fancal

Flexibits has released their new calendar app for the Mac called Fantastical. This natural language calendar assistant allows you to create events by typing in your plans:

Using an advanced natural language engine, Fantastical is extremely expressive, allowing users enter event text in their own style. For example, enter a sentence such as "Lunch with John at 123 Main Street on Tuesday" and Fantastical will translate the sentence into an event and add it to their calendar.


The pre-release previews were very positive, commenting on the quick-access as a menu-bar item that lets you quickly enter new items.

What I like most about Fantastical is how quick and accessible it is. It lives in your Menu Bar and you invoke it via a global hotkey (I use command+option+c), or by clicking on the Menu Bar icon, and it appears instantaneously. It is both keyboard and mouse friendly. The power users in the room will be glad to know you can navigate and operate the app without leaving the keyboard — if it were not so then I certainly would not find the same amount of utility from the app.

And what blows me away every time I use it is the entry panel for an event — Fantastical uses a natural language parser in addition to the standard new-event, iCal interface. So far, in my usage, the natural language parsing has been superb; the best I’ve ever used.

Fantastical is available now through the Flexibits Store or the Mac App Store for an introductory price of $14.99 with a free trial on their website.

Top Rated Comments

Snypod Avatar
188 months ago
After using Fantastical for a few hours I'm happy to say that this is the menu bar calendar app I've been waiting for! For those wondering why anyone would choose this over the much cheaper QuickCal, I'll explain my personal reasoning...

1) First and foremost, it has a full calendar above the events list. The calendar provides visual context for the month and helps me comprehend much more quickly when events are in relation to today. This also helps when planning ahead since I can visually see when days fall in the month.
2) It shows the current date in the menu bar icon. I always disliked having the date written out long form like it is in the official OS X clock, so I'm happy to have this feature.
3) Great implementation of the events list. Hovering over an event highlights the date(s) on the calendar. Multi-day events appear on each of the days they are scheduled for as opposed to just the beginning date, something I've always wished iCal would do.
4) You can search your entire calendar, either manually or by keyword, without opening iCal.
5) The dark theme and great design choices are a nice alternative to the minimalistic, but still pretty, QuickCal. I guess this one comes down to personal choice.

There are some downsides to Fantastical at the moment... like no "To-Do" integration, you can't add notes to new events, you can't delete events, there is no option to have the calendar automatically return to the current date when the menu is opened, etc... so hopefully they will add this missing functionality in future updates.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Weaselboy Avatar
188 months ago
Quickcal (http://smellypuppy.com/quickcal-desktop/) does much more than this and is $1.99. Quickcal also handles adding tasks with natural language.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
arn Avatar
188 months ago
Can Arn or somebody respond to this?
People always go on about paid reviews and stuff. It's an easy "go to" accusation when you don't like a product being talked about. We don't do paid reviews or posts. Neither do any of the other sites you've probably seen this on (unless it's clearly marked). Sometimes we do have promotions/affiliate items (the mac software bundles, for example), but those are all disclaimed in the post.

I don't generally respond to these accusations because it's pointless to respond to conspiracy theorists, as they never believe you.

It seems like today every Mac themed web site I read has a glowing recommendation of this app, and I just don't see what is so earth shattering about it. Even Daring Fireball is going on about it. :confused: It does look suspicious.
It would look more suspicious if most websites said it sucked and one said it was recommended.

arn
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
nitschi Avatar
188 months ago
Quickcal (http://smellypuppy.com/quickcal-desktop/) does much more than this and is Quickcal also handles adding tasks with natural language.
2nd that. QuickCal seems to provide everything (minus some "eyecandy" in the menubar-menu) this (much more expensive) app offers.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Weaselboy Avatar
188 months ago
Can Arn or somebody respond to this? It seems like today every Mac themed web site I read has a glowing recommendation of this app, and I just don't see what is so earth shattering about it. Even Daring Fireball is going on about it. :confused: It does look suspicious.
People always go on about paid reviews and stuff. It's an easy "go to" accusation when you don't like a product being talked about. We don't do paid reviews or posts. Neither do any of the other sites you've probably seen this on (unless it's clearly marked). Sometimes we do have promotions/affiliate items (the mac software bundles, for example), but those are all disclaimed in the post.

I don't generally respond to these accusations because it's pointless to respond to conspiracy theorists, as they never believe you.



It would look more suspicious if most websites said it sucked and one said it was recommended.

arn
Appreciate the response Arn. Thanks
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
andi242 Avatar
188 months ago
I tried to extend FC with a small Applescript to provide a local URL handler.
You may type e.g. "fcal://Meeting with Bob at 12" into your favorite app launcher (or create a custom search like in Alfred.app).

I'm no good at apple scripting, but I hope this might work for you guys as well.

http://www.cl.ly/6s8v

This will be added in future releases of FC, though.
https://twitter.com/flexibits/status/70558665807101952

starting the .app will generate an error, but this may be necessary for registering the url handler.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iOS 26 Battery Glass Feature

iPhone 16 Pro Max 80% Charge Limit: One Year Later, Was It Worth It?

Wednesday September 24, 2025 3:58 pm PDT by
With the iPhone 15 series, I did an experiment and kept my iPhone's Charge Limit set at 80 percent for an entire year. It provided an interesting look at the impact of charge limits on battery longevity, so I decided to repeat it for the iPhone 16 line. Since September 2024, my iPhone 16 Pro Max has been limited to an 80 percent charge, with no cheating. As of today, my battery's maximum...
Home Hub Command Center with Dome Base Feature

Apple Working on All-New Operating System

Thursday September 25, 2025 1:11 pm PDT by
Apple is developing an all-new operating system codenamed "Charismatic," according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Apple smart home hub concept based on rumors This is likely Apple's long-rumored "homeOS" operating system. In a report last month, Gurman said both Apple's rumored smart home hub in 2026 and tabletop robot in 2027 will run the new operating system. He said the software platform ...
AirPods Pro 3 Newsroom

Apple's 'Back to School' Offer Ends Soon, Now Applies to AirPods Pro 3

Wednesday September 24, 2025 7:20 am PDT by
Apple's annual "Back to School" promotion for students ends soon, so act fast if you want to score free AirPods with the purchase of an eligible new Mac or iPad. Until Tuesday, September 30, college students and qualifying educational staff in the U.S. can receive free AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation when they purchase an eligible new Mac or iPad from Apple. This is a $179 value. ...
iPhone 17 Pro Colors

Skipped the iPhone 17 Pro? Here's What is Rumored for iPhone 18 Pro

Tuesday September 23, 2025 8:55 am PDT by
While the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are still a year away, there are already a few rumors about the devices that offer an early look ahead. Below, we have recapped some of the early iPhone 18 Pro rumors so far. This story was published previously, and it has been updated to reflect the latest rumors. Many early rumors prove to be true, but nothing is confirmed yet, and Apple's...
iOS 26

iOS 26.0.1 Update for iPhones Coming Soon — Here's What to Expect

Thursday September 25, 2025 12:40 pm PDT by
Apple is preparing to release iOS 26.0.1, according to a private account on X with a proven track record of sharing information about future iOS versions. MacRumors has also seen evidence of iOS 26.0.1 in its visitor logs in recent days. It is likely that iOS 26.0.1 will fix a camera-related bug on the new iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Pro models. In his iPhone Air review, CNN Underscored's...
iOS 26

Everything New in iOS 26.1 Beta 1

Monday September 22, 2025 12:44 pm PDT by
Apple released the first beta of iOS 26.1 today, just a week after launching iOS 26. iOS 26.1 mainly adds new languages to Apple Intelligence, but there are a few other features that are worth knowing about. New Apple Intelligence Languages Apple Intelligence is now available in Danish, Dutch, Norwegian, Portuguese (Portugal), Swedish, Turkish, Chinese (Traditional), and Vietnamese. AirPo...
apple tv 4k new orange

Next Apple TV Expected to Launch This Year With These New Features

Monday September 22, 2025 10:00 am PDT by
The next Apple TV is expected to be released later this year, and a handful of new features and changes have been rumored for the device. Below, we recap what to expect from the next Apple TV, according to rumors. Likely Features N1 Chip With Wi-Fi 7 Last year, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said the next Apple TV would be equipped with Apple's own combined Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chip, which is...
Apple More Personal Siri Ad

Apple Responds to U.S. Class Action Lawsuit Over Delayed Siri Features

Friday September 26, 2025 6:57 am PDT by
In March, Apple delayed the launch of its personalized Siri features, and soon after the company was hit with multiple class action lawsuits over the situation. The plaintiffs said they never would have purchased an iPhone 16, or would have paid less, had they known Apple's marketing about the Siri features was false. In the U.S., all of the complaints were consolidated into one class...