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Calendar & Time Management · head to head

Outlook Calendar vs Zeplin

Outlook Calendar logo

Outlook Calendar

Calendar & Time Management

Professional calendar management for Microsoft 365

From
Free
Rated
-
Zeplin logo

Zeplin

Design Tools

Design handoff and developer collaboration

From
Free
Rated
-

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Outlook Calendar offline support limited to only past 30 days of events, older events unavailable; Zeplin the free plan is limited to 1 project and 100 screens and works only in a personal workspace
  • They diverge on capability: Outlook Calendar covers Meeting scheduling, Zeplin covers Design specs.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Outlook Calendar and Zeplin differ
AttributeOutlook CalendarZeplin
Pricing modelUnknownsubscription
PlatformsWeb, Windows, macOS, iOS, AndroidWeb, Desktop, Mobile
CategoryCalendar & Time ManagementDesign Tools
Founded19752014

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

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 Zeplin

  • Design specs
  • Asset export
  • Code snippets
  • Design tokens
  • Comments
  • Version control
  • Handoff workflow
  • Accessibility checks

Both cover

  • Slack

What people use each for

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

Outlook Calendar

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

Zeplin

  • Handing off design specs from Figma or Sketch to developersnot Outlook Calendar
  • Sharing screens, assets and style guides with an engineering teamnot Outlook Calendar
  • Reviewing and commenting on design versionsnot Outlook Calendar

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

Zeplin

  • The free plan is limited to 1 project and 100 screens and works only in a personal workspace
  • Free plan AI reviews are capped at 3 per week
  • Role based permissions require the Advanced plan or higher
  • Single sign on, multi factor authentication, activity logs and invoiced billing are Enterprise only
  • Priority 24 hour support is Enterprise only
  • Basic plan caps screens at 1,000 per project and is priced per project rather than per seat
  • Enterprise pricing is by quote with no published rate

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

Zeplin

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 1 project
    • 1 workspace
    • Basic specs
  • Starter$19/month
    • Unlimited projects
    • Multiple workspaces
    • Advanced specs
  • Professional$49/month
    • Everything in Starter
    • Team collaboration
    • Admin controls

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.

Choose Zeplin if

  • You need design specs.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Desktop, Mobile.
  • You also want asset export.

Questions people ask

Is Outlook Calendar or Zeplin better?
Neither clearly leads. Outlook Calendar starts at Free and Zeplin at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Outlook Calendar or Zeplin?
Outlook Calendar starts at Free and Zeplin at Free.
Does Outlook Calendar or Zeplin run on more platforms?
Outlook Calendar runs on Web, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android. Zeplin runs on Web, Desktop, Mobile.
Can I use Outlook Calendar for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Outlook Calendar best used for?
Outlook Calendar is most often used for scheduling, appointment booking, time tracking, resource management. Of those, scheduling and appointment booking are not what Zeplin is typically brought in for.
What can Outlook Calendar do that Zeplin cannot?
Outlook Calendar covers Meeting scheduling, Shared calendars, Room booking, Availability sharing. Zeplin covers Design specs, Asset export, Code snippets, Design tokens. Both handle Slack.

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

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