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.

HomeHQ vs Skylight

HomeHQ vs Skylight Calendar.

The most asked comparison in this category. Skylight has the hardware lead and a million-plus families using it. HomeHQ runs on the iPad you already own, for a fraction of the 3-year cost.

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

Side by side

HomeHQ vs Skylight Calendar, feature by feature.

The honest comparison — including where Skylight wins. Prices and features verified May 2026.

Feature	HomeHQ	Skylight Calendar
Type	App	Hardware (touchscreen) + app
Up-front cost	$0	$299 (10") or $379 (15")
Monthly cost	$12/mo (annual)	$6.58/mo (annual Plus)
3-year total	$432	$617+
Family member limit	Whole household	Unlimited
AI dish photos & meal ideas	✓
Two-way Google Calendar	✓	✓
Visible on web & Android	✓	Companion app only
Magic Import (email → cal)		Plus subscription
Chores & rewards	Included	Plus subscription
Meal planning	Included	Plus subscription
Photo screensaver	Use your iPad's	Plus subscription
Works on phones too	✓	Companion app only
Free trial	14 days	4-month return window
Dedicated touchscreen	Use your own iPad	✓
Proven at scale	New in 2026	1M+ households since 2017

The yearly math

What you actually pay over 3 years.

HomeHQ

Hardware$0

Year 1$144

Year 2$144

Year 3$144

3-year total$432

Skylight Calendar

Hardware (15" Calendar 2)$379

Year 1 Plus subscription$79

Year 2 Plus subscription$79

Year 3 Plus subscription$79

3-year total$617+

Decide quickly

When Skylight wins, when HomeHQ wins.

Choose Skylight if…

→You want a touchscreen device that arrives ready-to-mount in a single box.
→You don't already own an iPad, and you'd rather buy hardware than mount a tablet.
→You like the chore rewards system Skylight has spent years refining.
→A 15" screen size matters to you more than a Retina iPad display.

Choose HomeHQ if…

→You already have an iPad you can mount in the kitchen.
→You want chores with points, a weekly recap, and meal planning on the same screen.
→You're cost-conscious and would rather save $250–$700 in year one.
→You want the calendar visible everywhere — every phone, the web, even Android — because it's your Google calendar.

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

Try HomeHQ free for 14 days — without buying Skylight.

$12/month billed annually after the trial, or $14.99 month-to-month. Cancel anytime through Apple.

Coming soon

HomeHQ vs Skylight Calendar

What people ask before they pick.

Yes — and probably the closest one for Apple households. Same job (shared family calendar, meals, chores, color-coded per person, always-on kitchen display), without the $299–$379 hardware. Total 3-year cost: $432 vs $617+.

Yes. An iPad mounted in the kitchen, running HomeHQ in always-on display mode, does exactly what a Skylight does — same chore tracking, same meal planner, same color-coded calendar. The only thing you lose is the "arrived ready-to-mount" simplicity.

It depends on whether you want a dedicated device. If you don't already own an iPad, Skylight's hardware is a perfectly reasonable buy and over a million families agree. If you do own an iPad, you're paying $300+ for an Android-on-a-tablet touchscreen when a sharper Retina screen is sitting in your house.

Not today — that's a genuine Skylight strength. HomeHQ leans on the Google Calendar it's built on: add an event on any phone or the web and it appears in HomeHQ automatically, color-coded per person. If forwarding an email or photographing a flyer to auto-create events is a must-have, Skylight's Magic Import (a Plus feature) does that today.

If your Skylight is set to two-way sync with Google Calendar, every event is already in your Google account — connect that to HomeHQ and your whole family's schedule appears, color-coded per person.

Skylight offers a 4-month return window, which is genuinely generous (and a real number of families use it). HomeHQ has no hardware to return — you cancel the subscription in Apple ID settings and you're done. Either way you're not stuck.

Researching Skylight Calendar? Visit their official site →

Keep reading

Related guides and comparisons.

Digital family calendar guide

Every display and app compared, Skylight included.

Family calendar display

Turn the iPad you own into the kitchen screen.

Best family calendar app

Skip the hardware — the software-only options.

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