BlipcalvsItsycal

Blipcal vs Itsycal

Two menu bar calendars for Mac compared: what Itsycal does well after ten years, what it still cannot do, and what Blipcal adds on macOS 14 Sonoma and later.

Try Blipcal See pricing

Keep Itsycal if you are on macOS 27, want a free app and never need to edit an event. Choose Blipcal if you are on macOS 14 to 26 and want a calendar that still gets features, or if you want to edit events, add them in plain English, and see a countdown and time zones in the menu bar.

Facts checked 6 November 2026: Itsycal's site, README and GitHub issues.

Blipcal vs Itsycal at a glance

	Blipcal	Itsycal 0.28.0 (macOS 27)	Itsycal 0.15.15 (macOS 11 to 26)
Price	$19 once	Free	Free
Minimum macOS	14	27	11, no new features
Edit existing events	Yes	No	No
Quick add in plain English	Yes	No	No
Next event and countdown in the menu bar	Yes	No	No
Time zones	Yes	No	No
Reminders in the agenda	Yes	Yes	No
Events refresh by themselves	Yes	Partial	Partial
Join meetings with one key	Yes	Yes	Yes
Week numbers	Yes	Yes	Yes
Open source	No	Yes	Yes
Intel Macs	No	No	Yes

Itsycal has two builds: 0.28.0 (4 Nov 2026) needs macOS 27 and gets every new feature; 0.15.15 (25 Sep 2026) runs on macOS 11 to 26 and no longer gets features. "Partial" on refresh: Itsycal listens for changes but does not poll, so some edits wait for a refresh. Checked 6 November 2026 on mowglii.com and GitHub.

What Itsycal does well, and what Blipcal adds over Itsycal

What Itsycal does well

Free and MIT-licensed, with the code on GitHub
Tiny, and the 0.15.15 build runs on Intel Macs as well as Apple silicon
One or two months at once, ISO week numbers, vim motions
An hourly chime, seven translations, ten years of trust
Command-J to join a meeting and Copy Meeting Link
Not abandoned: eight releases from 13 September to 4 November 2026

What Blipcal adds

Edit events in place and add them in plain English (Itsycal: create and delete only, issue 40 open since 2016; natural language declined, issue 193)
The next event with a countdown in the menu bar (issue 261)
Time zones: a second clock and a world-clock strip (issue 35, open since 2016)
Reminders on macOS 14 to 26 (Itsycal has them only on 27, since 0.28.0 on 4 Nov 2026)
Events that refresh by themselves (issue 97), and undo for edits and deletes
Settings export and import (issue 186)

Itsycal on macOS 14, 15 and 26

Since 5 October 2026 Itsycal's version numbers follow macOS: 0.27 and 0.28 are for macOS 27 only. Everyone on 11 to 26 keeps 0.15.15, which still works but gets no reminders, no undo and no new popover. The maintainer has said he is focusing on the 27 version.

App	Current build	Runs on	Notes
Itsycal	0.28.0	macOS 27 and later	The current build (4 Nov 2026). Every new feature ships here only.
Itsycal	0.15.15	macOS 11 to 26	The legacy build (25 Sep 2026). Still downloadable, no new features.
Blipcal	1.0	macOS 14 and later	Every feature on 14 Sonoma, 15 Sequoia, 26 Tahoe and 27 Golden Gate. Apple silicon.

Current builds and minimum macOS versions as published on each vendor's site or App Store listing on 6 November 2026. Versions move; confirm before relying on them.

Every menu bar calendar by macOS version

Itsycal questions, answered

Can Itsycal edit events?

No. Itsycal's README says it can create and delete events but not edit them, and the request to add editing (issue 40) has been open since 2016. Blipcal edits every field in place, with undo. Checked 6 November 2026.

Why doesn't Itsycal update events until I restart?

Itsycal listens for calendar changes but does not poll, so some edits made elsewhere do not show until something else changes or you press Option-Command-R to refresh (issue 97, open since 2018; issue 313 for deleted events). Blipcal refreshes on every change the calendar store reports and redraws at once after a delete.

Does Itsycal have time zones?

No. There is no world clock or second time zone in Itsycal; the request (issue 35) has been open since 2016. Blipcal puts a second clock in the menu bar and a strip of zones under the grid.

Does Itsycal show the next event in the menu bar?

No. Itsycal shows the date, an optional clock pattern and a meeting glyph, but no event title or countdown (issue 261). Blipcal shows “Standup in 12m” and hides it when nothing is due.

Does Itsycal have a join button?

Yes. Command-J joins the first active meeting, and since 0.27.2 there is Copy Meeting Link. At least one other comparison page says Itsycal has no join button; that is wrong. Blipcal has the same ⌘J.

Does Itsycal support natural language?

No. The maintainer declined natural-language parsing in 2022 (issue 193). Blipcal parses “Lunch with Sam tomorrow 1pm 45m /Work” with a live preview.

Thinking about Dato instead?

Dato is the other app people weigh against Itsycal: $18 once on the App Store, world clocks, but it cannot edit events and needs macOS 26. The three-way table is on the Dato page.

Itsycal vs Dato, and where Blipcal fits

How to switch from Itsycal

Download the trial

Drag Blipcal to Applications. 14 days free, every feature, no card.

Allow calendar access

The same calendars Itsycal showed appear; there is nothing to sign in to.

Keep Itsycal if you like

They do not interfere. Turn off Itsycal's launch at login when you are sure.

Free

Itsycal, on macOS 27 or the frozen build

$19

Blipcal, once, 2 Macs

14 days

free trial, every feature

Free

month grid after the trial

Try Blipcal beside Itsycal

Today's date and your next meeting in the menu bar, a month grid and agenda one click away, and events you can add and edit in place. Pay once if you keep it.

Download the free trial See pricing

macOS 14 or later
14-day free trial
Keep Itsycal installed