Dato vs Mou Sugu: power tool or pocket knife?
Dato is the Swiss-army knife of menu bar calendars. Mou Sugu is a single sharp blade. Both are good — for different hands.
Dato, by the prolific Sindre Sorhus, packs a remarkable amount into the menu bar: a calendar with week numbers, upcoming events, world clocks with offline city search, Apple Reminders support, fullscreen meeting notifications, global keyboard shortcuts, and a deep customization surface. It costs $16 one-time on the Mac App Store — no subscription, free upgrades.
Mou Sugu does one thing: it shows how long until your next meeting —
in 12m: Standup — and gives you the Join button for Zoom, Google Meet, Teams,
or Webex. It is free, open source, and has almost nothing to configure.
Side by side
| Feature | Dato | Mou Sugu |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $16 one-time (Mac App Store) | Free, open source (MIT) |
| Scope | Calendar + world clocks + reminders + notifications | Meeting countdown + one-click join |
| Menu bar countdown | Upcoming event display, configurable | Live countdown with event title, updates every minute |
| Join meetings | Yes — from notification, shortcut, or event details | Yes — Join in the bar, Rejoin if you drop mid-call |
| World clocks / time zones | Yes, a highlight feature | — |
| Apple Reminders | Yes | — |
| Customization | Very deep | Deliberately minimal |
| Source code | Closed | Open (GitHub) |
| Languages | Multiple | English and Spanish |
Choose Dato if…
- You work across time zones and want world clocks next to your calendar.
- You live in Apple Reminders and want them in the same menu.
- You enjoy tailoring every detail, and $16 for a polished tool is fair (it is).
Choose Mou Sugu if…
- What you actually need is the countdown to your next call, nothing else.
- You prefer free and open source, with the code one click away.
- You want zero setup: grant calendar access and you are done.
If Dato's feature list makes you nod, buy it — it is well built and fairly priced. If it makes you tired, Mou Sugu is the two-minute alternative.