Fantastical is a premium calendar for iOS, iPadOS and macOS devices that is set to be an alternative to the default Apple Calendar app that one may find on all of Apple’s devices.
When it comes to the iPhone, iPad and Mac versions, the first thing that I like about them is they all work with each other. I found this as well with the previous version of Fantastical. It’s good to know that some things do not change.
Focusing on the iPhone and iPad versions the design looks and feels a lot like the previous version, despite the app saying that it has a new UI. I do like the fact that it is easier now to change the look and format of how the Fantastical calendar looks, whereas previously, the new look was always an option that always had these weird gestures but was not very intuitive.
Another feature that I like in the new version of Fantastical is that it shows the weather (provided by AccuWeather). To me, this is more so a feature that I think a lot of people wanted but did not know it yet. I mean, how many times have you checked the weather after trying to make plans with someone for a certain day? Well, Fantastical 3 makes it so that it is all in one app now.
The app also sort of combines reminders and tasks and forms it as one. In the app, you get to list the tasks you want to get done that day. If you have one set for a specific day, you can schedule and it goes down as a reminder. That right there is something that I have personally wanted for a while but did not know that I wanted it.
A lot of what I have said here can also be said for the Mac version too. I would also like to highlight once again that when I add an event from my MacBook Pro, it is nice that I am able to get my calendars synced from the Mac to my iPhone. It sounds stupid, but for me, I find it to be incredibly convenient.
The only part where the app truly loses me is that, like many other apps in the App Store, Â the developers of the app, Flexibits, are moving towards a subscription model that someone like me would think would be unfeasible.
Pricing for the premium version costs $4.99 a month or $39.99 per year. That might be fine for the wealthy go-getter hustler, but for the average consumer, it truly is not worth either the monthly or yearly prices. In fact, even the old $50 price for the Mac version was enough for me to look another way and find a way to get it for cheaper.
With the way how all of our TV streaming services are becoming more and more reliant on subscriptions, I don’t see how or why any set of developers would charge (especially that much) for a calendar app. Sure, it looks nice and has a premium look to it, I get it. I get that the developers need to be paid so that they can have their lives and families. However, the issue is that I don’t think a subscription model is going to work for Fantastical. Of course, I could always be wrong.
The reason I don’t mind it is that I don’t use the premium features that constitute the monthly or yearly price of the app and can use it the way I’m using it now without the premium upgrades. If you are looking to see which features of the app are premium and which are not, click here.
Overall, the app gets 3/4 stars from me. I have been using it for over a week and it has already started making my life so much easier than before and more than in the previous version of it. The one thing that is truly going to hurt it is the subscription model once everyone’s two-week free trials are up.
Rating: 3/4 stars
