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Apple News vs Fantastical

Apple News logo

Apple News

News

All the news you want. From sources you trust.

From
$12.99/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Fantastical logo

Fantastical

Calendars

The calendar app you'll love to use

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Fantastical has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Apple News apple One Bundle does not break out individual service costs; Fantastical premium subscription required for advanced features at $56.99/year
  • They diverge on capability: Apple News covers Curated news feed, Fantastical covers Natural language input.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Apple News and Fantastical actually diverge.

Attributes where Apple News and Fantastical differ
AttributeApple NewsFantastical
Starting price$12.99/monthFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionUnknown
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsIos, MacosmacOS, iOS, iPadOS, Apple Watch, Apple Vision Pro, Windows
CategoryNewsCalendars
Founded19762011

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Apple News

  • Curated news feed
  • Premium magazines
  • Audio stories
  • Personalization
  • Offline reading
  • Apple One bundle
  • Siri
  • Spotlight

Only in Fantastical

  • Natural language input
  • Calendar sets
  • Weather integration
  • Scheduling
  • Tasks
  • Google Calendar
  • Outlook
  • Exchange

Both cover

  • iCloud
  • Ios support
  • Macos support

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Apple News

  • Daily news readingnot Fantastical
  • Magazine subscriptionnot Fantastical
  • News discoverynot Fantastical
  • Staying informednot Fantastical

Fantastical

  • Schedulingnot Apple News
  • Appointment bookingnot Apple News
  • Time trackingnot Apple News
  • Resource managementnot Apple News
  • Team coordinationnot Apple News

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Apple News

  • Apple One Bundle does not break out individual service costs
  • 3-month free offer limited to eligible device purchases

Fantastical

  • Premium subscription required for advanced features at $56.99/year
  • Primarily designed for Apple ecosystem; Windows version is resource-intensive
  • No native Android app, limiting cross-platform usage
  • No web interface for calendar access
  • Shows events but lacks event management capabilities compared to specialized task tools

Pricing, plan by plan

Apple News

$12.99/month
  • Apple News+$12.99/month
    • Hundreds of magazines and newspapers
    • Cover-to-cover magazine issues
    • Professionally narrated audio stories
  • Apple One Bundle$39.95/month
    • Apple News+ included
    • Five additional Apple services
    • Family Sharing

Fantastical

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Basic calendar views (day, week, month, quarter, year)
    • Natural language event entry
    • 3-day weather forecast
  • Individual Premium$56.99/year
    • All free features
    • Task management with Todoist and Google Tasks
    • Unlimited calendar sets
  • Family Premium$89.99/year
    • All Individual Premium features
    • Up to 5 family members
    • Shared calendars

Which should you pick?

Choose Apple News if

  • You need curated news feed.
  • You work on Ios, Macos.
  • You also want premium magazines.
Apple News review

Choose Fantastical if

  • You need natural language input.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on macOS, iOS, iPadOS, Apple Watch, Apple Vision Pro, Windows.
  • You also want calendar sets.
Fantastical review

Questions people ask

Is Apple News or Fantastical better?
Neither clearly leads. Apple News starts at $12.99/month and Fantastical at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Apple News or Fantastical?
Fantastical has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $12.99/month for Apple News and Free for Fantastical.
Does Apple News or Fantastical run on more platforms?
Apple News runs on Ios, Macos. Fantastical runs on macOS, iOS, iPadOS, Apple Watch, Apple Vision Pro, Windows.
Can I use Fantastical for free?
Yes. Fantastical has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Apple News starts at $12.99/month.
What is Apple News best used for?
Apple News is most often used for daily news reading, magazine subscription, news discovery, staying informed. Of those, daily news reading and magazine subscription are not what Fantastical is typically brought in for.
What can Apple News do that Fantastical cannot?
Apple News covers Curated news feed, Premium magazines, Audio stories, Personalization. Fantastical covers Natural language input, Calendar sets, Weather integration, Scheduling. Both handle iCloud, Ios support, Macos support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Apple News: How much does Apple News+ cost?

Apple News+ costs $12.99 per month after a one-month free trial for new subscribers, with automatic monthly renewal until cancelled.

Source
Fantastical: Does Fantastical have a free plan?

Yes, Fantastical offers a free tier with basic calendar views (day, week, month, quarter, year), natural language event entry, and 3-day weather forecast. Premium features including task management integrations and family sharing require a paid subscription at $56.99/year or $6.99/month.

Source
Apple News: What is Apple One Bundle pricing?

Apple One Bundle is $39.95 per month and includes Apple News+ along with five other Apple services, with Family Sharing available at no additional cost.

Source
Fantastical: Can I create events using natural language?

Yes, Fantastical's signature feature is natural language processing, allowing you to create events by typing or speaking in plain English. You can type things like 'dinner tomorrow at 7 pm with Sarah' and it automatically parses the date, time, and attendees.

Source
Apple News: Can Apple News+ be shared with family members?

Yes, Apple News+ subscriptions can be shared with up to five other family members at no additional cost through Family Sharing.

Source
Fantastical: What calendar services does Fantastical support?

Fantastical integrates with Google Calendar, iCloud, Microsoft 365, Exchange, Office 365, and Fastmail. It supports multiple account types and syncs changes across all connected services.

Source
Fantastical: What task management apps can I integrate with Fantastical?

Fantastical supports Todoist, Google Tasks, and Microsoft 365 tasks. Tasks sync bidirectionally, and changes made in Fantastical reflect back in your task service.

Source
Fantastical: Does Fantastical work on Windows?

Fantastical for Windows was released in October 2024, though it is resource-heavy compared to the macOS and iOS versions. The app is feature-complete but less polished than the Apple platform versions.

Source
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