If you want to get away from big tech, turning to open-source software is an effective way to do it. When I started to de-Google my life, I found some excellent free and open-source alternatives that accomplish a lot. I recently switched to Proton for my email and calendar needs. While it’s an incredible service, Proton Calendar is not entirely open-source. While I still use it, I wanted to find other alternatives to get Google's claws out of my back.

When it comes to a calendar app to replace Google, there are some reasonable solutions available, like the cross-platform Nextcloud Calendar, Event Calendar, or Calcurse on Linux. I was looking for a cross-platform calendar that I was more familiar with, and you guessed it, I chose Thunderbird. It finally has a modern-looking user interface and options to create new calendars and import and sync your existing ones from Google or other services.

Familiarity

Easy to use and sync Google and other calendars

In addition to being able to use Thunderbird on multiple platforms, I decided to go with it because it has a straightforward user interface. I used it years ago, so I am already familiar with it, although there are a lot more features and options in the modern product. There is also a portable version, which is helpful when I need access to my calendar on different systems. I include it in my USB Swiss-Army Knife. Setting up cloud-based email is as easy as typing in your username, email address, and password. However, it does include settings for manual configuration if you need them.

Once Thunderbird was populated, I started to use it like other email and calendar clients. While there are a variety of options, it doesn’t require a learning curve. Even if you haven’t used it before, you’ll pick up the basics quickly. Out of the box, the UI reminds me of the Outlook app on Windows, with contacts, mail, and to-do in the left toolbar. However, once you get past the initial appearance and open the Calendar, you’ll find out why it’s different and better than Google.

First, your login information is stored locally on your system, which is a plus. You can also choose to keep your calendar stored locally or in the cloud for access anywhere and sharing. If you prefer privacy to convenience, you will like this option. It also makes task management a breeze by asking if you want to import the calendars associated with the email addresses you import. It also merges existing calendars, but it encounters a few problems with duplicates. For instance, I often had duplicate tasks using Outlook before switching to Proton. It allows me to easily filter through events I have jotted down on the calendar.

Lightweight

Light on system resources

Another benefit of going open-source is that the apps run more efficiently on system hardware, and Thunderbird is no exception. Overall, the Calendar runs more easily on your system and doesn’t need much RAM or CPU to accomplish tasks. Occasionally, you may notice a memory or CPU spike when opening complex emails and adding meeting events to the calendar, but this is rare. This makes it a good candidate for legacy systems with fewer resources, but on most modern systems, it will be responsive.

On the other hand, when you check your Google Calendar, I typically have several different tabs running simultaneously. Depending on the site or service in use, this can consume your GPU, CPU, and RAM simultaneously. It’s often a slower experience to deal with checking my Google Calendar than Thunderbird.

Easy calendar management

Managing created or synced calendars is straightforward

Managing the new calendars I create and the ones I sync is a cinch. When I add an email account, it asks if I want to bring the attached calendar with me. Once I enable that option, Thunderbird Calendar merges them with all the data, like meetings, appointments, tasks, and other information you have in the calendar. It also allows you to add other things like national holidays, which is handy when scheduling events.

Once calendars are synced in Thunderbird, I can use it to create appointments and set reminders for included events and tasks. In addition, I can use add-ons to sync events in Google Calendar if I decide to use it. However, once it’s synced, I can use the Thunderbird Calendar interface for appointment management. It also includes the ability to search and filter through calendar events. It has a stellar interface, and it’s a joy to use to schedule my days and weeks.

Thunderbird is an excellent Google Calendar replacement

The other obvious benefit here is that Thunderbird Calendar is integrated into the email client. So, in addition to keeping track of events, I can use it for email management, tasks, chat, and contact organization. It has a lot going on, and once you get started with just the Calendar, you might be enticed to use it for your other tasks and replace other Google products like Gmail. If you are addicted to Google Calendar and Gmail, this open-source alternative is a straightforward and excellent option to consider, perfect for getting Google out of your life.