# Calendar vs Simple Calendar

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Calendar at none against Simple Calendar's 3. Calendar also leads on ads (none vs shown) and rating (4.9 vs 4.4). Simple Calendar's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 4 months) and review sentiment (60% vs 36%). On price there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Simple Calendar sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Calendar asks for nothing beyond the download.

Calendar holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Calendar has 1.5M ratings behind it against 74, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 36% of Calendar's written reviews are positive against 60% of Simple Calendar's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Calendar ships an update every 4 months, Simple Calendar every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 8, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Calendar | Simple Calendar |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.9 (1.5M ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/calendar/id1108185179/reviews)** | [4.4 (74 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/simple-calendar-widget-cal/id1506434688/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **1.5M** | 74 |
| Positive reviews | 36.1% of reviews | **60.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 8 MB | 9 MB |
| Requires iOS | **10.0** | 18.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Apple](https://appshunter.io/developer/284417353) | [Heart Relay Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1327363297) |

## What reviewers say

### Calendar

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/calendar/id1108185179)

Organize your entire schedule in one place. View events from multiple accounts, manage tasks, and plan gatherings with others. Stay on top of appointments, holidays, and birthdays with customizable views and shared calendars.

**Highlights:** Unified schedule view, Event creation and editing, Task management integration, Calendar sharing, Multiple calendar support, Customizable views

**Features:** Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Essential app for staying organized
- 👍 Clean, intuitive, and easy to navigate
- 🔒 Seamless sync across devices
- 👍 Helpful integration with other apps
- 👍 Ability to set multiple alerts, share events, and color-code calendars

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Autofill suggestions overwrite event time
- 🔍 Search function not reliable
- 🔍 Inability to delete past/declined events
- 🔍 Confusing interface, cluttered month view
- 🔍 Lack of customization options for alerts and reminders

**Reported bugs**

- Time zones not handled properly, causing appointment time issues
- Recurring events not deleted properly
- Inability to delete events, leading to a cluttered calendar
- Syncing issues between devices
- Search function not working as expected

**Requested features**

- Attachment option to add files, photos, PDFs, etc. to events
- Integration with Reminders app to schedule and view tasks
- Week view in portrait mode
- Option to select which reminder lists show in the calendar
- Openings and proposals feature


### Simple Calendar

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/simple-calendar-widget-cal/id1506434688)

Quickly view your monthly schedule and upcoming events with this easy-to-use calendar app. It offers widget support for at-a-glance access to your day and plans, with all data stored securely on your device. Enjoy a comfortable viewing experience with dark mode support.

**Highlights:** Monthly schedule overview, Quick event registration, Widget support for daily plans, Secure on-device data storage, Dark mode compatibility

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium Plan (Monthly) | $1.99 | per month |
| Premium Plan (Yearly) | $11.99 | per year |
| Hide ads | $11.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Calendar free?

Calendar is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Simple Calendar free?

Simple Calendar is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Calendar or Simple Calendar?

Calendar is rated higher. Calendar averages 4.9 out of 5 from 1.5M ratings, while Simple Calendar averages 4.4 from 74 ratings.

### Do Calendar or Simple Calendar have ads?

Simple Calendar shows ads; Calendar does not.

### Which is updated more often, Calendar or Simple Calendar?

Calendar ships an update every 4 months, and Simple Calendar every 3 weeks. Most recently, Calendar was updated on November 8, 2026 and Simple Calendar on November 3, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*