Crews vs Google Calendar
Google Calendar is a reliable personal and work calendar used by a huge number of people. Shared calendars, event invites with responses, reminders and recurring events make it a solid backbone for anyone's schedule.
Crews isn't trying to replace your calendar. It's a space for your groups: a shared crew calendar with RSVPs, plus real-time chat, a memory wall and leagues. And you can export Crews events as ICS to put them in the calendar you already use.
Who should pick Google Calendar, who should pick Crews
Pick Google Calendar if…
- You need a personal or work calendar
- You need custom repeat rules or email reminders
- You want calendar invites sent by email
- Your “group” is really a few people coordinating schedules
- You want something free for family or friends
Pick Crews if…
- You want a space for a group, not just a calendar
- You want chat around every event
- You want members to join via link and RSVP without swapping emails
- You want photos and memories to live with the group
At a glance
Shared calendar
- Crews
- Shared crew calendar, plus a personal calendar across all your crews
- Google Calendar
- Shared calendars and multiple calendars side by side
Event RSVPs
- Crews
- Going / maybe / not going, capacity limits, invite-only events
- Google Calendar
- Invite responses (yes / no / maybe)
Event chat
- Crews
- Every event gets its own chat
- Google Calendar
- Not built around chat
Group chat
- Crews
- Real-time crew chat with threads, reactions, @mentions and pinned messages
- Google Calendar
- Not built around chat
Polls
- Crews
- Polls right in crew and event chat
- Google Calendar
- Not built around polls
Photo memories
- Crews
- Memory wall; turn any chat photo into a memory
- Google Calendar
- Not built around photos
Leagues & challenges
- Crews
- Leagues by crew size and crew-vs-crew challenges
- Google Calendar
- Not built around group competition
Recurring events
- Crews
- Weekly, every 2 weeks or monthly, each occurrence with its own RSVPs and chat
- Google Calendar
- Flexible repeat rules built in
Reminders
- Crews
- Automatic push and in-app reminders 24h and 1h before, for people going
- Google Calendar
- Custom reminders, including email
Push notifications
- Crews
- In-app and web push notifications
- Google Calendar
- Event notifications and reminders
Invite links
- Crews
- Expiring, role-based invite links and join requests
- Google Calendar
- Invite guests by email; calendars can be shared
Price
- Crews
- 14-day free trial, then $59/mo per crew
- Google Calendar
- Free with a Google account
Key differences
- 1
Calendar vs group space
Google Calendar organizes time. Crews organizes a group: members, plans, conversations and memories, with a calendar at the center.
- 2
Reminders and recurrence
Both repeat events and send reminders. Google Calendar has more flexible repeat rules and custom reminder times, including email. Crews keeps it simple for groups: weekly, every 2 weeks or monthly, and automatic push reminders 24h and 1h before, only to people who are going.
- 3
Joining is simpler for groups
In Crews, people join with an invite link or a join request and see every crew event. No need to collect email addresses and re-invite people for every plan.
- 4
They work together
Crews exports events as ICS, so your crew plans can sit right next to everything else in Google Calendar.
When Google Calendar is the better choice
Google Calendar is the better tool for plenty of scheduling needs.
- Personal and work scheduling
- Complex repeat rules and custom or email reminders
- Small groups coordinating by email invite
- Teams already on Google Workspace
Moving your group from Google Calendar
You don’t need to move away from Google Calendar. Use Crews for the group and export events into your calendar.
- 1.Create your crew and choose public or private. Private crews are joined by invite link or approved join request.
- 2.Add your group’s upcoming plans to the crew calendar.
- 3.Invite members once, with personal links or join requests, instead of emailing invites for every event.
- 4.Export events as ICS so they also show in Google Calendar.
- 5.Ask members to install Crews to their home screen and turn on push notifications, so they don’t miss new events.
The verdict
Google Calendar is a great, free calendar. Crews is a paid place to run a club: plans with RSVPs, chat, memories and leagues, for $59/month per crew after a 14-day trial. For coordinating family or friends, Google Calendar is enough. For organizers, the best setup is often both, with Crews events exported into Google Calendar.
Start 14-day free trialFrequently asked questions
Can I add Crews events to Google Calendar?
Yes. Crews supports ICS export, which Google Calendar can import.
Does Crews sync two-way with Google Calendar?
No. Crews has no calendar integrations today; ICS export is one-way.
Does Crews support recurring events or reminders?
Yes. Events can repeat weekly, every 2 weeks or monthly, and people going get push and in-app reminders 24 hours and 1 hour before. Crews doesn’t send email reminders.
Do I need a Google account for Crews?
Yes. Crews currently uses Google sign-in.
How much does Crews cost?
Every crew starts with a 14-day free trial, no card needed. After that it’s $59/month per crew, paid by the organizer, and members join free. That includes up to 100 members; each extra 100 members is +$18/month. Billing is monthly and you can cancel anytime. Full details are on the pricing page (/pricing).
Comparison based on publicly available information as of September 2026; features change — check each product's site. Product names are trademarks of their respective owners.