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Calendar & Time Management · head to head

Outlook Calendar vs Rise Calendar

Outlook Calendar logo

Outlook Calendar

Calendar & Time Management

Professional calendar management for Microsoft 365

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Rise Calendar logo

Rise Calendar

Calendar & Time Management

The modern calendar for Mac

From
$16/year
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Outlook Calendar has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Outlook Calendar offline support limited to only past 30 days of events, older events unavailable; Rise Calendar product discontinued as of March 31, 2025
  • They diverge on capability: Outlook Calendar covers Meeting scheduling, Rise Calendar covers Native Mac app.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Outlook Calendar and Rise Calendar differ
AttributeOutlook CalendarRise Calendar
Starting priceFree$16/year
Pricing modelUnknownsubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, Windows, macOS, iOS, AndroidiOS, Android, macOS, Windows
Founded19752021

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Calendar & Time Management).

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 Outlook Calendar

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

Only in Rise Calendar

  • Native Mac app
  • Natural language
  • Menu bar widget
  • Quick event creation
  • Minimal design
  • Google Calendar
  • iCloud
  • Outlook

Both cover

  • Macos support

What people use each for

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

Outlook Calendar

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

Rise Calendar

  • 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.

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

Rise Calendar

  • Product discontinued as of March 31, 2025
  • Failed to achieve sufficient commercial traction despite 900 teams and 30% month-over-month growth

Pricing, plan by plan

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

Rise Calendar

$16/year
  • Annual$16/year
    • Full calendar
    • Menu bar access
    • Natural language

Which should you pick?

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.
Outlook Calendar review

Choose Rise Calendar if

  • You need native mac app.
  • You work on iOS, Android, macOS, Windows.
  • You also want natural language.
Rise Calendar review

Questions people ask

Is Outlook Calendar or Rise Calendar better?
Neither clearly leads. Outlook Calendar starts at Free and Rise Calendar at $16/year, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Outlook Calendar or Rise Calendar?
Outlook Calendar has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Outlook Calendar and $16/year for Rise Calendar.
Does Outlook Calendar or Rise Calendar run on more platforms?
Outlook Calendar runs on Web, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android. Rise Calendar runs on iOS, Android, macOS, Windows.
Can I use Outlook Calendar for free?
Yes. Outlook Calendar has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Rise Calendar starts at $16/year.
What is Outlook Calendar best used for?
Outlook Calendar is most often used for scheduling, appointment booking, time tracking, resource management.
What can Outlook Calendar do that Rise Calendar cannot?
Outlook Calendar covers Meeting scheduling, Shared calendars, Room booking, Availability sharing. Rise Calendar covers Native Mac app, Natural language, Menu bar widget, Quick event creation. Both handle Macos 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
Rise Calendar: Is Rise Calendar still available?

No, Rise Calendar was discontinued on March 31, 2025. The service shut down after failing to achieve commercial traction in a competitive market. All user data was permanently deleted.

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
Rise Calendar: What were Rise Calendar's main features?

Rise offered calendar management with synchronization to Google Calendar, Outlook, and iCloud; integrated task and project management; scheduling optimization with FocusGuard; and cross-platform apps for iOS, Android, macOS, and Windows.

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
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Related pages

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