GNOME Calendar vs ETAR
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?
GNOME Calendar
Simple desktop calendar with CalDAV support
VS
ETAR
Open-source calendar server companion for events
| Feature | GNOME Calendar | ETAR |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Calendar & Contacts | Calendar & Contacts |
| License | GPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | C | Java |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | binary, source | docker, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 300 | ★ 2,565 |
| First released | 2015 | 2016 |
| Replaces | Google Calendar | Google Calendar |
Why pick each one
Choose GNOME Calendar if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Written in C
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is GNOME Calendar or ETAR better?
Neither is universally better. ETAR has the larger community, while GNOME Calendar is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are GNOME Calendar and ETAR free and open-source?
Yes. GNOME Calendar is licensed under GPL-3.0 and ETAR under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run GNOME Calendar and ETAR with Docker?
GNOME Calendar: check the project docs for container support. ETAR: yes.