Fantastical vs Notion Calendar: Comprehensive Comparison
2
Overview
In today's fast-paced world, choosing the right productivity tool can make all the difference. This comprehensive comparison between Fantastical and Notion Calendar will help you understand which tool best fits your workflow and productivity needs.
⚡ Quick Summary
Aspect | Fantastical | Notion Calendar |
|---|---|---|
Best For | 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. | Notion Calendar integrates Notion databases with Google and Apple calendars, displaying tasks, deadlines, and events in a unified view. It offers two-way sync with Notion databases, built-in scheduling tools, and time blocking features for comprehensive time and work management. |
Pricing | $4.75/month, paid annually | Free |
Platforms | iOS, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch | macOS, Windows, iOS, Android |
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.
What is Notion Calendar?
Notion Calendar is a calendar app that integrates Notion databases with external calendars (like Google and Apple iCloud) to display tasks, deadlines, and project timelines alongside events in a unified view. It provides two-way sync with Notion databases, allowing date-based items to appear as events that can be dragged to reschedule while automatically updating Notion. The app includes built-in scheduling tools, time blocking features, and unified calendar views for better time and work management.
🌟 Key Features of Notion Calendar
✦Two-Way Notion Database Sync: Date-based items from Notion databases appear as calendar events that can be dragged to reschedule, automatically updating Notion. Supports multiple date properties like deadlines and work plans for comprehensive project timeline management.
✦Unified Calendar Integration: Connects and toggles between Google and Apple iCloud calendars while auto-blocking personal events as 'Busy' on work calendars. Provides a single view for all calendar sources and Notion database items.
✦Built-in Scheduling Tools: Features quick availability sharing via S key, drag-to-book functionality, and built-in scheduler for meetings. Includes customizable scheduling links for sharing availability with others.
✦Time Blocking and Task Management: Allows dragging tasks to specific time slots and updating properties/status directly from the calendar. Provides dedicated views for deadlines versus plans and supports focus time blocking.
✦Event Types and Customization: Supports various event types including focus time and out-of-office, with customizable views showing week numbers and weekends. Includes keyboard shortcuts and comprehensive time zone support.
✦Cross-Platform Availability: Available on macOS, Windows, iOS, and Android platforms. Ensures users can manage their integrated calendars and Notion databases across all their devices.
📊 Feature Comparison
Feature | Fantastical | Notion Calendar |
|---|---|---|
📅 Calendar Integration | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
✅ Task Management | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
⏰ Time Blocking | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
🗣️ Natural Language Processing | ✓ Yes | ✗ No |
🔔 Notifications | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
🌍 Time Zones Support | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
📆 Scheduler | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
📈 Analytics | ✗ No | ✗ No |
🔗 Integrations
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)
Notion Calendar
Notion, Google Calendar, Apple iCloud
💰 Pricing Comparison
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.
Notion Calendar
Free
Free
💡 Things to Consider
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.
When Choosing Notion Calendar
→You're Already Using Notion: Ideal if you rely on Notion for tasks and projects as it enhances centralization, but adds complexity if you're not already in the Notion ecosystem and may require learning the platform first.
→You Need Context-Rich Calendar Management: Best for workflows requiring linking events to documents, databases, and project timelines, but avoid if you prioritize simple notifications, offline access, or auto-scheduling features.
→You Value Integration Over Advanced Features: Excellent for unified views of calendars and Notion data with two-way sync, but may fall short if you need extensive third-party integrations, advanced calendar features, or standalone calendar capabilities.
⭐ User Reviews
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."
Notion Calendar
"Notion Calendar is praised as a 'game-changer' for Notion-heavy workflows, offering seamless integration between calendars and Notion databases with two-way sync and unified views. Users highlight its effectiveness for context-driven planning and real-time project management, though it has a steep learning curve for Notion newcomers and lacks offline support. While it excels for existing Notion users seeking centralized scheduling, it may not satisfy power users needing advanced features like auto-scheduling or extensive third-party integrations."
🎯 Conclusion
Both Fantastical and Notion Calendar are excellent productivity tools with their own strengths.
Fantastical excels in Natural Language Input: Create events and reminders easily using everyday language., while Notion Calendar shines with Two-Way Notion Database Sync: Date-based items from Notion databases appear as calendar events that can be dragged to reschedule, automatically updating Notion. Supports multiple date properties like deadlines and work plans for comprehensive project timeline management.. 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.
