Family calendar app comparison: nine apps for families in Switzerland

What matters in a family calendar app

Whether a family calendar app works usually becomes clear after two or three weeks: either the whole family uses it, or it quietly fades away. These questions help to choose well from the start.

• Every device in the family: does the app run on iPhone and Android? Is there a browser version for the office computer or the kitchen tablet? If one family member cannot install it, the calendar stays half empty.
• Language: in multilingual families, or with grandparents in another language region of Switzerland, it matters whether the app speaks German, French and Italian as well as English.
• School holidays and public holidays: school holidays differ from canton to canton, and so do public holidays. An app that knows them saves you typing them in.
• Where the data is stored: a family calendar reveals a lot, from doctor’s appointments to when the house is empty during the holidays. Check where the provider keeps the data.
• Price per family or per person: compare the yearly price and check whether one subscription covers the whole family.
• Free plan and ads: many free versions limit the number of members, show ads or lock features such as the month view.
• Tools around the calendar: a shopping list, chores and a meal plan in the same app save switching between three apps.
• Connection to existing calendars: if you use Outlook or Google Calendar at work, you will want to see family events there, or the other way round. The apps handle this very differently.
• Children without a phone: some apps show children in a column of their own, even without an account. Others require an account for every family member.

The comparison table

The three tables summarise what the providers themselves state. “Not stated” means that neither the official website nor the app store listing says anything about it, which does not necessarily mean the feature is missing. Prices come from the Swiss App Store or the provider’s website and may differ on Google Play and in other countries.

The nine apps one by one

JH FamilySync

JH FamilySync is made by JH Virtuell in Stein am Rhein. Next to the shared calendar, the Everyday section brings together ten tools, among them the Shopping list, Tasks with stars, Weekly meals and the Packing list. Public holidays and school holidays are built in for all 26 cantons, for Germany and for Austria. The free plan covers up to four family members and shows no ads. Premium costs CHF 2.00 a month or CHF 20 a year for the whole family and unlocks, among other things, your own calendars, creating events from a photo, the time clock and the household finances. The data is stored with Google Cloud (Firebase) in the EU, in Belgium.

SHUBiDU

SHUBiDU comes from Shubidu AG in Solothurn. Every family member gets a column of their own, according to the provider also children without a phone, grandparents or the nanny. Magic Scan turns photos, screenshots or forwarded messages into events, and group events let you share dates with other parents, for example from the football club. Premium costs CHF 30 a year for the whole family, removes the ads and shows family events in Outlook, Google Calendar or iCal as well. In the other direction, according to the provider, Magic+ (Premium) brings events from your work calendar into SHUBiDU when you invite SHUBiDU as a guest, and imports calendars once, such as a Google calendar or a CSV list. A shopping list or meal planner is not described as a feature of its own, but a meal or cleaning plan can be kept as a separate column. According to its privacy policy, the database runs on Google Cloud.

Nostri

Nostri is made by ITmakers GmbH in Oftringen and runs in the browser on phone, tablet and PC, with no app store download needed. It describes itself as a family hub: calendar, recipes with a shopping list, a cleaning plan with points, routines for children on the kitchen tablet and the voice assistant Jarvis, which uses Google Gemini with your own key. Children can get their own accounts with suitable permissions. According to the provider, Nostri is hosted in Switzerland, at Hostpoint. The free plan, without ads, covers up to two adults and one child. Premium costs CHF 6.90 a month or CHF 59 a year for the whole family and adds, among other things, sync with Google Calendar.

TimeTree

TimeTree, from the Japanese company TimeTree, Inc., is a shared calendar for families, couples and groups, with comments right inside events, notes, to-do lists and a web version. The app is available in 13 languages and can copy or sync the calendars on your device, such as Google Calendar. The free version shows ads. Premium removes them and adds file attachments, a vertical view and pinning of important events. The Swiss App Store lists CHF 3.00 and CHF 30; the website gives a monthly and a yearly price in US dollars. The provider does not mention a shopping list, a meal plan or Swiss school holidays.

FamilyWall

FamilyWall, from Family & Co in Paris, offers a broad package. The calendar, shopping lists, tasks, recipes, messaging, photos and a contact directory are free. Premium adds a meal planner, a household budget, timetables, locating family members and sync with Google and Outlook, for CHF 5.50 a month or CHF 49 a year in the Swiss App Store. According to the provider’s plan comparison, only Premium is ad-free; the App Store and Google Play listings declare no ads. FamilyWall runs on phone, tablet and in the browser and is available in eleven languages. According to its privacy policy, data may be stored in the EEA, the USA or other countries.

Cozi

Cozi, a US app offered by OurFamilyWizard, combines a family calendar with shopping and to-do lists, which also work as chore checklists for children, and a recipe box from which meals go onto the calendar. Cozi runs on phone and computer, but according to the App Store the app is available in English only. The family shares one account with a common family password, and each member signs in with their own email address. The free version shows ads. Events more than 30 days ahead and the month view on the phone require Cozi Gold, at CHF 40 a year in the Swiss App Store.

FamCal

FamCal, offered in the App Store by Hangzhou Beesoft Information Technology, combines a family calendar with shared shopping and to-do lists, notes, birthdays, a recipe book with meals planned on the calendar and a tracker for travel expenses. The whole family uses one shared account. The app is available in nine languages and contains ads according to the App Store, which lists weekly and yearly subscriptions plus a one-time purchase, between CHF 4.00 and CHF 50. We did not find current information on where the data is stored.

FAMANICE

FAMANICE, from FAMANICE GmbH in Künzell, Germany, brings together a family calendar, to-do lists, shopping lists with over 500 pre-entered products, a family chat and a school planner for homework and tests. There are apps for iPhone, iPad and Android, plus a desktop app in the browser. According to the App Store, the app is available in German only. The free version shows ads. According to the app description, FAMANICE PRO costs 2.99 euros a month or 29.99 euros a year per family, CHF 3.00 or CHF 29 in the Swiss App Store, and adds, among other things, the month view, external calendars and assigning tasks.

Google Calendar

Google Calendar is free, declares no ads in the App Store and runs on iPhone, iPad, Android and in the browser. When you create a family on Google, a calendar called “Family” is set up automatically and every member of the family group can see it. The group consists of the family manager and up to five other people. Google shows public holidays by country; its help pages do not mention school holidays, but you can subscribe to holiday calendars published by third parties. Tasks are handled by Google Tasks, while Google does not mention a shopping list or meal plan for the calendar. According to its privacy policy, Google runs servers around the world, so your data may be processed outside your country.

Where other apps go further than JH FamilySync

An honest comparison also says what JH FamilySync cannot do.

• Hosting in Switzerland: JH FamilySync stores family data in the EU, in Belgium. If you specifically want a provider hosting in Switzerland, Nostri states that for its service.
• Children without an account: in JH FamilySync every family member has their own account, possible from age 13, under 16 with parental consent. SHUBiDU shows children without a phone as a column, and Nostri offers child accounts.
• Sync with Google and Outlook: JH FamilySync subscribes to external calendars via an ICS address and refreshes them several times a day, one for free, up to ten with Premium. You export your own events as an ICS file. There is no continuous two-way sync. FamilyWall and Nostri offer Google sync in their Premium plans, and TimeTree syncs with the calendars on your device.
• Chat and location: JH FamilySync has no family chat and no location sharing. FamilyWall offers both, FAMANICE a chat, and Nostri child location in Premium.
• More than four people for free: the free plan covers up to four family members; beyond that, you need Premium. Google Calendar is completely free, and its family group holds up to six people.

Which app suits which family?

• You only want to share events and everyone already uses Google: Google Calendar is often enough, and it is free.
• You have young children without phones and lots of notes from school: SHUBiDU, with a column for each child and scanning of events.
• Hosting in Switzerland matters to you and the kitchen tablet is the family’s hub: Nostri, in the browser and hosted in Switzerland according to the provider.
• You also plan with friends, clubs or a team, in several languages: TimeTree, in 13 languages and with comments inside events.
• You want chat, photos, location and budget in one app: FamilyWall, with chat and photos free and location and budget in Premium.
• English suits your family and you want a calendar, lists and recipes: Cozi.
• You want to share recipes and track travel expenses: FamCal.
• School organisation with the class comes first, and German is enough: FAMANICE.
• You want the calendar, your canton’s school holidays, a shopping list, chores with stars and a meal plan in one app, free for up to four people, without ads, in English, German, French or Italian: JH FamilySync.

Getting started with JH FamilySync

JH FamilySync is available for iPhone and Android and as a web app in the browser, on the computer too. All the steps below work with the free account.

1. Create an account and a family

   Download the app or open it in the browser, sign up and tap Create family.

2. Invite your family

   Under Family, tap Invite member. The free plan has room for up to four family members, each with their own account.

3. Add the school holidays

   During setup, switch on Add school holidays. Later you find them in Settings under School holidays: choose your region and tap Apply school holidays.

4. Set up everyday tools

   Under Everyday you find the Shopping list, Tasks, Weekly meals, the Packing list and more. With Arrange you reorder them or hide the ones you do not need.

5. Connect existing calendars

   Under Subscribe to external calendars, paste the ICS address of a school, club or work calendar. One subscription is free, up to ten with Premium.

Sources

All pages retrieved on 26 September 2026. App Store prices apply to Switzerland.

• JH FamilySync: privacy policy, prices
• SHUBiDU: shubidu.com/premium, shubidu.com/funktionen, shubidu.com/faq, shubidu.com/magic, shubidu.com/datenschutz, App Store
• Nostri: nostri.ch (prices and FAQ), nostri.ch/datenschutz.php
• TimeTree: timetreeapp.com/intl/en/premium, privacy policy, App Store
• FamilyWall: familywall.com/premium.html, privacy policy, App Store
• Cozi: cozi.com/cozi-gold, privacy policy, App Store
• FamCal: App Store, Google Play
• FAMANICE: famanice.de, privacy policy, App Store
• Google Calendar: family calendar, family group, holidays, tasks, privacy policy, App Store