Eureka vs FSCalendar
Which should you use? A side-by-side look at what each one does, who it suits, what it costs, how hard it is to set up, and where each falls short.
Open source · MIT
A Swift library for building iOS settings-style forms with less boilerplate.
Open source · MIT
A customizable calendar view control for iOS apps, usable from Objective-C or Swift.
The short answer
Choose Eureka if you need…
- iOS developers building form-heavy screens in Swift
- Teams migrating an XLForm-based Objective-C or Swift app to Swift
- Developers who want built-in row types for text, dates, phone numbers and similar inputs
- Apps that need row validation and show/hide logic for fields
Choose FSCalendar if you need…
- iOS developers who need a calendar or date-picker view in their app
- Teams with existing Objective-C code that also want Swift support
- Developers who want to customize the calendar's look and cell content
- Developers who use Interface Builder and want the calendar set up visually
Side-by-side
| Eureka | FSCalendar | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Library | Library |
| Price | Free and open source | Free and open source |
| Licence | MIT | MIT |
| GitHub stars | 11.8k | 10.6k |
| Setup difficulty | Intermediate | Intermediate |
| How you get it | Install with a package manager | Install with a package manager |
| Main language | Swift | Objective-C |
| Last code update | 2 years ago | 2 years ago |
What each one is
Eureka
Eureka is a Swift library for iOS that helps developers build forms, such as settings or data-entry screens, on top of UITableView. Instead of wiring up each table cell by hand, you describe sections and rows in code using short operators or a result-builder syntax. It is a Swift re-creation of the older XLForm library.
FSCalendar
FSCalendar is a library that lets iOS app developers add a calendar widget to their apps. It can be styled and customized, and it works with both Objective-C and Swift projects. Developers use it when they want users to view or pick dates inside an app instead of building a calendar from scratch.
Best for
Eureka
- iOS developers building form-heavy screens in Swift
- Teams migrating an XLForm-based Objective-C or Swift app to Swift
- Developers who want built-in row types for text, dates, phone numbers and similar inputs
- Apps that need row validation and show/hide logic for fields
FSCalendar
- iOS developers who need a calendar or date-picker view in their app
- Teams with existing Objective-C code that also want Swift support
- Developers who want to customize the calendar's look and cell content
- Developers who use Interface Builder and want the calendar set up visually
Strengths
Eureka
- Concise syntax for defining sections and rows, including operators and result builders
- Includes a catalog of built-in row types and supports custom rows
- Documented with an example project and a blog post, under the MIT license
FSCalendar
- Widely used according to the README badges (over 10,000 apps and over 500,000 downloads, as stated there)
- Supports several install routes: CocoaPods, Carthage, Swift Package Manager, and manual file copy
- Includes example projects in both Swift and Objective-C to learn from
Not ideal for
Eureka
- Developers working on SwiftUI-only projects, since the README describes a UITableView-based approach
- Non-iOS platforms, since the README lists iOS as the platform
- Teams needing a library with recent maintenance, since the last push shown is 2024-09-12 and the latest release is 5.5.0
FSCalendar
- Non-developers, since this is a code library rather than an app (it has no end-user interface of its own)
- Android or web projects, since the README only describes iOS usage
- Projects that need the calendar to resize itself automatically without extra code, because the README says the calendar does not update its frame by itself and the app must handle height changes
Trade-offs
Eureka
- Requires Xcode 11+ and Swift 5.0+, and the README shows no newer requirements
- Metadata shows no binary release, so you install it from source or a package manager
- The README is truncated, so details on some features and row types are not confirmed here
FSCalendar
- The README says the calendar does not resize itself; the developer must update its height in a delegate method
- The latest release listed is 2.8.3 and the README mentions a newer SPM version (2.8.4), so version details should be checked directly
- Some README build and CI badges link to Travis CI, which may not reflect current testing status
Getting started
Eureka
Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/xmartlabs/EurekaFSCalendar
Add to a CocoaPods Podfile
pod 'FSCalendar'Add as a Swift Package dependency
.package(url: "https://github.com/WenchaoD/FSCalendar.git", from: "2.8.4")Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Eureka and FSCalendar?
Eureka: A Swift library for building iOS settings-style forms with less boilerplate. FSCalendar: A customizable calendar view control for iOS apps, usable from Objective-C or Swift. Eureka suits ios developers building form-heavy screens in swift, while FSCalendar suits ios developers who need a calendar or date-picker view in their app.
Are Eureka and FSCalendar free?
Eureka: Free and open source. FSCalendar: Free and open source.
Is Eureka or FSCalendar more popular?
Eureka has more GitHub stars (11.8k) than FSCalendar (10.6k). Popularity isn't the same as fit — check which one matches your use case above.
What are other alternatives to Eureka and FSCalendar?
Other options people compare them with include NVActivityIndicatorView, SwifterSwift, SVProgressHUD, SwiftyJSON, SkeletonView.
Keep comparing
Built from our catalogue entries for both products: open-source details come from each project's README (AI-assisted, refreshed weekly) and GitHub data; AI-tool details are editorial. Spotted something wrong? Let us know from either product's page.