A subscription calendar lives inside your users' calendar app and stays in sync as you update events. An embeddable calendar lives on your website and is visible to any visitor - no subscription required.

The core difference

	Subscription Calendar	Embeddable Calendar
Where it lives	Inside the user's Google/Apple/Outlook	On your website
Syncs to user's device	✅ Yes - automatic	❌ No
Visible to website visitors	❌ No	✅ Yes
Requires user action to set up	✅ Subscribe once	❌ None
Auto-reminders on user's device	✅ Yes (via their calendar app)	❌ No
User leaves your website	✅ Yes	❌ Stays on your site

When to use a subscription calendar

Use a subscription calendar when you want your events to follow your audience into their daily life - showing up alongside their personal appointments with automatic reminders from their own device.

Best for: sports schedules, webinar series, class timetables, community event feeds, retail sale calendars. Any ongoing stream of events where you want set-it-and-forget-it delivery to subscribers.

When to use an embeddable calendar

Use an embeddable calendar when you want to display your upcoming events on your website so visitors can browse and decide what to attend - without any commitment on their part.

Best for: event listing pages, venue websites, conference agendas, company event hubs. Any context where you want events visible to anonymous visitors.

When to use both

Many organizations use both together. The embeddable calendar on their website lets visitors browse. A "Follow Calendar" button alongside it lets interested visitors subscribe so future events automatically reach them. One strategy, two complementary tools.