Ready to Ditch Your Paper Planner? (Best Online Calendar for Windows Users)

Are you partial to a paper calendar? If so, you may find the notion of going digital with your daily planning a bit scary. Even with some reluctance about using an online calendar, it might be worth a moment of your time to at least think about a virtual calendar and whether it can help organize your schedule and remember important dates and times. Let’s take a look at how a paper planner or a calendar app, or maybe a combination of both, can work for you and your scheduling needs.

Pros and Cons of Paper vs Online Calendar

Whether it be a traditional wall-hanging or desk calendar, the paper calendar as we know it has time on its side — hundreds of years, in fact. The main reason paper calendars remain popular today is simple: They work. Using a paper calendar is easy, even with all the variations over the years, like the pocket planner, notebook planner, and dry-erase boards. You just write down your plans and important dates, knowing that information will still be there when you need it.

Benefits of paper calendars and planners

Paper calendars also bring other benefits:

Helps with recall: You are more likely to remember things you write down.
Visualizes your commitments: If you have your calendar in a place where you see it throughout the day, one glance reminds you of your plans.
May reduce stress: Writing on paper may prove cathartic, according to research.

One of the most obvious cons to a paper calendar is it’s pretty difficult to carry around with you while on the go. Other disadvantages include difficulty sharing with others and the need to buy a new print calendar every year. Plus, it has a limited amount of space and requires you to write down every recurring event, possibly consuming a considerable amount of your time.

Benefits of digital online calendars

While there is no doubt that writing down your daily tasks offers mental health rewards, online calendars, too, bring advantages:

Easily shared: If you wish to share your itinerary with someone, calendars online make it simple for others to keep abreast of your schedule.
No cost: It’s true! You can get a calendar app free.
Accessible across systems: You can access a calendar app from a Windows PC, tablet, or even your smartphone.
No need to update annually: Easy to create recurring events.

Online calendar programs, or apps, have several drawbacks as well. You have to learn how to use an online calendar (which is very easy), you can lose access when you have no internet, and a virtual calendar may have security vulnerabilities allowing cybercriminals access to your information.

Best Online Calendars

You have several options for online calendars. Many are free, while others charge a subscription fee. The virtual calendars listed here are all free. We also selected them because they’re easy to use, and, really, online calendars should be easy to use.

Best online calendar

Google Calendar is at the top of the list for the best online calendar. It’s free to use, and you can access it from your PC, tablet, and smartphone. Some of the most notable features include it works with Gmail, offers a color-coding option for appointments or other calendars, and it’s easy to create recurring events.

Best calendar app for Windows

Microsoft Outlook Calendar is a good online calendar to go with if you’re interested in a calendar that ties right into a personal email account. You can get a free version of Microsoft Calendar that gives you free access to other Microsoft Office applications like Word.

Best calendar sharing app for families

Cozi Calendar allows you to have a free shared family account. That way, you can keep up with the kids, and grandkids, and they can keep up with you. Some features in the free version of this calendar include color-coding different calendars, to-do lists, and shopping lists. Everyone signs into the calendar app using their own email.

Best calendar schedule app

TimeTree Calendar web app is free and easy to use. You can set reminders and notifications for upcoming events. While we have this under the best scheduling calendar app, you can also share your TimeTree schedule with other TimeTree members.

Best interactive calendar online

ClickUp calendar is a free app that requires you to answer a few questions to create templates and customize the calendar for you. In addition to multiple setup options, you can also customize your view and drag and drop tasks around the calendar.

Get calendars now

Another very cool advantage of using online calendars like Google Calendar and Microsoft Outlook is that you can link your accounts with apps line OneLaunch’s Calendars App. This is not a separate calendar; rather, it’s a connection between your online calendar account so you can see it when you’re using OneLaunch.

OneLaunch users can link their existing Google Calendar, Outlook Calendar, and Yahoo Calendar by downloading the Calendars software and going through the OneLaunch desktop. The Calendars app also allows you to print free monthly, yearly, and custom calendars.

Should You Ditch Paper Calendars?

Which calendar is the best? Honestly, we love both paper and online calendars. So, there’s no reason to ditch your paper calendar when you could manage both. They balance each other out with their unique set of advantages, making a good argument for why you should try using a paper AND an online calendar. In the end, we say the best calendar is the one you enjoy using. Whether it be paper or online, or a combination of the two, as long as it keeps you on time and helps keep things organized, it’s the best.