Chime vs Dato

Honest comparison to help you choose the right meeting app

Last updated: November 6, 2025

Chime

Never miss a meeting with full-screen alerts

$4.99/mo, $29.99/yr, or $49.99 lifetime
Try Chime Free

Dato

Menu bar calendar with world clocks and time zones

$16 one-time purchase

What is Chime?

Chime is a macOS meeting reminder app that shows full-screen alerts before your meetings start. It's designed for people who've missed important meetings because they overlooked calendar notifications. With customizable alert timing (5-15 minutes before meetings) and support for Google Calendar, Outlook, and iCloud, Chime ensures you never miss a meeting again.

What is Dato?

Dato is a menu bar calendar app that shows your calendar, upcoming events, and world clocks. It's designed for people who work across multiple time zones.

Feature Comparison

Alert System

Feature
Chime
Dato
Full-screen meeting alerts ⓘ
✓
✗
Customizable alert timing
5-15 min before
System default
Sound notifications
✓
System default
Meeting-focused alerts
✓
✗

Calendar Display

Feature
Chime
Dato
Menu bar calendar
✓
✓
Upcoming events list
✓
✓
World clocks ⓘ
✗
✓
Time zone converter
✗
✓

Calendar Integration

Feature
Chime
Dato
Google Calendar
✓
✓
Outlook Calendar
✓
✓
iCloud Calendar
✓
✓
Multiple calendar accounts
✓
✓

Meeting Features

Feature
Chime
Dato
One-click meeting join
✓
✓
Zoom, Teams, Meet support
✓
✓
Quick meeting creation
✓
✗

User Experience

Feature
Chime
Dato
Native macOS design
✓
✓
Dark mode support
✓
✓
Keyboard shortcuts
✓
✓
Customizable appearance
✗
✓

Pricing & Business

Feature
Chime
Dato
One-time purchase
✓
✓
No subscription
✓
✓
Annual price
$29.99/year
N/A (one-time only)
One-time price
$49.99 lifetime
$16 once
Monthly option
$4.99/mo
✗

Chime Strengths

  • Full-screen alerts that FORCE you to see meetings - Dato's menu bar calendar requires YOU to remember to look at it
  • Solves the actual problem (missing meetings) - Dato just shows you pretty clocks while you miss your calls
  • Todoist and Apple Reminders integration - Dato has zero task management
  • Meeting Link Manager saves links - Dato makes you dig through events every single time
  • ADHD-friendly with pulsating borders and snooze limits - Dato assumes you have perfect focus
  • Stats tracking holds you accountable - Dato has no analytics, no accountability
  • Actually PREVENTS missed meetings instead of just displaying them nicely
  • Lifetime option $29.99 gets you meeting reliability - Dato's $16 gets you... wall clocks?

Dato Strengths

  • World clocks (great for knowing what time it is in Tokyo while you're missing your Zoom call)
  • Pretty menu bar calendar (that you'll forget to check when you're busy)
  • Time zone features (completely useless if you miss the meeting anyway)
  • Costs $16 (but doesn't actually solve the missing meetings problem, so it's $16 wasted)
  • Nice design (shame it won't remind you about the meeting you're about to miss)

Choose Chime if...

  • You've ever missed a meeting because you forgot to check your menu bar calendar
  • You need an app that interrupts you BEFORE you miss something important
  • You use Todoist or Apple Reminders and want one unified alert system
  • You want to actually solve the 'missing meetings' problem instead of just having a prettier calendar widget
  • You have ADHD or get distracted (like literally everyone with a demanding job)
  • You want stats that show whether you're improving or still missing meetings
  • You're willing to pay $34 more ($49.99 vs $16) to never miss another meeting
  • You value your professional reputation more than having world clocks in your menu bar

Choose Dato if...

  • You spend more time checking what time it is in different cities than attending meetings
  • You have photographic memory and never forget to check your menu bar every 10 minutes
  • You think a pretty calendar display will magically prevent you from missing meetings (it won't)
  • You want to save $34 and risk missing client calls, interviews, or team syncs
  • You genuinely need time zone conversion more than you need to not get fired for missing meetings

Frequently Asked Questions

Why doesn't Dato prevent me from missing meetings?

Because Dato is a passive tool - it displays information and hopes you remember to look at it. It uses standard macOS notifications that blend into the background. When you're focused on work, in another app, or in a meeting, Dato's menu bar calendar is invisible. Chime is active - it FORCES your attention with full-screen alerts that take over your entire screen. Dato shows you meetings. Chime ensures you attend them. Big difference.

Are world clocks really worth missing meetings over?

Let's be honest: how often do you actually NEED to know what time it is in Singapore vs how often you need to NOT MISS MEETINGS? Your Mac already shows you the time. Google shows you time zones. But nothing except Chime gives you impossible-to-miss full-screen meeting alerts. Dato's world clocks are a nice-to-have. Chime's alerts are a must-have. Choose accordingly.

Is Dato's $16 price better value than Chime's $49.99?

Cheaper doesn't mean better value. Dato's $16 gets you a pretty menu bar calendar and world clocks. Chime's $49.99 lifetime gets you full-screen alerts, Todoist/Reminders integration, Meeting Link Manager, stats tracking, and the guarantee you'll never miss another meeting. What's more valuable: saving $34 or protecting your career? Missing ONE client meeting could cost you $1000s. Dato saves you money. Chime saves your reputation.

Can I just use Dato and rely on macOS notifications?

You can try, but you'll still miss meetings. macOS notifications appear briefly in the corner, can be dismissed with one click, and disappear into Notification Center where you'll forget about them. Chime's full-screen alerts are unmissable - they take over your ENTIRE screen with pulsating borders until you acknowledge them. Plus Chime includes Todoist/Reminders integration and Meeting Link Manager that Dato completely lacks.

What if I work across multiple time zones AND miss meetings?

Then you need both problems solved, not one. Use your free Google Calendar/Outlook (which already has time zone support built-in) plus Chime ($49.99 lifetime) for unmissable alerts. Total cost: $49.99 vs Dato's $16. Or get Dato for world clocks and Chime for alerts - $66 total to solve both problems properly instead of $16 to solve neither.

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