Softwr

Software · head to head

Lark vs Outlook Calendar

Lark logo

Lark

Software

The super app for team collaboration

From
Free
Rated
-
Outlook Calendar logo

Outlook Calendar

Software

Professional calendar management for Microsoft 365

From
Free
Rated
-

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Lark lark's own pricing page description states it offers a free starter pack, a Pro plan, and an Enterprise plan, and directs buyers to Contact us rather than publishing Pro/Enterprise figures on the rendered page.; Outlook Calendar offline support limited to only past 30 days of events, older events unavailable
  • They diverge on capability: Lark covers Team messaging, Outlook Calendar covers Meeting scheduling.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Lark and Outlook Calendar actually diverge.

Attributes where Lark and Outlook Calendar differ
AttributeLarkOutlook Calendar
Pricing modelsubscriptionUnknown
PlatformsWeb, Windows, Macos, Linux, Ios, AndroidWeb, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android
Founded20191975

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 Lark

  • Team messaging
  • Video conferencing
  • Collaborative docs
  • Cloud storage
  • Calendar
  • Jira
  • GitHub
  • Salesforce

Only in Outlook Calendar

  • Meeting scheduling
  • Shared calendars
  • Room booking
  • Availability sharing
  • Recurring events
  • Microsoft Teams
  • OneDrive
  • SharePoint

Both cover

  • Web support
  • Windows support
  • Macos support
  • Ios support
  • Android support

What people use each for

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

Lark

  • Team communicationnot Outlook Calendar
  • Document collaborationnot Outlook Calendar
  • Project managementnot Outlook Calendar
  • Company intranetnot Outlook Calendar

Outlook Calendar

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

Where each one falls short

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

Lark

  • Lark's own pricing page description states it offers a free starter pack, a Pro plan, and an Enterprise plan, and directs buyers to Contact us rather than publishing Pro/Enterprise figures on the rendered page.

Outlook Calendar

  • Offline support limited to only past 30 days of events, older events unavailable
  • Shared calendars and group calendars not available offline
  • Cached Exchange Mode issues can limit available offline data
  • Occasional sync conflicts when coming back online

Pricing, plan by plan

Lark

Free
  • StarterFree
    • Up to 50 users
    • 100GB storage
    • Unlimited messaging
  • Pro$12/month
    • Unlimited users
    • 1TB storage per user
    • 24-hour meetings
  • Enterprise$20/month
    • SSO/SAML
    • eDiscovery
    • Custom retention

Outlook Calendar

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Outlook.com email and calendar
    • 50MB attachment limit
    • 1GB cloud storage
  • Microsoft 365 Basic$19.99/year
    • Outlook with limited features
    • Cloud storage
  • Microsoft 365 Personal$99.99/year
    • Premium Outlook
    • Ad-free email
    • 100GB mailbox storage
  • Microsoft 365 Business Basic$6/month
    • Business-class email
    • 1TB cloud storage
    • Microsoft Teams

Which should you pick?

Choose Lark if

  • You need team messaging.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Windows, Macos, Linux, Ios, Android.
  • You also want video conferencing.

Choose Outlook Calendar if

  • You need meeting scheduling.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android.
  • You also want shared calendars.

Questions people ask

Is Lark or Outlook Calendar better?
Neither clearly leads. Lark starts at Free and Outlook Calendar at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Lark or Outlook Calendar?
Lark starts at Free and Outlook Calendar at Free.
Does Lark or Outlook Calendar run on more platforms?
Lark runs on Web, Windows, Macos, Linux, Ios, Android. Outlook Calendar runs on Web, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android.
Can I use Lark for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Lark best used for?
Lark is most often used for team communication, document collaboration, project management, company intranet. Of those, team communication and document collaboration are not what Outlook Calendar is typically brought in for.
What can Lark do that Outlook Calendar cannot?
Lark covers Team messaging, Video conferencing, Collaborative docs, Cloud storage. Outlook Calendar covers Meeting scheduling, Shared calendars, Room booking, Availability sharing. Both handle Web support, Windows support, Macos support, Ios support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Outlook Calendar: Is Outlook Calendar free?

Outlook.com with calendar is free via a Microsoft account. Outlook Calendar also comes with Microsoft 365 Personal ($99.99/year), Family ($129.99/year), or Business plans starting at $6/user/month.

Source
Outlook Calendar: Does Outlook Calendar work offline?

Outlook Calendar has limited offline support. New Outlook caches only the past 30 days of calendar items. Shared calendars and group calendars are not supported offline. Changes sync when you reconnect.

Source
Outlook Calendar: What platforms does Outlook Calendar support?

Outlook Calendar is available on Windows (desktop and web), macOS (desktop and web), iOS, and Android. Real-time synchronization works across all devices.

Source
Outlook Calendar: Does Outlook Calendar integrate with Slack?

Yes. Outlook Calendar integrates with Slack to sync your status and receive meeting notifications. You can RSVP to invites directly in Slack and join Microsoft Teams meetings from Slack reminders.

Source
Outlook Calendar: Can you share calendars and set delegate permissions?

Yes. Outlook Calendar supports calendar sharing with delegate permissions, color categories for organization, and the Scheduling Assistant to view attendee availability for meeting times.

Source

Related pages

Other head to heads