Jason SnellJust posted on Six Colors: There and Back Again: Foregoing Fantastical
https://sixcolors.com/post/2024/01/there-and-back-again-foregoing-fantastical/
Oliver Haslam@jsnell I’ve been on much the same odyssey since the end of last year and made the same switch. I wound up infuriated by Calendar and alternative third-party apps didn’t fill the gap, so I’m back on Fantastical. The difference is I’ve discovered the free version does the trick for me. Win-win, but I get that won’t work for anyone who needs the missing features.
ben@oliverhaslam @jsnell I keep wondering if I can go the free route with it. I’ve tried creating and sharing events, but that seems fiddly with people who are non-Apple users, so I end up using Calendly for meeting polls.
$57 is too high for what it is, but they’re trying to get those corporate accounts and squeezing us individual users who helped build their base, much like TextExpander has done.
@luckie_reubs @oliverhaslam If it's too high then don't pay it. If you'd rather pay $57 than give it up it's not too high. I get that you'd rather it be cheaper, so would I, but… it's your decision to make.
I do wonder if they perhaps need to have a personal license and business license and section out some of those corporate-collab features. But you're right, it would just lose them revenue from their base.
@jsnell @oliverhaslam I hear you. I’m using the 20% off from Daring Fireball this month, so that knocks it down a little bit and makes it more palatable.
@jsnell @luckie_reubs I have to agree that there seems to be space for a new tier. It feels weird not paying for an app as great as Fantastical, but also I don't need 99% of the stuff the sub covers anymore.
Rename the current sub to Business, add a new tier below that with the corporate bits stripped out, and I'm there. I suspect from a business standpoint it isn't that easy — would new paying customers outweigh the loss of revenue from people who pay the full sub price but don't need it?
Rob Tarr
Erlend@jsnell Have you given Busycal (https://www.busymac.com/) a try? $10 on iOS and included on Setapp for the Mac ($50 normally, I think). I like it a lot, and feel like it sits in the middle of Fantastical and Calendar.app.
Doesn't have Openings and Scheduling, but has a menu bar app, 20 widgets, layouts I like (with some customisability), weather, calendar sets (with automation), tasks, hiding of events (manual or identical) and more.
(Yes, Oslo is cold these days. 🥶)
@havn I used to use it, and I glanced at it last week, but TBH it doesn't work for me and feels like abandonware
@havn but… it's on Setapp and if it works for you that's great! But to answer your question, yes, I have tried it
@jsnell I've used it for six months or so, and there's been tons of updates in that period. Perhaps it's picked up again..?
Would be interesting to hear what didn't work for you. If you haven't used it in a while, I'd give it another try! (Calendars are easy like that. ☺️)
But sometimes software just hit different people differently. 🙂 And I'm a pretty light calendar user (I just like nice apps - but can't quite justify Fantastical).
Duclearc
Carlos Fonseca@duclearc @havn @jsnell +1 for BusyCal. Switched from Fantastical a few years ago because it's on Setapp. It is less pretty but I like its version of calendar sets since they also save view configs and are more visible in the UI. It also merges duplicate events. Calendar's widgets are nicer though. For people who subscribe to Setapp it's a better option than Calendar.
@carlosefonseca @duclearc @jsnell Oh, I like the widgets as well! And with 20 options (on iPad - a bit fewer on iPhone), there's a lot to choose from. 🙂
@havn @carlosefonseca @jsnell My biggest pet peeves so far are that BusyCal (AFAIK) doesn't let you search for an event in the menu bar and doesn't issue a notification when something was changed on your calendar. Otherwise it seems just as good as Fantastical for *my* use cases.
Anthony Allison@anthony @jsnell Yeah, I agree. I'll never say it's "as good" as Fantastical.
I think of them like Apple's SoCs:
M3 ➔ Calendar.app
M3 Pro ➔ BusyCal
M3 Max ➔ Fantastical
I wouldn't say the latter is "overpriced" - but for some it's just more than what's needed. ☺️
When Fantastical went from version 2 to 3, they moved up a tier - and that made them lose me as a customer. But it's still awesome for those who need the power! So zero hate from me. ♥️
Shaun@jsnell I agree 💯 with everything in this article. It is exactly how I feel about Calendar and Fantastical. I hope there’s a future article evaluating 1Password vs keychain!
@ssklassen19 most likely!
Kait@jsnell I went through the same comparison adventure, but I wound up with Google Calendar on phone and Cron on Mac. Default calendar’s syncing just doesn’t work well enough for calendars that update frequently. Cron solves the menu bar issue and has its own sync service. The only downside is I’m sure they’re going to start charging eventually (feels like a temporary VC ride), but I’m willing to wait for that to be a problem when it’s a problem.
Stefan in Sweden@jsnell as a consultant I need to manage 6 different calendars and after using many fantastical, despite not being perfect, works best for me. I wish that Google becomes better at syncing calendars when you are subscribed to one
Luke Kanies@jsnell i know the whole point of the article was that the stock calendar app is now good enough for you. But if you’re feeling a lack of powerful calendar apps but just want a different direction, I recommend giving Vimcal a try.
It is not, in fact, vim in a calendar. It is, though, far more keyboard d oven. It’s about her power rather than app smarts.
Still lots more I’d like to see, but it’s at least *different* from every other calendar app.
@lkanies that really wasn't the point, in fact it was the opposite.
@jsnell 🤷♂️
Sorry. That’s how I heard it and read it. You did talk about Fantastical focusing on things you don’t need. But didn’t you also talk about how the main calendar app has come along?
I heard it as basically the stock app has gotten better, and the other app has gone in the wrong direction.
@lkanies i think you missed a key sentence at the end. Thanks for the recommendation, though!
@jsnell I will admit to not having read the whole thing, given I had heard you and Myke discuss in Upgrade.
It happened to coincide with my cancelling my Fantastical sub (for different reasons), so I was thinking about it. Then you posted, which prompted the post.
Rob@jsnell I feel the same about @flexibits going in the wrong direction (for me; probably the right for them).
I’m happy/thankful that I have free/grandfathered v2 functionality, which makes it very usable, so I’m still using & enjoying Fantastical on all supported platforms (without a subscription).
(Like you I think they should/could offer different subscription plans and I already suggested that to them a couple of times)
Andrew Wood@jsnell this is very similar to my (annual) journey with Fantastical. Honestly I find the subscription disproportionate for what it is; i use openings but could also use MS bookings.
But I do use calendar sets and natural language continuously, so begrudgingly every year I try to leave, then resubscribe and just get on with it.
It’s excellent, peerless software with an ALMOST intolerably high price.
mia@jsnell I have recently decided to not renew my Fantastical subscription. I have been using it for almost a decade, but the truth I don’t need most of its power features so in the end I am paying only for a nicer looking calendar. Not necessarily a bad thing, but I don’t think it’s enough to justify 70 euros per year…
Luc Desaulniers@jsnell Awesome piece Jason. I’m also in the same boat i.e. I tried switching back to the stock app but find that I am willing to continue paying my Flexibit subscription just so I can get a more refined experience. I also do not use Fantastical’s meeting features as I use the app for my personal needs and not for work.
@jsnell StrawPoll looks good!
Might try that next time I need to schedule a “meeting” (= going to the movies with several friends).
They have an API, but no official/3rd-party App?
@rob just use the website. Not everything needs an app.
Will Tomlinson@jsnell Actually did the same thing after listening to and reading your comments about defaults. I made it one week before renewing my fantastical subscription. Forgot just how many duplicate events I have (e.g. doctors appointment on personal calendar, free/busy block on my work calendar, etc). The calendar app isn’t bad, but it isn’t fantastical.
Rod Christiansen@jsnell Biggest missing feature for me is the ability to generate Zoom or Teams meeting links in the location field with one click.
Carlos@jsnell I just use the paid Fantastical version (before they went to sub only they kept current features) and it works perfectly. I get the UI, calendar sync, menu bar and all. I don’t have multiple calendar sets or the organize meetings stuff but it works perfectly for my needs. I have the same issues you posted with the default calendar app (widgets, menu app, UI). Just a thought
Craig Grannell@jsnell I really like itsycal. I’ve also found The One widget within Widget Wizard solid for a big events widget on my iPad Home Screen (which I attempted to turn into something akin to the much missed Status Board).
Houman Khosravani@jsnell excellent post - thank you! Awesome Six Colors post!
Kirk McElhearn@jsnell When Fantastical hiked the subscription fee, I looked for an alternative and found that BusyCal is just as good with no subscription.
Warrick Wynne@jsnell I find the free version of Fantastical is enough for me.
David Schlaepfer@jsnell late to the party on this, but I thought I’d shout into the void that Apple reaaaally needs to adopt Fantastical’s colorful dots in month view. When you have an event nearly every day having just a single gray dot doesn’t add any information. It’s frustratingly opaque from that high level and you have to go digging to get any useful information.
I switched back to the stock app a couple years ago but that’s the feature I still miss the most by far.