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Software · head to head

Clockwise vs Fantastical

C

Clockwise

Software

Intelligent calendar management for teams

From
Free
Rated
-
Fantastical logo

Fantastical

Software

The calendar app you'll love to use

From
Free
Rated
-

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Clockwise service discontinued and shut down on March 27, 2026; Fantastical premium subscription required for advanced features at $56.99/year
  • They diverge on capability: Clockwise covers Focus Time protection, Fantastical covers Natural language input.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Clockwise and Fantastical actually diverge.

Attributes where Clockwise and Fantastical differ
AttributeClockwiseFantastical
Pricing modelfreemiumUnknown
PlatformsWebmacOS, iOS, iPadOS, Apple Watch, Apple Vision Pro, Windows
Founded20162011

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).

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 Clockwise

  • Focus Time protection
  • Meeting optimization
  • Scheduling links
  • Team analytics
  • Conflict resolution
  • Slack
  • Zoom
  • Asana

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.

Clockwise

  • Scheduling
  • Appointment booking
  • Time tracking
  • Resource management
  • Team coordination

Fantastical

  • Scheduling
  • Appointment booking
  • Time tracking
  • Resource management
  • Team coordination

Both are used for scheduling, appointment booking, time tracking, resource management, team coordination, on those jobs the choice comes down to price and fit rather than capability.

Where each one falls short

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

Clockwise

  • Service discontinued and shut down on March 27, 2026
  • All user data was deleted upon shutdown
  • Integration with Asana was removed during product lifecycle

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

Clockwise

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Focus Time
    • Meeting optimization
    • Personal analytics
  • Teams$6.75/month
    • Team analytics
    • Flexible meetings
    • Admin controls

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 Clockwise if

  • You need focus time protection.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want meeting optimization.

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 Clockwise or Fantastical better?
Neither clearly leads. Clockwise starts at Free and Fantastical at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Clockwise or Fantastical?
Clockwise starts at Free and Fantastical at Free.
Does Clockwise or Fantastical run on more platforms?
Clockwise runs on Web. Fantastical runs on macOS, iOS, iPadOS, Apple Watch, Apple Vision Pro, Windows.
Can I use Clockwise for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Clockwise best used for?
Clockwise is most often used for scheduling, appointment booking, time tracking, resource management.
What can Clockwise do that Fantastical cannot?
Clockwise covers Focus Time protection, Meeting optimization, Scheduling links, Team analytics. Fantastical covers Natural language input, Calendar sets, Weather integration, Scheduling. Both handle Google Calendar.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Clockwise: What happened to Clockwise?

Clockwise was acquired by Salesforce and shut down on March 27, 2026. The company announced the team was joining Salesforce to work on Agentforce. User data was deleted and prorated refunds were issued to paying customers.

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
Clockwise: What integrations did Clockwise support?

Clockwise integrated with Google Calendar, Microsoft Outlook, Slack, and previously Asana (though this integration was discontinued).

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
Clockwise: What were Clockwise's key features?

Clockwise offered AI-powered focus time protection, automatic meeting buffers, Slack status sync, smart lunch breaks, and team calendar synchronization to optimize schedules and prevent burnout.

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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