Side by side
What each one costs and does, as of November 2026. Skylight details come from its own site; the links are at the bottom of this page.
| Feature | Kettle | Skylight |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Kettle7 days free, then $190 a year on the annual plan, or $19 a month ($228 a year), for the whole family. Nothing to buy. | SkylightThe screen starts at $149.99 (10 inch) and goes to $569.99 (27 inch); the best-selling 15 inch Calendar 2 starts at $289.99. Calendar Plus is $79 a year. |
| How you use it | KettleText it in Messages, on its own or in your family group. It’s on everyone’s phone, wherever they are. | SkylightA touchscreen on the counter or wall, plus a free app. It needs Wi-Fi and a power outlet. |
| Group chat | KettleJoins your family iMessage group. Say its name and it answers; it also speaks up when it can clearly help, and leaves everyday chat alone. | SkylightLives on the screen and in its app. |
| Calendar | KettleA family calendar you add to by text that follows school and team calendar links. With Google Calendar connected, it can share a calendar you pick with the family and texts you when someone else changes one of your events coming up soon. | SkylightSyncs Google, Apple, Outlook, Yahoo and Cozi calendars, or any public calendar link, and shows day, week and month views on the screen. |
| Lists and chores | KettleRunning lists by text, shared with the family or just yours. Items can be assigned to someone with a due date. | SkylightChore chart, task manager and custom lists come free with the screen. Plus adds stars and rewards for kids. |
| Meal planning | KettlePlans a week of dinners around your schedule and who eats what, then fills your H-E-B cart for you to check out. Other stores get the list sorted by aisle. | SkylightPart of Calendar Plus: plan the week’s meals on the screen, and ask Sidekick for recipes. |
| Reminders | KettleTexts you or the family group, once or on repeat, and re-sends a few times until someone says done. | SkylightChores and routines show on the screen for each person to check off. |
| School email | KettleIf you connect Gmail, it reads new mail, saves the dates and texts you what matters today. | SkylightWith Plus, forward school emails or fliers and Sidekick turns them into events. |
| AI | KettleBuilt on it. You ask in plain words, and it remembers details like allergies, teachers and sizes. | SkylightSidekick, included in Calendar Plus ($79 a year). |
| Photos | KettleReads the photos you send it, like a flier or a team schedule. It doesn’t display them. | SkylightWith Plus, the screen becomes a photo and video frame when it’s not in use. |
Where Skylight is better
- Everyone can see it
- A screen on the wall works for kids without phones and for a glance on the way out the door. Kettle only talks to people who can text.
- Chores are made for kids
- Kids tap to check off chores, and with Plus they earn stars toward rewards. Kettle’s lists are written for grown-ups.
- The basics have no monthly fee
- Per Skylight’s compare page, calendar sync, the chore chart, lists and the app come with the screen, without Plus.
- It doubles as a photo frame
- With Plus, family photos and videos play when the calendar isn’t in use.
- Easy to send back
- Skylight takes returns for a full refund within 4 months of buying from its site.
Where Kettle is better
- It goes where you go
- The screen is in the kitchen. Kettle is in your pocket at pickup, at the store and at work.
- It does the work, not just shows it
- Reminders go to you or the family group and come back a few times until someone says done. The H-E-B cart gets filled. The morning brief arrives on its own.
- It’s part of the conversation
- Ask “Kettle, when’s the field trip?” in the group chat and the answer lands where everyone’s already talking.
- It remembers more than events
- Allergies, teachers, shoe sizes, what the dentist said. Tell it once, and share it with the family when you want everyone to know.
Which to pick
Pick Skylight if
- You want one screen the whole family, kids included, can glance at.
- Chore charts and rewards matter more to you than errands.
- You’d rather pay once for hardware than monthly.
- You want a photo frame in the kitchen too.
Pick Kettle if
- Your family already runs on a group chat.
- You need help away from the kitchen: at pickup, at work, at the store.
- You want reminders that chase until they’re done.
- You shop at H-E-B and want the cart built from the week’s dinners.
They also work together. Connect your Google Calendar to Kettle and ask it to add things there, and Skylight syncs Google calendars to the screen. Text it from the car; see it on the wall at home.
Questions
Do I need to buy a screen for Kettle?
Kettle
No. Kettle is a contact in Messages. Text it on your own or add it to your family group. There’s nothing to buy or mount.
Which costs less, Skylight or Kettle?
Kettle
In the first year, usually Kettle. As of November 2026, Skylight’s screens start at $149.99 (10-inch) and $289.99 (15-inch Calendar 2), and Calendar Plus is $79 a year, so year one is about $229 or $369. Kettle is $190 a year on the annual plan, or $19 a month ($228 a year). After that, Skylight with Plus is $79 a year and Kettle stays the same.
Can I use Kettle with my Skylight?
Kettle
Yes. Connect your Google Calendar to Kettle and ask it to add events there. Skylight syncs Google calendars, so they show up on the screen.
What about kids who don’t have phones?
Kettle
Kettle talks to people who can text. Younger kids are better served by a screen like Skylight, and Kettle can remind a parent about their things instead.
Does Kettle answer every message in our group?
Kettle
Not every one. Say “Kettle” and it answers. In your family group it also speaks up when it can clearly help, and leaves everyday chat alone.
Sources
Skylight prices and features as listed on these pages when we checked them on November 11, 2026. Prices change; check before you buy.
- Skylight: Compare Calendars (screen prices and free features)
- Skylight: Calendar Plus ($79/year, Sidekick, meal planning)
- Skylight: Calendar (syncing, Wi-Fi and power, returns)
Also comparing? Kettle vs Cozi · What Kettle does
Put the kettle on.
Text hi to (205) 243-9463. 7 days free, then $19 a month for the whole family.