EteSync DAV vs khal
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted calendar & contacts options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
EteSync DAV
Local CalDAV bridge for EteSync encrypted accounts
VS
khal
Command-line calendar built on CalDAV
| Feature | EteSync DAV | khal |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Calendar & Contacts | Calendar & Contacts |
| License | GPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | Python | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | binary, source | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 333 | ★ 3,039 |
| First released | 2018 | 2013 |
| Replaces | iCloud Calendar | Google Calendar |
Why pick each one
Choose EteSync DAV if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Written in Python
- Tiny footprint — runs in 128 MB RAM
Choose khal if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Active community (3k GitHub stars)
- Written in Python
- Tiny footprint — runs in 64 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is EteSync DAV or khal better?
Neither is universally better. khal has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are EteSync DAV and khal free and open-source?
Yes. EteSync DAV is licensed under GPL-3.0 and khal under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run EteSync DAV and khal with Docker?
EteSync DAV: check the project docs for container support. khal: check the project docs for container support.