Daily Mantel vs Skylight Calendar
The Skylight alternative that uses the screens you already own
Skylight’s family calendar is genuinely nice. It also starts at $299.99 for the 15” frame — before the $79/yr subscription that unlocks the photo screensaver and meal planner. Daily Mantel puts the same command center — calendar, chores and rewards, dinner planning, photos on the wall — on the tablet gathering dust in your drawer, and the free plan costs exactly nothing.
What each path costs
| What you buy | Up front | Per year | First year | Three years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skylight Calendar 2 (15") + Plus | $299.99 | $79 | $378.99 | $536.99 |
| Skylight Calendar Max (27") + Plus | $599.99 | $79 | $678.99 | $836.99 |
| Daily Mantel Free | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Daily Mantel Plus | $0 | $69 | $69 | $207 |
| Daily Mantel Pro (with AI) | $0 | $199 | $199 | $597 |
Competitor prices read from the vendor’s own site, August 2026. Prices change — check theirs before you decide.
Three years with a 15” Skylight runs $536.99. Three years of Daily Mantel Plus — with calendar sync, meals, music, and 2,000 photos — runs $207 on hardware you already own. See the full feature comparison and plans.
Fair questions
- Can an old tablet really replace a Skylight?
- Yes — that is the whole idea. Open dailymantel.com on any tablet, phone, or laptop with a modern browser, turn on wall mode, and it becomes a full-screen family display with the calendar, chores, and a photo screensaver. The wall setup guide walks through mounting and keeping the screen awake.
- What does Skylight do that Daily Mantel doesn't?
- Skylight sells a dedicated, always-on touchscreen that arrives ready to hang — you never think about charging or browsers. Its Plus plan also imports dates from school PDFs and emails. If you want a purpose-built device and the price doesn't bother you, Skylight is a good product.
- Do I have to pay anything to start?
- No. The Free plan has no card, no trial clock, and no ads — a shared color-coded calendar, chores with stars and a reward store, shared lists, 30 photos with the wall screensaver, and up to 6 family members, forever.
- What happens to my stuff if I cancel a paid plan?
- Paid features lock and photos beyond the free 30 are kept for 60 days — with warning emails — before they're removed. Your calendar, chores, recipes, and lists are never deleted on a downgrade.
Try the whole thing before you spend a cent
The Free plan works forever on the screens you already own — no card, no ads. If you end up wanting Skylight’s hardware instead, you’ve lost nothing but an afternoon.