Ditch the Skylight? 9 best Skylight Calendar alternatives I’d actually use

Households are all about planning, especially when your family has a busy schedule. And that’s where digital calendar displays like the Skylight Calendar come into play, syncing your appointments, to-dos, and chores, from grocery lists to children’s birthdays. It’s a great way for your family to stay on the same page and streamline their daily routine without constant reminders or worse – nagging.

While Skylight is a popular choice among users, is it truly the best for your goals? Together with the Cybernews research team, I researched various digital calendars on the market to come up with 9 alternatives that may be a better pick, based on their pricing, capabilities, and user feedback.

In this article, I go through all the options, their pros and cons, what makes a good digital calendar, and what to keep in mind when looking for one.

Best Skylight Calendar alternatives – shortlist

1. Hearth Display – best for big households
2. Amazon Echo Show 15 – best for smart home owners
3. LOOFII – best for non-tech-savvy users
4. Mezed – best for users on the move
5. Cozyla – best for managing several dashboards
6. APOFIAL – best for multi-user households
7. ApoloSign – best for creating personalized dashboards
8. DASFIWO – best for sharing photos and videos
9. BQQJDD – best for kids

The best Skylight Calendar alternatives compared

Before focusing on individual reviews, it’s important to see how all models compare against each other based on key factors, such as weight, connectivity, or subscription types. Below is a quick rundown:

Skylight Calendar alternatives	Dimensions (width/height)	Size	Price	Third-party app integration	Best for
Hearth Display	16.5 x 26.7	26.7 inch	High	✅ Yes	Busy households, big families
Amazon Echo Show 15	16.1 x 10.1	15 inch	Medium	✅ Yes	Combining planning and entertainment
LOOFII	10.4 x 7.3	10.1 inch	Affordable	✅ Yes	Schedule planning, photo sharing
Mezed	N/A	10.1 inch	Affordable	✅ Yes	Catching up with family members
Cozyla	28.87 x 17	32 inch	High	✅ Yes	Personalized calendar creation
APOFIAL	10.6 x 7.4	10.1 inch	Affordable	✅ Yes	All-in-one solutions, bigger families on a budget
ApoloSign	13.65 x 21.85	21.5 inch	Medium	✅ Yes	Custom solutions, Google apps integration
DASFIWO	21.1 x 12.9	21.5 inch	On the higher end	✅ Yes	Managing your to-do list
BQQJDD	10.12 x 16.06	15.6 inch	Medium	✅ Yes	Families with kids

Best Skylight Calendar alternatives – my detailed list

1. Hearth Display – best Skylight alternative overall

📏 Dimensions:	16.5 x 26.7
💵 Price:	High
🎯 Best for:	Big households

Hearth Display is a highly flexible and customizable solution that’s perfect for bigger families and busy households looking to streamline their schedules.

For instance, features like Shared Family Calendar and unlimited individual profile creation allow you to adjust the device to different family members. There’s also an AI-powered assistant to take care of the details, streamlining the entire process. Hearth is also great for helping kids build up healthy habits, thanks to engaging calendar design and gamified task completion, which rewards the user for finishing streaks.

However, there’s a drawback to consider – keep in mind that without a monthly subscription, you can onlyaccess the basic calendar integration.

2. Amazon Echo Show 15 – best for smart home owners

📏 Dimensions:	16.1 x 10.1
💵 Price:	Medium
🎯 Best for:	Amazon users

Amazon Echo Show is the perfect solution for households that are already using Amazon devices and looking for a smooth integration. With Alexa voice controls and smart home integration supported, it lets you easily monitor doorbells, cameras, lights, and thermostat through the calendar. As such, I’d say the Amazon Echo Show is easily the best option for an Amazon-powered household.

It’s also a great pick for video calls, thanks to the auto-framing wide-angle camera and background noise removal. Last but not least, the display comes with a built-in Fire TV that lets you access dozens of apps from Netflix to YouTube, with high-quality sound and fast speeds for streaming.

If you need both a calendar and a TV, Amazon Echo Show can be a good pick.

3. LOOFII – best for families on a budget

📏 Dimensions:	10.4 x 7.3
💵 Price:	Affordable
🎯 Best for:	Smaller households, tighter budgets

Compared to some of the more premium options, LOOFII can be a great affordable solution for families that are tight on a budget but don’t want to compromise on quality. LOOFII includes all the essential features like a chore chart, meal planner, and calendar integration, with Yahoo and Cozi supported in addition to basic options like Google.

Photo storage and sharing are also included, allowing you to turn the calendar into a photo frame when you’re not using it.

4. Mezed – best for an active lifestyle

📏 Dimensions:	N/A
💵 Price:	Affordable
🎯 Best for:	Remote schedule tracking, big families on a budget

Mezed is yet another affordable option that includes essentials like calendar syncing, meal planning, and chore charts, with multi-user support and a color-coded design for smooth schedule tracking. It also boasts an easy-to-use app that lets you catch up and adjust your plans on the go, adding chores or events in real time.

Truth be told, my favorite part is how easily the calendar fits into different households. You can place it on the table or hang it on the wall at different angles, with the auto-rotation feature instantly adjusting to the screen’s placement.

5. Cozyla – best for several users at a time

📏 Dimensions:	28.87 x 17
💵 Price:	High
🎯 Best for:	Calendar personalization, big households

While one of the more expensive options, Cozyla makes up for the price with a wide selection of features and customization capabilities that make it a strong pick for multi-user households.

You can personalize your dashboard as you want, adding widgets like weather or a media player in addition to classical chore lists and calendars. Alternatively, you can create several different dashboards for different scenarios with a color-coded design for family members.

Cozyla also has great support features, which include 24/7 customer support, a 180-day quality guarantee, and a lifetime warranty. This creates an additional safety layer, especially considering the display’s premium price.

6. APOFIAL – the best all-in-one solution

📏 Dimensions:	10.6 x 7.4
💵 Price:	Affordable
🎯 Best for:	Complex solutions, big families

APOFIAL tends to be a pretty popular choice for a present among users, thanks to its affordable pricing, easy installation and navigation. One of its selling points is also anextensive feature pool that includes integration with iCloud, Google Calendar, and Yahoo, among other apps.

From my point of view, APOFIAL is a reliable all-in-one solution, with chore assignment, dinner planning, weather forecasts, and event reminders in addition to core functionality. It also supports multi-user editing and sharing, allowing different family members to update the calendar simultaneously and at any time.

7. ApoloSign – best for Google users

📏 Dimensions:	13.65 x 21.85
💵 Price:	Medium
🎯 Best for:	Google Play syncing, custom solutions

ApoloSign is a great choice for users who are heavy on Google apps and products and need a display that will sync with them easily. Apart from integrating with Google Calendar and Google Photos, it lets you download any widget-supported app from the Google Play Store, with an easy setup through your existing Google account. Other supported apps include iCloud and Outlook, although the integration might be less smooth.

Additionally, users are offered 24/7 customer support, with a lifetime warranty for an additional security level.

8. DASFIWO – best for photo upload and sharing

📏 Dimensions:	21.1 x 12.9
💵 Price:	High
🎯 Best for:	Households in need of user-friendly solutions

DASFIWO stands out for its ease of setup and use, allowing you to quickly sync the device with your existing calendars like Google or iCloud, share the dashboard with family members, and monitor it remotely via the mobile app.

According to my market research, users also seem to appreciate the calendar for its design and display quality, with a 21.5-inch touchscreen that can operate in both landscape and portrait mode. The device also allows you to upload photos and videos by sending them directly to the display from the mobile app, which is helpful for users on the go.

9. BQQJDD – best kids-friendly pick

📏 Dimensions:	10.12 x 16.06
💵 Price:	Medium
🎯 Best for:	Big households, kids, and grandparents

BQQJDD is a great option for families with kids, helping parents gamify doing chores and build up healthy habits. For example, children can earn points for completing different tasks and get rewards for fulfilling their to-do lists.

The display also stands out for its syncing capabilities, which include Google, iCloud, Outlook, Cozi, and Yahoo. Moreover, an advanced membership-based Magic Import feature allows you to import files to your calendar via email, converting them into events and tasks. Supported formats include PDF, Word, Excel, and txt.

How did I select the best Skylight Calendar alternatives?

Together with the Cybernews research team, I analyzed dozens of different options across various criteria to select the best alternatives for Skylight Calendar. Here’s what I paid attention to:

• Functionality and features (40%). I looked at the calendars’ capabilities and how well they cover essential needs like tracking meetings, keeping to-do lists, or planning meals. I also paid attention to features like cross-platform syncing, shared access for bigger households, and voice assistant support.
• Display and usability (20%). The overall ease of use is also important, especially if your household includes older family members or small kids. I focused on things like screen resolution, touch responsiveness, and how intuitive navigation is.
• Pricing and value (20%). While some calendars come as a one-time purchase only, others require a subscription to make the most out of them. I compared different options to each other to see which ones offered better value.
• Integration (10%). I looked for calendars that could integrate into households’ existing ecosystems smoothly, focusing on compatibility with Google, Outlook, iCal, and Apple calendars, as well as other third-party tools.
• User feedback (10%). I analyzed customer reviews to better understand real users’ experience with the devices and see which pros and cons of each model stand out for them.

What is a Skylight Calendar, and how does it work?

The Skylight Calendar is a WiFi-connected digital calendar with an intuitive touch-screen interface, designed to keep track of your appointments and plans. Just like a regular calendar or whiteboard, you can hang Skylight Calendar on a wall or put it on a stand. However, its capabilities are much broader, allowing you to organize, streamline, and keep up with your entire household’s schedules within a few clicks.

Skylight Calendar uses a color-coded design for different family members to help you better organize your time. It also synchronizes with your family’s existing apps and calendars, such as Google, Apple, and Outlook, for well-rounded planning, with real-time updates and notifications for upcoming events.

With no complex installation process, lengthy onboarding, or manual data input needed, Skylight Calendar can be a reliable solution for users who want to organize their schedule and stay updated on important events without juggling several calendars and tools at a time or relying on their memory only.

Reasons to look beyond Skylight Calendar

While Skylight Calendar has been earning praise for simplifying scheduling and making it easier for households to keep track of everyone’s plans, it still has a few flaws. Here are some of the key aspects to keep in mind:

• Subscription fee. While you can still use Skylight without a subscription, this limits your calendar’s capabilities and prevents you from using additional features like meal planning and file-to-event conversion.
• Limited customization. Compared to some other calendars on the market, Skylight’s customization capabilities may seem relatively modest, with certain users claiming it falls short when trying to integrate schedules more complex than basic Google Calendar-like setups.
• Lack of smart home integration. Skylight doesn’t connect to smart home systems like Amazon Echo or Google Home, so if you’re used to relying on one of those, it’s better to consider a different option.
• Overall price and affordability. Skylight is far from the most expensive option on the market, but it’s not the cheapest one either – especially when purchasing it together with the subscription. For families on a budget, there are more affordable models available, including subscription-free options.

How to choose the best digital calendar solution for your needs

Choosing the best digital calendar for your home heavily depends on your needs, lifestyle, planning habits, and budget. Here’s what to keep in mind before purchase:

• Syncing capabilities. If you’re already using calendar or planning apps like Google Calendar, Apple Calendar, or Microsoft Outlook, make sure you can integrate them into the device smoothly.
• Display format. There are different options available, from wall-mounted screens to tablet-sized calendars. Decide on a size based on your living space and lifestyle.
• Custom views. Look for a personalizable digital calendar that is easier to adjust to your lifestyle and routine. This is especially helpful if you have a bigger household and need to navigate between school, work, and leisure.
• Ease of use. Look for a simple interface that won’t require lengthy onboarding and will be accessible for grandparents and kids.
• Offline access. While some calendars fully rely on the WiFi connection, others offer limited offline functionality. This may prove handy for busy households with intense schedules.
• Smart home compatibility. If you use assistants like Alexa or smart home setups, choose a calendar that will integrate with your existing ecosystem easily.

By paying attention to these factors, you will be able to select a fitting digital calendar for your home.

---

Other reviews you might be interested in:

---

Final word on the best Skylight Calendar alternatives

While the Skylight Calendar continues to be a strong choice for many families, it's far from the only option on the market. If you're looking for a more budget-conscious solution, higher customizability, or better integration with your specific smart home setup, there are a few decent alternatives available.

For example, Hearth stands out for a wide feature selection and high connectivity, while Amazon Echo Show comes with impressive integration capabilities, and LOOFII offers a wallet-friendly alternative to premium options.

Before making a choice, consider your household size, the tools you’re already using, your living space, and your lifestyle. This way, you can select the best digital calendar for your needs.

FAQ