FSCalendar vs SwifterSwift
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 customizable calendar view control for iOS apps, usable from Objective-C or Swift.
Open source · MIT
A library of over 500 ready-made Swift extensions that add handy helper methods to common types.
The short answer
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
Choose SwifterSwift if you need…
- Swift developers building iOS or macOS apps who want common helper methods ready to use
- Teams that want to pick only the extension groups they need, such as UIKit or CoreLocation
- Developers who prefer Swift Package Manager, CocoaPods, or Carthage for dependencies
Side-by-side
| FSCalendar | SwifterSwift | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Library | Library |
| Price | Free and open source | Free and open source |
| Licence | MIT | MIT |
| GitHub stars | 10.6k | 15.3k |
| Setup difficulty | Intermediate | Beginner |
| How you get it | Install with a package manager | Install with a package manager |
| Main language | Objective-C | Swift |
| Last code update | 2 years ago | 4 days ago |
What each one is
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.
SwifterSwift
SwifterSwift is a collection of more than 500 Swift extensions, which are small added methods for built-in types like strings, arrays, and UIKit or Cocoa classes. It is meant to save developers from writing the same helper code again and again across iOS, macOS, tvOS, watchOS, Linux, and Android projects.
Best for
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
SwifterSwift
- Swift developers building iOS or macOS apps who want common helper methods ready to use
- Teams that want to pick only the extension groups they need, such as UIKit or CoreLocation
- Developers who prefer Swift Package Manager, CocoaPods, or Carthage for dependencies
Strengths
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
SwifterSwift
- Covers a large range of types, with more than 500 extensions organized by module
- Supports several dependency managers, including Swift Package Manager, CocoaPods, Carthage, and Accio
- Licensed under MIT, which allows free use in commercial projects
Not ideal for
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
SwifterSwift
- Beginners still learning Swift basics, since the library assumes you can read and call extensions yourself
- Projects that must support Swift versions older than the ones listed in the requirements, because the README points to older tagged releases instead
- Anyone who wants a full app or framework rather than a set of helper methods
Trade-offs
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
SwifterSwift
- Helper methods add to your dependency footprint, and you should check each one fits your needs
- Requirements are fairly recent, such as iOS 15.0+ and Swift 6.0+, so older projects may not be able to upgrade easily
- The README is truncated here, so details of individual extensions and the latest release notes were not verified
Getting started
FSCalendar
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")SwifterSwift
CocoaPods: add to Podfile (all extensions)
pod 'SwifterSwift'Carthage: add to Cartfile
github "SwifterSwift/SwifterSwift" ~> 6.0Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between FSCalendar and SwifterSwift?
FSCalendar: A customizable calendar view control for iOS apps, usable from Objective-C or Swift. SwifterSwift: A library of over 500 ready-made Swift extensions that add handy helper methods to common types. FSCalendar suits ios developers who need a calendar or date-picker view in their app, while SwifterSwift suits swift developers building ios or macos apps who want common helper methods ready to use.
Are FSCalendar and SwifterSwift free?
FSCalendar: Free and open source. SwifterSwift: Free and open source.
Which is easier to set up, FSCalendar or SwifterSwift?
SwifterSwift is easier to get started with (rated beginner); FSCalendar is rated intermediate and usually needs more setup.
Is FSCalendar or SwifterSwift more popular?
SwifterSwift has more GitHub stars (15.3k) than FSCalendar (10.6k). Popularity isn't the same as fit — check which one matches your use case above.
What are other alternatives to FSCalendar and SwifterSwift?
Other options people compare them with include SVProgressHUD, Eureka, SDWebImage, SwiftyJSON, NVActivityIndicatorView.
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.