The best Calendly alternatives in 2026 are Cal.com for a generous free plan and cheaper team seats, SavvyCal for people who want more control over how their availability looks, Acuity Scheduling for service businesses that sell appointments, Zoho Bookings for the lowest per-user price, TidyCal for a one-time payment, Microsoft Bookings and Google Calendar appointment schedules if you already pay for Microsoft 365 or Google, and Doodle for group polls. Calendly itself is still a strong default; most people leave over the per-seat bill or because a client-booking business needs more than a meeting link. Prices below are as of October 2026.
A scheduling link looks like a solved problem until five people need one. Then the questions get specific: who needs a paid seat, whether reminders cost extra, and whether the tool can take a deposit.
Calendly's plans, for reference
On Calendly's pricing page, the free plan includes one event type, one calendar connection and one-on-one scheduling. Standard is $10 per seat per month billed yearly ($12 billed monthly) and adds unlimited event types, multiple calendars, automated reminders and Stripe or PayPal payments. Teams is $16 per seat per month billed yearly ($20 monthly) and adds round-robin scheduling and lead routing. Enterprise starts at $15k a year and at 50 seats. Calendly notes that seats are needed for anyone who connects a calendar and hosts meetings; invitees don't need one.
That gives three common exit reasons: the free plan's single event type, the jump to Teams for round-robin, and per-seat costs that grow with every new host.
How we compared
We checked the same five things for each tool: whether there's a free plan and what it limits, the entry paid price and billing basis, how the bill grows (per user, per calendar or flat), whether it takes payments, and whether it handles team scheduling. Prices were checked on each vendor's own pricing page or help centre on October 12, 2026.
At a glance
| Tool | Best for | Free plan | Entry paid price (as of October 2026) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cal.com | Cheaper team seats, free individual use | Free for 1 user | Teams $12/user/month, billed yearly |
| SavvyCal | Polished links with ranked availability | Free to try, no free plan | Basic $10/user/month, billed annually |
| Acuity Scheduling | Service businesses selling appointments | 7-day trial | Starter $16/month billed annually ($20 monthly) |
| Zoho Bookings | Lowest per-user price | Free for 1 user | Basic US$6/user/month yearly (US$8 monthly) |
| TidyCal | Paying once instead of monthly | Free plan | Individual Lifetime $29 one-time |
| Microsoft Bookings | Microsoft 365 businesses | Included in eligible plans | No separate price |
| Google Calendar appointment schedules | One booking page with a Google account | One booking page | Premium features need eligible plans |
| Doodle | Group polls and sign-up sheets | Free plan | Pro $15/month or $132/year |
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The 8 best Calendly alternatives
1. Cal.com – the generous free plan
Cal.com is the closest like-for-like swap. Its free Individuals plan covers one user with unlimited event types and calendars, email and SMS notifications, Stripe and PayPal payments, and a one-click import of Calendly events. Teams is $12 per user per month billed yearly and adds shared availability, round-robin and collective events, routing forms and the option to remove Cal.com branding. Organizations is $28 per user per month billed yearly; Enterprise is quote-only.
One change to know about: Cal.com announced in April 2026 that it was going closed source. Its open code now continues as Cal.diy, an MIT-licensed community edition for self-hosting with enterprise features such as Teams, Workflows and SSO removed, which its README recommends for personal, non-production use.
Who it's for: individuals who want more than Calendly Free, and small teams that want round-robin for less. Limits: if you chose Cal.com because it was open source, the hosted product no longer is.
2. SavvyCal – more control over how you offer time
SavvyCal focuses on the experience of sharing a link. Its feature list includes ranked availability, time blocking and frequency limits, plus meeting polls and round-robin, collective and group modes. Basic is $10 per user per month and Premium $17, both billed annually; Premium adds custom domains, delegated access for an assistant and paid bookings. There's no free plan: you can try it free and pay when you activate, with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Who it's for: founders, sales and recruiting teams who book a lot of external meetings. Limits: paid bookings and branding removal need Premium.
3. Acuity Scheduling – for businesses that sell appointments
Acuity Scheduling is built for clients booking services, not colleagues booking calls. Every plan includes payments through Stripe, Square, PayPal or Venmo, intake forms and email reminders. Starter is $16 a month billed annually ($20 monthly) for 1 calendar, Standard $27 ($34) for up to 6 calendars and adds text reminders, waitlists, packages, memberships and gift certificates, and Premium $49 ($61) for up to 36 calendars and adds a signed BAA for HIPAA and custom API and CSS. There's a 7-day free trial.
Who it's for: salons, coaches, consultants and clinics. Limits: pricing is per calendar (a calendar per employee or location), so plan your staff count against the 6- and 36-calendar caps.
4. Zoho Bookings – lowest per-user price
Zoho Bookings has a Forever Free plan for one user with online meetings, email reminders and two-way calendar sync with Zoho, Google and Microsoft 365 or Outlook.com. Basic is US$6 per user per month billed yearly (US$8 monthly) and Premium US$9 (US$12 monthly), aimed at organisations with multiple locations or departments that need online payments and integrations. Zoho says Zoho One customers get the Premium plan.
Who it's for: small teams watching per-seat cost, and anyone already on Zoho. Limits: payments and broader integrations are positioned on Premium.
5. TidyCal – pay once
TidyCal is the odd one out: its paid tiers are lifetime deals. Free covers unlimited bookings and booking types, paid bookings and one calendar connection, with a 1% platform fee on payments processed through Stripe. Individual Lifetime is $29 one-time (sold on AppSumo) and adds group bookings and 10 calendar connections; Agency Lifetime is $79 one-time and adds round-robin and collective meetings. Pro is $12 a month, or $99 a year billed annually, and removes platform fees and branding and adds a custom domain.
Who it's for: solo consultants who hate subscriptions. Limits: round-robin needs Agency or Pro, and the lifetime plans keep the 1% platform fee.
6. Microsoft Bookings – already in your Microsoft 365 plan
Microsoft Bookings is included in Microsoft 365 Business Basic, Business Standard and Business Premium, among other Microsoft 365 and Office 365 plans and Teams Essentials and Premium. You reach it on the web at book.ms or inside Outlook and Teams, and it supports shared booking pages for several staff.
Who it's for: Microsoft 365 businesses that want booking pages without another bill. Limits: it lives inside your Microsoft tenant, so setup and permissions often go through your admin.
7. Google Calendar appointment schedules – one free booking page
If you use Google Calendar, you may not need a separate tool. Google's help centre says a personal Google account or Workspace Business Starter can create a single booking page. Premium features, including more than one appointment schedule, automatic email reminders, checking availability across multiple calendars, accepting payments and up to 20 co-hosts, need an eligible Google One or Workspace subscription.
Who it's for: solo professionals who need one booking link. Limits: schedules are created on a computer, not in the Calendar mobile app, and Workspace Frontline and Essentials accounts can't create them.
8. Doodle – for group polls
Doodle is still best known for finding a time that suits a group. Free includes one group poll, one booking page, one 1:1 and basic sign-up sheets. According to Doodle's help centre, Pro is $15 a month or $132 a year for one user in the US, and Team is $16 per user per month billed annually ($21 monthly) with a minimum of 2 users.
Who it's for: people coordinating workshops, committees and multi-party meetings. Limits: for one-to-one booking pages, most tools above give more for the money.
Seat, calendar or flat: the pricing model decides the bill
Take a five-person team that needs round-robin, at list prices billed annually. Calendly Teams is 5 × $16, so $80 a month. Cal.com Teams is $60. SavvyCal Basic is $50. Zoho Bookings Basic is US$30, though Zoho pitches Premium (US$45) at teams that need online payments. TidyCal Agency Lifetime is $79 once. Acuity Standard is $27 a month for up to 6 calendars, which is why it wins for a small salon and loses for a sales team that needs more hosts. And if your company already pays for Microsoft 365 Business Basic or above, Bookings adds nothing to the bill.
The cheapest tool on paper isn't always cheapest in practice. Check which plan includes the one feature you can't skip, usually payments, reminders or round-robin, and price that plan.
When to build your own booking app instead
Every tool above assumes your booking rules fit its settings. When they don't, you see it in the workarounds: deposits taken over the phone, a spreadsheet of which room goes with which therapist, or a notes field doing the job of a real intake form. Our booking system builder comparison sorts tools by how much rule complexity they can carry.
An AI app builder like Greta.sh can generate a booking web app from a plain-English description, with a database, logins and payments built in. Pricing starts with a Free plan of 5 credits a day for building; deployment and a custom domain start on Starter at $5 a month on the welcome offer (normally $20 a month). The booking and scheduling app guide covers the hard parts honestly: time zones, double-booking under load and reminders.
The trade-off is real. You own calendar sync, reminder delivery and every edge case Calendly already solved. If a scheduling link does the job, keep the link.
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How to choose
Start with who books. If it's colleagues, prospects and candidates, compare Calendly, Cal.com and SavvyCal on seat price and round-robin. If it's paying clients, Acuity or Zoho Bookings Premium, because payments and intake forms matter more than link polish. If your company already pays for Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace, test Bookings or appointment schedules before buying anything. If you're scheduling staff shifts rather than meetings, you need a different category: see our employee scheduling software comparison.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best free alternative to Calendly?
Cal.com's free Individuals plan is the strongest like-for-like option: one user with unlimited event types and calendars, notifications and payments. Zoho Bookings and TidyCal also have free plans, and Google Calendar lets a personal account create a single booking page.
Is Cal.com still open source?
Not the main product. Cal.com announced in April 2026 that it was going closed source. Its open code continues as Cal.diy, an MIT-licensed community edition for self-hosting with enterprise features removed.
Which Calendly alternative is best for client appointments?
Acuity Scheduling, because every plan includes payments, intake forms and reminders, and higher plans add packages, memberships and text reminders. Zoho Bookings Premium is a lower-cost option for teams that need payments.
Is there a Calendly alternative with a one-time payment?
Yes. TidyCal sells Individual Lifetime for $29 and Agency Lifetime for $79 as one-time payments, alongside a free plan and a $12-a-month Pro plan.
Does Microsoft 365 include a Calendly alternative?
Yes. Microsoft Bookings is included in Microsoft 365 Business Basic, Business Standard and Business Premium, among other plans, and works on the web and inside Outlook and Teams.
Book a real week before you switch
Most scheduling tools look identical on a pricing page. Recreate your three most-used event types in your top two candidates, send the links to a few real contacts, and watch what happens with time zones, reminders and reschedules before you move everyone over.
