A Skylight alternative with no screen to buy
Skylight screens start at $169.99, plus an optional $79-a-year plan. If you’d rather share the plan on phones you already own, here’s how Mapa compares.
Short answer
Mapa puts the school plan on the phones you already have, with one adult’s name on every job and nothing to buy or mount. Skylight is the pick if you want a touchscreen calendar on the kitchen wall and chore charts kids can tap; its screens start at $169.99, and the optional Plus plan is $79 a year.
The case for no screen
Some families don’t want another device. Maybe there’s no wall space, the kids split time between 2 homes, or a parent travels for work. A plan on the phones you already carry goes where you go.
Mapa is a web app that installs on your phone’s home screen. There’s nothing to mount and nothing to buy, and the other parent, a grandparent or a caregiver joins from their own phone.
The trade-off is real. Without a screen on the wall, kids won’t see the plan unless an adult shows them, because kids don’t get Mapa accounts.
What Skylight costs
Skylight sells touchscreen calendars in 3 sizes. On its own site, the 10-inch Calendar is $169.99, the 15-inch Calendar 2 is $299.99 and the 27-inch Calendar Max is $599.99.
The screen works without a subscription. Calendar Plus, the optional plan, is $79 a year after a free first month. It adds Magic Import, meal planning, rewards and a photo screensaver, and one plan covers all your Skylight calendars.
So a 15-inch screen plus a year of Plus comes to $378.99 before tax.
Where Skylight wins
A screen on the wall is hard to beat in a busy kitchen. Everyone sees the day without unlocking a phone, including kids who don’t have one.
Chores are a real strength. Skylight has chore charts for more than one person, and Plus adds stars kids earn toward rewards.
It also does meal plans and color-coded lists, and the free Skylight app lets parents update the schedule, chore chart and lists from anywhere.
With Plus, Magic Import turns emails, PDFs and photos into events. You send them to your calendar’s own address, which looks like [email protected]. Skylight’s help center says you get an email to confirm the import, with a link to undo it.
Mapa and Skylight, side by side
| Feature | Mapa | Skylight |
|---|---|---|
| What you buy | Nothing; it runs on your phone | A touchscreen, $169.99 to $599.99 |
| How things get in | Forward emails to a private address; photos, PDFs and voice notes in the chat | Type it in, or send emails, PDFs and photos to the screen’s email address (Plus) |
| Checking what came in | Forwarded emails wait for an adult’s OK; chat items save with undo | Events import, then an email confirms them, with an undo link |
| Who can see it | Only the adults you invite; kids don’t get accounts | Anyone near the screen, plus anyone with the app |
| Who does each job | One adult’s name on every to-do and plan; unassigned plans get flagged | Chore charts for each person, with stars on Plus |
| Chores and meals | Not included | Chore charts; meal planning with Plus |
| Health records | Vaccines, allergies and doctor’s notes with the original photo | Not described on its site |
| Platforms | Web app on your home screen; no native app yet | Wall screen plus a free iPhone and Android app |
| Price (checked September 2026) | 7 days free, then from $6.67 a month | Screen from $169.99; Plus $79 a year |
| Best for | A shared school plan on the phones you already have | A kitchen wall display and chores for kids |
Choose Mapa if…
- You’d rather not buy or mount a screen.
- The plan needs to travel with you, between 2 homes or on the way to pickup.
- School emails and forms are the heavy part of your week, not chores.
- You want one adult’s name on every job, and each adult reminded before it’s due.
- You want health records kept with the original photo.
Choose Skylight if…
- You want the day on the kitchen wall, where everyone sees it.
- Your kids are young and do chores with a chart and stars.
- You want meal plans and lists on the same screen.
- A one-time device cost fits your budget, or it’s a gift from the grandparents.
What Mapa doesn’t do
- A wall display.
- Chore charts, stars or kid rewards.
- Meal planning or grocery lists.
- Kid accounts. Only adults join.
- Photo sharing or a photo screensaver.
- Run as a native iPhone or Android app yet.
Questions parents ask
How much is a Skylight Calendar?
On Skylight’s site in September 2026, the 10-inch Calendar is $169.99, the 15-inch Calendar 2 is $299.99 and the 27-inch Calendar Max is $599.99. Calendar Plus is $79 a year after a free first month.
Do you need Calendar Plus?
No. The calendar works without it. Plus adds Magic Import, meal planning, rewards and a photo screensaver.
Can Skylight read school emails?
With Calendar Plus, you can send emails, PDFs and photos to your calendar’s own email address, and Magic Import turns them into events. Skylight’s help center says you get an email confirming the import, with a link to undo it.
Is there a family calendar app with no device to buy?
Yes. Cozi, Sense and Mapa all run on the phones you already own. Mapa focuses on school emails, forms and health records, with one adult’s name on every job.