Calen

AddEvent vs CalGet vs Calen: Which Add-to-Calendar Tool Is Actually Free? [2026]

You need an add-to-calendar tool. You have narrowed it down to AddEvent, CalGet, or maybe something newer. You have probably read a couple of comparison pages already — most of them written by one of the tools being compared, which tells you everything about their objectivity.

Here is what nobody's comparison page tells you: the word "free" is doing a lot of heavy lifting in this space. Every tool claims a free tier. But the limits on those free tiers vary wildly, and the jump from free to paid is where the real story lives.

This is a three-way comparison between AddEvent, CalGet, and Calen. We will cover what each does well, where each falls short, pricing realities, and which one makes sense for your specific situation. No affiliate links. No rigged rankings.

Quick Verdict (If You Do Not Want to Read 2,000 Words)

| | AddEvent | CalGet | Calen | |---|---|---|---| | Free tier | 100 calendar adds/mo, 20 subscribers | 50 adds/event, 25 subscribers/calendar | Unlimited events, unlimited adds | | Paid starts at | $36/mo (Small Business) | $16/mo (Starter) | $9.99/mo (Pro) | | Event pages | Yes (landing pages) | Yes (hosted pages) | Yes (with auto OGP images) | | Subscriber system | Yes (20 on free) | Yes (25/calendar on free) | Yes (100 free) | | Embeddable widget | Yes (strength) | No | No | | API access | Yes (paid) | Limited | No | | Best for | Enterprise embeds | Quick buttons | Free events + calendar adds | | Setup time | 30+ minutes | 5 minutes | 3 minutes |

If you want the short version: AddEvent is the most mature product with the best embed options, but the free tier caps you at 100 adds and 20 subscribers. CalGet is the simplest option for basic calendar buttons, but caps you at 50 adds per event. Calen is the only one that is genuinely unlimited on free, but it is newer and lacks embeddable widgets.

Now the long version.

AddEvent: The Enterprise-Grade Calendar Widget

AddEvent has been in the add-to-calendar space longer than most competitors. It is the tool that many large organizations reach for when they need calendar functionality embedded into existing websites. If you have seen a well-designed "Add to Calendar" dropdown on a corporate event page, there is a decent chance AddEvent powered it.

What AddEvent Does Well

Widget quality. AddEvent's embeddable widgets are genuinely good. You get a polished dropdown button that you can drop into any website via a script tag. The styling is customizable, the behavior is smooth, and it supports all major calendar providers — Google, Outlook, Apple, Yahoo. For developers who need a plug-and-play calendar button on an existing site, this is AddEvent's core strength and it delivers.

API access. If you are building something custom — a platform, a SaaS product, an app that needs calendar integration — AddEvent's API gives you programmatic control. You can create events, generate calendar links, and manage RSVP flows through code. This is enterprise territory, and AddEvent serves it well.

Brand recognition. AddEvent has been around long enough that decision-makers at larger organizations recognize the name. In enterprise sales, familiarity matters. Nobody gets questioned for choosing the established vendor.

Multi-calendar support. Google Calendar, Outlook, Office 365, Yahoo, Apple Calendar, and ICS file downloads. Full coverage, no gaps.

Where AddEvent Falls Short

The pricing cliff. This is the elephant in the room. AddEvent's free tier (Hobby plan) gives you 100 calendar adds per month and 20 subscribers. If you are running even a moderately popular event, you will burn through 100 adds in a day.

Once you hit that limit, the next tier is Small Business at $36 per month ($29/month on annual billing). There is no $5/month plan, no $15/month middle ground. You go from $0 to $36. For a solo event organizer, a small business, or a community meetup host, that jump is steep.

Landing pages, but widget-first. AddEvent does offer event and calendar landing pages, but the tool is fundamentally designed around embeddable widgets. The landing pages are secondary to the embed experience. If you do not have a website to embed on, you can use their pages, but the product is not optimized for that workflow.

Setup complexity. Getting AddEvent configured properly takes time. You need to create an account, set up your event, generate embed code, add it to your site, style it to match your design, and test across browsers. For a developer, this is straightforward. For a non-technical event organizer, it is a barrier.

Subscriber system is capped on free. AddEvent does offer subscription calendars and subscriber list management, but the free tier caps you at 20 subscribers. To grow beyond that, you need the $36/month plan.

CalGet: The Minimalist Calendar Button

CalGet takes the opposite approach from AddEvent. Where AddEvent builds a full widget system with APIs and enterprise features, CalGet focuses on simplicity: create a calendar button, get a link, share it.

What CalGet Does Well

Speed and simplicity. CalGet is fast to set up. You fill in event details, pick your calendar providers, and get a link or button. No learning curve, no configuration rabbit holes. If you just need a shareable calendar link for a single event and you want it in under five minutes, CalGet delivers.

Clean interface. The tool does not try to be more than it is. There is no feature bloat, no upsell pressure during setup, no dashboard overload. You go in, make your button, get out.

Direct calendar links. CalGet generates direct add-to-calendar links for each provider. These work well in emails, messages, and simple web pages. No JavaScript required, no embed complexity.

Where CalGet Falls Short

Tight free-tier limits. CalGet's free plan allows 5 events per day, 50 calendar adds per event, 25 RSVPs per event, 2 calendars, and 25 subscribers per calendar. The 50-add-per-event cap means one moderately popular event can exhaust your free allocation quickly.

Hosted pages, but basic. CalGet does offer hosted event and calendar display pages, plus embeddable calendars. However, the pages are CalGet-branded on free and lack auto-generated OGP images for social sharing.

Subscriber system is limited on free. CalGet offers per-calendar subscriber management, but the free tier caps you at 25 subscribers per calendar. To grow beyond that, paid plans start at $16/month.

Pay-per-tier scaling. CalGet's paid plans (Starter $16/mo, Standard $21/mo, Professional $32/mo) increase limits incrementally. Costs can grow as your events get more popular.

Calen: The Unlimited Free Option

Calen (calen.events) is the newest of the three, and it takes a fundamentally different approach to pricing: the core product is free with no event limits and no calendar-add limits. The business model charges for the subscriber system at scale rather than gating basic calendar functionality.

Full disclosure: this article is on the Calen blog. We will be as honest about Calen's limitations as we are about the competitors. The credibility of this comparison depends on it.

What Calen Does Well

Actually unlimited free tier. This is the headline difference. You can create unlimited events and your audience can add them to their calendars unlimited times without hitting a paywall. There is no "gotcha" at 50 adds or 50 events. For event organizers who got burned by free-tier limits on other tools, this matters.

Full event pages with auto OGP. All three tools offer some form of event pages, but Calen's are purpose-built for sharing. Each page has a shareable URL, auto-generated OGP images (so the event looks good when shared on social media or in messaging apps), and one-click calendar add buttons for all major providers. You do not need an existing website. Create the event, share the link.

Subscriber system with 5x the free limit. All three tools now offer some form of subscriber management, but the free-tier limits vary dramatically. AddEvent gives you 20 subscribers on free. CalGet gives you 25 per calendar. Calen gives you 100 — with automatic email notifications included. For community organizers, workshop hosts, or anyone building a recurring audience, Calen's free tier goes significantly further.

Speed of setup. Creating an event on Calen takes about three minutes. Fill in the details, publish, share the link. No embed codes, no website integrations, no configuration. The simplicity is comparable to CalGet but with a much broader feature set.

All major calendars. Google Calendar, Outlook, Office 365, Yahoo, Apple Calendar, and ICS downloads. Same calendar coverage as AddEvent and CalGet — no gaps.

Where Calen Falls Short

No embeddable widget. This is the biggest gap compared to AddEvent. If you need a calendar button embedded directly on your website — inside your existing design, controlled by your code — Calen does not offer that. You link to a Calen event page instead of embedding a button on yours. For developers and businesses that need on-site integration, this is a real limitation.

Newer platform. Calen has not been around as long as AddEvent. For some organizations, track record and longevity matter. AddEvent has years of production use behind it. Calen is building that history. If you work in an environment where "how long has this tool existed" is a procurement question, this is a factor.

No ticketing. Calen does not handle paid events. There is no payment processing, no ticket tiers, no refund management. If your events charge admission, Calen is not the right tool. You would need a platform like Eventbrite or Luma for that.

No API (yet). Developers who want to programmatically create events or integrate calendar functionality into their own products cannot do that with Calen today. AddEvent wins this category clearly.

Head-to-Head Comparison

Here is the full feature-by-feature breakdown:

| Feature | AddEvent | CalGet | Calen | |---------|-------------|-----------|----------| | Free events | Unlimited (creates) | 5/day | Unlimited | | Free calendar adds | 100/mo | 50/event | Unlimited | | Free subscribers | 20 | 25/calendar | 100 | | Paid plan | $36/mo (Small Business) | $16/mo (Starter) | $9.99/mo (Pro) | | Event pages | Yes (landing pages) | Yes (hosted pages) | Yes (auto OGP) | | OGP images | No | No | Yes (auto-generated) | | Embeddable widget | Yes | Yes (embeddable calendar) | No | | Subscriber system | Yes (capped on free) | Yes (capped on free) | Yes (100 free, 5,000 on Pro) | | API access | Yes (paid) | Limited | No | | Google Calendar | Yes | Yes | Yes | | Outlook / Office 365 | Yes | Yes | Yes | | Apple Calendar (ICS) | Yes | Yes | Yes | | Yahoo Calendar | Yes | Yes | Yes | | Recurring events | Yes | Limited | Yes | | Ticketing | No | No | No | | Custom branding | Paid | Limited | Limited | | Setup time | 30+ min | 5 min | 3 min | | Been around since | 2013 | Later | Newest |

Decision Guide: Which Tool Should You Choose?

Choose AddEvent if...

  • You need an embeddable widget on your website. This is AddEvent's strength and no competitor matches it. If you have a website and you need a polished calendar button embedded directly into your page, AddEvent is the right call.
  • You need API access. Building a product that needs programmatic calendar event creation? AddEvent's API is the most developed option here.
  • Enterprise procurement is involved. Larger organizations value established vendors. AddEvent's track record helps it clear procurement hurdles that newer tools might not.
  • You can justify $36/month. If your budget accommodates the Small Business plan and you need the embed features, the price is reasonable for what you get. The problem is only when you need more than 100 adds but cannot justify $36.

Choose CalGet if...

  • You need a single calendar link, fast. One event, one link, five minutes. If that is your entire use case and you do not care about event pages or audience building, CalGet is the fastest path.
  • Your events stay under 50 adds each. If your events consistently get fewer than 50 calendar adds, CalGet's free tier works fine and the simplicity is a genuine advantage.
  • You want zero complexity. CalGet does not try to be a platform. If the other tools feel like too much, CalGet's minimalism is a feature, not a limitation.

Choose Calen if...

  • You want genuinely free, unlimited calendar adds. If you have been hit by the 100-add or 50-add-per-event ceiling on other tools, Calen eliminates that problem entirely.
  • You need event pages but do not have a website. Calen generates hosted event pages with shareable links and auto-generated social preview images. Share on social media, in emails, in Slack — the event has a home without you building one.
  • You are building a recurring audience. The subscriber system lets attendees follow you and get notified about new events. Over time, this turns one-time attendees into a regular audience. Neither AddEvent nor CalGet offers this.
  • Your events are free. Calen is purpose-built for free events with calendar-based attendance. If you do not need ticketing, payment processing, or check-in tools, nothing here is dead weight.
  • Budget is a real constraint. If $36/month is too much but you need more than 100 calendar adds or more than 20 subscribers, Calen's free tier is the only option that does not gate core functionality behind a paywall.

The Pricing Reality: What "Free" Actually Means

Let us be specific about what happens when you outgrow each free tier.

AddEvent's free tier: You create events for free, but your audience can only add them to their calendars 100 times per month across all events. Add number 101? Blocked. You also get only 20 subscribers. Your next option is the Small Business plan at $36/month. There is no middle tier.

For context, a single modestly popular event — say a webinar with 200 registrants — will blow past 100 calendar adds in the first day. If you are running multiple events per month, the free tier lasts days, not months.

CalGet's free tier: You can create up to 5 events per day, with 50 calendar adds per event and 25 subscribers per calendar. The per-event cap means even a single popular event can exhaust your allocation. Paid plans start at $16/month (Starter).

Calen's free tier: Unlimited events, unlimited calendar adds. The cap is on email subscribers — 100 on free, 5,000 on Pro ($9.99/month). If you never use the subscriber system, you never pay. If you grow to need 5,000 subscribers, the Pro plan is less than a third of AddEvent's price.

The difference in philosophy is clear: AddEvent and CalGet cap core functionality (calendar adds and subscribers) on free. Calen only caps the growth functionality (subscriber scale). All three tools now offer event pages and subscriber management, but Calen's free limits are the most generous by far.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use AddEvent without a website? Not practically. AddEvent is designed as a widget you embed on an existing site. Without a site to embed on, you are limited to generating raw calendar links — which CalGet and Calen do more conveniently.

Does CalGet have event pages? Yes, CalGet now offers hosted event and calendar display pages. However, the free tier pages are CalGet-branded and lack auto-generated OGP images for social sharing.

Is Calen really free with no limits? For events and calendar adds, yes. The limit is on email subscribers (100 on free). If you do not use the subscriber feature, the free tier has no practical ceiling for calendar functionality.

Can I switch tools later? Yes, but migration is manual for all three. Calendar events that attendees have already added will stay in their calendars regardless of which tool generated them. Your main concern when switching is updating links in emails, websites, and social media posts.

Which tool is best for a [one-time event / recurring event series]? For a one-time event, CalGet's simplicity or Calen's event pages are both good choices. For a recurring series, Calen's subscriber system adds real value — attendees follow you once and get notified for every new event without you re-sharing links manually.

Final Thoughts

There is no single "best" add-to-calendar tool. There is only the one that fits your situation.

AddEvent earned its position by building excellent embeddable widgets and a solid API. If you need on-site calendar integration and your budget supports it, AddEvent is a proven choice.

CalGet earned its spot by being simple. Sometimes the best tool is the one that does one thing quickly and gets out of your way.

Calen earned its spot by removing the paywall from core calendar functionality. Unlimited events and unlimited adds at no cost is a genuine differentiator — but the platform is newer and lacks the embed capabilities that AddEvent offers.

Pick the tool that matches your actual needs today. If you outgrow it, switching is not hard. The cost of choosing the wrong tool is not catastrophic — it is just a few hours of migration. The cost of not having any add-to-calendar solution is measurably worse.

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