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Calendars · head to head

Fantastical vs Notion Calendar

Fantastical logo

Fantastical

Calendars

The calendar app you'll love to use

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
N

Notion Calendar

Calendars

Free standalone calendar app from Notion, formerly Cron, usable without a paid Notion subscription

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Fantastical premium subscription required for advanced features at $56.99/year; Notion Calendar calendar source support is narrower than Morgen, focusing primarily on Google Calendar rather than a wide range of providers.
  • They diverge on capability: Fantastical covers Natural language input, Notion Calendar covers Multi-calendar view.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Fantastical and Notion Calendar actually diverge.

Attributes where Fantastical and Notion Calendar differ
AttributeFantasticalNotion Calendar
Pricing modelUnknownFree product, no licence fee
PlatformsmacOS, iOS, iPadOS, Apple Watch, Apple Vision Pro, WindowsMac, Windows, Web, iOS, Android
Founded2011Unknown

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

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 Fantastical

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

Only in Notion Calendar

  • Multi-calendar view
  • Keyboard-driven scheduling
  • Menu bar countdown
  • One click video links
  • Notion page linking
  • Availability sharing

What people use each for

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

Fantastical

  • Schedulingnot Notion Calendar
  • Appointment bookingnot Notion Calendar
  • Time trackingnot Notion Calendar
  • Resource managementnot Notion Calendar
  • Team coordinationnot Notion Calendar

Notion Calendar

  • A Google Calendar user who wants a faster, keyboard-driven interface without paying anythingnot Fantastical
  • A Notion workspace user who wants calendar events linked directly to project pages and tasksnot Fantastical
  • Someone who wants a menu bar countdown to their next meeting without opening a browser tabnot Fantastical
  • A user comparing calendar apps who does not want an ongoing subscription like Morgen now requiresnot Fantastical

Where each one falls short

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

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

Notion Calendar

  • Calendar source support is narrower than Morgen, focusing primarily on Google Calendar rather than a wide range of providers.
  • Its most distinctive feature, linking events to Notion pages, only benefits users already working inside a Notion workspace.
  • It lacks the task-list-to-calendar time blocking automation that Morgen offers as a paid feature.
  • As part of Notion product suite, its roadmap priorities are set by Notion broader business rather than the calendar being the company sole focus.
  • Some advanced scheduling features found in dedicated paid calendar tools, such as AI-assisted rescheduling, are not present in the free Notion Calendar.

Pricing, plan by plan

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

Notion Calendar

Free
  • Notion CalendarFree
    • Free standalone use, no subscription required
    • Google Calendar sync
    • Notion page linking included, even on Notion free plan

Which should you pick?

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

Choose Notion Calendar if

  • You need multi-calendar view.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Mac, Windows, Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want keyboard-driven scheduling.
Notion Calendar review

Questions people ask

Is Fantastical or Notion Calendar better?
Neither clearly leads. Fantastical starts at Free and Notion Calendar at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Fantastical or Notion Calendar?
Fantastical starts at Free and Notion Calendar at Free.
Does Fantastical or Notion Calendar run on more platforms?
Fantastical runs on macOS, iOS, iPadOS, Apple Watch, Apple Vision Pro, Windows. Notion Calendar runs on Mac, Windows, Web, iOS, Android.
Can I use Fantastical for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Fantastical best used for?
Fantastical is most often used for scheduling, appointment booking, time tracking, resource management. Of those, scheduling and appointment booking are not what Notion Calendar is typically brought in for.
What can Fantastical do that Notion Calendar cannot?
Fantastical covers Natural language input, Calendar sets, Weather integration, Scheduling. Notion Calendar covers Multi-calendar view, Keyboard-driven scheduling, Menu bar countdown, One click video links.

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
Notion Calendar: Do I need to pay for Notion to use Notion Calendar?

No. It is free to use on its own, and calendar features are included even on Notion free workspace plan.

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
Notion Calendar: What calendars does it connect to?

Primarily Google Calendar accounts, with Notion workspace page linking as an additional feature for Notion users.

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
Notion Calendar: Was this app previously called something else?

Yes, it was originally Cron before Notion acquired it and rebuilt it as Notion Calendar.

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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