01 Jul 2025
Calendar

help coordinate schedules with friends by syncing calendars and ...

...finding when people overlap

Confidence
Engagement
Net use signal
Net buy signal

Idea type: Competitive Terrain

While there's clear interest in your idea, the market is saturated with similar offerings. To succeed, your product needs to stand out by offering something unique that competitors aren't providing. The challenge here isn’t whether there’s demand, but how you can capture attention and keep it.

Should You Build It?

Not before thinking deeply about differentiation.


Your are here

You're stepping into a crowded space with your idea to coordinate schedules by syncing calendars. Our analysis shows high confidence due to the 18 similar products we found. This means you're addressing a real need, but also facing stiff competition. Engagement for similar products is medium, with an average of 8 comments. It's crucial to recognize that this isn't a completely novel concept, but rather one where execution and differentiation are key. The positive here is that you're entering a space where people are actively seeking solutions, which means with the right approach, you can definitely carve out a niche for yourself.

Recommendations

  1. Begin with an in-depth competitive analysis, identifying the strengths and weaknesses of existing scheduling apps. Pay close attention to the user reviews and feature sets of tools like Calendly, When2Meet, and Google Calendar, and consider the discussion summaries of similar products. Look for pain points and unmet needs that your product can uniquely address.
  2. Based on your competitive analysis, carve out a specific niche or unique value proposition. Don't try to be everything to everyone. Do you focus on families, event planning, or professional teams? What specific scheduling problem will you solve better than anyone else? Consider incorporating features such as conflict resolution tools or new artist discovery options.
  3. Focus on creating a user experience that is significantly better than existing solutions. Several similar products received criticism for unintuitive UIs. Ensure your interface is clean, simple, and easy to navigate, and address issues such as confusing light/dark mode switches or button placements. Make use of user feedback when it comes to the usability of your product.
  4. Prioritize seamless integration with popular calendar platforms like Google Calendar. Many users in the discussion summaries asked for integrations to make the switch easier. Allow users to easily import their existing schedules and sync updates in real-time to reduce friction and encourage adoption.
  5. Address privacy concerns proactively. Users of similar products have raised questions about data security and control when sharing plans and calendars. Clearly communicate your privacy policies and give users granular control over what information is shared with whom.
  6. Develop a compelling brand and marketing message that highlights your unique value proposition. Since the market is competitive, clearly communicate what makes your app different and why users should choose it over alternatives. Consider highlighting specific use cases or target audiences in your messaging.
  7. Start with a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) and gather feedback from early users. Release a basic version of your app with core features and iterate based on user input. As one user suggested for FestiPlannr, engaging users on platforms like Instagram can provide valuable insights and promote adoption.
  8. Consider implementing features that address common criticisms of similar products, such as the lack of reminders or the difficulty of managing recurring events. Based on Arrange's criticism summary, explore automating follow-ups to save users time and effort.
  9. As suggested by users of similar products, integrate social media features to enhance connectivity and collaboration. Allow users to easily share events and schedules with their friends and family, and explore ways to incorporate social networking elements into the app experience.

Questions

  1. Given the saturated market, what specific, unique feature or function will differentiate your scheduling app from established players like Google Calendar and Calendly, making it a 'must-have' rather than just another option?
  2. How will you address the common user concerns regarding privacy and data security when syncing and sharing calendars, ensuring that users feel confident and in control of their personal information?
  3. Considering the criticisms of similar products regarding unintuitive UIs, what specific design principles and user testing methods will you employ to ensure that your app offers a seamless, user-friendly experience that surpasses existing solutions?

Your are here

You're stepping into a crowded space with your idea to coordinate schedules by syncing calendars. Our analysis shows high confidence due to the 18 similar products we found. This means you're addressing a real need, but also facing stiff competition. Engagement for similar products is medium, with an average of 8 comments. It's crucial to recognize that this isn't a completely novel concept, but rather one where execution and differentiation are key. The positive here is that you're entering a space where people are actively seeking solutions, which means with the right approach, you can definitely carve out a niche for yourself.

Recommendations

  1. Begin with an in-depth competitive analysis, identifying the strengths and weaknesses of existing scheduling apps. Pay close attention to the user reviews and feature sets of tools like Calendly, When2Meet, and Google Calendar, and consider the discussion summaries of similar products. Look for pain points and unmet needs that your product can uniquely address.
  2. Based on your competitive analysis, carve out a specific niche or unique value proposition. Don't try to be everything to everyone. Do you focus on families, event planning, or professional teams? What specific scheduling problem will you solve better than anyone else? Consider incorporating features such as conflict resolution tools or new artist discovery options.
  3. Focus on creating a user experience that is significantly better than existing solutions. Several similar products received criticism for unintuitive UIs. Ensure your interface is clean, simple, and easy to navigate, and address issues such as confusing light/dark mode switches or button placements. Make use of user feedback when it comes to the usability of your product.
  4. Prioritize seamless integration with popular calendar platforms like Google Calendar. Many users in the discussion summaries asked for integrations to make the switch easier. Allow users to easily import their existing schedules and sync updates in real-time to reduce friction and encourage adoption.
  5. Address privacy concerns proactively. Users of similar products have raised questions about data security and control when sharing plans and calendars. Clearly communicate your privacy policies and give users granular control over what information is shared with whom.
  6. Develop a compelling brand and marketing message that highlights your unique value proposition. Since the market is competitive, clearly communicate what makes your app different and why users should choose it over alternatives. Consider highlighting specific use cases or target audiences in your messaging.
  7. Start with a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) and gather feedback from early users. Release a basic version of your app with core features and iterate based on user input. As one user suggested for FestiPlannr, engaging users on platforms like Instagram can provide valuable insights and promote adoption.
  8. Consider implementing features that address common criticisms of similar products, such as the lack of reminders or the difficulty of managing recurring events. Based on Arrange's criticism summary, explore automating follow-ups to save users time and effort.
  9. As suggested by users of similar products, integrate social media features to enhance connectivity and collaboration. Allow users to easily share events and schedules with their friends and family, and explore ways to incorporate social networking elements into the app experience.

Questions

  1. Given the saturated market, what specific, unique feature or function will differentiate your scheduling app from established players like Google Calendar and Calendly, making it a 'must-have' rather than just another option?
  2. How will you address the common user concerns regarding privacy and data security when syncing and sharing calendars, ensuring that users feel confident and in control of their personal information?
  3. Considering the criticisms of similar products regarding unintuitive UIs, what specific design principles and user testing methods will you employ to ensure that your app offers a seamless, user-friendly experience that surpasses existing solutions?

  • Confidence: High
    • Number of similar products: 18
  • Engagement: Medium
    • Average number of comments: 8
  • Net use signal: 31.5%
    • Positive use signal: 33.4%
    • Negative use signal: 1.8%
  • Net buy signal: 0.6%
    • Positive buy signal: 0.6%
    • Negative buy signal: 0.0%

This chart summarizes all the similar products we found for your idea in a single plot.

The x-axis represents the overall feedback each product received. This is calculated from the net use and buy signals that were expressed in the comments. The maximum is +1, which means all comments (across all similar products) were positive, expressed a willingness to use & buy said product. The minimum is -1 and it means the exact opposite.

The y-axis captures the strength of the signal, i.e. how many people commented and how does this rank against other products in this category. The maximum is +1, which means these products were the most liked, upvoted and talked about launches recently. The minimum is 0, meaning zero engagement or feedback was received.

The sizes of the product dots are determined by the relevance to your idea, where 10 is the maximum.

Your idea is the big blueish dot, which should lie somewhere in the polygon defined by these products. It can be off-center because we use custom weighting to summarize these metrics.

Similar products

Relevance

Schej - Finding a time to meet, made simple

Schej is a browser-based collaborative scheduling platform that simplifies the process of finding a time for groups to meet by allowing you to autofill your availability with Google Calendar and see when everyone's availabilities overlap.

Schej's Product Hunt launch received overwhelmingly positive feedback. Users praise its time-saving capabilities, intuitive design, and superior UX compared to alternatives like Calendly, When2Meet and LettuceMeet. Students, club organizers, and even younger siblings find it useful for scheduling meetings, study sessions, and events. Many users highlight its Google Calendar integration and overall simplicity. Several comments congratulate the launch team and commend the product's execution. Some refer to it as life changing, and a default scheduling tool.

Users criticize the product's quality, finding it "still poor" despite improvements. A key concern is convincing users to switch from their current scheduling methods. There's dislike for the product's name, and some feel the features are too basic compared to alternatives like When2meet.


Avatar
179
35
48.6%
35
179
48.6%
Relevance

WAYF – A Simple Scheduling App

28 Jan 2024 Calendar

A dead-simple web app to find the best time for your next meetup with friends. No logins, no bloat. Schedule with a link.---When trying to schedule events with my friends, we often have a long text thread of sporadic dates and the group has to mentally combine all the messages to produce a date that works for all.There are plenty of apps out there to coordinate scheduling, but I found many of them were bloated with features that didn't matter to us, required user sign ups and app downloads. This friction is enough for us to prefer rudimentary long text threads. I wanted something that I could post in the thread once, my friends can add their availability on their own time (and can edit), and we can continue on our conversation.WAYF (When are you free?) is a fun side project that solves this issue. Bare-bones scheduling for what days you are free. No user accounts, no downloads, just paste a link and anyone can schedule. It's completely free.I hope you like it and find it useful, I would love feedback.

Users find the product handy for scheduling, with a promising start and great UI, but suggest improvements like shorter URLs, better mobile support, timezone and time support, and a simplified light/dark mode switch. Some prefer existing alternatives like Lettucemeet, When2meet, Doodle Poll, and Rally for their features and no account requirement. The term WAYF was confusing for some, and users are looking for a roadmap, source code, and a more efficient LLM-assisted version. Minor issues like error handling and disabling past dates were also mentioned.

Users criticized the product for missing time-related features, such as time specification, timezone support, and the ability to choose times. The UI was described as unappealing and unintuitive, with issues like button placement and a confusing light/dark mode switch. The product was also noted for its barebones functionality, lack of significant differences, and unclear feature impact. Users suggested adding explanations for abbreviations, improving the calendar, and making the product more user-friendly. The presence of UUIDs in URLs and the absence of source code were also mentioned.


Avatar
122
33
18.2%
33
122
21.2%
Relevance

PlanPop - Shared calendars made simple

PlanPop is the ultimate app for organizing social events, sharing calendars, and staying connected with friends and family. Discover a new way to plan together.

The app launch received congratulations and positive feedback, with users finding it cute and appreciating its potential for simplifying planning with friends and collaborative trip planning. The app is seen as a possible solution to the challenges of scheduling group meetups. Key questions and suggestions include concerns about privacy control in shared events and calendars, the desirability of an Apple Watch version, and the benefit of easy import from Google Calendar. Users expressed intrigue and are willing to test and provide further feedback.

Users expressed concerns regarding privacy, specifically asking how the platform handles privacy when sharing plans and managing shared calendars. The specific mechanisms for ensuring user privacy in these collaborative features were not immediately clear.


Avatar
159
9
66.7%
9
159
66.7%
Relevance

FestiPlannr - Easier festival planning for you and your friends

Easier festival scheduling with your friends! Key features: 1) Simple, powerful scheduling experience 2) Create groups and view aggregate schedule data in one place 3) Track recent schedules you've viewed

FestiPlannr is praised as a cool and useful tool that simplifies festival planning, especially for couples and groups. Users appreciate its sleek UI and fast performance, finding it superior to traditional flyers. Suggestions include reminder features for specific events, conflict resolution tools, and new artist discovery options. Some users propose tracking concert attendance to assess artist quality. Questions arise regarding overlapping schedules in groups. There's enthusiasm for the app's potential, with suggestions to engage users on Instagram for events like Outside Lands.

Feedback focuses on feature enhancements rather than direct criticism. Users suggest community submissions for festivals to improve planning and sharing. A recurring theme is the need for better reminders, specifically for groups before stage changes, indicating current limitations in reminder functionality. One user inquired about the product's availability timeline.


Avatar
129
13
38.5%
13
129
38.5%
Relevance

CatchUp - Schedule hang outs without hassle

- Create an event - Pick your preferred date and time - Invite your friends - They pick their preferred date and time - The most preferred date and time among gets fixed - All participants gets notified - Integrate with your Google Calendar

The Product Hunt launch of CatchUp garnered positive feedback, with users praising its simplicity, clean UI, and ability to solve a common problem of staying connected with loved ones and organizing events. Users expressed excitement and congratulated the team. Some users inquired about a mobile app and social media integration. One user reported an issue with a blank homepage. Some were unsure of its differentiation compared to tools like Calendly, whereas some found it to be an innovative idea.

Users criticized the Product Hunt launch for an unclear landing page, making it difficult to understand the product's purpose. Additionally, some users reported that the homepage was inaccessible or blank. A notable request was the integration of social media features, which the tool currently lacks.


Avatar
99
12
16.7%
12
99
16.7%
Relevance

TimeTabled - Find meeting times effortlessly

Let TimeTabled find the overlap in your timetables, so you can focus on what really matters—time spent together.

TimeTabled is receiving positive feedback for its efficient scheduling capabilities, clean interface, and elimination of email back-and-forth. Users appreciate its link-sharing feature and its utility for ad-hoc meetings and finding timetable overlaps. However, some users question its differentiation from existing scheduling tools like When2meet and suggest it might not be a must-have due to the difficulty in changing established scheduling behaviors.

Users question the tool's essential nature and competitive advantage over existing scheduling solutions. There are requests for better handling of recurring events and calendar integration. Users suggested that collaborative features, such as shared timetables for teams, would significantly enhance the tool's utility.


Avatar
128
7
14.3%
7
128
14.3%
Relevance

Schedule flexible 1:1's or team meetings using AI

Here's the Problem - Solution:Imagine going back and forth for recurring 1:1 meetings in your email for your team. Now imagine working in a remote team with different timezones. Now imagine arranging an ad hoc team meeting that was not planned for your remote team.How do you get everyone together without disturbing their work flow (aka tasks)?Use AI to find open slots from everyone's calendar and move things around if possible to find a good spot for everyone.Add tasks on your calendar from any app. Let the AI scheduler move around these task events while still giving you time to get them done.Now take this even a step further with events that are modifiable and can be placed somewhere else based on your priorities. Let all of this happen automagically for you on a daily basis before work starts.

The product is an AI scheduler for team meetings and task management. Users question the need for machine learning over traditional constraint methods and seek clarification on how it differs from Google Calendar.

Users are confused about the necessity of machine learning in the product and find the unique features unclear.


Avatar
6
3
33.3%
3
6
33.3%
Relevance

Multi-Calendar Calendly Scheduler

26 Feb 2024 Calendar Productivity

I saw a few posts on Twitter recently of people asking for a way to provide multiple Calendly calendar links and check for matching times.I knocked out a hacky MVP and thought I would share it and get feedback.Recent requesthttps://twitter.com/TrentMano/status/1760774262074520029https://twitter.com/vyrotek/status/1761458018699579681

The MVP for managing multiple Calendly links has been created and is seeking feedback. Users find it surprisingly useful for addressing an occasional but annoying problem.


Avatar
4
2
2
4
Relevance

I built an advanced time planning and analyzing tool

05 Jul 2024 Productivity

Hey HN-Community,I made an app called SpanSelector. It's and free online tool for planning, calculating and analyzing the perfect time period for your next business meeting, family reunion or for a trip with friends. Create up to 5 selectors a day for free. Share the link with other people. After everybody submitted their available time period, you will receive up to 15 time periods where everyone is free.While I was planning a trip with my friends, everyone was doing some other stuff. So I created SpanSelector. We published our available time periods and found the best time period where everyone is available.


Avatar
2
2
Relevance

Arrange - Create a shareable calendar in seconds

Arrange is the easiest way to create, share, and manage a schedule that others can add to their calendars in seconds. Arrange uses AI to convert plain-text dates and times into sets of calendar events that can be shared with anyone in an instant.

Arrange's Product Hunt launch received overwhelmingly positive feedback, with users congratulating the team and expressing excitement about the product's potential. Users find Arrange helpful for event organization, team coordination, scheduling, and deadline tracking. The practical application for wedding events was specifically noted. There's interest in Google Calendar and Tidycal integration. Some users highlighted its ability to simplify group coaching scheduling and serve as a client dashboard. Others hope to see Arrange adopted by universities and city halls. There is also excitement for progress in calendar features, manually retyping follow ups.

Users criticize the manual effort required for retyping follow-ups. There's frustration regarding the lack of automatic blocking of personal events on work calendars. A desire for broader adoption, particularly by universities and local governments, was also expressed.


Avatar
120
24
45.8%
4.2%
24
120
45.8%
4.2%
Relevance

Coordinating Trips Between Friends and Family

19 Feb 2024 Travel

I've been working on this project to simplify the organization done by one or two people to get a group of people to agree on a place to go that works with everyone's schedule.I've found in the past that email/text makes it tricky to get everyone to get a sense of the details of a trip, and also puts one person in the position to be persistent and spend a lot of time ensuring everyone's needs are met. This simple app attempts to ease that process and keep everyone in sync.It's similar to Troupe but aiming to focus on the basics of the upfront coordination rather than the activities/itinerary (at this point)Would love feedback and thoughts on the current state and where the best places to take it next are. It's a bit barebones at this point but more coming soon!Behind the scenes it uses flutter/firebase

Users reported issues with logging in, particularly with Google login on Chromium, though it works on Safari. Additionally, the app was described as clunky and unintuitive.

Users reported issues with Google login, including failures and the workflow not starting. Additionally, the app has an unintuitive workflow and forces account creation for invitations.


Avatar
1
3
-66.7%
3
1
Relevance

Avoid Event conflicts by syncing your Google Calendars [open-source]

Hello everyone,I recently found myself having conflicting events between my personal and professional google calendars, which required rescheduling and was a pain in the arse on top of being a liability for future events.After not being happy with the solutions I found, I decided to build it myself and make it open-source. It keeps on personal data of yours in the database, only the event id required to connect back the dots.It's pretty simple: 1. Connect your google accounts 2. Pick the calendars to sync together 3. You will see "Blocker" events appearingIt's in its first version, feedback is appreciated and I'm ready to add extra functionalities depending on what the users want.Cheers!

Great solution, wants to host and review code.

No source code link provided.


Avatar
2
1
100.0%
1
2
100.0%
Relevance

Sync your Google Calendars and avoid conflicts [open-source]

Hello HN,I recently found myself having conflicting events between my personal and professional google calendars, which required rescheduling and was a pain in the arse on top of being a liability for future events.After not being happy with the solutions I found, I decided to build it myself and make it open-source. It keeps no personal data of yours in the database, only the event id required to connect back the dots.It's pretty simple: 1. Connect your google accounts 2. Pick the calendars to sync together 3. You will see "Blocker" events appearingIt's in its first version, feedback is appreciated and I'm ready to add extra functionalities depending on what the users want.Cheers!


Avatar
2
2
Top