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Scheduling & Booking · head to head

Boulevard vs Fantastical

Boulevard logo

Boulevard

Scheduling & Booking

Client experience platform for salons

From
$175/month
Rated
-
Fantastical logo

Fantastical

Calendar & Time Management

The calendar app you'll love to use

From
Free
Rated
-

The short version

  • Only Fantastical has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Boulevard pricing is charged per location, so a multi site business pays the full plan fee for each site; Fantastical premium subscription required for advanced features at $56.99/year
  • They diverge on capability: Boulevard covers Intelligent scheduling, Fantastical covers Natural language input.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Boulevard and Fantastical actually diverge.

Attributes where Boulevard and Fantastical differ
AttributeBoulevardFantastical
Starting price$175/monthFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionUnknown
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, Ios, Android, ApimacOS, iOS, iPadOS, Apple Watch, Apple Vision Pro, Windows
CategoryScheduling & BookingCalendar & Time Management
Founded20162011

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 Boulevard

  • Intelligent scheduling
  • Client profiles
  • Point of sale
  • Inventory management
  • Staff management
  • Gift cards & packages
  • Two-way messaging
  • Business analytics

Only in Fantastical

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

Both cover

  • Google Calendar

What people use each for

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

Boulevard

  • Appointment booking and client management for salons, spas and medspasnot Fantastical
  • Running point of sale and card payments alongside schedulingnot Fantastical
  • Automated client messaging, intake forms and marketing campaignsnot Fantastical

Fantastical

  • Schedulingnot Boulevard
  • Appointment bookingnot Boulevard
  • Time trackingnot Boulevard
  • Resource managementnot Boulevard
  • Team coordinationnot Boulevard

Where each one falls short

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

Boulevard

  • Pricing is charged per location, so a multi site business pays the full plan fee for each site
  • The Essentials plan caps the business at 5 professionals; unlimited professionals require the Premier plan
  • Text and email allowances are metered per plan, with email blasts charged at $0.01 each beyond the plan allocation
  • Forms cost from $65 per month per location unless you are on the top Prestige plan
  • QuickBooks integration is an add on at $45 per month per location
  • ePrescribe is $45 per prescriber on top of the plan
  • Enterprise pricing is by consultation with no published rate

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

Boulevard

$175/month
  • Essential$175/month
    • Appointment booking
    • Client management
    • Point of sale
  • Premier$325/month
    • Everything in Essential
    • Advanced booking
    • Marketing tools
  • Prestige$undefined/month
    • Everything in Premier
    • Multi-location
    • API access

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 Boulevard if

  • You need intelligent scheduling.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android, Api.
  • You also want client profiles.

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.

Questions people ask

Is Boulevard or Fantastical better?
Neither clearly leads. Boulevard starts at $175/month and Fantastical at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Boulevard or Fantastical?
Fantastical has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $175/month for Boulevard and Free for Fantastical.
Does Boulevard or Fantastical run on more platforms?
Boulevard runs on Web, Ios, Android, Api. 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. Boulevard starts at $175/month.
What is Boulevard best used for?
Boulevard is most often used for appointment booking and client management for salons, spas and medspas, running point of sale and card payments alongside scheduling, automated client messaging, intake forms and marketing campaigns. Of those, appointment booking and client management for salons, spas and medspas and running point of sale and card payments alongside scheduling are not what Fantastical is typically brought in for.
What can Boulevard do that Fantastical cannot?
Boulevard covers Intelligent scheduling, Client profiles, Point of sale, Inventory management. Fantastical covers Natural language input, Calendar sets, Weather integration, Scheduling. Both handle Google Calendar.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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
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
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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