Best Calendly Alternatives (2026): 8 Tools Compared
The best free Calendly alternatives are Cal.com (unlimited event types and payments on its free plan), TidyCal (free, or $29 once for lifetime access), Setmore and Square Appointments (free with reminders, good for salons), Zoho Bookings, Google Calendar appointment schedules, SimplyBook.me and MinglyLink, which puts booking on your link-in-bio page. All checked 26 September 2026.
We make MinglyLink, so it is on this list; its row states its limits as plainly as everyone else’s. Every other figure comes from the vendor’s own pricing page or help centre, linked at the end.
Why people look for a Calendly alternative
Calendly’s Free plan covers one event type, one connected calendar and one-on-one meetings. Email and text reminders and payment collection sit on paid plans[2]. Once you offer both a 30-minute consult and a 60-minute session, you are on Standard at $10 per seat per month billed yearly, or $12 billed monthly[1]. For a solo coach or a small salon that is often the whole reason to look elsewhere.
Calendly and 8 alternatives at a glance
| Tool | Free plan | Paid from | Reminders | Payments | Teams and staff |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Calendly1, 2 | Yes: 1 event type, 1 calendar, one-on-one meetings | Standard $10/seat/mo billed yearly ($12 monthly) | Paid plans only (email; SMS from Standard) | Paid plans (Stripe, PayPal) | Group events from Standard; round-robin on Teams ($16/seat/mo yearly) |
| Cal.com3, 4 | Yes: 1 user, unlimited event types | Teams $12/user/mo billed yearly | Default email reminder; SMS free to US and Canada numbers | On Free (Stripe, PayPal) | Teams plan |
| TidyCal5 | Yes: unlimited booking types, 1 calendar | $29 one-time (Individual Lifetime) or Pro $12/mo | Email 1 day and 1 hour before; no SMS on Free | On Free (Stripe, PayPal; TidyCal adds 1% on Stripe payments) | Agency Lifetime ($79 one-time) or Pro |
| Zoho Bookings6 | Yes: 1 user, 1 event type | Basic $6/user/mo billed yearly ($8 monthly) | Email on Free; SMS on Premium | Premium only | From Basic (round robin, collective bookings) |
| Google Calendar appointment schedules7, 8, 9 | Yes: one booking page with a personal Google account | Workspace Business Standard $14/user/mo (annual plan) | Automatic email reminders need a premium plan | Eligible Workspace plans only (via Stripe) | Up to 20 co-hosts on premium Workspace plans |
| Setmore10 | Yes: up to 4 users, unlimited appointments | Pro $5/user/mo billed yearly ($12 monthly) | 1 email reminder on Free; SMS on Pro | On Free (Square, Stripe, PayPal); deposits on Pro | Up to 4 users on Free, each with a booking page |
| Square Appointments11 | Yes: $0 per location, unlimited staff calendars | Plus $49/mo per location | Email and SMS on Free | On Free, through Square only (online cards 3.3% + 30¢) | Unlimited staff calendars |
| SimplyBook.me12 | Yes: 50 bookings a month, 1 provider (renew monthly) | Basic €11.90/mo billed yearly (€13.90 monthly) | Email; SMS as paid add-on credits | From Basic | Basic: 5 providers |
| MinglyLink | Yes, the only plan: services and a booking calendar on your link-in-bio page | No paid plan | No automatic reminders yet; emails when a client books and when you confirm or cancel | No payment step at booking; you collect through your own payment link (0% MinglyLink fee) | One calendar per page; no team scheduling |
Prices are in USD unless stated and exclude tax; “billed yearly” prices are per month. Numbers after a tool’s name point to the sources below.
The 8 alternatives, one by one
1. Cal.com
Free for one user with unlimited event types, and the free plan can already take payments through Stripe or PayPal[3]. It sends a default reminder email, and text reminders are free to US and Canadian numbers[4]. The Teams plan is $12 per user per month billed yearly.
Best for: coaches and consultants who want several session types and paid bookings without a subscription.
2. TidyCal
Free forever with unlimited booking types on one calendar. Reminder emails go out a day and an hour before; there are no text reminders on Free. Payments work on the free plan through Stripe or PayPal, with TidyCal adding 1% on Stripe payments. Upgrades are $29 once for Individual Lifetime or $12 a month for Pro[5].
Best for: solo providers who would rather pay once than every month.
3. Zoho Bookings
The free plan allows one user and one event type, the same limit as Calendly Free, with email reminders. Payments need Premium; Basic ($6 per user per month billed yearly, $8 monthly) adds round-robin and collective bookings[6].
Best for: teams already using Zoho’s other apps.
4. Google Calendar appointment schedules
A personal Google account gets one booking page for free[7]. Automatic email reminders need a premium plan, and paid appointments (through Stripe) need an eligible Google Workspace plan[8], such as Business Standard at $14 per user per month on an annual plan[9].
Best for: people who live in Google Calendar and need one simple booking page.
5. Setmore
Free for up to four users with unlimited appointments, one email reminder and payments through Square, Stripe or PayPal. Pro ($5 per user per month billed yearly, $12 monthly) adds text reminders and deposits[10].
Best for: small salons and studios with a few staff members.
6. Square Appointments
$0 per location with unlimited staff calendars, and both email and text reminders on the free plan. Payments run through Square only; online card payments cost 3.3% + 30¢. Plus is $49 a month per location[11].
Best for: salons, barbers and spas that already take card payments with Square.
7. SimplyBook.me
Free for up to 50 bookings a month with one provider. Reminders are by email, and text messages are sold as add-on credits. Payments start on Basic, €11.90 a month billed yearly (€13.90 monthly), which allows five providers[12].
Best for: low-volume businesses trying online booking for the first time.
8. MinglyLink
A different kind of tool: MinglyLink is a free link-in-bio page, and booking sits on that page next to your links and shop. A client taps the link in your Instagram or TikTok bio, picks a service and a time, and books without opening a third page or creating an account. You set weekly hours, date overrides, a time zone and buffer time between appointments, then confirm or cancel each request; the client gets an email when they book and when you confirm or cancel.
Honest limits: one slot length (15 to 120 minutes) for every booking, no automatic reminders yet, no Google or Outlook calendar sync, no team scheduling, and no payment step at booking. 0% MinglyLink fee: you’re paid via your own payment link, processor fees only.
Best for: creators, coaches and small clinics whose clients arrive from social media. More on this setup in link in bio with booking.
Two popular options without a free plan
| Tool | Free plan | Paid from | Reminders | Payments | Teams and staff |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acuity Scheduling13 | No free plan (7-day trial) | Starter $16/mo billed yearly ($20 monthly) | Email on all plans; SMS from Standard | All paid plans (Stripe, Square, PayPal, Venmo) | Standard: up to 6 calendars |
| Microsoft Bookings14, 15 | No: only inside Microsoft 365 business plans | Microsoft 365 Business Basic $7/user/mo (from 1 July 2026) | Email; SMS needs Teams Premium (US, Canada, UK) | Not supported | Shared booking pages |
Acuity Scheduling has a seven-day trial instead of a free plan[13]. Microsoft Bookings only comes inside Microsoft 365 business plans and cannot take payments[14]; Business Basic costs $7 per user per month from 1 July 2026[15].
Which one should you pick?
- Several session types, paid, on a budget: Cal.com or TidyCal.
- A salon or studio with staff: Square Appointments or Setmore.
- You already pay for Google Workspace or Microsoft 365: use the booking pages you already have.
- Clients come from Instagram or TikTok: a link-in-bio page with booking, so the link in your bio is the booking page. Browse link-in-bio examples by niche to see how a clinic or coach page is laid out.
Stay with Calendly if…
…you need group events, round-robin across a team or the integrations your company already runs on Calendly, and the per-seat price is fine. Standard removes the one-event-type limit and adds reminders and payments; round-robin is on Teams at $16 per seat per month billed yearly[1].