# Google Calendar vs HiCal

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: HiCal at none against Google Calendar's 32. HiCal also leads on review sentiment (55% vs 35%) and rating (4.7 vs 4.5). Google Calendar's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 2 months) and ratings volume (132K vs 23). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Google Calendar sells 22 in-app purchases, starting at $0.89 per month. HiCal asks for nothing beyond the download.

HiCal holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Google Calendar has 132K ratings behind it against 23, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 35% of Google Calendar's written reviews are positive against 55% of HiCal's.

Google Calendar ships an update weekly, HiCal every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 7, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Google Calendar | HiCal |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.5 (132K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/google-calendar-get-organized/id909319292/reviews) | **[4.7 (23 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hical-collaborative-calendar/id913908607/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **132K** | 23 |
| Positive reviews | 35.1% of reviews | **55.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Best chart rank | **#16** | — |
| Size | 284 MB | 3 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Google](https://appshunter.io/developer/281956209) | [Nakagawa Yugo](https://appshunter.io/developer/1229738088) |

## What reviewers say

### Google Calendar

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/google-calendar-get-organized/id909319292)

**Currently charting:** #16 Top Free · Productivity, #139 Top Free (US App Store)

This official app helps you manage your schedule and stay organized. It automatically adds events from Gmail, syncs across devices, and allows for shared calendars. You can also create tasks, customize views, and integrate with Google Meet for collaboration.

**Highlights:** Automatic event import from Gmail, Cross-device synchronization, Shared calendars for collaboration, Task management alongside events, Customizable views and themes, Google Meet integration

**Features:** Apple Watch app

**In-app purchases (22)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 30 GB | $0.89 | per month |
| 30 GB | $0.89 | per month |
| 100 GB | $1.99 | per month |
| 100 GB | $1.99 | per month |
| 200 GB | $2.99 | per month |
| 200 GB | $2.99 | per month |
| Google AI Plus (400 GB) | $4.99 | per month |
| Google AI Plus (2 TB) | $9.99 | per month |
| Google AI Plus (2 TB) | $9.99 | per month |
| Google AI Pro (5 TB) | $19.99 | per month |
| 100 GB | $19.99 | per year |
| 100 GB | $19.99 | per year |
| 100 GB | $19.99 | per year |
| Google One AI Premium (2 TB) | $19.99 | per month |
| 5 TB | $24.99 | per month |
| 200 GB | $29.99 | per year |
| 200 GB | $29.99 | per year |
| 20 TB | $99.99 | per month |
| 2 TB | $99.99 | per year |
| 2 TB | $99.99 | per year |
| Google AI Ultra (30 TB) | $249.99 | per month |
| 5 TB | $249.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Keeps me organized
- 🎨 Customizable colors
- 📅 Integrates with email and other calendars
- 🔔 Helpful reminders
- 🤝 Ability to share calendars

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes and freezes
- 🕰️ Slow loading times
- 📆 Date on app icon doesn't change
- 🔀 Difficulty editing and managing events
- 🌈 Limited color options

**Reported bugs**

- Events not syncing properly between app and web versions
- Incorrect time zone changes for events
- New events automatically added to wrong calendar

**Requested features**

- Allow recurring events on specific days (e.g. 2nd Wednesday of the month)
- Add ability to set reminders for event end times
- Integrate with more email/calendar providers beyond Gmail
- Provide more customization options for event colors and icons
- Display the current date on the app icon


### HiCal

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hical-collaborative-calendar/id913908607)

This app facilitates collaborative event planning and scheduling for groups. Share timetables, receive real-time updates on changes, and communicate via comments. Ideal for students, project teams, and organizations to stay synchronized.

**Highlights:** Group event scheduling, Real-time push notifications, Event comments and discussion, Shared timetables, Private and public groups, Event repetition support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Google Calendar free?

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

### Is HiCal free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Google Calendar or HiCal?

HiCal is rated higher. Google Calendar averages 4.5 out of 5 from 132K ratings, while HiCal averages 4.7 from 23 ratings.

### Do Google Calendar or HiCal have ads?

Neither Google Calendar nor HiCal shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Google Calendar or HiCal?

Google Calendar ships an update weekly, and HiCal every 2 months. Most recently, Google Calendar was updated on September 25, 2026 and HiCal on September 7, 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.*