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The best family calendar apps in the UK, for school families
Debs · 6 October 2026
The short answer
The best family calendar app depends on who will fill it in. Google Calendar and Apple's shared Family calendar are free and good if everyone adds their own plans. Cozi and FamilyWall add shopping lists, meals and family features, and Maple runs the household. Debs is built for UK school families: it reads the school's emails and letters and knows your school's term dates and INSET days, so the school side fills itself in.
Every family calendar app works brilliantly in the App Store screenshots, where a calm family of four has five events a week, all in pastel. In real life you have three children, two schools, one parent who never opens the app and a school that sends eleven emails on a Sunday night. So the question isn't which app looks nicest. It's which one stays true when life gets busy.
What makes a good family calendar app
Before the list, the test. A family calendar app earns its place if it does these four things. (If you'd rather have a screen on the kitchen wall, see our Skylight calendar alternatives.)
- Everyone can see it: both parents, and grandparents or a childminder if they help.
- Each person has a colour, so you can see a child's week at a glance.
- It works on everyone's phones, iPhone and Android, and ideally on a wall screen too.
- The school dates get in without one parent typing them all.
A family calendar is only as good as the least organised person who's meant to use it.
Left: the family calendar app on each phone. Right: the same calendar on a tablet or screen at home, which is where children look.
The best family calendar apps in the UK
Free and already on your phone: Google Calendar gives a Google family group a shared Family calendar for up to six people, and Apple's Family Sharing includes a shared family calendar on every iPhone, iPad and Mac. Both are excellent if everyone adds their own plans. Neither knows anything about your school until someone types it in.
Family organiser apps: Cozi is a tidy shared calendar with shopping lists, a recipe box and a daily agenda email, free with ads (Cozi Gold is US$39 a year). FamilyWall adds messaging, photos and, on Premium, location sharing (US$4.99 a month in the US). Maple runs the household: calendar, meals, groceries and chores, with a free plan. And Debs is built for UK school families: it reads the school's emails and letters, knows your school's term dates and INSET days, and gives each child a packing list the night before. Debs Diary is £3.49 a month and Debs, which reads the school emails, is £5.49, after a free first month.
Free calendars are free because you're the one who fills them in.
Which family calendar app is best for school?
If your school sends one newsletter a term, a free calendar is fine: type the dates in and you're done. Most schools don't. Between the class app, ParentMail or Arbor emails, letters as PDFs and the class WhatsApp group, the school is the busiest calendar in the house, and the one most likely to change at short notice. That's the gap Debs is built for. Whichever app you choose, add the school's term dates first.
Family calendar apps compared
Prices as each app published them when we checked in autumn 2026. Where an app publishes its price in US dollars we've shown that; UK app store prices may differ.
| Price | Best for | |
|---|---|---|
| Google Calendar | Free | Families who use Google and add their own plans |
| Apple shared Family calendar | Free | All-iPhone families |
| Cozi | Free with ads; Cozi Gold US$39 a year | Shared shopping lists and meal plans |
| FamilyWall | Free; Premium US$4.99 a month | Family chat, photos and location |
| Maple | Free; Maple+ US$5 a month | Running the household: meals, groceries, chores |
| Debs | £3.49 or £5.49 a month; first month free | School: it reads the emails and letters for you |
Mistakes we've all made
- Picking the app with the prettiest screenshots, then being the only one who opens it.
- Running two calendars (the app and the one in your head) and trusting the wrong one.
- Choosing an app the grandparents can't open on their Android phone.
- Expecting any calendar to know about the INSET day nobody typed in.
The family calendar that knows your school
Debs, your own school admin assistant, puts the whole family on one calendar: term dates, INSET days, PE days, trips, clubs, the parents' own plans and who's doing pick-up, with each child in their own colour. Debs reads the school's emails and letters so the school side arrives by itself, and the night before it shows each child's bag. Invite your partner, or on Debs Family up to five people, with grandparents on view-only access. It works in the browser on iPhone and Android, and shows up in Google or Apple Calendar too. See the plans.
Questions parents ask
What is the best family calendar app in the UK?
It depends on who fills it in. Google Calendar and Apple's shared calendar are free and good if everyone adds their own plans. For school families, Debs reads the school's emails and knows your school's term dates, so the school side fills itself in.
Is there a free family calendar app?
Yes. Google Calendar's family calendar and Apple's shared Family calendar are free, and Cozi, FamilyWall and Maple have free plans. You'll be adding the events yourself.
What is the best shared calendar app for families on iPhone and Android?
Choose one that works on both, such as Google Calendar, Cozi, FamilyWall or Debs, which runs in the browser on any phone. Apple's shared calendar suits all-iPhone families best.
Which family calendar app adds school term dates automatically?
Debs adds your school's term dates and INSET days, read from the school's own website, and the dates from school emails. Most other calendars need someone to type school dates in or subscribe to a calendar link.
Can grandparents see a family calendar app?
Most family calendar apps let you invite other people. On Debs Family, grandparents and carers can join with view-only access, up to five logins in all.