What is the best family calendar app for a busy household?

HomeHQ is built for families specifically — one shared calendar, chores, and meals in one place, color-coded per person, on the iPad in your kitchen and every phone. Google Calendar is fine for two adults sharing events but does not handle chores, meal planning, or per-person kid views. Dedicated displays like Skylight and Hearth cost $300–$700 up front.

Do we all need iPhones?

No. The HomeHQ app runs on iPhone and iPad, but the family calendar itself lives in Google Calendar, so everyone can see it and add to it from the web or an Android phone too. Nobody gets left out, even on a different platform.

Will this make me switch calendars?

No. Connect the Google Calendar you already use, or create a new shared one in a couple of taps. HomeHQ keeps it in two-way sync, so your existing events appear automatically, color-coded per person. Nothing to migrate.

Is there a free family calendar app?

Google Calendar is free and handles the basics. Cozi has a free tier but added a 30-day limit in May 2024. HomeHQ is $12/month billed annually (or $14.99 month-to-month) for the whole household — one simple plan, every feature included.

Can multiple family members use the same calendar app?

Yes. Invite your whole household by email during setup. Each person gets their own color, avatar, and personalised view. When anyone adds an event, marks a chore complete, or updates a meal, the shared Google calendar updates for everyone.

Do I need to buy a dedicated family display?

No. Mount the iPad you already own in the kitchen and HomeHQ runs as an always-on family display that changes with the time of day — no $300–$700 dedicated screen required.

How do you sign in to HomeHQ?

With your Google account today — one tap, and it connects your calendar at the same time. Sign in with Apple is coming, with a separate step to connect your family calendar.

Does it sync with Google Calendar?

Yes. Two-way Google Calendar and Google Tasks sync is the core of HomeHQ. Connect each family member's account once and existing events pull in automatically — color-coded by person, visible on every device including the kitchen iPad.

How much does HomeHQ cost?

HomeHQ is $12/month billed annually ($143.99/year), or $14.99 month-to-month. That covers the infrastructure, ongoing development, and every feature — shared calendar, meal planning, chores, and two-way Google Calendar sync. No tiers, no add-ons, no ads.

What makes HomeHQ different from just Google Calendar?

Google Calendar is a calendar. HomeHQ adds the parts families actually run on — chores with points and a weekly recap, meal planning, per-person kid views, and an always-on kitchen display — all on top of the Google calendar you already have.

Family calendar display

Turn the iPad you own into a family calendar display.

A family calendar display is an always-on kitchen screen showing everyone's schedule at a glance. You don't need to buy a $300–$700 one — mount an iPad you already have, run HomeHQ, and you've got the same thing for the price of a stand.

Coming soon

iPad · iPhone · Built on Google Calendar · 14-day free trial

Tej Tandon · Founder, HomeHQ

Building HomeHQ from Vancouver — bootstrapped, no investors. I write these guides from running my own family on the same tools.

Verified May 2026

Built on the Google Calendar your family already uses

The short answer

You probably already own the screen.

A family calendar display (or family digital calendar display) is an always-on screen — almost always in the kitchen — that shows the whole household's week at a glance, color-coded per person, so anyone can read it without unlocking a phone.

Companies like Skylight and Hearth sell a dedicated touchscreen for $299–$699. But the screen is the easy part — you likely already have one. Mount an iPad, run a family calendar display app like HomeHQ in always-on mode, and you get the same result for the price of a stand. Here's how, plus when buying the hardware actually makes sense.

The kitchen iPad, all day

An always-on display that changes with the day.

HomeHQ's display mode is warm and gentle in the morning, bright at midday, and fades to a calm dusk in the evening. Schedule, family, and chores stay legible the whole time.

Three ways to mount it

Counter, wall, or fridge.

None of these cost more than $120 in hardware — versus $300–$700 for a dedicated display.

Easiest

Counter

A weighted stand on the kitchen counter near where everyone passes. Five minutes, no drilling.

$25–$60 stand

Most permanent

Wall

A flush wall mount with the charging cable run behind a cabinet. The closest analog to a $300–$700 dedicated family calendar display.

$30–$120 mount

Renter-friendly

Fridge

A magnetic fridge mount with a USB-C charger snaking up. No drilling, no commitment.

$30–$50 magnetic mount

Tip: set brightness to about 50% and keep it plugged in — the panel will last for years.

The options compared

iPad display vs buying a dedicated screen.

Same always-on family display, four ways to get there. Prices verified May 2026.

Feature	iPad + HomeHQ	Skylight Calendar	Hearth Display	Smart TV + Mango
Screen you use	iPad you already own	Bundled 10"/15" touchscreen	Bundled 15.6" touchscreen	Your TV / Fire TV
Up-front hardware	$0 (or ~$130 used iPad)	$299–$379	$699	$0–$40
Ongoing cost	$12/mo (annual)	$79/yr Plus	$9/mo Membership	Free–$8/mo
Always-on display mode	✓	✓	✓	✓
Color-coded per person	✓	✓	✓	✓
Chores + meal planning	Included	Plus only	Membership only	Limited
Two-way Google Calendar	✓	✓	✓	Premium
Also on every phone	✓	Companion app	Companion app	Companion app

A dedicated display ships ready-to-mount; an iPad you own gets you there for the price of a stand.

Built on Google Calendar

One calendar. Everyone sees it. Anywhere.

HomeHQ runs on the Google Calendar your family already uses. Connect it once and everything syncs two-way — so the kitchen iPad, every iPhone, the web, and even an Android phone all show the same plan. Nobody gets left out, and nobody has to switch.

✓Two-way Google Calendar & Tasks sync — changes show up everywhere.
✓Color-coded per person, automatically.
✓Add an event on your phone; the kitchen display updates in seconds.
✓Visible on the web and Android, because it's your real Google calendar.

The HomeHQ app runs on iPhone and iPad. Because the calendar itself lives in Google, the rest of the family can read and add to it from any device.

One source of truth

Add "Lina — judo, Wed 3:30" once. It's on every screen in the house.

Synced via Google Calendar

Kitchen iPad · Mom's iPhone · Dad's Android · the web — all updated

Make the iPad in your kitchen the family display.

HomeHQ runs it in always-on mode, built on your Google Calendar. $12/month billed annually, no hardware to buy.

Coming soon

Deciding which app or display to actually buy? See our best digital family calendar buyer's guide → or compare the best family calendar apps →

Common questions

Family calendar display questions.

A family calendar display is an always-on screen — usually mounted in the kitchen — that shows the whole household's schedule at a glance, color-coded per person. Some are dedicated touchscreens you buy (Skylight, Hearth); others are an app running on a device you already own, like an iPad, a smart TV, or a Fire TV Stick. The job is the same: one shared screen everyone can read without unlocking a phone.

Yes — it's the cheapest way to get one. Mount any iPad from 2018 onward in the kitchen, run HomeHQ in always-on display mode, and you have the same always-on, color-coded family calendar a $300–$700 dedicated display gives you. Counter stand, wall mount, or magnetic fridge mount all work and cost under $120.

If you don't own an iPad and don't want to source one, a dedicated display like Skylight ($299+) is a reasonable, no-setup buy. If you already have an iPad, you're paying $300–$700 for a screen you effectively already own — mounting yours gets you the same result for the price of a stand.

For an iPad, HomeHQ is built specifically for the kitchen-display use case: an always-on mode that changes with the time of day, per-person color-coding, chores, and meal planning, all built on the Google Calendar your family already uses. Mango Display is the best pick if your screen is a smart TV or Fire TV Stick instead of an iPad.

Yes. Because HomeHQ is built on Google Calendar, the same shared calendar shows up on every phone, the web, and Android — not just the kitchen iPad. The display is the shared surface; everyone's phone is the personal one.

iPads are fine left on for years. Set brightness to around 50%, enable HomeHQ's display mode (which gently shifts the scene through the day), and keep it plugged in. LCD iPads don't suffer OLED-style burn-in, and the changing scene keeps any single element from sitting static.

Bring the calm home.

14 days free. Then $12/month billed annually, or $14.99 monthly. Your whole household, on every device you already own.

Coming soon