Is a Skylight Calendar Worth It? Real Cost and Alternatives

Yes, a Skylight Calendar is worth it if your family will look at it every day. Buy the 15-inch Skylight Calendar 2: it costs $319.99 at Skylight without a subscription, or $20 less ($299.99) on Skylight’s own store if you buy it with its Plus plan. WIRED’s reviewer picks the Calendar 2 as the best digital calendar.

The real cost is the optional Calendar Plus plan, at $79 a year. Without it, the calendar still syncs your family’s calendars and runs the chore chart; Plus adds meal planning, a photo screensaver, rewards and Magic Import, which turns school emails into events. Three years of Calendar 2 with Plus comes to about $537 to $557, depending on whether you buy the two together.

If you never want a subscription, buy the Everblog HomeCal (21.5 inches, $349 on sale at Everblog, $699 regular) or the ApoloSign 15.6-inch ($349 list, $279 on sale at ApoloSign). If your family already talks to Alexa, the Echo Show 15 ($349.99 at Amazon) shows family calendars and to-do lists as home-screen widgets.

Every price in the tables below is the maker’s own (or Amazon’s, for Amazon’s Echo devices), checked on November 1, 2026. That day Everblog and ApoloSign showed sale prices and Hearth offered 10% off with a promo code, so check again the week you buy.

What each calendar costs over three years

The Skylight prices in the table are what Skylight charges without a Plus plan. The three-year totals add three years of Plus at $79 ($237) to that price. Buying the calendar together with a Plus plan on Skylight’s store knocks $20 to $30 off the device and makes the first month of Plus free, so the bundle total comes out a little lower. Hearth’s figure uses its three-year membership plan; paying by the month costs $9.

What works free, and what needs Calendar Plus

The free version covers the main job: everyone’s schedule on one screen, plus a chore chart and lists. WIRED’s reviewer says having the calendar double as a digital photo frame is what makes Plus worth the cost to the reviewer. If your family will plan meals on it, or you want school emails turned into events for you, Plus is the reason to pay. If you only want the schedule, skip it.

Don’t mix up the two Plus plans. Skylight sells a separate Frame Plus for its photo frames at $39 a year; the calendar plan is Calendar Plus at $79 a year.

Best for most families: Skylight Calendar 2

The Calendar 2 went on sale in March 2026 as Skylight’s newest 15-inch model. Skylight says it has “3x faster performance” and a brighter display, with swappable magnetic frames in white, black, sage and lagoon, plus wood and aluminum. It has 3GB of memory, against 2GB in the original 15-inch, and it stands on a counter or hangs on a wall.

WIRED’s reviewer picked it as the best digital calendar and says Skylight’s strength is its software: it quickly imported the reviewer’s Google Calendar and the calendars shared to it. The review’s main complaint is the paywall around meal planning, rewards and the photo screensaver.

The Classic frame is the cheapest version; Skylight charges more for the Wood and Shadow Box (aluminum) frames. It needs Wi-Fi all the time and has to stay plugged in; there is no battery.

• Skylight Calendar 2, white: Check price on Amazon
• Calendar 2 in black: Check price on Amazon
• Calendar 2 in walnut: Check price on Amazon

Which Skylight size should you buy?

• 10-inch: Skylight pitches it for offices and dorm rooms. It sits on a counter only. Skylight sells it on its own store; Amazon showed no 10-inch Skylight listing when checked on November 1.

• Original 15-inch: the older design, now sold with refurbished memory and aimed at buyers on a budget. It runs the same software as the Calendar 2. Buy it if $50 matters more to you than the faster hardware.

• Calendar 2: the one most families should buy. Skylight labels it its best seller, and WIRED picks it as the best digital calendar.

• Calendar Max: a 27-inch screen for a big family or a long hallway wall. It must be wall mounted and comes with the mount. Skylight says it has no launch date or plans for a new Calendar Max.

• Original 15-inch Calendar (the Amazon listing may not be the refurbished-memory version Skylight’s store sells): Check price on Amazon

• Skylight Calendar Max, white: Check price on Amazon

• Calendar Max in black: Check price on Amazon

Best without a subscription: Everblog HomeCal

WIRED names the Everblog HomeCal its best digital calendar without a subscription. Everblog’s store sold the 21.5-inch model for $349 on November 1, 2026, marked as a sale from a $699 regular price, and its product page says “All features are free to use, with no subscription or monthly fees required.” Its Amazon listing says “No monthly subscription required.”

WIRED found its menus close to Skylight’s, with calendar, chores and meal plan pages, but no recipe section. Everblog’s own page says its meal planner lets you “discover fresh recipes.” It hangs on a wall or stands on an optional stand, and Everblog lists a 180-day return window and a two-year warranty.

• Everblog HomeCal: Check price on Amazon

Another no-fee option: ApoloSign

ApoloSign sells its calendar in 15.6-, 21.5- and 27-inch sizes, plus a 27-inch 4K version. The 15.6-inch lists at $349 at ApoloSign and was on sale for $279 on November 1. Its Amazon listings call it “No-Subscription.” It runs Android, so it has a calendar mode and a second mode where you can download apps.

That flexibility has a cost. WIRED calls it “not very intuitive” and says it “takes a lot of patience to set up,” and notes that iPhone users report it can’t two-way sync with their phones. ApoloSign says it can show an iCloud calendar by importing it as a shared calendar. Buy it if your family uses Google Calendar and you are comfortable with an Android tablet.

• ApoloSign 15.6-inch: Check price on Amazon
• ApoloSign 21.5-inch: Check price on Amazon
• ApoloSign 27-inch: Check price on Amazon

For an Alexa home: Echo Show 15

The Echo Show 15 is a 15.6-inch screen with widgets for “your family’s calendars and to-do lists,” plus Fire TV, video calls and smart home controls. Amazon was charging $349.99 for it on November 1, 2026, and $499.99 for the 21-inch Echo Show 21.

Its product page lists calendars and to-do lists among its widgets, not a chore chart or rewards. Its Alexa+ assistant is free for a limited time; after that Amazon requires Prime or an Alexa+ Standard subscription, and Alexa+ needs a US Amazon account. Pick it if you also want it for TV and video calls in the kitchen. Amazon’s Echo Show 15 page says there is “a newer model of this product”: the Echo Show 16, on pre-order at $499.99 and due December 16, 2026. That release date is nine days before Christmas, so a pre-order gift could arrive close to the day; if you want one under the tree for sure, buy the Echo Show 15, which Amazon showed in stock on November 1.

• Echo Show 15: Check price on Amazon
• Echo Show 21: Check price on Amazon
• Echo Show 16 (pre-order): Check price on Amazon

Skylight vs Hearth Display

The Hearth Display is a 27-inch wall calendar at $699 list, sold on Hearth’s own site; on November 1 it was $629.10 with Hearth’s 10%-off code BOO. Its Family Membership costs $9 a month, $86.40 a year, or $207.36 for three years, and Hearth says the membership “is required to set up your Hearth Display”; the first month is free. (WIRED quotes a lower $6 a month, close to Hearth’s own per-month rate on its multiyear plans.) If you cancel later, Hearth Support says you keep family profiles, color coding and the shared calendar, but lists, to-dos, routines, rewards and meal plans need the membership.

Hearth puts more behind its paywall than Skylight does: Hearth’s lists, to-dos, routines and rewards need the membership, while Skylight keeps lists and its chore chart free. For the same 27-inch screen, Skylight’s Calendar Max costs $599.99 without Plus. WIRED notes Hearth’s higher starting price and that it comes in one 27-inch size only.

Who should skip a digital calendar

• Families who already live in one shared phone calendar. If everyone checks Google Calendar on their phones, the screen adds a second place to look.
• Anyone who hates subscriptions. The free tier works, but meal planning, rewards and the photo screensaver sit behind Plus; the Everblog HomeCal or ApoloSign has no plan to buy.
• Homes with weak Wi-Fi where the calendar would go. Skylight needs a connection at all times.

Buying one as a gift

A Skylight bought from a retailer may come bundled with a free Plus period. After the calendar is set up, Skylight emails a link to activate it; the person you give it to enters a credit card at checkout with Stripe, which is not charged to activate it, and when the free period ends Plus renews on that card automatically unless they cancel. Tell them, so the first renewal charge isn’t a surprise. Skylight’s own with-Plus bundle also starts with a free month, then Plus is $79 a year.

Bought on Skylight’s site, any calendar can be returned for a full refund within four months, and Skylight replaces a device with a covered problem in the first three years. The Calendar 2 sold by Skylight on Amazon showed a free return window until January 31, 2027 on November 1. For more gift ideas under $100, see the tech gifts guide; for Alexa speakers and other smart home gear, see the smart home picks.

Family calendar questions

Is the Skylight Calendar worth it without a subscription?

Yes, for the schedule itself. The free version syncs Google, Apple, Outlook, Yahoo and Cozi calendars and keeps the chore chart and lists; Plus adds meal planning, rewards, the photo screensaver and Magic Import.

How much is the Skylight Calendar subscription?

Calendar Plus is $79 a year. The $39 a year figure you may see is Frame Plus, the plan for Skylight’s photo frames, or Buddy Plus, per WIRED.

Which Skylight Calendar should I buy?

The 15-inch Calendar 2 at $319.99 without Plus for most families, the 27-inch Calendar Max at $599.99 for a big wall, and the original 15-inch at $269.99 to save $50.

Is there a digital family calendar with no subscription?

Yes. Everblog says its HomeCal needs no monthly fee, and ApoloSign sells its calendar as “No-Subscription”; WIRED recommends both.

Is Skylight or Hearth better?

Skylight for most families: its Calendar Max is $599.99 against the Hearth Display’s $699 list, and Skylight keeps lists and its chore chart free, while Hearth’s lists, to-dos, routines and rewards need its membership.

Does the Skylight Calendar work without Wi-Fi?

No. Skylight says it needs a Wi-Fi connection at all times and must be plugged in.

Sources (21)

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• myskylight.com Skylight: 10-inch Calendar product page
• myskylight.com Skylight: Calendar Max product page
• myskylight.com Skylight: Compare calendars
• myskylight.com Skylight: Calendar Plus
• myskylight.com Skylight: Frame Plus
• myskylight.com Skylight: Calendar page and FAQ
• skylight.zendesk.com Skylight Support: Activating Retailer Plus Subscription Bundles
• prnewswire.com Skylight Releases Calendar 2
• wired.com Are Digital Wall Calendars Worth It?
• hearthdisplay.com Hearth: Hearth Display product page
• hearth.zendesk.com Hearth Support: What is included in the Hearth Family Membership
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• amazon.com Everblog HomeCal product page
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• amazon.com Echo Show 15 product page
• amazon.com Echo Show 21 product page
• amazon.com Echo Show 16 product page