aCalendar & DigiCal Alternatives on iPhone Compared
Neither Tapir Apps’ aCalendar / aCalendar+ nor Digibites’ DigiCal is available on the Apple App Store—both are Android-exclusive apps built around Android’s native Calendar Provider. Android switchers moving to iPhone usually miss three specific features: readable colored event title bars in Month view (instead of tiny dots), built-in weather forecasts inside the agenda, and clean Home Screen widgets backed by Google Calendar. Cloud Calendars delivers all three on iPhone and iPad in its Free plan, while BusyCal, Google Calendar, and Fantastical cover adjacent power-user niches. Arte Soft develops Cloud Calendars and publishes this comparison.
Feature-by-Feature Comparison Matrix for Android-to-iPhone Switchers
| What Android Switchers Miss | Cloud Calendars (iOS) | Google Calendar (iOS) | BusyCal / Fantastical (iOS) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Readable Month-cell event titles (like aCalendar Month) | Colored single-line event title chips + +N overflow & drag-to-move | Colored event chips inside Month grid | Configurable Month text rows (BusyCal) or heatmaps/bars (Fantastical) |
| Built-in weather forecast (like DigiCal Weather) | Full Apple WeatherKit 10-day hub + hourly temp, wind, UV & rain in Free | No built-in weather forecast on iOS | Included in BusyCal ($14.99) or Fantastical Premium (~$57/yr) |
| 12-month Year overview (like aCalendar+ Year) | Full 12-month Year view included in Free | No dedicated 12-month Year overview grid | Year view / heatmap available |
| Side-by-side per-calendar Day columns | Multi-calendar Day view (one column per selected calendar) | Merged single-column day/3-day/week timeline only | Merged timeline (filtered via Calendar Sets in BusyCal/Fantastical) |
| Home Screen widgets & Lock Screen glance | Date+WeatherKit widgets, timed-event lists & Live Activity countdown | Up Next & Month Home Screen widgets | Extensive customizable iOS Home & Lock Screen widgets |
| Google Tasks / Android task checklists | Calendar events & alerts only (no Google Tasks sync) | Native Google Tasks creation and completion inside calendar | Apple Reminders (BusyCal) or Google Tasks + Todoist (Fantastical) |
| ISO week numbers in grid headers | Follows device locale week start; no inline ISO week-number badges | No native iOS Month week-number badges | Optional week numbers in Apple Calendar, BusyCal & Fantastical |
How iPhone Calendar Sync Replaces Android’s Calendar Provider
On Android, apps like aCalendar and DigiCal read Google, Exchange, and DAVx5 accounts from Android’s shared system Calendar Storage without charging a subscription for account sync. When you switch to iPhone, your existing Google Calendar events are still intact in the cloud—you simply connect your Google account on iOS.
Cloud Calendars lets you tap Sign in with Google directly via OAuth (with Google Meet link support in Free) while simultaneously reading Apple iCloud, CalDAV (replacing DAVx5), and subscribed ICS feeds from iPhone Settings. If your employer also uses Microsoft 365 or Outlook, you can either add Exchange in iOS Settings or connect Microsoft OAuth directly in Cloud Calendars Premium.
Account Sync, Protocol & Platform Support for Android Migrants
| Android Setup | Cloud Calendars on iPhone | Google Calendar iOS | BusyCal iOS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gmail / Google Workspace Calendar | Direct Sign in with Google OAuth + Meet links (Free) | First-party native Google account sync (Free) | Google/CalDAV sync ($14.99 one-time app) |
| Microsoft 365 / Outlook / Exchange | Direct Microsoft OAuth + Teams (Premium) or via iOS Settings | Displays iOS local Exchange calendars if toggle enabled | Exchange/CalDAV/iOS system store support |
| Nextcloud / Fastmail / Fruux (formerly DAVx5) | Add natively in iOS Settings > Calendar Accounts > CalDAV (no extra app needed!) | Visible only if synced into iOS system calendar store | Direct CalDAV client or via iOS Calendar Accounts |
| Public holiday & sports ICS feeds | Displays iOS subscribed ICS calendars read-only | Subscribes via Google Calendar web settings | Subscribes via iOS or direct ICS URL |
| Device coverage | iPhone & iPad (iOS / iPadOS 18.0+) | iPhone, iPad, Android & Web | iPhone, iPad & macOS (separate license) |
| Offline local-only calendars | Built-in account-free Local calendars on device | Requires Google account login | Supports local/system calendars offline |
Pricing Comparison: Avoiding Subscription Shock After Android
The biggest surprise for aCalendar+ and DigiCal+ veterans—who typically paid a single $5–$10 one-time upgrade years ago—is seeing iOS calendar apps ask $40 to $57 every year just to show weather or connect a second account.
Cloud Calendars keeps all views, Google OAuth, iCloud sync, widgets, and Apple WeatherKit forecasts unlocked at $0 in Free, with a $4.99/year ($0.49/month) Advanced tier solely to remove ads—matching the spirit of classic lightweight utility pricing. If you strictly prefer a one-time upfront purchase with zero recurring billing, BusyCal iOS ($14.99 one-time) is the closest match.
Pricing & Best Choice by Android Switcher Scenario
| Former Android Workflow | Cloud Calendars | Alternative iOS App | Best Choice |
|---|---|---|---|
| DigiCal user wanting weather + readable Month bars + widgets | $0 Free (or $4.99/yr ad-free) with Apple WeatherKit + Month chips | Fantastical (~$57/yr) or BusyCal ($14.99 one-time) | Cloud Calendars |
| aCalendar+ user wanting Day/Week/Month/Year + drag-to-move | All 5 views + Multi-calendar columns + drag-to-move in Free | Apple Calendar ($0, no built-in weather grid) | Cloud Calendars |
| aCalendar user relying heavily on Google Tasks checklists | Does not display Google Tasks | Google Calendar iOS ($0) includes native Google Tasks | Google Calendar App |
| aCalendar+ buyer wanting a strict one-time purchase + smart filters | Free w/ ads or $4.99/yr subscription | BusyCal iOS ($14.99 one-time upfront) | BusyCal iOS |
| Household still split between your new iPhone and partner’s Android | Syncs shared Google Calendars two-way with Android users in Free | Shared iCloud Calendar is cumbersome on Android browsers | Shared Google + Cloud Calendars |
| Adding Microsoft 365 + Teams alongside Gmail & iCloud | Premium ($4.99/mo or $49.99/yr) adds direct Microsoft + Teams | Outlook Mobile ($0, includes email inbox) | Cloud Calendars or Outlook |
Bonus for Former DAVx5 Users: iOS Speaks CalDAV Out of the Box
On Android, syncing Fastmail, Nextcloud, Synology, or Mailbox.org calendars required buying or sideloading DAVx5 because AOSP lacks a built-in CalDAV settings screen. iOS includes a native RFC 4791 CalDAV client in system settings.
Open Settings > Apps > Calendar > Calendar Accounts > Add Account > Other > Add CalDAV Account, enter your server credentials once, and both Apple Calendar and Cloud Calendars can read and edit those calendars immediately.
Keeping Shared Calendars Live with Family Still on Android
When you move to iPhone, resist moving shared household calendars from Google Calendar into iCloud if your partner or children still carry Samsung or Pixel phones. Android phones cannot natively sync iCloud calendars without third-party CalDAV bridges and Apple app-specific passwords.
Keep shared family schedules hosted on Google Calendar, sign into Google inside Cloud Calendars on your new iPhone, and everyone keeps instant two-way editing on their preferred hardware.
What it looks like
What to do
- After activating your iPhone, install Cloud Calendars and tap Sign in with Google to bring over all existing Google Calendars and colors.
- If you used DAVx5 on Android for Nextcloud or Fastmail, add those credentials natively in iOS Settings > Apps > Calendar > Calendar Accounts > Other > Add CalDAV Account.
- Switch to Month view in Cloud Calendars to get colored single-line event title chips instead of dots, or open Year view for a 12-month overview.
- Long-press your iPhone Home Screen to add the Calendar & Weather or Calendar Events Large widget.
Questions
- Is aCalendar or DigiCal available for iPhone on the App Store?
- No. Both aCalendar (by Tapir Apps) and DigiCal (by Digibites) are built exclusively for Android and do not offer iPhone or iPad versions.
- Do I lose my DigiCal or aCalendar events when switching from Android to iPhone?
- Any events synced to Google Calendar, Microsoft Outlook/Exchange, or a CalDAV server remain safely in the cloud and appear on iPhone as soon as you sign in. Only "Local / My Phone" Android events must be exported to an .ics file before wiping your old phone.
- Which iPhone calendar app has built-in weather like DigiCal without an expensive subscription?
- Cloud Calendars includes hourly and up-to-10-day Apple WeatherKit forecasts inside Day and Week grids—plus date+weather widgets—in its $0 Free plan, with ad removal available for $4.99/year.