Softwr

Parenting & Family · head to head

FamilyWall vs FamCal

FamilyWall logo

FamilyWall

Parenting & Family

Private family network for organizing and sharing

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
F

FamCal

Parenting & Family

Shared family calendar for coordinating activities

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: FamilyWall budget tracking, meal planning, family document storage and schedule management are Premium only; FamCal the whole family shares one account, logging in with individual email addresses but a single shared password
  • They diverge on capability: FamilyWall covers Private family network, FamCal covers Color-coded events.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which FamilyWall and FamCal actually diverge.

Attributes where FamilyWall and FamCal differ
AttributeFamilyWallFamCal
Founded20122015

Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (freemium), free tier (Yes), platforms (Web, Ios, Android), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Parenting & Family).

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 FamilyWall

  • Private family network
  • Real-time location sharing
  • Location history
  • Family messaging
  • Photo sharing
  • Shopping lists
  • Chore assignment
  • End-to-end encryption

Only in FamCal

  • Color-coded events
  • Event notifications
  • Multiple family members
  • Calendar syncing
  • Event reminders
  • Location tagging
  • Notes and details
  • Data encryption

Both cover

  • Shared calendar
  • Google Calendar
  • Apple Calendar
  • Outlook
  • Cloud deployment
  • Web support
  • Ios support
  • Android support
  • English language support

What people use each for

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

FamilyWall

  • Running a shared colour-coded family calendar across phones and the webnot FamCal
  • Keeping shared shopping, chore and to-do lists for a householdnot FamCal
  • Planning meals and tracking family expenses on the Premium plannot FamCal

FamCal

  • Running a shared colour-coded family calendar across membersnot FamilyWall
  • Sharing grocery lists, chores and task assignments in a householdnot FamilyWall
  • Tracking and exporting shared trip expenses as PDF or CSVnot FamilyWall

Where each one falls short

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

FamilyWall

  • Budget tracking, meal planning, family document storage and schedule management are Premium only
  • Google and Outlook calendar sync and subscribing to a calendar by URL are Premium only
  • Locating family members and arrival or departure notifications are Premium only
  • Premium storage is capped at 25 GB
  • Premium costs 4.99 USD per month or 44.99 USD per year in the US and Canada, with other countries priced only in-app
  • Premium features apply only to the first 5 circles created
  • The Premium subscription renews automatically unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the period ends
  • Any unused part of the 30-day free trial is forfeited when a subscription is purchased

FamCal

  • The whole family shares one account, logging in with individual email addresses but a single shared password
  • Subscriptions are sold only as weekly or annual terms
  • Subscriptions renew automatically unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period
  • The account is charged for renewal within 24 hours before the end of the current period
  • The iOS app requires iOS 15.0 or later

Pricing, plan by plan

FamilyWall

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Shared calendar
    • Location sharing
    • Family messaging
  • Premium$4.99/month
    • Everything in Free
    • Unlimited members
    • Location history

FamCal

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Shared calendar
    • Basic notifications
    • Up to 6 members
  • Premium$2.99/month
    • Everything in Free
    • Unlimited members
    • Advanced notifications

Which should you pick?

Choose FamilyWall if

  • You need private family network.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want real-time location sharing.
FamilyWall review

Choose FamCal if

  • You need color-coded events.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want event notifications.
FamCal review

Questions people ask

Is FamilyWall or FamCal better?
Neither clearly leads. FamilyWall starts at Free and FamCal at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, FamilyWall or FamCal?
FamilyWall starts at Free and FamCal at Free.
Does FamilyWall or FamCal run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, Ios, Android, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use FamilyWall for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is FamilyWall best used for?
FamilyWall is most often used for running a shared colour-coded family calendar across phones and the web, keeping shared shopping, chore and to-do lists for a household, planning meals and tracking family expenses on the premium plan. Of those, running a shared colour-coded family calendar across phones and the web and keeping shared shopping, chore and to-do lists for a household are not what FamCal is typically brought in for.
What can FamilyWall do that FamCal cannot?
FamilyWall covers Private family network, Real-time location sharing, Location history, Family messaging. FamCal covers Color-coded events, Event notifications, Multiple family members, Calendar syncing. Both handle Shared calendar, Google Calendar, Apple Calendar, Outlook.
ShareXLinkedInRedditWhatsAppEmail

Related pages

More on FamilyWall

More on FamCal

Keep looking

Other head to heads