If you want to publish events as a calendar people subscribe to, you quickly end up at AddEvent. Since October 2026, Kalender Sync Subscribe Calendars are a leaner alternative from Germany. This comparison is meant to make the decision easy, so every statement about AddEvent says where it comes from. We checked on 25 October 2026.
In short: AddEvent does a lot more. Kalender Sync Subscribe Calendars are the better choice when you mainly need a calendar to subscribe to, your events come from software via API, and you want to do without trackers.
The facts side by side
| Criterion | AddEvent | Kalender Sync Subscribe Calendars |
|---|---|---|
| Provider | AddEvent Inc., San Francisco (USA) [1] | Kalender Sync, Germany |
| Hosting | AWS, EU region Ireland [2] | Hetzner, Germany |
| DPA | yes [2] | yes, on every plan |
| Free plan | Hobby: personal, non-commercial, 1 calendar, 20 subscribers [3] | Free: sandbox only, up to 3 test calendars, not public |
| Entry plan | Small Business: $29/month billed annually, $36 monthly; 10 calendars, 1,000 subscribers [3] | Basic: €5/month; 1 live calendar, 500 active subscribers |
| Next plan | Professional: $99/month billed annually, $129 monthly; 50 calendars, 5,000 subscribers, 5 users [3] | Professional: €12/month; 10 live calendars, 5,000 active subscribers |
| Above that | Enterprise on request [3] | on request |
| How fast changes arrive | when the calendar app fetches; Google about 8 to 9 hours, Apple and Outlook desktop 1 to 3 hours, Outlook.com 3 hours [4] | the same: when the calendar app fetches the feed |
| Managing events | no-code dashboard, import from Google and Outlook, API [5] | Publisher API only |
| API | from Small Business [3] | from Free (sandbox), OpenAPI 3.1 |
| Add to calendar for single events | yes: buttons, links, landing pages, QR codes [5] | no |
| RSVP / registrations | yes [3] | no |
| Embedded calendar view | yes, from Small Business [3] | no, subscribe button only |
| Subscribe / landing page | yes [5] | yes, with logo, banner, QR code, sharing |
| Subscriber data | optionally names, emails and other fields, CSV export [5] | none; we do not store who subscribes |
| Tracking on pages and buttons | visitor geolocation, anonymized automatically in the EEA [6]; optional Google Analytics 4 [7] | no trackers, no cookies; click event for your own analytics |
| Stats | analytics on paid plans [8] | active subscribers per app, subscribe clicks in the last 30 days |
| Integrations | Zapier, Mailchimp, apps for WordPress, Wix, Webflow [5] | REST API; no ready-made integrations |
| Calendar apps in the menu | Apple, Google, Outlook, Office 365, Outlook.com, Yahoo [5] | Apple, Google, Microsoft 365, Outlook.com, Outlook desktop, others via feed link |
| Custom domain | Enterprise [3] | no |
| Certification | SOC 2 Type II [2] | none |
A common misconception: “live updates”
Subscription calendars feel like a live connection. Technically, with both services, it is a feed your subscribers’ calendar app fetches on its own schedule. AddEvent says so openly in its help center: Google Calendar syncs about every 8 to 9 hours, and if updates do not show up you should wait 24 hours [4]. Neither AddEvent nor Kalender Sync can make a Google, Apple or Outlook app fetch sooner. For short-notice cancellations, send a message as well.
Where AddEvent is better
- No code: manage events in a dashboard or import them from Google and Outlook. With us, events only come in via the API.
- Single events: add-to-calendar buttons and links for newsletters, landing pages and QR codes per event. We do not have that.
- RSVP: registrations with custom fields, seat limits and reminder emails. We do not have that.
- On your website: an embedded calendar view and event lists. We only offer the button.
- Integrations and scale: Zapier, Mailchimp, ready-made apps for site builders, up to 50 calendars and 5 users on Professional, a SOC 2 Type II report and, by its own count, more than 400,000 companies as customers [1].
Where Kalender Sync Subscribe Calendars are better
- Data-minimal: the subscribe page and button load only from our domain, set no cookies and need no cookie banner. We store neither IP address nor user agent of subscribers.
- German provider: hosting in Germany without a US cloud, event content stored encrypted. AddEvent hosts in the EU, but it is a US company on AWS.
- Cheap for one calendar: €5 a month for one live calendar with 500 active subscribers. AddEvent’s commercial plans start at $29 a month.
- API from day one: sandbox on the free account, upsert by your own ID, batches of up to 100 operations, full sync with protection against accidental mass deletion.
- Your analytics, your consent: the button fires a
ks:subscribeevent on every click. Whether and how you measure is up to you, on your own site. - Limits without shutdown: if a limit is reached, the calendar keeps running and you get a notice.
- Calendar sync included: the same account syncs your own calendars.
Bottom line
If you need RSVP, single-event buttons for emails or an embedded calendar view, choose AddEvent. If you want to publish a calendar to subscribe to whose events come from your software, plugin or database, without trackers and from a German provider, Kalender Sync Subscribe Calendars are the leaner and cheaper option.
More: Kalender Sync vs. AddEvent, Subscribe Calendars and the documentation.
Sources
All AddEvent facts checked on 25 October 2026.
- AddEvent, homepage and About: addevent.com, addevent.com/c/about
- AddEvent, Security & Compliance: addevent.com/c/legal/security
- AddEvent, Plans & Pricing: addevent.com/pricing
- AddEvent Help, Subscription Calendar Update Frequency: help.addevent.com/docs/subscription-calendar-update-frequency
- AddEvent, product overview for AI systems: addevent.com/llms.txt
- AddEvent Help, Configure Data Capture: help.addevent.com/docs/configure-data-capture
- AddEvent Help, Google Analytics Tracking: help.addevent.com/docs/addevent-google-analytics-tracking
- AddEvent Help, Analytics: help.addevent.com/docs/analytics
