A Skylight alternative that runs on the iPad you already have
Skylight is a good family screen. It also costs £290 before you start, and the AI that turns emails into events needs a £60-a-year Plus plan. parte. puts a family wall calendar on a spare iPad and reads school emails on the free plan.
Free on iPhone and iPad. No card needed.
The first year
UK prices
Skylight Calendar 15″
£350
AI import (Magic Import) needs Plus
parte. on your iPad
~£40
5 AI intakes a month included
Skylight prices from Skylight’s UK site, checked 24 October 2026.
parte. and Skylight, feature by feature
| parte. | Skylight | |
|---|---|---|
| The screen | Any iPad on iPadOS 17 or later. New ones start at £429 | Skylight’s own touchscreen. The 15″ is £290 |
| Yearly plan | None needed. Premium is optional, £3.99 a month | Calendar Plus, £60 a year (first month free) |
| AI that turns emails into events | 5 a month free, then 20p each, or unlimited with Premium | Magic Import, with Plus |
| Photos of letters and PDFs | Yes. They count towards your 5 a month | — |
| Phone app | iPhone, plus the web dashboard in any browser | Free mobile app |
| Tasks and chores | Tasks linked to events | Tasks free; rewards with Plus |
| Meal planning | Not yet | With Plus |
| Photo screensaver | No | With Plus |
Skylight prices and plan contents from uk.myskylight.com, checked 24 October 2026. A dash means we couldn’t confirm it either way. Prices change, so check with Skylight before you decide.
Skylight is good. It’s just not for everyone.
Choose Skylight if
- You don’t have a spare iPad. A new one starts at £429, so a £290 Skylight is cheaper up front.
- You want a bigger screen. Skylight also makes a 27-inch Calendar Max.
- You want a photo frame or meal plans on the same screen (both need Plus).
- You want a device that only does the calendar, with nothing else on it.
Choose parte. if
- You already have an iPad, or can get a second-hand one.
- Most of your family admin arrives by email, letter or WhatsApp. Forward it, snap it or send it, and parte. adds the events.
- You’d rather not start another subscription. The wall display and 5 AI intakes a month are free.
- The children live across two homes. parte. can link a child’s calendar across both. How it works.
Send it to parte. It’s in the calendar.
Getting dates into the calendar is the hard part. parte. reads them for you.
Forward the email
Your family gets its own parte. email address. Forward the school newsletter and the dates come out as events.
Snap the letter
Take a photo of the letter from the book bag, or the party invitation on the fridge.
Send a WhatsApp
Message parte. like you’d text a friend: “swimming every Tuesday at 4”.
One email is one intake, however many dates are in it. See pricing.
The honest answers
Is parte. really free?
Yes. The shared calendar, the iPad wall display and 5 AI intakes a month cost nothing, and you don’t need a card to start. After your 5 intakes it’s 20p each, or £3.99 a month for unlimited.
What does Skylight Plus cost?
£60 a year in the UK, after a free first month. Skylight lists Magic Import, meal planning, the photo screensaver and rewards as Plus features (Skylight’s UK site, checked 24 October 2026).
Which iPad do I need?
Any iPad that runs iPadOS 17 or later. That includes the 6th-generation iPad from 2018 onwards. See the full list and setup guide.
Does parte. work with Google Calendar and Outlook?
Yes. Connect them in Settings and their events appear alongside everything else.
How does parte. compare with Cozi?
Cozi is an app, Skylight is a screen with an app. parte. is an app that also turns an iPad into a wall screen. We compare Cozi on its own page: parte. as a Cozi alternative.
Try it on the iPad you’ve got.
parte. is free on iPhone and iPad. If it doesn’t suit you, you’ve spent nothing.