Everyone needs an effective way to manage appointments, meet deadlines, and remember birthdays and anniversaries. Juggling all this in your head is impossible, but thankfully you'll find tons of mobile apps that help you keep it all straight.

You get a built-in calendar app on any Android phone you buy. However, it might not offer all the functionality that you want. So let's have a look at some of the best free calendar apps for Android that are currently available in the Google Play Store.

1. Google Calendar

The obvious starting point for any list of free Android calendar apps is Google Calendar which comes pre-installed on most Android devices and is available from the Play Store for everyone else. If you use Google's other productivity services, such as Gmail or Keep, this should unquestionably be installed on your device.

Browsing the calendar from month to month is a simple swipe away, and you can set it up to automatically pull events such as hotel reservations, flights, and event tickets directly out of your inbox and add them to your schedule. Google Calendar also has a schedule view that shows you a continuous list of upcoming entries rather than offering a daily or weekly display.

As Google Calendar is also available through any web browser, you can keep track of your events from any device through this app. For more tips and tricks, check out our guide listing some great tips for using Google Calendar on Android.

Download: Google Calendar (Free)

2. Business Calendar 2

Don't let the name fool you. This free calendar app for Android is just as appropriate for students, retirees, and freelancers as it is for people who work in an office.

The app's main selling point is its alternative approach to usage and displays. Instead of the typical dropdown menu that gives access to day, week, and month views, the app uses an intuitive swipe-and-tap approach to navigation.

Other features that make Business Calendar a worthy contender include:

  • A task view for managing to-do lists
  • Live search
  • The ability to sync calendars from multiple accounts
  • A modern business-like user interface, including a dark theme

It also makes use of Android calendar sync, which allows it to synchronize with other popular calendar services like Google Calendar and Outlook Calendar.

Download: Business Calendar 2 (Free, in-app purchases available)

3. Jorte

Jorte is among the best free calendar apps for Android and is one of the most popular downloads in the Play Store. It offers tons of options that are sure to meet all your needs.

The app stands out from some of its rivals thanks to its cloud sync service that lets you manage calendars directly from the web. Its biggest attraction, however, is its incredible level of customization. You can alter aspects like colors, backgrounds, themes, and widget size. It also provides a store that lets you purchase additional backgrounds and a vast range of icons.

Further features include the ability to download sports teams' schedules, a clickable location that takes you directly to a map app, and a more detailed day-by-day view than Google Calendar offers. It is a pretty comprehensive calendar management solution—and might sometimes seem a bit too detailed.

Download: Jorte (Free, subscription available)

4. aCalendar

With some great calendar widgets for Android, more colors than Jorte, and easier navigation, aCalendar is yet another leading contender for the title.

One productivity feature particularly useful to power users is the presence of a small monthly calendar on the day and week views. It enables you to organize yourself more efficiently without needing to constantly hop between screens.

Swiping sideways allows you to quickly navigate between its monthly, daily, and weekly planners, while flicking up and down moves you through the calendar in increments based on your current planner selection. This feature isn't quite as smooth as Google Calendar, and unfortunately, it lacks the Tap to Expand feature of Business Calendar.

It can also sync photos from your address book for birthdays and anniversaries and features NFC sharing for quickly disseminating information among large groups.

Download: aCalendar (Free, premium version available)

5. DigiCal

DigiCal offers the usual suite of features, including:

  • A daily planner
  • Seven different agenda views
  • Global weather forecasts
  • Syncing with Google Calendar and Outlook
  • A dark theme

However, the app earns its place on this list of best calendar apps thanks to its extra downloadable calendars. We're all used to seeing holiday calendars and some sporting calendars available, but DigiCal steps it up a level.

It offers more than 500,000 event calendars for download. They cover everything from finance and lifestyle, to TV and astronomy. As you can imagine, some seriously obscure content is available if you poke around.

Download: DigiCal (Free, premium version available)

6. Simple Calendar

As the name suggests, this app is, well, simple. However, the accessibility is what makes the app so great.

It doesn't connect to Google Calendar or any of the other big-name cloud-based calendar services. Instead, all the app's data is locally saved on your device, and the app's code is open-source. It will only ask for two permissions: Contacts to import birthdays and anniversaries and Storage for exporting ICS files.

Given we live in an age where Google knows almost everything about you, this level of privacy will undoubtedly appeal to security fanatics. Bottom line: Simple Calendar is one of the leading calendar apps for Android.

And if you are worried about Google knowing too much about you, here is how you can use your Android device without Google.

Download: Simple Calendar (Free)

7. One Calendar

One Calendar is a cross-platform app available for Android, iOS, macOS, and Windows that syncs your calendars from multiple services into one combined calendar. It supports 12 different services, including Google Calendar, Outlook Calendar, Yahoo, and Nextcloud.

The interface is clean and pretty customizable, offering the usual bells and whistles you'd expect from a modern calendar app. However, you might not find as many features as some of the other calendars on this list. With that being said, it still offers more than enough functionality for casual or light professional use, especially if you've got accounts with more than one of the supported providers.

Download: One Calendar (Free, in-app purchases available)

8. TimeTree

This app is slightly different from the others on this list, as it has an added functionality for sharing your calendar with a group. This is particularly helpful if you work with a team and want the members to follow the same calendar as you do. It also gives you a choice to use the app for personal use only.

The interface of TimeTree is one of the most modern among these apps. In addition, you have the choice to create multiple calendars for different purposes like personal, relationships, hobbies, friends, or work. Another notable feature is the group chat, which you can access by tapping the Messages icon in the top-right corner of the screen.

Download: TimeTree (Free, in-app purchases available)

What's the Best Free Calendar App for Android?

When comparing similar apps, choosing one clear winner is difficult because it all depends on what you want your calendar app to do. If you are hugely reliant on the Google suite of services, you'll definitely prefer to use Google Calendar. There is no denying, however, that some of the other options are more feature-rich and less clunky.

For productivity and organization junkies, Business Calendar 2 is the clear winner. For those who value personalization above everything else, you need to look no further than Jorte. But we'd recommend giving a few of the apps a try to see which one suits you best.