Google Calendar (by Google)

Pros

• A seamless calendar that works across any platform with internet access
• Tight integration with other Google services and sharing functionality

Cons

• Not as feature rich as some paid calendar programs

Google Calendar is a great calendar app, but it gets added utility through its integration with the larger Google ecosystem. If you're looking for a calendar that you can rely on to handle all of your upcoming events and notices and be able to access it wherever you happen to be, then Google Calendar is one of the best options available on the market.

Calendar is a component of the larger Google Suite, and it can effectively serve as the heart of the larger library of components. For those unfamiliar, Google Suite is an innovative approach to traditional work software platforms like Microsoft Office. What sets Google Suite apart is that everything exists on the cloud. Whether you're accessing your software through a dedicated app or through a simple browser, you can get what you need whenever you need it, and this agnostic approach to deployment means that it's highly cross compatible with just about any operating system. This is especially important given that Calendar is supposed to serve as a dedicated personal planner. You can hop in to Google Calendar on your work computer, home laptop, or phone and expect any changes you make to be synced up seamlessly regardless of how you reach it. Calendar is completely free to use, and it can be accessed directly through any existing Google account, so you don't need to go through any sort of intensive process to hit the ground running with it.

Anyone who's worked with a Google product before should have a good idea of how Calendar looks. Muted pastels and minimalist design are Google's stock and trade, and that dress defines Calendar as much as it does any other products in their catalog. Basically anything you need is accessible, but they're tucked away beneath the surface, leaving a clean design that never feels cluttered or obtuse. Checking events and adding new ones to the calendar are a simple affair, but once you start to dig in to the platform's inner workings, you'll find an impressively robust selection of features.

Most of these features come in the form of integrations. You can pretty cleverly mix and match your Google services. Link up an event to a spreadsheet or text document so that you can access any critical information about the event directly. You can also share your calendars with anyone else who has a Google account. This makes coordinating meetings and events a breeze, and it's further complemented by the ability to create multiple calendars. So you can neatly organize work, family, and personal events into different groups and ensure that only the people you want to see your schedule in each of these fields can. There's also a lot of diversity in how you set up notifications, so you can receive timed alerts via text or email.

Pros

• A seamless calendar that works across any platform with internet access
• Tight integration with other Google services and sharing functionality

Cons

• Not as feature rich as some paid calendar programs