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Skylight calendar alternatives in the UK, including no-subscription options
Debs · 1 October 2026
The short answer
The main alternatives to a Skylight Calendar in the UK are an Amazon Echo Show 15 (a smart display that can show the family calendar), an old iPad or Android tablet running a family calendar, and family calendar apps on everyone's phones, such as Google Calendar, Cozi, FamilyWall or Debs. For no subscription at all, show a free shared Google or Apple calendar on a tablet. The right one depends on whether you want a dedicated screen, and who keeps it up to date.
You've seen the Skylight. You've seen the price. And now you're doing what every parent does at 11pm: typing "Skylight calendar alternative" and wondering whether the old iPad in the kitchen drawer could do the same job. Often it can. Here's what the alternatives are, what they cost, and the one thing none of the screens can do on their own.
The Skylight calendar alternatives worth looking at
There are four kinds of alternative, from "buy a different screen" to "use what's in the drawer". All of them can put a family calendar on the wall or the worktop. They differ in price, whether there's a subscription, and how much typing someone has to do. If you're torn between the two big screens, see Skylight v Echo Show 15.
- An Amazon Echo Show 15: a wall-mountable smart display with calendar and list widgets and Alexa.
- An old iPad or Android tablet on a stand or wall mount, showing a family calendar.
- A family calendar app on everyone's phones, with or without a screen at home.
- A free shared Google or Apple calendar, if you'll type everything in.
The best family calendar screen is the one you already own, plugged in, in the right place.
Left: an Echo Show does far more than a calendar, which is both its strength and its weakness. Right: a tablet showing a family calendar does most of what a Skylight does.
Skylight alternatives with no subscription
If the subscription is the sticking point, the cheapest route is a free shared family calendar (Google Calendar's family calendar, or Apple's shared Family calendar) shown on a tablet you already have. Our guide to using an old iPad as a family wall calendar has the settings. An Echo Show also shows linked calendars with no subscription. The catch with all the free options is the same: they show what you type in, and nothing else.
If you want chores and rewards too, look for a family app with a chore chart built in. Skylight's own chore chart is free, but rewards need Plus. Debs includes chores and stars on every plan, with rewards the parents set, and its wall display runs on a tablet or Echo Show you already own. It's a monthly app rather than a screen, so it isn't "no subscription", but there's no hardware to buy. See how Debs compares with Skylight.
Free calendars are free because you do the typing.
Which Skylight alternative should a school family choose?
Start with the problem, not the screen. If the problem is "nobody looks at the calendar", a screen in the kitchen helps, and an old tablet is the cheapest way to test it. If the problem is "nobody put the school stuff in the calendar", no screen will fix that on its own, because the INSET day, the changed PE day and the trip deadline arrive by email. That's where something that reads the school emails earns its keep. Our round-up of the best family calendar apps in the UK goes through the apps one by one.
Skylight v the alternatives
What each costs and who keeps it up to date. Prices as listed in autumn 2026; check before you buy.
| What you pay | How the dates get in | |
|---|---|---|
| Skylight Calendar 15" | £290 on Skylight's UK shop; Plus optional at £60 a year | Synced calendars, typing, or forwarded emails (Plus) |
| Echo Show 15 | The device; no subscription needed for calendars | Calendars you link, or typing |
| Old iPad or tablet | Nothing, if you have one | Depends on the calendar you show on it |
| Free Google or Apple family calendar | Free | You type everything in |
| Debs | £3.49 a month, or £5.49 to read school emails; first month free | Term dates, INSET days and the school's emails and letters, read for you |
Mistakes we've all made
- Buying a new screen when there's a perfectly good tablet in the drawer.
- Ordering a screen sold mainly in the US and discovering the plug, the delivery and the subscription are all in dollars.
- Setting up a free calendar and being the only person who ever adds anything to it.
- Forgetting the school side: the most important dates arrive by email, not by app.
The alternative that reads the school emails
Debs, your own school admin assistant, is the part a screen can't do. It reads the school's emails and the letters attached to them, knows your school's term dates and INSET days, and puts it all on one family calendar with each child in their own colour. Show it on a tablet or Echo Show with Debs's wall display, see it in Google or Apple Calendar, or add it to a Skylight you already have. Children tap their own column to see what to wear, what to pack and their jobs for stars. See everything Debs can do.
Questions parents ask
What is the best alternative to a Skylight Calendar?
For most UK families, the cheapest good alternative is a tablet they already own, on a stand or wall mount, showing a family calendar. If you want a dedicated device with a voice assistant, an Echo Show 15 is the usual choice.
Is there a Skylight alternative without a subscription?
Yes. A free shared Google or Apple family calendar shown on a tablet, or an Echo Show showing your linked calendars, needs no subscription. You'll be typing the events in yourself.
Can I use an iPad instead of a Skylight Calendar?
Yes. An iPad on a stand or wall mount, kept plugged in with Auto-Lock set to Never, can show a family calendar all day, and Guided Access keeps it on the calendar.
Is there a Skylight alternative with a chore chart?
Yes. Several family apps include chore charts. Debs has chores and stars on every plan, with rewards the parents set, and shows them on a tablet or Echo Show wall display.
Are Skylight alternatives available in the UK?
Echo Show devices, iPads and family calendar apps are all widely available in the UK. Some dedicated calendar screens are sold mainly in the US, so check UK delivery, plugs and pricing before you order.