Self-Hosted Alternatives to Google Calendar
Why Replace Google Calendar?
Google Calendar is convenient, but you pay for it with your data. Google reads your calendar entries to build your advertising profile — meeting titles, locations, attendee names, and scheduling patterns all feed into Google’s data collection. If you use Google Calendar for work, your employer’s meeting details are also part of this data pipeline.
Beyond privacy:
- Google account dependency. If Google suspends or terminates your account (which happens, sometimes by automated systems with no clear appeal process), you lose access to your entire calendar history.
- No offline access. Google Calendar requires internet access. Self-hosted CalDAV syncs to your device and works offline.
- Feature creep and UI changes. Google regularly changes Calendar’s interface, removes features, and adds integrations you did not ask for. Self-hosted solutions stay stable.
- Limited sharing control. Google Calendar sharing is tied to Google accounts. Self-hosted CalDAV works with any CalDAV client regardless of provider.
- Export limitations. While Google supports ICS export, the process is manual and tedious for large calendars with years of data.
What you give up: Google’s polished web interface, automatic meeting scheduling with other Gmail/Workspace users, Google Maps integration for event locations, and AI-powered features like suggested times and meeting notes.
Best Alternatives
Radicale — Best Lightweight Option
Radicale is a CalDAV and CardDAV server that runs on 20-30MB of RAM. It stores calendars and contacts as flat files on disk — no database, no PHP, no web framework. You start the container, create a user, and point your CalDAV clients at it. The setup takes five minutes.
Radicale’s flat-file storage has a genuine advantage: you can back up your calendars with cp or rsync, version-control them with git, and read the raw ICS files if needed. For a single person or household, this is the ideal setup.
Strengths: Minimal resource usage, flat-file storage, git-friendly backups, CalDAV + CardDAV + WebDAV, zero maintenance.
Weaknesses: No web UI for calendar management (client-only), user management via htpasswd files, no sharing delegation through the web.
Best for: Single users and households who want the simplest possible calendar sync.
[Read our full guide: How to Self-Host Radicale]
Baikal — Best for Ease of Use
Baikal adds a web admin panel on top of CalDAV/CardDAV. You create users, calendars, and address books through a browser interface instead of editing config files. The initial setup is a web wizard — set your admin password, choose a database, and you are done.
Baikal supports SQLite (default, zero-config) or MySQL/MariaDB for larger deployments. The Docker image runs on ~40MB of RAM. It is a small step up from Radicale in complexity but a significant step up in management convenience.
Strengths: Web admin panel, setup wizard, SQLite or MySQL support, easy user management.
Weaknesses: Community-maintained Docker image (not official), slightly heavier than Radicale, no file sync (CalDAV/CardDAV only).
Best for: Households and small teams where non-technical users need calendar access managed through a web interface.
[Read our full guide: How to Self-Host Baikal]
Nextcloud — Best All-in-One Replacement
Nextcloud is not just a calendar server — it is a full Google Workspace replacement. It includes file sync (Google Drive), calendar (CalDAV), contacts (CardDAV), document editing (via Collabora or OnlyOffice), email, notes, tasks, and more. If you want to replace Google Calendar as part of a broader de-Googling effort, Nextcloud covers everything in one deployment.
The trade-off: Nextcloud is much heavier than Radicale or Baikal. It needs PostgreSQL or MySQL, runs PHP, and requires 512MB-2GB+ RAM depending on active users and installed apps. The calendar functionality itself is solid — it uses the sabre/dav library (same as Baikal) under the hood.
Strengths: File sync + calendar + contacts + everything else, web-based calendar UI, sharing and collaboration features, large app ecosystem.
Weaknesses: Heavy resource usage, complex setup, the calendar is one feature among many (overkill if you only need CalDAV), maintenance overhead.
Best for: Users replacing multiple Google services at once, not just Calendar.
[Read our full guide: How to Self-Host Nextcloud]
Quick Comparison
| Feature | Google Calendar | Radicale | Baikal | Nextcloud |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Web calendar UI | Yes (polished) | No (clients only) | Admin panel only | Yes |
| CalDAV | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| CardDAV (contacts) | Yes (separate app) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| File sync | Drive (separate) | WebDAV | No | Yes |
| Shared calendars | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Free-busy lookup | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| Mobile apps | Native | DAVx5 (Android), native iOS | DAVx5 (Android), native iOS | DAVx5 + Nextcloud app |
| Offline access | Limited | Full (synced to device) | Full (synced to device) | Full (synced to device) |
| RAM usage | N/A | ~20-30 MB | ~40 MB | 512 MB - 2 GB |
| Setup time | 0 min | 5 min | 10 min | 30-60 min |
| Cost | $0 (with data collection) | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Connecting Your Devices
After setting up any CalDAV server, you need to configure your devices to sync with it. This works the same regardless of which server you choose.
iOS / macOS
- Open Settings → Calendar → Accounts → Add Account → Other → Add CalDAV Account
- Enter your server URL, username, and password
- iOS automatically discovers calendars via
.well-known/caldav
For contacts: Settings → Contacts → Accounts → Add Account → Other → Add CardDAV Account
Android (DAVx5)
- Install DAVx5 from F-Droid or Play Store
- Add your server URL, username, and password
- DAVx5 discovers all calendars and address books
- Enable sync for the calendars you want
Thunderbird
- Go to Calendar → New Calendar → On the Network
- Enter your CalDAV URL (format varies by server)
- Enter credentials when prompted
GNOME Calendar
- Open GNOME Settings → Online Accounts → Other → CalDAV
- Enter server URL and credentials
- Calendars appear automatically in GNOME Calendar
Migration Guide
Exporting from Google Calendar
- Go to Google Takeout
- Select only “Calendar” and click “Next step”
- Download the export (ZIP file containing ICS files)
- Each calendar is exported as a separate
.icsfile
Importing into Your Self-Hosted Server
Radicale: Copy the .ics files directly into the Radicale data directory: data/collections/collection-root/[username]/[calendar-name].ics. Radicale reads the files on the next request.
Baikal: Use a CalDAV client (like Thunderbird) to import. Add both your Google Calendar and Baikal accounts, then export events from Google and import them into Baikal. Or use a tool like vdirsyncer for automated migration.
Nextcloud: Go to Calendar → Import in the web interface. Upload each .ics file to the appropriate calendar.
What Transfers
| Data | Transfers | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Events (one-time) | Yes | Fully supported via ICS |
| Recurring events | Yes | RRULE fully supported |
| Event reminders | Partial | Some reminder types may not transfer |
| Shared calendar memberships | No | Re-share manually |
| Event attachments | Varies | May need manual re-attachment |
| Google Meet links | No | Not a CalDAV concept |
| Calendar colors | Partial | Client-dependent |
Cost Comparison
| Google Calendar | Self-Hosted | |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost | $0 (personal) / $6-18/user (Workspace) | $0 (existing server) |
| Annual cost (personal) | $0 | $0 |
| Annual cost (10 Workspace users) | $720-2,160 | $0-60 |
| Storage | Shared with Google account | Your disk |
| Privacy | Google reads your data | Full control |
| Offline access | Limited | Full (synced to device) |
| Data portability | Manual export | Full (standard ICS files) |
For personal use, Google Calendar is free but monetizes your data. Self-hosted CalDAV is free and private. For Google Workspace users paying per-seat, self-hosting eliminates that cost entirely (though you lose other Workspace features).
What You Give Up
- Polished web interface — Google Calendar’s web UI is best-in-class. Radicale and Baikal have no equivalent (you use native apps). Nextcloud’s calendar UI is functional but less refined.
- Automatic scheduling — “Find a time” with other Google Calendar users. Self-hosted CalDAV supports free/busy lookup, but it requires all participants to use the same server or federated CalDAV.
- Google Meet integration — One-click video call links in events. Self-hosted equivalent: manually add Jitsi links.
- Smart suggestions — Google’s AI-powered scheduling suggestions, travel time estimates, and automatic event creation from Gmail. No self-hosted equivalent.
- Cross-platform sync polish — Google Calendar’s sync across Android, iOS, web, and desktop is seamless. CalDAV sync via DAVx5 works well but requires manual setup on each device.
- Natural language event creation — “Dinner with Alex at 7pm on Friday” creates an event automatically. CalDAV clients do not typically support this.
For most people, the convenience trade-offs are minor. You set up DAVx5 or native CalDAV once, and daily calendar use feels identical to Google Calendar. The initial migration is the hardest part — after that, the experience is equivalent.
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