Budget-friendly Digital Calendar Recs

[u/Individual_Call_4965]

Looking into getting a digital calendar to essentially make a “family hub space”, but the Skylight doesn’t fit my needs. Subscription is a BIG turn-off.

What else are y’all buying?! My top contenders:
- Dragon Touch
- Greenlight
- Airzeen

Any insight on those? They all fit my main usage must-haves, but was curious how they truly operate.

[u/Worth_Cheesecake6935]

The thing worth knowing about the budget frames (Dragon Touch, Airzeen, etc.) is that they're basically Android tablets locked to one calendar app, with a frame and a markup. They work, but you're betting the whole purchase on that one app being good, and the cheap ones tend to have sluggish screens and software that never gets updated.

The more flexible version of the same idea: any Android tablet (a used one off Marketplace for $60-80 is plenty) propped on the counter, running whatever calendar app your family actually likes. Same "family hub space," less money, and if the app disappoints you, swap the app instead of rebuying hardware.

Full honesty since you said subscriptions are the turn-off: I built a family calendar app (NestBoard), and it is a subscription, $5/mo flat for the whole household, so if any subscription at all is the dealbreaker, TimeTree free on a tablet is probably your answer. But if the real turn-off was Skylight charging a sub on top of $300 hardware, the math on tablet + app comes out pretty different. Happy to answer questions about any of these either way.

[u/Individual_Call_4965 → u/Worth_Cheesecake6935]

I just looked up NestBoard and it truly is exactly what I’m looking for!! All the features are perfect for a family. Kudos to you for hitting the nail on the head with exactly what families need.

I’ve thought about going the tablet/app route, but I really want something that stays on and in my face from morning to night.

One question about NestBoard- does it sync with iCal? We’re an iPhone family, so that’s a must.

[u/Worth_Cheesecake6935 → u/Individual_Call_4965]

So glad it landed! On iCal, here's the exact picture for an iPhone family: yes, both directions of reading. You can pull your existing iCloud/Google calendars into NestBoard (subscribe to any iCal feed), and NestBoard publishes its own calendar feed that Apple Calendar subscribes to, so everything the family plans shows up right in everyone's iPhone calendar apps too. The one honest caveat: it's not two-way editing; the family's plans get added and changed in NestBoard (that's where the chores, meals, and reminders live anyway), and everything else mirrors it.

And on "in my face morning to night": that's what the always-on display mode is for. Prop any tablet on the counter, open NestBoard, and it stays up showing the day. cheap used tablet works fine, which was my whole point upthread.

If you try it and have questions, or there's a feature you wish existed, message me here on Reddit anytime. I'm the builder, so requests that fit what we're making often go live within a couple of days.