Doodle vs Fantastical: Comprehensive Comparison
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Overview
In today's fast-paced world, choosing the right productivity tool can make all the difference. This comprehensive comparison between Doodle and Fantastical will help you understand which tool best fits your workflow and productivity needs.
⚡ Quick Summary
Aspect | Doodle | Fantastical |
|---|---|---|
Best For | Meeting scheduling and polling tool for finding mutual availability | Fantastical is a versatile calendar app designed for Apple devices. It integrates advanced features like natural language parsing, reminders, and weather forecasts. Known for its user-friendly interface, it allows easy scheduling and management of events and tasks. |
Pricing | Free, Pro from $6.95/mo, Team from $8.95/user/mo | $4.75/month, paid annually |
Platforms | Web, iOS, Android | iOS, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch |
What is Doodle?
Doodle is a scheduling tool that simplifies finding mutual availability for meetings, events, and polls by letting users propose times and participants vote, eliminating email back-and-forth. It offers both group scheduling polls and individual booking pages for sharing availability via links.
🌟 Key Features of Doodle
✦Group scheduling polls with participant voting
✦Booking Pages for sharing availability via links
✦1:1 meetings and Book on Behalf functionality
✦Video integrations (Zoom, Teams, Google Meet)
✦Calendar sync with Google Calendar and Outlook
✦Payment collection via Stripe and PayPal
What is Fantastical?
Fantastical is a calendar and tasks app that integrates scheduling with task management, connecting to existing calendars like Google, Microsoft 365, Exchange, iCloud, Todoist, and Apple Reminders for seamless event and task handling. Known for its natural language processing capabilities and aesthetic interface, it offers templates, multiple views, time blocking, and deep Apple ecosystem integration.
🌟 Key Features of Fantastical
✦Natural Language Input: Create events and reminders easily using everyday language.
✦Task Integration: Integrates with Apple Reminders, Todoist, Google Tasks with drag-and-drop scheduling.
✦Calendar Syncing: Supports iCloud, Google Calendar, Microsoft 365, Exchange, and more for seamless integration.
✦Time Blocking: Drag tasks to specific times and days for better time management.
✦Templates: Quick event and task creation from existing items.
✦Multiple Views: Offers daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly views for different scheduling needs.
📊 Feature Comparison
Feature | Doodle | Fantastical |
|---|---|---|
📅 Calendar Integration | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
✅ Task Management | ✗ No | ✓ Yes |
⏰ Time Blocking | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
🗣️ Natural Language Processing | ✗ No | ✓ Yes |
🔔 Notifications | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
🌍 Time Zones Support | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
📆 Scheduler | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
📈 Analytics | ✓ Yes | ✗ No |
🔗 Integrations
Doodle
Google Calendar, Outlook, Office 365, Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, Webex, Stripe, Zapier (2000+ apps), Slack (via Zapier)
Fantastical
Google Calendar, Microsoft 365, Exchange, iCloud, Todoist, Apple Reminders, Google Tasks, Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, Slack, CalDAV, Apple Shortcuts, Zapier (8,000+ apps)
💰 Pricing Comparison
Doodle
Free, Pro from $6.95/mo, Team from $8.95/user/mo
Free plan available. Pro: $6.95/user/month (annual) or $14.95/month. Team: $8.95/user/month (annual) or $19.95/user/month
Fantastical
$4.75/month, paid annually
Free plan with basic features. Premium plans: Individual $4.75/month (billed annually), Family $6.99/month for up to 5 users (billed annually), Team/Business $4.75/user/month (billed annually). 14-day free trial available.
💡 Things to Consider
When Choosing Doodle
→Best suited for group meeting polls and simple 1:1 booking, but less ideal for complex team scheduling or project management needs
→Free plan includes ads and limited features - paid plans needed for branding, unlimited booking pages, and advanced automation
→Occasional calendar sync issues and limited customer support responsiveness may impact users with mission-critical scheduling needs
When Choosing Fantastical
→You're an Apple Ecosystem User: Choose Fantastical if you use only Apple devices and want a feature-rich upgrade over built-in Apple Calendar with advanced scheduling tools.
→You're a Power User with Multiple Calendars: Ideal if you manage many calendars, meetings, time zones, and need integrations with services like Zoom, Google, and Microsoft 365.
→You Value Natural Language Input: Perfect for those who appreciate adding events using natural language and want templates, calendar sets, and meeting proposals for enhanced productivity.
⭐ User Reviews
Doodle
"Users praise Doodle for its simplicity and effectiveness in group scheduling, eliminating email back-and-forth. Main complaints include ads on free plan, limited customization options, occasional calendar sync issues, and slow customer support responses."
Fantastical
"Fantastical is praised for its excellent interface, natural language input, and rich features including task integration and scheduling tools. However, it faces criticism for its subscription pricing model, Apple-only ecosystem limitation, and basic task management capabilities. While ideal for Apple power users managing multiple calendars and meetings, the recurring subscription cost and platform restrictions may be deal-breakers for budget-conscious or cross-platform users."
🎯 Conclusion
Both Doodle and Fantastical are excellent productivity tools with their own strengths.
Doodle excels in Group scheduling polls with participant voting, while Fantastical shines with Natural Language Input: Create events and reminders easily using everyday language.. The best choice depends on your specific needs, workflow preferences, and budget.
We recommend trying both tools to see which one fits better with your productivity style.
