Framadate 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?
| Feature | Framadate | khal |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Calendar & Contacts | Calendar & Contacts |
| License | CECILL-B | MIT |
| Language | PHP | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, docker | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 600 | ★ 3,039 |
| First released | 2011 | 2013 |
| Replaces | Doodle | Google Calendar |
Why pick each one
Choose Framadate if…
- Released under the CECILL-B license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in PHP
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 Framadate or khal better?
Neither is universally better. khal has the larger community, while Framadate is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Framadate and khal free and open-source?
Yes. Framadate is licensed under CECILL-B and khal under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Framadate and khal with Docker?
Framadate: yes. khal: check the project docs for container support.