Best Free Calendar, Reminder and To-Do Program

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Last updated by site.editor on 14. January 2017 - 03:15

Introduction

Wouldn't life be easier if it was more organised, or if we all knew what we were supposed to be doing and when?

Well that's where this article should help solve some of these problems. Take it from me, a super un-organised person, a free and good calendar program with reminders and to-do lists that can make a difference in your life.

Calendar Programs

Rainlendar Lite

A calendar program with a reminder and a to-do list built in

Our Rating:
5
License: Free (Limited features)
Free product complements the Web based application.
Shared calendars are available only for Pro version.
Read full review...

EssentialPIM

A capable all-round organiser with a calendar, reminder, to-do program, address book and more

Our Rating:
4
License: Free (Limited features)
Lots of features, a free iPhone and Android app also available.
Maybe too many features if you just want a calendar program.
Read full review...

Online Calendars and Browser Extensions

Google Calendar

Great accessibility across web browsers and mobile devices

Our Rating:
4.5
License: Free
Available across browsers and devices without the need to download additional software.
Calendar can't be edited offline.
Read full review...

Lightning

A calendar extension to Thunderbird

Our Rating:
4
License: Free
An extension to Thunderbird; no need for a separate application
Thunderbird must be running.
Read full review...

ReminderFox

A Firefox add-on to view and manage lists of reminders and to-dos

Our Rating:
4
License: Free
No need for a separate application.
Firefox must be running.
Read full review...

Zoho Calendar

Similar to Google calendar but has a more attractive interface

Our Rating:
4
License: Free
Search events feature, import calendars from file or subscribe via url, embed the day's agenda on a webpage and export calendar ics.
No copy and paste function, so you can't copy and paste an appointment or event from another calendar to Zoho without using keyboard short-cuts, right click won't work on the calendar.
Read full review...

Yahoo Calendar

Keep track of your appointments and to-do lists

Our Rating:
3
License: Free
Easy to access while checking your email, attractive interface and simple to use.
User needs to be logged into to Yahoo email account to use or view it, with no offline functionality.
Read full review...

Basic Reminder Tools

GMinder

A very lightweight Google calendar offline viewer

Our Rating:
3
License: Free (Open source)
Adds great offline functionality to Google Calendar.
Only works in conjunction with Google Calendar.
Read full review...

Kana Reminder

A lightweight tool to set a reminder to be triggered at a specified time

Our Rating:
3
License: Free
Simple, Very low CPU usage.
Category Option to save reminders is not available, also no synchronization with any other online or offline reminders.
Read full review...

Related Products and Links

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Editor

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Comments

or maybe it's me writing about all the wrong stuff lol , but in my defence when I took over the category a couple of years ago it was already full of calendar reviews and I've just rewrote them, updated them, and added to them with new products . I might ask if I can have the review name changed to Best Free Calendar, Reminder and To-Do . The trouble is most reminder/ to-do programs I've looked have been lacking in features and all the calendars I've reviewed have these features so it ended up being a calendar party time on here . I have taken over the same review section on but the Android version and there are lot's of reminder/ to-do/ task managers available from Playstore ( as well as Calendars ) so I'm having a super organised time trying them all out :)I did mention when I took over that section that I wanted to pop a few calendars in the review as well but like I said I have plenty to choose from on android . Anyway I went totally off topic , did you manage to find something to meet your needs ?

My favourite is FreeAlarmClock - http://freealarmclocksoftware.com/ - nice and simple, very lightweight.

If you're worried about Open Candy etc then you can scroll down the page for the non-installer zip version. That download link scores 1/53 on Virus Total and the fileitself 0/50.

Ignore the "HotAlarmClock" button on the program itself, that's a link to their sponsor's website.

For longer-term and more permanent reminders I use Google Calendar which I can set to e-mail me a reminder of, for example, people's birthdays.

I'll take a look it, thank you

I was using Reminder fox, but it just lost all my reminders.
From what i read in the comments, the last update is a disaster for many, not just me.
Maybe it should be removed from the recommendations.

hi , which comments are the comments or here or else where ? point me in the direction of the comments about it's issues and I'll take a look at them . As regard to your lost reminders you might beable to get them back using the reminderfox backup and restore feature open up reminderfox> go to options ( via the little fox icon in the left top corner of the UI )> go to the general tab ( 1st tab ) > there at the top there should be a checked book saying to use reminderfox default location to store it's data, even if you changed the location the data will be in the location you selected > now you have a few options to import or export your data , to back your data up and what you need 'restore from reminderfox backup ' select that option > explorer will pop up and you just select backup file you need. You might want to not select the lastest back up as your lost reminders might be on a older file . Let me know if this worked for you and if you managed to get your reminders back.
oh my goodness I see what you mean , I must be pretty lucky because I didn't loss mine. I'll look into and see what's going ,thanks for the heads up.

Is there any reminder software into which you can paste pictures from the clipboard. And which shows reminders containing the pasted pictures?

I urgently need such a software.

hi there chess, I've had a look at the calendars I've reviewed and one I'm in the process of reviewing and although none of them have have the ability to send pictures I've found a way to do it :) upload the the image you want to attach to an event to a photo-sharing website like photobucket or even facebook and right click on the image and copy the image url then add/paste the url to the event, Thrunderbird and Zoho calendar support this feature well just click on the link and your image opens up but the only downside is you need an internet connection to view the image. I hope this is of some help.

What I would like in a "Reminder/To-Do" program :-

1) Starts with Windows.

2) Pops up a reminder message if there is one for that day.

3) Closes itself and removes itself from memory after a few minutes.

4) Easy to learn how to use.

5) Works on Windows XP.

Do any of the listed programs meet the above criteria or does anyone know of a program that does meet the criteria.

Thanks.

Rainlendar supports Windows XP SP3 or newer, it can also be set to start with Windows , go to settings> general settings and check enable on start-up. I think Rainlendar is easy to setup and use I set it up with-in minutes by just importing my google calendar into it in the ical format. Rainlendar has pop-up reminder feature too, but it doesn't close it's self you would have to close it ( but note if you close it you won't get the pop-up reminders ) Rainlendar has been designed to run in the background and not slow the users system down , and I haven't noticed any difference in my PC's performance , it's very lightweight. I hope this helps.

+1

Thanks for suggesting Rainlender - have been using it for a month or two and simply love it. Can be set up to be completely unintrusive and yet super easy to access and use - love how it integrates with desktop and can be skinned for extra button functions as well as looks. I'll be getting the paid version the minute they make this compatible with android so I can snyc between my devices (that is unless I can find something just as good that also integrates email and contact info!).

yes it is a shame Rainlender isn't available on android I did wonder whether to leave as my top pick because of this fact but because this is a review a for desktop software I decided it still was the best of this type of program and deserved to stay as top pick.
corrected

EssentialPIM is not freeware, it is trialware.
Most of the features only work in the pro version.

please note in the quick selection guide EssentialPIM is listed as 'Feature limited freeware', the main locked features are the synchronisation options but the user is still able to synchronise with android and Iphone . I have been using EssentialPIM for over 6months ( the free version) and it has met my needs, maybe try one of the other options if it doesn't meet your needs, as with most freeware pro features are often locked this is normal you just have to look at your needs and find what suits you best.

I hadn't seen the 'Feature limited freeware' part, thanks for pointing that out. I decided to use Rainlendar, it is also feature limited and i am familiar with such freeware.

What i was referring to is this: http://www.essentialpim.com/pc-version/pro-vs-free
That's not "just" the synchronization options, as is the case for Rainlendar, that's more then half the options being pro only. That is what i call trialware. You can barely see what the program does before you realize you need the pro version to do what you want to do.

Sorry if it sounds aggressive, I've just had so many programs piss me off that way.

hi Paxmilitaris like MC said This same scenario can be applied to many software groups, most freeware made be commercial company's is feature locked freeware after all they aren't going to make the free stuff better than the paid products because well at the end of the day they need to sell products like any other business and as long as the free products still function that's sits fine with me it's the way the world turns. What I tend to do is to use two similar freeware products together so I get the function of a paid product ( if that makes any sense ) even with paid products a user can very rarely find one that is a prefect fit for them . The list of features in the pro features looks like a lot but I found EssentialPIM to have more than enough features to be reviewed and possibly if it did have all them features it would have too many features for the average user like myself who just want a calendar , reminder and to-do program.
This same scenario can be applied to many software groups. It is after all how vendors fund development and hope to make a profit from their endeavors. As our editor pointed out though, for most the free versions of programs are adequate and this would definitely apply to the majority of our users. If on the other hand you need more than the basic features, there is no option other than to consider a commercial product. I spend most of my life online and have done for years. During that time I have only ever purchased two programs. One is a visual enhancement for Windows and the other I was forced into having to satisfy the conditions of my ISP's service call attendance. MC - Site Manager.

The site manager?
Am i in trouble?
Limitations of the free version should be clearly described, don't you think?

As matter of course we do not feature products which editors regard as "crippleware". Other than that, there is little point in listing out every feature (or missing feature) when comparisons between versions are readily available at the vendors site. How individuals then apply these to their own requirements is up to them. MC - Site Manager.
very true MC , different users have different needs/ requirements , what's good for the goose may not be good for the gander ' although I have no idea what a gander is :) '

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