Sustainable Substitutes for Big Tech Online Calendars

Ethical alternatives to Google Calendar, respecting user privacy, security and portability.

  • Feasibility: How easily can the average user switch to this substitute? Higher feasibility results in a higher ranking.
  • Editor's Rating: How sustainable is the substitute? The more sustainability attributes it fulfils, the higher it is ranked.

Nextcloud Calendar

Nextcloud is a German self-hostable, open-source cloud storage and collaboration platform.

Nextcloud is ad free and does not monetise user-data.
Nextcloud does not track users or sell personal data, ensuring a private and secure experience with optional end-to-end encryption.
Nextcloud’s core software is fully open-source, allowing for independent audits and community-driven development.
Nextcloud is based in Germany, ensuring compliance with strong European privacy laws.
Nextcloud is designed to be self-hosted, giving users full control over their data and infrastructure.
Nextcloud became the first cloud software platform to earn the Blauer Engel ecolabel, emphasizing environmental responsibility.
Some third party providers offer free plans with up to 5GB of storage. The self-hostable community edition is free and without licensing costs.
Nextcloud allows for real-time same-document collaboration.
Nextcloud syncs files to your device. You can edit files offline and changes will sync automatically once you reconnect to the internet.
Nextcloud is fully compatible with Microsoft Office and OpenDocument formats.
Website

Tuta Calendar

A German email and calendar provider with encryption by default powered by green energy.

All Tuta clients are open-source, allowing for transparency and community contributions.
Tuta uses green energy to power its servers, reducing its environmental impact.
Tuta does not track users or display personalised ads, it offers end-to-end, quantum-safe encryption, ensuring a private email experience.
Tuta is based in Germany, ensuring compliance with strong privacy laws and ISO/IEC 27001-certified data centers.
Tuta offers one email address with 1GB of storage free of charge and promises that this will not change.
Tuta is ad-free, providing a clean and distraction-free email experience.
Tuta allows management of custom domain emails for paying users. The domain must be registered elsewhere though.
Website
calendar-online logo

Calendar.online

A lightweight online calendar from Germany with GDPR compliancy.

All servers are located in Germany, ensuring compliance with European data protection standards.
Calendar.online's focus is on a clean, functional interface without ad-distraction.
Calendar.online is GDPR compliant, stores IP addresses anonymously and does not pass or sell data to third parties.
Access is provided via unique links, and neither users nor administrators require an account or registration to use or share the calendar
A basic version is available free of charge, with the option to upgrade to paid plans for additional features.
No AI features "enrich" the product, keeping it lightweight and efficient.
Website

How to move away from Big Tech Online Calendars

Here's a guide on how to easily get away from Google Calendar.

To migrate from Google Calendar to another provider, export your Google Calendar as an ICS file via the Google Calendar settings. All substitutes listed above offer an import feature for such files.

If you want to use Nextcloud Calendar on Android, make sure to install DAVx5 via the Play Store for a bit of money or install it via the F-Droid store in order to get it for free. This tool will help you sync the Nextcloud Calendar to your local Android calendar.

Suggestions and Feedback

If you have suggestions for more alternatives or general feedback, please contact me via email or create an issue over on Codeberg. Suggest Substitute on Codeberg Write an Email