Quick: What app do you use to manage your calendar on your phone?
If you’re anything like most people I hear from, the answer’s probably something along the lines of: “Uh…whatever calendar app came on the phone when I got it?”
It’s a surprisingly common position, but guess what? On Android in particular, there’s a decent chance your phone’s default calendar app isn’t the best option. And it doesn’t take much work to give yourself an upgrade. In fact, you don’t have to look any further than this very page.
After much exploration and experimentation, I’ve identified the best Android calendar apps available for different styles of professional schedule management. Some are meant to act as replacements for the less-than-stellar services that come preinstalled on certain phones, while others are supplements that have the potential to add worthwhile functions into any Android calendar setup.
We’ll start with the simplest and work our way up to some increasingly advanced and feature-laden options.
The best all-around Android calendar app for most users
Google Calendar
If you don’t have any special needs or requirements — and especially if you’re already using Google Calendar on the desktop — Google’s own native Calendar application is a spectacular way to manage your agenda on Android.
And lest you think it’s too obvious to warrant inclusion in this list, remember: The Google Calendar app doesn’t actually come preinstalled on all Android devices, including the massive number of phones sold by Samsung. If you’re using a Galaxy phone in particular, switching to the Google Calendar app will represent a significant leap forward in both overall experience and protection of your data (ahem).
The official Google Calendar app for Android is clean, simple, and easy to use — and it has all the basics most