Something that many users have been waiting for for a long time is finally a reality: Fantastical comes to Windows: The best calendar application, until now only available to Apple device users, will now also be available for PC.
It is great news that, what is considered as Best app for managing agendas and calendars, will finally have its place in the Microsoft operating system. This way, Windows users will be able to enjoy a powerful and versatile tool, with an intuitive design and many interesting capabilities.
What is Fantastical?
As there are probably still many Windows users who are not familiar with Fantastical, an explanation is in order. It is more than certain that, after knowing all the capabilities of this tool, you will be tempted to try them out.
Fantastical is a calendar and task organization application developed by Flexibits. It was originally designed to work only on Apple devices (macOS, iOS, iPadOS and watchOS), which is why it achieves such a fluid integration with Apple's calendar services. Hopefully we'll be able to say the same about Windows soon.
Among the main features of Fantastical we highlight the following:
- Intuitive and fully customizable Calendar viewThis translates into simple handling that can be adapted to the preferences and needs of each user.
- Natural Language Parser. The user only has to write a simple text (for example: Monday, dinner with Dani at 20 pm) for an event to be created automatically.
- Synchronization and support for multiple accounts (iCloud, Google, Microsoft Exchange, etc.), making your job easier by centralizing all tasks and events in one place.
- Widgets: On Apple devices, Fantastical offers widgets for the notification center, making it easy to quickly access events. Presumably, its Windows version will also offer this advantage.
- Managing meeting schedules, with the ability to generate video call links and check the availability of participants.
- Managing reminders and tasks, which can also be synchronized with other applications.
- App for mobile devices.
All of this will now be available to Windows users, who are getting a version that the developers have come to call Fantastical 4.0. And, although it is not currently visible in the Play Store, we will soon have the app for Android as well.
Fantastical on Windows
All of the advantages that Fantastical offers within the Apple ecosystem are now going to be extrapolated to the Microsoft universe as well. In fact, those who will be able to value this the most are the users of Microsoft 365, an application that will benefit from almost perfect integration. Which means efficient synchronization of events and tasks.
The application is also prepared for the addition of links for meetings in MicrosoftTeams, Zoom and similar applications.
Finally, it should be noted that Fantastical is going to use the same model on Windows that it has been using all these years on Apple. It is a Freemium business model. This means that the app will be free to download and use, although some of its advanced features will only be available through a paid subscription (Flexibits Premium). It costs $6.99 per month or $4.75 per month if you decide to make a one-time annual payment.
Is it worth paying for that subscription? The answer will depend on what our requirements and needs are when using this tool. Among the additional features and functions included in the paid version we can mention push updates for Google and Exchange accounts, as well as a wide catalogue of event templates, among many others.
Perhaps the most prudent thing to do for now is to start by trying out the free version and, after using and testing it for a while, decide whether or not to upgrade to the paid version.
Alternatives to Fantastical for Windows
Waiting for… Until now, Windows users who were not eligible for the benefits of Fantastical had other alternatives. All of the ones we list below offer a fairly decent service and, although they do not enjoy the good reputation and popularity of the Flexibits tool, they are still valid options:
- Google Calendar, which can be used from the browser (it is not a desktop application) offering us interesting possibilities in terms of calendar management. In addition, it integrates very well with other third-party applications.
- Microsoft Outlook, which also includes powerful calendar functionality, is a good choice for those who use the Microsoft ecosystem.
- Lightning CalendarThis is the smart calendar alternative offered by the Mozilla Thunderbird browser. It is actually an extension that incorporates calendar, reminder, task, etc. functionalities.
- Any.do. Although this app is geared towards task organization, it integrates a very complete and easy-to-use calendar function. Aesthetically, it is very similar to Fantastical.