By Esther Carlstone,Forbes Staff,Steven John
Copyright forbes
With color-coding for each user, reminders, chore lists and more, digital calendars can help even the busiest families stay on task. The best digital calendars go further: They can help keep everyone in your household on the same page by tracking all appointments, sports practices, meal plans, birthday reminders and more. After rigorously testing many different options, our pick for the best digital calendar is the Skylight Digital Calendar. It offers a variety of display options, including days, weeks or even a month-long view so you and the gang can plan ahead with ease.
Digital calendars make it easy to see what you and your family have happening in the days to come.
Dave Johnson For Forbes
Our team tested multiple options, considering software, ease of use and more to find the best digital calendars for busy families. While the Skylight Digital Calendar is our best overall pick for its robust software features, another digital calendar may be a better option for you. One of our parenting editors recommends the Hearth Display Digital Calendar, which offers a useful color-coded task motivation system for kids. There’s also the budget-friendly Akimart Digital Calendar, which can track busy schedules for a fraction of the price of the competition. Here are the best digital calendars you can add to your home today.
Our Top Recommendations
Best Digital Calendar Overall: Skylight Digital Calendar
Best Value Digital Calendar: Akimart Digital Calendar
Best Digital Calendar For Families: Hearth Display Digital Calendar
Best Advanced Digital Calendar: Cozyla Calendar+ 2 (32-Inch)
Best Digital Calendar For Single Users: Amazon Echo Show 15
Best Digital Calendar For Seniors: American Lifetime Digital Clock
Best Digital Calendar Overall
Color-Coded And Kid-Friendly
Skylight Digital Calendar
Forbes Vetted
Forbes Vetted ratings are based on thorough evaluations by our editorial team to help you choose the best products with confidence.
Screen size: 15.6 inches | Touchscreen: Yes | Mounting: Desk, wall | Photo display: Yes | Compatibility: Google, iCloud, Outlook, Cozi, Yahoo | Number of user profiles: Unlimited
Its intuitive display thanks to a color-coded system
Incentivizing the kids to complete chores—it has a useful reward system
Easy syncing with multiple platforms
Subscriptions to unlock all features deter you
In years past, my family has relied on a large paper calendar. Changed plans meant crossing out or erasing entries and scribbling them in elsewhere, and far too often, we forgot to add or adjust events. If someone made a plan while away from home, it sometimes never made it onto the family’s monthly master calendar. The Skylight Digital Calendar helped us ditch the paper calendar: It gave us a useful organizational system that can be changed on the display itself or remotely.
Each member of your household can have their own profile.
Steven John for Forbes
Compatible With Most Calendar Software
The digital calendar is compatible with Apple Calendar, Google Calendar, Microsoft Outlook and many more software, so it’s easy to enter your calendar of choice and make on-the-fly adjustments to accommodate play dates or sports practices. The remotely added or changed plans automatically reflect on the Skylight calendar, too. You can make profiles for each family member. To those profiles, we can add chores and task-lists—be they daily, weekly, monthly or one-time events—and plans so everyone can be kept on task without us having to constantly follow up. It also helps my wife and I keep ourselves on task and on schedule more easily.
But this digital calendar can help you plan more than just your schedules, too. You can create grocery shopping lists, set reminders and notifications and make meal plans. To incentivize your children to complete their chores, you can also create reward systems for the kids—say, after successful completion of three chores, a kid gets an added half hour of screen time, with each chore marked off and logged on the Skylight.
The Skylight calendar make it easy to see plans by the day, week or month.
Steven John for Forbes
While the meal planning, task management and other features are nice extras, as a calendar, I found it useful. You can view a day, a few days, a week or an entire month, so it’s easy to see when there’s free time to slot something in, who has to be where at what times, what the weekend will bring and more. The top pick is currently in the 15-inch model, but you can also get the Skylight Digital Calendar in a 27-inch display.
One Drawback: The Subscription Fee
In order to access all of the Skylight Digital Calendar’s features, you can expect to pay a subscription fee for what the brand calls Calendar Plus. If you need the extra features like Photo/Video Screensaver, Chore Rewards and Meal Planning, Calendar Plus costs $79 per year, or roughly $6.58 per month. During my testing, I found this software worth the extra cost. Chore Rewards helped my kids complete their chores without constantly needing us to remind them of their daily tasks. While I found the Photo/Video Screensaver to be a novelty more than an essential feature, my wife and I appreciated Meal Planning as we navigated busy dance rehearsals, school events and much more.
Best Value Digital Calendar
A More Compact Option That’s Still Feature-Packed
Akimart Digital Calendar
Forbes Vetted
Forbes Vetted ratings are based on thorough evaluations by our editorial team to help you choose the best products with confidence.
Screen size: 10.1 inches | Touchscreen: Yes | Mounting: Desk | Photo display: Yes | Compatibility: Google, iCloud, Outlook, Cozi, Yahoo | Number of user profiles: Unlimited
Easy setup and syncing with phone calendars
A robust chore system designed for all ages
Full permissions aren’t required for use of the calendar
You need a steady, stable Wi-Fi connection
A larger display is essential
You prefer to wall mount your digital calendar
Our Forbes Vetted tester loved two things about the Akimart Digital Calendar right off the bat: its low price and its ease of setup. He says he, “plugged in the device, connected to Wi-Fi and synced my calendar accounts via the app, which I downloaded after scanning a QR code.” Another perk that he appreciated? Its permissions. Many times, smart devices require you to grant full permissions to apps to sync data. Our tester noted the Akimart Digital Calendar did not require granting it, “full Gmail permissions.”
A Quick Setup And Invite Process
Once other users are added, the calendar makes it easy to track each person’s work schedule and appointments. It’s also useful for reminders like birthdays, social events and more. Because our tester uses Google Calendar and Gmail, he n0ted that you can create an event in Google Calendar or on the Akimart Digital Calendar, and it quickly syncs across both ecosystems.
This affordable calendar offers many of the same features as pricier options.
Spencer Dukoff for Forbes
Most notably, our tester noted, was the chore system. “The device has also been super helpful in terms of working on good behavior with my 3-year-old, who has a number of ‘chores’ like brushing his teeth in the morning or waiting for a green light alarm clock before getting out of his bed,” he says. The calendar reflects completed chores with stars, which his child, “earns to spend on later fun things like a trip to the bookstore or an ice cream cone,” adds our tester.
Setting up chores, reminders, and calendar events is easy and intuitive, and you can do it on your phone via the app or directly on the device’s screen. “You just add a chore, assign it to a family member, choose the frequency and save. It takes less than a minute and is visually intuitive using color-coding,” says our tester.
A Bit Small, With No Included Wall Mount
The screen here is notably smaller than with most other digital calendars we tested, and the view becomes hazy as you view the Akimart calendar from an angle, but from head-on and relatively close up, details are crisp. That said, our tester noted this digital calendar loses Wi-Fi connection and often requires a manual restart. Also, you can’t mount this frame on the wall, which may not be optimal for your home.
Best Digital Calendar For Families
Check Your Family’s To-Do List At-A-Glance
Hearth Display Digital Calendar
Forbes Vetted
Forbes Vetted ratings are based on thorough evaluations by our editorial team to help you choose the best products with confidence.
Screen size: 27 inches | Touchscreen: Yes | Mounting: Wall | Photo display: Yes | Compatibility: Google, iCloud, Outlook | Number of user profiles: Unlimited
A crisp, large display that’s easy to read for the whole family
Its impressive task motivation system for kids
The Routines software to help keep both young and older children on track
You balk at spending close to four figures on a digital calendar
You don’t want to pay a subscription fee
You don’t want to mount it on a wall
One Forbes Vetted editor has used the Hearth Display Digital Calendar for several years, and says it has become invaluable in helping, “track of everyone’s sports practices, games, appointments, events and so on.” For her hectic schedule and busy family, she found, “adding a chore, to-do, or calendar item is very intuitive and easy.”
Easy For All Ages To Use
The Hearth Display is easy to set up, but plan to use the included wall mount—it’s not designed to rest on a desk or countertop. The large 27-inch display is easy for kids to use; our tester says her 5-year-old can easily and quickly review the schedule or task lists and add or alter events. While kids may enjoy interacting directly with this touch-screen display, our tester says, “It takes longer to type things out as you’re adding it via the Hearth Display keyboard versus doing it on your phone.” That’s just a little issue in the bigger picture, as this calendar works seamlessly with Apple Calendar, Google Calendar and more, making it easy to keep things synced with your preferred calendars.
This digital calendar is quite family-friendly thanks in large part to its large screen.
Esther Carlstone / FORBES
Routines Helped To Keep Hectic Schedules On Task
One standout feature our tester noted was the Routines feature, saying, “It’s great for young kids who need visual reminders of what to do next, whether it’s a morning routine that includes things like brushing teeth or packing a backpack. It’s also useful for older or neurodivergent kids who just work better with visual reminders.” When your child has finished chores, the intuitive Stars & Rewards system can help kids see what rewards are available. You can also tailor these rewards to specific family motivations, such as if your child loves ice cream cones or new books.
Subscription Is Required To Unlock All Features
One of the biggest drawbacks our tester learned during our testing was in addition to the $700 price tag, you also need to pay a $9 per month subscription. You can also pay an annual subscription up front to save up to $117 per year. That subscription fee includes access to Hearth’s AI companion called Hearth Helper, the calendar’s meal planning features, the companion mobile app and much more. If you don’t pay this fee, you lose a lot of what makes this digital calendar so appealing.
Best Advanced Digital Calendar
Customize The Calendar Widgets With Ease
Cozyla Calendar+ 2 (32-Inch)
Forbes Vetted
Forbes Vetted ratings are based on thorough evaluations by our editorial team to help you choose the best products with confidence.
Screen size: 15, 24 or 32 inches | Touchscreen: Yes | Mounting: Wall | Photo display: Yes | Compatibility: Google, iCloud, Outlook | Number of user profiles: 8
Using a customizable, multi-window display
A subscription-free experience
A larger number of users
You’re seeking a more budget-friendly choice
Wall mounting isn’t an option in your home
You need more than eight profiles
The Cozyla Digital Calendar+ 2 feels like a Swiss army knife of digital calendars. It’s a digital calendar, but it’s also a weather station, meal planner, chore tracker, digital picture frame, list maker and plenty more. And, impressively, it can accomplish all of these tasks without a subscription.
Everything In One Place, At One Glance
Our tester found its jack-of-all-trades approach appealing, saying, “I use it for the calendar views, weather, tasks and lists.” The display is highly customizable, and our tester noted it allows for color-coding schedules, events, to-dos and more, which makes it easy for each member of a household to see their respective events and manage tasks. It’s also easy to add, sync with or create grocery or shopping lists, appointment reminders, chore lists complete with incentives and more.
This large, bright calendar can display lots of different types of data at once.
Francesca Sales For Forbes
But this digital calendar goes beyond just sharing at-a-glance data: Its customizable display can show multiple tabs in different windows, from the time to the weather to the week’s plans, on the large display. Because they’re widgets, you can also adjust their size as needed, too. If you need to display many different tabs, you can opt for the 32-inch model we tested, though it comes in smaller sizes, including 24 inches and 15 inches.
More Calendar Than Many Homes Need
Our tester found it to be a bit overkill for the home with just a few members or for single folks. She thought it would be great for those with, “large families or work teams.” Just keep in mind you can only add up to eight profiles. You can read more about our Cozyla Calendar+ 2 review.
Best Digital Calendar For Single Users
Doubles As A Smart Home Hub
Amazon Echo Show 15
Forbes Vetted
Forbes Vetted ratings are based on thorough evaluations by our editorial team to help you choose the best products with confidence.
Screen size: 15.6 inches | Touchscreen: Yes | Mounting: Wall, desk | Photo display: Yes | Compatibility: Google, iCloud, Outlook | Number of user profiles: 6
Using Amazon Alexa voice commands
Enjoying music and move streaming; it offers good audio and video quality
Creating a custom single profile
Can only display single calendar at a time
Tabletop stand sold separately
The Amazon Echo Show 15 is more of a smart home device that happens to offer a digital calendar function than it is a digital calendar that has other features. Unlike many of the digital calendars we tested, which felt cumbersome to mount on the wall, our tester says, “Setup was straightforward. I took it out of the box and plugged it in, then it ran setup and did the ordinary Alexa setup and orientation steps.” In all, you can expect it to take around 15 minutes, but keep in mind that the tabletop stand requires a separate purchase.
A Smart Assistant In Screen Form
Once you have the Echo Show 15 set up, you can use it as a smart TV, a two-way video call device, a way to check your video doorbell and as a smart assistant who can check the weather, answer queries and more. It can be used as a touchscreen, or you can use the included Fire TV remote. While it can be used as a digital calendar, our tester says, “The Alexa setup is really optimized for a single user account, so out of the box I only got my own calendar.”
While you can add more calendars and profiles, it, “requires you to add family members with their own profiles and then configure those profiles with their own calendar accounts,” our tester says, noting that, “it’s cumbersome, counter-intuitive and time consuming.” It also only offers up to six profiles. That’s a big issue if you’re looking for a digital calendar the whole family can use. Don’t expect to see side-by-side entries, so planning things around one another’s schedule and responsibilities might feel frustrating.
The Echo Show 15 is more of a smart TV with other functions, one of them being a digital calendar.
Dave Johnson For Forbes
Still, the many features this smart device offers may offset its shortcomings. This is essentially just an Alexa-enabled smart device with a crisp screen and decent speakers, which makes it easy to play music, stream movies or enjoy its digital frame picture when not in use. While the lack of shared or side-by-side calendars is tangible, the other digital calendars we share here can’t control your sprinkler system, home stereo, lights, dishwasher or any other smart device linked to your home’s Wi-Fi network.
For Family Use, Shop On
Ultimately, our tester had a positive experience with the Echo Show 15 but also recommended it for single users or perhaps someone who wants Amazon Alexa in their home office. “For any multi-user scenario, like a family, there are better options without question,” says our tester.
Best Digital Calendar For Seniors
Simple But Safe
American Lifetime Digital Clock
Forbes Vetted
Forbes Vetted ratings are based on thorough evaluations by our editorial team to help you choose the best products with confidence.
Screen size: 7 inches | Touchscreen: No | Mounting: Wall, desk | Photo display: No | Compatibility: N/A | Number of user profiles: 1
Its easy-to-read screen
Creating up to five daily reminders
A simple, no-frills digital calendar
Overpriced for basic device
You don’t want to contend with some confusion during setup
The American Lifetime Digital Clock is, for the most part, just that: a clock. But as it displays the day of the week and the date at all times, it’s also a simple calendar. And simple is the name of the game here: This device was designed for dementia patients and makes it easy for people who are easily confused to know, at a glance, the time and date. What’s more, it reminds its user up to five times a day to take their medicine.
A Fast, But Awkward, Setup
In less than 15 minutes, I unboxed, set up and programmed two sample reminders, which is done via physical buttons on the back of the device, not via touchscreen or app. I found programming the reminders to be easy; however, the setup process was by trial-and-error, and I reviewed the instructions multiple times. Were the functions here not ultimately all very basic, I’d call the setup actually pretty confusing. Anyone not tech-savvy may need some extra help during setup.
The messages on the screen are easy to read and easy to understand.
Steven John for Forbes
If you’re looking for a digital calendar that can log events, appointments and birthdays, this American Lifetime clock can’t accomplish these tasks. If you want so make sure someone you care about always knows the day and time and will be reminded to take medications in the simplest language possible, then this device is about the best digital calendar you could buy.
Basic But Reliable
The clock is expensive given the basic functions it offers, and while it’s not designed to be a catch-all planning solution, it can certainly help someone remember to take medications. And each reminder remains on display until it is cleared by the press of a button or superseded by the next reminder. During unexpected power outages or accidental unplugging, the clock’s day, time and programmed reminders are saved thanks to a backup battery, so it will pick up right on schedule when power is restored.
RECOMMENDED BY FORBES VETTED
Hearth Display: This Organizer Fixed Our Family’s Daily Schedule Chaos
By Esther Carlstone
Cozyla Calendar+ 2: The Digital Hub That Keeps My Life Organized
By Fran Sales
Why Trust Forbes Vetted
The tech team at Forbes Vetted consists of staff writers and editors with dozens of years of collective experience testing, researching and writing about tech hardware of all types, including all sorts of home smart devices. We have reviewed everything from gaming headsets to smart thermostats to all-in-one printers, and we brought the same level of care and focus to this article as we do to every product category we cover.
This article was written by Forbes Vetted staff writer Steven John, who personally tested two of the digital calendars featured here and who has more than 14 years of experience as a journalist. When he’s not testing smart home devices or at the gym, he’s sharing his insights on Hoka versus On Cloud shoes and the best drones.
The piece was reviewed by Rebecca Isaacs, who has many years of hands-on experience testing tech herself, and who oversees the technology vertical for Forbes Vetted.
Multiple Forbes Vetted staffers spent over one month testing digital calendars. They used these digital calendars in their own homes and the companion mobile app on the go and shared their experiences—the positive and the negative—in detail.
John also spoke to several outside experts with deep roots in the consumer tech world, including David Radin, CEO of Confirmed and Alexis Haselberger, time management, productivity and leadership coach at Alexis Haselberger Coaching and Consulting, Inc.
How We Chose The Best Digital Calendars
The right digital calendar can serve as your family’s “command center” by noting all daily events, chores and more. Because each family is different, we made sure to test a variety to suit multiple needs. Here’s how we chose the best digital calendars.
We established a baseline of functionality and features that a digital calendar needs to offer. Must-have features included reminders, day and date information at a glance and ease of setup.
We considered digital calendars that work best for busy families with younger children, those better suited for couples that keep the same calendar or for single people. Because digital calendars can be used by all age groups, we also considered devices designed for caregivers but intended for older individuals.
We also considered compatibility across multiple software systems, including Google Calendar, Apple Calendar, Microsoft Outlook and many more. We also reviewed each digital calendar’s companion mobile app and considered its ease of use and reliability.
The digital calendar selection process involved hands-on testing of devices from every brand featured here, with extensive notes compiled by each Forbes Vetted staff member who tested out a digital calendar. Our testers spent a month with each digital calendar and noted their findings on each device.
Additionally, we spoke to multiple experts to learn more insights on the best digital calendars. Their expertise informed both our testing processes in a general sense as well as helped us consider which products we put to the test.
What To Look For In The Best Digital Calendars
If you’re interested in adding a digital calendar to your home, there are a few features you want to consider before you add one to your cart. Here’s what to look for when choosing the best digital calendar for your needs.
Ease Of Use
When judging a digital calendar’s ease of use, look for options that makes adding, editing and deleting events feel effortless. If you plan to use extras like rewards systems or notifications, confirm the list, reward and notification features are straightforward to set up. Also check how easy wall-mounting is (if applicable) and whether the screen layout stays clear when multiple profiles share the device. “If you like to keep separate calendars for work and home, make sure they can be consolidated into a single view,” says Radin.
Screen Size And Clarity
For kids and parents alike, make sure to get a digital calendar with a screen that’s big, bright and crisp enough for each set of eyes that need to see it. A larger screen may be easier for those who experience low vision to see and for kids to work with. In contrast, a large digital calendar might be too unwieldy for your spacee. In either case, make sure the screen’s resolution is sharp, with easy-to-read text and easily viewed graphics.
Compatibility
Rather than replacing anything, the best digital calendars will work with most mainstream calendars, namely Apple Calendar, Google Calendar, Microsoft Outlook and more. Look for a digital calendar reputed to integrate seamlessly with your preferred platforms, and note how easy it is to make changes that will promptly be reflected on the calendar. Also make sure that updates added to the physical digital calendar will also reflect on your phone, computer or tablet.
Multiple Profiles
With rare exceptions, you’ll want a digital calendar that can store multiple different user profiles and that differentiates them clearly, as with color coding. That way, “you can create multiple [users] for a calendar to which everyone has access,” says Haselberger, and you can use the calendar to keep track of things like babysitter coverage kid activities, meal plans and more. Each person can both be kept on track and can be apprised of the plans and responsibilities of everyone else in the household.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
A digital calendar can help manage appointment schedules, unexpected meetings, weekend play dates and more. They can help by keeping all of this in one place, whether you’re looking at the display at home or the mobile app on the go. When used properly, digital calendars help households with numerous people with busy schedules all stay on the same page, and new, removed or changed plans are immediately apparent to parents and kids alike. “Effective calendar use [lets you] syncing and view everything between your work and home calendars,” says Haselberger.
Based on our research and testing, the most popular digital calendar is the Skylight Digital Calendar. It offers seamless compatibility across most major digital platforms, including Google, Apple and more, and it is easy to update. It also offers unlimited profiles, making it useful to keep large families organized.
With proper online safety protocols much as you use to protect your email, online banking, spreadsheets for work and other online activity, the data you enter into a digital calendar is relatively safe. Digital calendars, like other smart devices, are not completely safe from hackers, though, and could in theory be exploited to gain access to sensitive personal or network information. The level of risk depends on factors like the device’s security features, the strength of your home network and your personal online habits.
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