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An important, long-debated topic is the choice for alternatives to Google Calendar. One of the things that is generally appreciated most about Google is precisely the its entire ecosystem. We understand this need very well but we are very perplexed in giving any of our data and have any of our online activities to a single private company. Especially if this company is Google, which has never gone too lightly in the look at what we do online (link archive).
Are there alternatives to Google Calendar?
This, in our view, applies to anyone. In all our articles we suggest a decent ramification of the chosen products. In alternatives to Google Drive in fact we are mainly talking about companies that do only and exclusively that. The convenience, however, is undoubted, having a single company you can trust blindly and where you can leave all your data and files is a comfort for some. that you really don't want to lose.
One of the companies that is focusing on this aspect is Proton. In fact, the Swiss company is slowly progressing towards a complete ecosystem. Proton Mail was born in 2013 in Switzerland, at the CERN research center. Was subsidized with 2 million euros also fromEuropean Union. And with this money they decided to aim high and create a encrypted and secure ecosystem. In fact, they recently came out of the beta version Proton Calendar That Proton Drive.
Infomaniak
Another company we often talk about is Infomaniak. This too has created an alternative ecosystem to Google but unlike Proton its products are not zero knowledge encrypted. However, it is a company that actively participates in projects Open source and most of its applications are too.
The importance of an alternative to Google Calendar
We believe in the importance of a private calendar as we can write even very private notes inside it. From the appointment with the gynecologist, to the cinema, up to the holidays. You may have planned a holiday perhaps by just booking a hotel and... find all the booked dates already on your calendar.
Here, we understand that it may look cute and funny. Us though we find it mainly unsettling. The fact that you find it funny now because it's new and because it's convenient doesn't mean that it could soon turn into a disturbing thought. And if you have decided to leave all your data to the same company, you understand well how much power to control you you are leaving them.
For example Proton Calendar manages to do a very similar thing but not having access to the content of your emails manages to do all this locally without risk to your privacy.
Alternatives to Google Calendar
So let's come to us and Let's talk about secure calendars. Why the calendar is a private thing, at most we have to decide who we want to share it with and that's it.
Tutanota
green servers
server in Germany
End-to-end encryption impossible for Tutanota to read your emails
Open source
no IMAP
search within messages (although a little slow)
We have already talked about Of Tutanota, it's a German service Of encrypted emails which also offers, in the same package, the encrypted calendar. The Tutanota's calendar is quite complete even in its basic version, i.e. the free version. However, there are some things you can only do with a premium accounts. It must be said that Tutanota is really convenient. With only €1 per month you will in fact have access to premium version with many extras. Including, speaking of calendar, the possibility of share it with someone. This option, in fact, is not available in the free version. It is perhaps the best solution for convenience to have an encrypted and secure calendar even if you really know nothing about computers.
The Tutanota app for Android is already developed to also contain the calendar. Let's remember that the app is Open source and we find it both on Play Store what up F-Droid. There is also a version for iPhone.
AGAINST
Since it is a complete package with email, it perhaps makes little sense to have an email with another manager and use only the calendar with Tutanota. But the calendar's excuse could be thebeginning of a new love and get you to use their email too! We also found it a bit difficult to handle repeating events. Before buying it, try it in the free version!
Proton Calendar
server in Switzerland
Open source
End-to-end encryption
Probably one of the best alternatives to Google Calendar, recently released from beta and with some features still very limited. For example, it is not possible to share the calendar with third parties. Also available for Android And iOS.
• •Nextcloud
Open source
Hosting based on the provider you have chosen
Nextcloud has now become a complete ecosystem, from the suite for editing documents online, to the file archive up to the calendar. It can be installed independently on your own server but as you know we do not recommend it if you don't know where to start. However, there are providers that offer Nextcloud spaces also free ones with which you can use the calendar without spending money. We, for example, were very happy with it Webo.Hosting but we also recommend you try Oops One, Woelkli And The Good Cloud all available from here. There is also the possibility of using it with Fram agenda. In our opinion, it is the most complete calendar of all, we have not encountered any problems. Not even with recurring events.
Calendars can then be shared easily. To do this, simply use the Nextcloud application (Play Store And F-Droid) and put the address you find in the contact section 1. Alternatively you can use DAVx⁵. It is not a particularly complicated operation but perhaps not suitable for everyone. If you have decided to give it a try, we'll leave it to you instructions.
EteSync
Open source
End-to-end encryption
server in Sweden
server in Germany
Another very interesting alternative. Their business model only includes paid plans, but at very low costs. For 2$ per month 2 you can in fact have an excellent secure and end-to-end encrypted calendar on an infinite number of devices. It is also free software 3 therefore anyone, if they wish, can install their own Instance without spending even the 2$ monthly.
AGAINST
For many, even just 2$ per month could be an obstacle. There is however a 14 day free trial if you want to give it a chance.
Mailbox
green servers
server in Germany
yes IMAP
We talked about Mailboxes both with regards to alternatives to GMail both for the alternatives to Google Docs. It is a German encrypted email which, in addition to offer cloud and Office suites It also offers its own calendar. With Mailbox.org you can create beautiful calendars and simple to use and we have not found any problems in using them. You can also share an entire calendar with an external person who does not have Mailbox. It's not free (but you can try it for free for 30 days) but it doesn't cost too much. With €1 per month you have 2GB of email and 100MB of cloud. But you can easily calculate online your need. You can synchronize your phone with your calendar using their application OX Sync.
•Kolab Now
server in Switzerland
Open source
Another one Swiss company very interesting that produces software Open source encrypted. Again they will try to offer you a complete package as in Tutanota and in ProtonMail. In fact, together with the calendar you will have an email address available which must be associated. There is no free version of it and this did not allow us to test it as we would have liked but the reviews we have read are almost always positive. From what we understand unfortunately There is no app for them so it should be used on Android CardDAV and CalDAV or the app Outlook.
Fruux
server in Germany
Amazon Web Services is used
This is a very interesting product indeed, entirely Open source which offers a complete service for managing your calendar but also of contacts and events. In its free version you can use it with some limitations such as sharing only two calendars and the ability to access only via two devices. With the pro version, for €40 a year, you will have the possibility to make infinite shares and access up to 10 different device calendars.
We like it because it's one simple application that does what it promises. Events can be easily created online and you can use it on infinite devices.
AGAINST
Their application has disappeared from the Play Store and from F-Droid 4 but you can continue to use with DAVx⁵ (available on Play Store come on F-Droid). They don't seem to be particularly active in providing assistance (they never responded to us) and even their social networks seem a bit abandoned to themselves (last Facebook post of 2018, Twitter's latest of 2021 I'm on Twitter still alive (Nitter link)). Their blog is stuck in 2016 5. So, to summarize: the project still works, you can still sign up and use their services even for a fee. However, in our opinion, this prolonged silence is not entirely reassuring.
- Nextcloud app (recommended)[↩]
- EteSync pricing[↩]
- EteSync on GitHub[↩]
- Fruux up F-Droid[↩]
- Baïkal joins us Open source projects[↩]
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