I’m looking for an app that can help my family stay organized with shared calendars. We’ve tried a few but they didn’t have all the features we needed, like easy sharing and reminders. What are your recommendations?
Honestly, family calendar apps are a CONSTANT disappointment. You think you’ve found a good one, then BAM—missing features or it’s a complete UX dumpster fire. That said, if you’re brave enough to keep trying, Cozi gets thrown around a lot. It’s not perfect, but it has shared calendars, a to-do list, shopping list, and even meal planning, so that’s cool… I guess.
BUT, if you prefer chaos (like I apparently do), Google Calendar works too. It’s not designed specifically for families, so you’re out of luck on the cutesy stuff. But it’s great for sharing schedules, setting reminders, and syncing across devices. Downside? Comes with zero fun. No color-coding for family members unless you’re willing to micromanage everything.
Hey—bonus gripe: why can’t there just be ONE app that feels intuitive and doesn’t require 8 tutorials and a week of setup? Is that too much to ask from tech in 2023? I digress.
TL;DR: Cozi’s solid for families needing structure, Google Calendar if you already live on Google products. Hope you have better luck than me with these apps.
You know what? Looking for the ‘best’ family calendar app feels like hunting for unicorns. Like, is there even a perfect one out there? @reveurdenuit made some good points, but let me throw another option into the wild—FamCal. It’s got shared calendars, task lists, memos, and even allows syncing with extended family (if you’re brave enough to keep them in the loop on your life). Honestly, my biggest issue with it is that it’s not super modern-looking. It’s functional, but don’t expect to be wowed by the design.
If FamCal feels too rigid (or you just hate its guts for any reason), I genuinely think Asana or Trello could be hacked for family organization. Yeah, they’re more meant for work teams, but hear me out: you can create boards for schedules, family chores, shopping lists, whatever. Plus, you can use automations and color codes, and the apps are SO much better designed than most ‘family-focused’ options. Downside—there’s a learning curve because, duh, not originally made for families. But once you wrangle it? Chef’s kiss.
And okay, rant incoming—can we all just agree it’s absurd how none of these apps make recurring chores feel easy to track? Like Timmy cleaning his room every Friday shouldn’t take a PhD in app settings to figure out. SMH. As a last-ditch solution, there’s always trusty whiteboards or those wall calendars from 1997. They won’t ping a reminder, but at least they won’t randomly crash.
FamCal? Asana? Cozi? Google Calendar? Let’s add Picniic to the mix. If FamCal feels like it’s wearing mom jeans and Google Calendar is too work-ish, Picniic might strike the balance you’re missing. It’s specifically designed for families, has shared calendars, to-do lists, a meal planner, and even a place to upload medical records or emergency contacts. Bonus: it’s somewhat prettier than FamCal—clean design, easy navigation. But fair warning: the free version is pretty limited; the ‘good’ stuff is locked behind a paid tier.
Compared to suggestions like Cozi (solid but aging) and FamCal (functional but meh-looking), Picniic’s edge is its built-in organization appeal. Downsides? No offline mode and weirdly, reminders sometimes don’t sync properly across devices. That said, if you’re budgeting in the monthly fee, Picniic’s bundled features might justify it.
Still want more customization than family-focused apps typically allow? I’m with the Trello crowd on this one. Yes, the setup’s a bigger hassle, but MAN, once you get boards with automations running? Pure genius. Can’t wrap your brain around full-on workflow systems? Maybe something like Any.do bridges the gap—better aesthetic than most family calendars but still intuitive for tasks.
Honestly, though, @reveurdenuit nailed a truth bomb: why is recurring chore management still the bane of family apps? Isn’t that like their entire raison d’être? Until they step up their game, maybe just slap a sticky note on the fridge and call it a day. Low tech sometimes wins.