Software · head to head
Rise Calendar vs Fantastical
The short version
- Only Fantastical has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Rise Calendar product discontinued as of March 31, 2025; Fantastical premium subscription required for advanced features at $56.99/year
- They diverge on capability: Rise Calendar covers Native Mac app, Fantastical covers Natural language input.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Rise Calendar and Fantastical actually diverge.
| Attribute | Rise Calendar | Fantastical |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $16/year | Free |
| Pricing model | subscription | Unknown |
| Free tier | No | Yes |
| Platforms | iOS, Android, macOS, Windows | macOS, iOS, iPadOS, Apple Watch, Apple Vision Pro, Windows |
| Founded | 2021 | 2011 |
Identical on both: 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 Rise Calendar
- Native Mac app
- Natural language
- Menu bar widget
- Quick event creation
- Minimal design
Only in Fantastical
- Natural language input
- Calendar sets
- Weather integration
- Scheduling
- Tasks
- Todoist
- Ios support
- Ipados support
Both cover
- Google Calendar
- iCloud
- Outlook
- Exchange
- Macos support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Rise Calendar
- Scheduling
- Appointment booking
- Time tracking
- Resource management
- Team coordination
Fantastical
- 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.
Rise Calendar
- Product discontinued as of March 31, 2025
- Failed to achieve sufficient commercial traction despite 900 teams and 30% month-over-month growth
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
Pricing, plan by plan
Rise Calendar
$16/year- Annual$16/year
- Full calendar
- Menu bar access
- Natural language
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
Which should you pick?
Choose Rise Calendar if
- You need native mac app.
- You work on iOS, Android, macOS, Windows.
- You also want natural language.
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.
Questions people ask
- Is Rise Calendar or Fantastical better?
- Neither clearly leads. Rise Calendar starts at $16/year and Fantastical at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Rise Calendar or Fantastical?
- Fantastical has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $16/year for Rise Calendar and Free for Fantastical.
- Does Rise Calendar or Fantastical run on more platforms?
- Rise Calendar runs on iOS, Android, macOS, Windows. Fantastical runs on macOS, iOS, iPadOS, Apple Watch, Apple Vision Pro, Windows.
- Can I use Fantastical for free?
- Yes. Fantastical has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Rise Calendar starts at $16/year.
- What is Rise Calendar best used for?
- Rise Calendar is most often used for scheduling, appointment booking, time tracking, resource management.
- What can Rise Calendar do that Fantastical cannot?
- Rise Calendar covers Native Mac app, Natural language, Menu bar widget, Quick event creation. Fantastical covers Natural language input, Calendar sets, Weather integration, Scheduling. Both handle Google Calendar, iCloud, Outlook, Exchange.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
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.
SourceFantastical: 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.
SourceRise 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.
SourceFantastical: 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.
SourceFantastical: 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.
SourceFantastical: 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.
SourceFantastical: 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