars together, shows your reminders, and can tell you when it’s time to leave. Look further if you want something it doesn’t do: typing whole sentences, Gmail bookings arriving by themselves, Notion beside your meetings, or a planner you can talk to.
A note first: we make Composed, one of the five. Every detail about another app comes from its own App Store listing or its maker’s site, and each card links to its source. We say where Composed fits and where it doesn’t.
The quick pick
- You want free, built in, with a time-to-leave alert: Apple Calendar.
- You use Gmail and want bookings added for you: Google Calendar.
- You want to type “Lunch with John at 123 Main Street on Tuesday” and see every view, on every device: Fantastical.
- You plan work in Notion: Notion Calendar, free.
- You want to say a plan out loud, snap a booking, and be told when to leave: Composed, on iPhone.
Every option, compared
Apple Calendar + Reminders by Apple
- What it is
- The two apps already on your iPhone. Calendar shows your iCloud, Google and Exchange calendars together, and can show, create and complete your scheduled reminders
- Free
- Everything, already installed
- Paid
- Nothing to buy
- Runs on
- iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Mac
- Good for
- Starting with no download. Add a location to an event and Calendar tells you when it is time to leave
- Worth knowing
- Reminders only appear in Calendar after you select Scheduled Reminders in the calendar list
Google Calendar by Google
- What it is
- A calendar with tasks alongside your events
- Free
- The calendar itself: events, tasks, shared calendars, and reservations added from Gmail
- Paid
- The in-app purchases on its listing are Google storage and AI plans
- Runs on
- iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, plus the web and Android
- Good for
- People already in Gmail: flights, hotels and restaurant bookings land on the calendar by themselves
- Worth knowing
- Tasks are a simple list beside your events
Fantastical by Flexibits
- What it is
- A calendar you type or dictate into: a sentence like "Lunch with John at 123 Main Street on Tuesday" becomes an event
- Free
- A calendar for basic events, with day, week, month, quarter and year views, tasks from Reminders, Todoist and Google Tasks, and a 3-day forecast
- Paid
- Flexibits Premium adds time-to-leave notifications from travel time, meeting polls, booking from your availability and calendar sets. $6.99 a month or $56.99 a year on the App Store, with a 14-day free trial
- Runs on
- iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Mac, Apple Vision Pro, Windows
- Good for
- Typing plans as sentences, and seeing iCloud, Google and Exchange calendars in one polished view
- Worth knowing
- Time-to-leave notifications are part of Premium
Notion Calendar by Notion
- What it is
- A calendar that puts your Google, Outlook and iCloud calendars and your Notion deadlines in one view
- Free
- All of it. The listing shows no in-app purchases
- Paid
- Nothing to buy for the calendar
- Runs on
- iPhone, Android, Mac, Windows. No version made for iPad yet
- Good for
- People who plan work in Notion and want docs and deadlines beside their meetings, with a link others can book time through
- Worth knowing
- It is a calendar view. Google Calendar events cannot yet be imported into a Notion database
Composed by us
- What it is
- A planner you talk to: say or type a plan, or snap a screenshot of a booking, and it becomes an event with reminders, prep when the event calls for it, and a time to leave
- Free
- Every feature, for up to 5 active items you add yourself. Events imported from Apple Calendar or Google Calendar do not count
- Paid
- Pro removes the 5-item limit: $5.99 a month, $39.99 a year with a 7-day free trial, or $199 once
- Runs on
- iPhone
- Good for
- Appointments, trips and occasions you want to arrive at prepared and on time
- Worth knowing
- No projects, tags or priority levels, and no Android, iPad, Mac or web version
Other apps' details come from their own App Store listings and their makers' pricing and product pages, checked October 14, 2026. Prices are US prices. Prices and features change; the maker's page is the final word.
Which ones tell you when to leave
People often pick a calendar for this, so here’s how the five handle it:
- Apple Calendar: free. Add a location to an event and it notifies you when it’s time to leave.
- Fantastical: time-to-leave notifications are part of Flexibits Premium, $6.99 a month or $56.99 a year on the App Store.
- Composed: a leave-by estimate based on traffic for any event with a place, on the free plan too, refreshed whenever you open the app. A countdown appears on your Lock Screen and Dynamic Island when it’s time to go.
- Google Calendar and Notion Calendar: their listings don’t describe a time-to-leave alert.
Which ones understand a sentence
- Fantastical turns typed or dictated sentences into events, including repeats like “third Thursday of every month”.
- Composed turns a spoken or typed sentence into an event with reminders. It also reads a screenshot of a hotel, rental or flight confirmation and fills in the event for you to check.
- Google Calendar adds flight, hotel, concert and restaurant reservations from Gmail by itself.
Where Composed is the wrong pick
Composed is a planner that reads your calendar, not a full calendar replacement. If you need week and year views across many accounts, meeting polls, or apps for iPad, Mac or Windows, Fantastical or Apple Calendar will serve you better. Composed syncs with Apple Calendar and Google Calendar, and once sync is on, what you add in Composed goes back to them. It’s free for 5 active items you add yourself, with imported events not counting, and Pro is $5.99 a month, $39.99 a year, or $199 once.
FAQ
What is the best free calendar app for iPhone?
Apple Calendar, for most people. It’s already installed, it shows iCloud, Google and Exchange calendars together, and it can tell you when to leave. Google Calendar is the better free pick if your bookings arrive in Gmail.
Is Fantastical worth paying for?
It can be, if you live in your calendar across several Apple devices or Windows and want meeting polls, availability booking and time-to-leave alerts. Its free version handles basic events, and Premium has a 14-day free trial.
Can I use more than one of these at once?
Yes. Fantastical, Notion Calendar and Composed all read the calendars you already have, so you can try one without moving your events.