How to Switch from Cozi to Calendara (Step-by-Step Migration Guide)

You've been thinking about leaving Cozi. Maybe it was the 30-day calendar limit that pushed you over the edge. Maybe it was the ads, the dated interface, or the realization that you're paying $39/year for an app that hasn't meaningfully innovated since 2015. Whatever the reason, you're here — and switching is easier than you think.

This guide walks you through moving your family from Cozi to Calendara in under 10 minutes. No data will be lost, and your family won't miss a soccer practice.

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Why Families Are Leaving Cozi

Before we get into the how, here's a quick reality check on why this migration is worth your time:

Pain Point	Cozi	Calendara
Calendar access	30-day limit on free tier	Full access, no restrictions
Google Calendar sync	One-way only (export)	✅ Two-way sync
AI features	❌ No AI at any price point	✅ Photo extraction for events, lists, and tasks
Ads	Yes (free tier)	❌ No ads ever
Interface	Hasn't changed since ~2015	Modern, clean design
Privacy	Warning rating from Common Sense Privacy	Privacy-first, no ad tracking

Since May 2024, Cozi's Trustpilot rating has dropped to 2.1 stars — largely because of the paywall change that locked free users out of seeing events beyond 30 days. If that affected you, you're not alone.

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Step 1: Export What You Can from Cozi

Here's the hard truth — Cozi doesn't offer a native data export. There's no "Download All My Data" button. This is one of the biggest complaints on review sites, and it's likely intentional. Hard to leave if you can't take your data with you.

Here's how to work around it:

For your calendar:

• Open Cozi on desktop (cozi.com)
• Switch to month view
• Print or screenshot each month you want to preserve
• Save these — you'll use them in Step 3

For your shopping lists:

• Open each list in Cozi
• Use the "Email this list" option to send it to yourself
• This gives you a plain text copy of every item

For your to-do lists:

• Same as shopping lists — email each one to yourself

For your recipes:

• Unfortunately, there's no bulk export for recipes either
• Screenshot the ones you want to keep

This is the most tedious part of the entire switch. Everything after this is fast.

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Step 2: Create Your Calendara Account

Head to usecalendara.com and sign up. The process takes about 60 seconds.

The key step here: connect your Google account.

When you link Google Calendar, Calendara pulls in all your existing Google Calendar events automatically via two-way sync. If you were already syncing Cozi events to Google Calendar (even one-way), those events will appear in Calendara immediately.

This means a chunk of your Cozi data is already migrated without doing anything extra.

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Step 3: Rebuild Your Calendar with AI (The Fun Part)

Remember those screenshots and printouts from Step 1? Here's where Calendara's AI extraction shines.

Open Calendara and tap the camera icon. Point it at:

• Your printed Cozi calendar screenshots
• School flyers and activity schedules
• Sports team schedules
• Any paper schedule pinned to your fridge

Calendara's AI reads the image and extracts every event — dates, times, locations, descriptions — with 90%+ accuracy. What would take 30 minutes of manual typing happens in seconds.

This isn't limited to Cozi migration either. Going forward, every time your kid brings home a school flyer, you snap a photo and it's on the family calendar. No more forgetting picture day.

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Step 4: Invite Your Family Members

In Calendara, tap Share to generate a QR code or shareable link. Send it to your partner, kids, co-parent, or anyone who needs access.

How it compares to Cozi's sharing:

Feature	Cozi	Calendara
Invite method	Email invitation only	QR code, link, or email
Setup time	Account required	Instant join via link
Edit permissions	Everyone can edit (no controls)	View-only or edit access
Multiple families	❌ Single family only	Share with anyone

One major difference — if you're a co-parent or part of a blended family, Calendara doesn't force you into a single-family structure the way Cozi does.

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Step 5: Set Up Your Lists

Create your shared shopping lists and to-do lists in Calendara. If you emailed yourself lists from Cozi in Step 1, you have two options:

1. Manual entry — Copy items into Calendara's list feature
2. AI extraction — Screenshot the emailed list and let Calendara's AI digitize it

Lists sync in real-time across all family members, just like Cozi — but without the ads.

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The First Week: Running Both Apps

We recommend keeping Cozi installed for the first week after switching. This gives you a safety net:

• Verify all recurring events migrated correctly
• Check that family members are seeing the right events
• Confirm your Google Calendar sync is working both ways

After a week, most families uninstall Cozi and don't look back.

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What You Gain by Switching

Here's what your family gets with Calendara that Cozi never offered:

• AI photo extraction — Turn any paper schedule into calendar events or list items
• Two-way Google Calendar sync — Changes in either app appear in both
• No 30-day limit — See your full calendar, past and future
• No ads — Ever
• Modern interface — Designed for 2026, not 2015
• Fair pricing — $4.99/month with no hidden restrictions

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Related Guides

• Calendara vs Cozi: Full Comparison
• Cozi Pricing 2026: Is Gold Worth It?
• Best Cozi Alternative 2026
• Cozi's 30-Day Limit Explained
• How to Create a Shared Family Calendar with Google