Recal vs. Nylas vs. Cal.com
Sep 20, 2025
Choosing a calendar platform can be confusing. This guide compares the developer experience, features, and pricing of Recal, Nylas, and Cal.com so you can pick the right fit for your product.
Feature comparison
High‑level overview. Details may change, always check vendor docs for the latest information.
Capability | Recal | Nylas | Cal.com |
|---|---|---|---|
Focus | Calendar API | Calendars, Email, Contacts API | Calendar API |
Unified API | Yes | Yes | No |
Calendar Providers | Google, Microsoft | Google, iCloud, IMAP, Microsoft, Exchange, Yahoo, Zoom | Google, Microsoft, Apple, Zoom & more |
UI Components | API first | Scheduling UI | Scheduling UI |
MCP Server (Model Context Protocol) | Supported | Not supported | Not supported |
Webhooks | Coming soon | Yes | Yes |
Developer experience | Node, Bun, Deno SDK | Node, Python, Ruby, Kotlin, Java SDK | No SDK |
Vendor lock-in | No (easy OAuth data migration) | Yes (tokens not portable) | Yes (unless self-hosting) |
Hosting model | Fully hosted API | Fully hosted API | Fully hosted & self-host options |
Source code availability | Closed source | Closed source | Open source |
Use‑cases: Which provider fits what?
Quick guidance on where each platform shines, based on common product needs.
Recal offers a focused, modern calendar API designed for AI agents and custom calendar applications. With native MCP server integration, it seamlessly connects voice and text agents for scheduling, rescheduling, and availability management. The platform provides 100% Google and Microsoft calendar API coverage, serving as a unified backbone for calendar systems without vendor lock-in. Unlike broader ecosystems like Nylas (which includes email and contacts) or scheduling-first platforms like Cal.com (which emphasizes ready-made UI components), Recal focuses specifically on delivering a streamlined API solution that pairs with your own interface, making it ideal for developers who need comprehensive calendar functionality with maximum flexibility and AI integration capabilities.
In short: Choose Recal if you want a focused calendar API with strong developer experience and AI agent support via MCP; pick Nylas if you also need adjacent email/contacts ecosystem and prefer built‑in scheduling UI; consider Cal.com when scheduling UI and workflows are your primary need.
Recal vs. Nylas vs. Cal.com
Sep 20, 2025
Choosing a calendar platform can be confusing. This guide compares the developer experience, features, and pricing of Recal, Nylas, and Cal.com so you can pick the right fit for your product.
Feature comparison
High‑level overview. Details may change, always check vendor docs for the latest information.
Capability | Recal | Nylas | Cal.com |
|---|---|---|---|
Focus | Calendar API | Calendars, Email, Contacts API | Calendar API |
Unified API | Yes | Yes | No |
Calendar Providers | Google, Microsoft | Google, iCloud, IMAP, Microsoft, Exchange, Yahoo, Zoom | Google, Microsoft, Apple, Zoom & more |
UI Components | API first | Scheduling UI | Scheduling UI |
MCP Server (Model Context Protocol) | Supported | Not supported | Not supported |
Webhooks | Coming soon | Yes | Yes |
Developer experience | Node, Bun, Deno SDK | Node, Python, Ruby, Kotlin, Java SDK | No SDK |
Vendor lock-in | No (easy OAuth data migration) | Yes (tokens not portable) | Yes (unless self-hosting) |
Hosting model | Fully hosted API | Fully hosted API | Fully hosted & self-host options |
Source code availability | Closed source | Closed source | Open source |
Use‑cases: Which provider fits what?
Quick guidance on where each platform shines, based on common product needs.
Recal offers a focused, modern calendar API designed for AI agents and custom calendar applications. With native MCP server integration, it seamlessly connects voice and text agents for scheduling, rescheduling, and availability management. The platform provides 100% Google and Microsoft calendar API coverage, serving as a unified backbone for calendar systems without vendor lock-in. Unlike broader ecosystems like Nylas (which includes email and contacts) or scheduling-first platforms like Cal.com (which emphasizes ready-made UI components), Recal focuses specifically on delivering a streamlined API solution that pairs with your own interface, making it ideal for developers who need comprehensive calendar functionality with maximum flexibility and AI integration capabilities.
In short: Choose Recal if you want a focused calendar API with strong developer experience and AI agent support via MCP; pick Nylas if you also need adjacent email/contacts ecosystem and prefer built‑in scheduling UI; consider Cal.com when scheduling UI and workflows are your primary need.