A free AddEvent alternative
Hosted add to calendar services do a lot more than generate links, and some teams need that. Most people asking for an "add to calendar button" need five URLs in the right format. This page lays out which group you are in.
| MakeCalendarLink | Hosted services | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free, no tiers | Free tier with caps, paid plans above it |
| Account required | No | Yes |
| Event limit | None | Capped on free tiers |
| Click limit | None | Commonly capped on free tiers |
| Branding on your links | None | Usually on free tiers |
| Google, Outlook, Office 365, Yahoo, .ics | Yes | Yes |
| Embeddable button | Yes | Yes |
| Click analytics | Yes, per calendar | Yes, usually richer |
| RSVP and ticketing | No | Yes |
| Subscribable calendar feeds | No | Yes |
| Editing an event after sending | No, links are self-contained | Yes, links point at a record |
| Source available | Yes, MIT licensed | No |
| Self-hosting | Yes | No |
| Stores your event data | No | Yes |
Free-tier caps and pricing change often, so the right column describes the general shape rather than any one vendor's current plan. Check theirs before deciding.
Use a hosted service if
- You need RSVPs, ticketing or attendee lists.
- You want people to subscribe to a whole calendar of events, not add one.
- You need to change an event's time after the links have gone out.
- You want a support contract and someone accountable for uptime.
Use this if
- You have events and want people to add them. That is it.
- You would rather not create an account to generate a URL.
- You do not want your event details sitting in someone else's database.
- You want the links to keep working whatever happens to the tool.
- You are a developer and would rather import a module than call an API.
The self-contained link, and what it costs you
The design decision behind everything here is that the event lives inside the link. That is why there is no account, no database and no expiry. It is also the one real trade-off: to change an event you generate a new link, and anyone holding the old one still has the old details.
For a webinar announced two weeks out this rarely matters. For a conference programme that shifts around for months, a hosted record you can edit is genuinely worth paying for. Be honest with yourself about which one you are running.