Google Calendar vs. Outlook Calendar

Google Calendar and Outlook Calendar are the two most used calendar apps. From quick features to integrations, both are full of options.

Which one is for you? This article reviews Google Calendar vs. Outlook Calendar.

Table of Contents hide

1 What are both?

2 What’s the difference?

3 Adding events

4 Event notifications

5 Sharing of calendar events

6 Linking with other apps

7 Which one is for you?

7.1 Google Calendar vs. Outlook Calendar: Links

8 Conclusion

What are both?

Both are free services to schedule events, set reminders, share calendar events, etc. Google Calendar has a mobile app; we go to the website to access it on the desktop.

The Outlook Calendar app is a built-in app on Windows PCs, and you can access it using your Outlook app on mobile devices.

Both offer many other ways to access the calendar. For example, on Gmail, Google Sheets, Docs, and Slides, you can access the calendar in the right sidebar.

The same goes for Outlook Calendar, accessed from Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint, and other Microsoft websites.

What’s the difference?

Both can work online and offline. Outlook Calendar on the desktop can work without the internet.

Google Calendar has the option to work offline, but it won’t pull the tasks and reminders.

However, Google Calendar allows you to choose a custom day range for your calendar views. Also, as mentioned, it can show events and reminders from all your Google accounts.

Furthermore, change the event’s owner if you wish to transfer event ownership to someone with Google Calendar. However, in Outlook, you must remove an event and create a new one.

Here’s a table comparing some features of Google and Outlook Calendar.

Feature	Google Calendar	Outlook
Address book	✔️	❌
Online booking	✔️	❌
Customizable templates	❌	✔️
Prioritization	✔️	✔️
Task management	✔️	❌
Multiple calendars	✔️	✔️
Email templates	❌	✔️
Availability management	✔️	❌

Google Calendar vs. Outlook Calendar – Feature Comparison Table

Adding events

It’s simple to add events to Google Calendar. You can add an event by double-clicking on a day you wish to add or select “Create” in the top left corner of your calendar page.

Here are a few of the options:

Give an event name.
Select the day and time of your event.
Choose whether or not you want the event to recur.
Add event details like a video conference to generate a Google Meet link.
Include a location if required.
Choose the email or pop-up notification option (or both).
Choose the day and time for the reminder.
Modify your visibility status.
Include a description, attachments, etc.
Add guests if required.

Creating an event in Outlook works in the same manner:

Create an event by clicking any date or the create event icon in the top left corner.
Add the event’s name, location, date, description, repeated options, etc.
Set it a Skype meeting
Configure the visibility status and reminder settings as needed.
Invite guests and save your event.

Outlook Calendar allows request responses (RSVP) to help you expect the total attendees.

Event notifications

You can set up event notifications under Google Calendar settings, including how and when you want to be notified. All of your devices’ calendars are synced.

When you add an event, the desktop app notifies you with a pop-up window 10 minutes before the event. You can also choose to repeat the notification after 5 minutes.

The reminder appears 10 minutes before the event on the mobile app, and you can choose whether to leave it on or turn off alerts.

You have the option to “Accept,” “Decline,” or “Maybe” if it’s a video conference event.

Like Google Calendar, Outlook Calendar sends you a pop-up reminder.

This reminder shows up before the event at the time you choose. You have the option to dismiss the event or Snooze it for a later time.

Sharing of calendar events

You have control over the permissions and can share your Google Calendar events with anyone. You can even make your calendars public.

Calendar events can be shared with particular people, such as friends, family, or coworkers. You only need to enter their email addresses to share it with them.

You can choose to give them read-only access to event information, access to change events on your calendar, or access to manage your calendar and invite others.

The same applies to Outlook Calendar, where you can add email to invite friends, coworkers, and others to share your calendar while maintaining complete control over permissions.

Linking with other apps

Mail, People, and Tasks Icons in Outlook Calendar

Being a part of prominent companies, both are connected with sister apps.

For example, when you create a task, reminder, or reminder in the Google Keep app, you see the event in the Calendar app.

Also, when you add an event, Google Calendar lets you create a Google Meet call with one tap. When you share the event, the call details are sent automatically.

Similarly, Outlook lets you move from email to tasks to the calendar with one click. The Calendar desktop app can create tasks in the Microsoft To Do app without leaving the interface.

Moreover, while creating an event, you can enable the Skype call option to make it a Skype call.

In a way, we can say that most of Google’s apps are connected with Google Calendar, and most of the Microsoft apps are integrated with Outlook Calendar.

Other than those apps, Google Calendar can be connected with:

Slack
Zoom
ClickUp
Zapier
Asana
Todoist

Here is the list of some apps that Outlook Calendar supports:

ClickUp
Slack
Salesforce
Asana
Wrike
Trello

Which one is for you?

Both are excellent tools for increasing productivity. Google Calendar is easy to use, whereas Outlook calendar has a few additional options.

Ultimately, it comes down to what company apps you use most. You are either a Microsoft person or a Google person, and if you are one, you should go with that.