13 Calendly Alternatives & Competitors to consider in 2021
Time management and scheduling are essential for freelancers and small businesses, especially since online consultations and Zoom calls have become common in this day and age. However, due to limited resources, scheduling and booking can be challenging for many entrepreneurs.
Fortunately, platforms such as Calendly offer software solutions that make scheduling and workflow management easy for small and medium enterprises. However, lack of personalisation features and issues with the user interface can be problematic for some users. Fortunately, many Calendly alternatives are available for small businesses to choose from.
(We mention the hidden gems π on top of our list, to give them more exposure, over the already popular ones)
π HIDDEN GEMS
1. YouCanBook.Me

Handling over one million bookings a month, YouCanBook.me is an established player that offers features to help with scheduling, managing team availability and handling multiple bookings in different time zones.
Pros
βοΈ Robust tools to manage scheduling and availability for large teams
βοΈ Ample customization options for booking pages and notifications
βοΈ Multiple booking pages and team members allowed in 1 account
βοΈ Versatile features to communicate with customers
Cons
β User interface can be clunky and difficult to grasp intuitively
β Mobile app is not available
Pricing
π° Free trial available for 14 days
π° $10/calendar/month billed monthly
Best Known for
YouCanBook.me is best known for its team-driven workflow and scheduling features. Small businesses that have Sales, UX or Recruitment teams will find YouCanBook.me very useful.
2. SimplyBook.Me

SimplyBook.me offers a versatile online booking system that caters to βservice-based businessesβ. Along with booking services, SimplyBook.Me also offers web design, sales, marketing and client management features.
Pros
βοΈ Versatile integration options that can even enable businesses to take bookings from social media sites such as Facebook and Instagram
βοΈ Advanced payment features (gift cards and coupons can also be incorporated)
βοΈ Versatile templates to develop booking websites and widgets
βοΈ Advanced analytics available to monitor sales and business performance
Cons
β Customer support is lacking
β Lack of team-management and scheduling features
Pricing
π° Free trial for 14 days
π° Basic plan – $9.9/month
π° Standard plan – $29.9/month
π° Premium plan- $59.9/month
Best known for
The key strength of SimplyBook.me is that it provides industry-specific solutions and templates for service-based businesses. It tailors its products and services based on the business needs of its clients.
3. GoSchedule.io

One of the smaller players in the scheduling software space, GoSchedule.io nevertheless offers many handy features and is a great Calendly alternative. GoSchedule.io helps businesses with automated features for scheduling, booking-site development and CRM (Customer Relationship Management)
Pros
βοΈ Dynamic pricing tools to help businesses charge different prices in different situations
βοΈ Advanced analytics available to optimize business performance
βοΈ Versatile CRM tools to analyse customer requirements and behaviours based on their scheduling
βοΈ Automation features for daily tasks and reminders
Cons
β Lack of templates for booking sites
β User interface is clunky and prone to glitches
Pricing
π° Solo plans ($9/month)
π° Starter plan ($29/month)
π° Professional plan ($49/month)
π° Enterprise plan (custom pricing)
Best Known for
GoSchedule.io is best known for its automation features that make daily task reminders and CRM smoother and efficient.
π₯ TOP PERFORMERS
4. Timely

With an emphasis on beauty and wellness, Timely offers features that help with appointments, client management, sales and marketing and inventory management. Timely even offers hardware solutions for businesses that need it. This versatile range of offerings makes timely a unique player in the scheduling software space and a great alternative to Calendly
Pros
βοΈ Versatile mobile app that gives the complete βpoint of saleβ experience to clients
βοΈRobust client management features, powered through Timelyβs website and consult app
βοΈ Inventory management features to help businesses manage their supply chain
βοΈ Streamlined user interface with smart color-coding features
Cons
β Lack of integration options compared to peers
β Only available in English
Pricing
π° Solo plans at $15/Month
π° 2-7 staff plans at $30/month/2 staff
π° 8-20 staff plans at $200 per month
π° Customised pricing for businesses with over 20 staff members
Best known for
Timely is best known for its versatile Android and iOS app that offers point-of-sales and client management features with a user interface that is intuitive and easy to use.
5. Chili Piper

Classifying itself as a βbuyer enablerβ, Chili Piper provides a novel platform to help convert inbound leads into sales through its scheduling and CRM features. Along with scheduling and booking, Chili Piper also provides automated software to manage in-person meetings at events.
Pros
βοΈ Intelligent lead-routing and multiple calendar integrations to pre-book meetings
βοΈ Automated features are prominent throughout the platform
βοΈ Easy to integrate into existing SaaS platforms
βοΈ Event features make it easy to convert leads at trade shows and conferences
Cons
β Lack of options to process payments
β Lack of analytics features
Pricing
π° Basic plan- $37.5/user/month
π° Concierge plan (scheduling only)- $37.5/user/month + $300 flat fee/month
π° Concierge plan (scheduling + live calls)- $37.5/user/month + $525 flat fee/month
π° Events plan – $60/user/month+ $500 flat fee per month.
Best known for
Chili Piper specialises in using automation to boost CRM capabilities through lead conversion, this is what makes it a unique player in the scheduling-software space.
6. X.ai

Taking automation to the next level, X.ai is a completely artificial-intelligence based scheduling and team management solutions provider. AI and Neural networks tend to reduce the scope for human error, hence making the scheduling process more efficient.
Pros
βοΈ Ample customisation options for branded emails and custom calendar pages
βοΈ In-depth analytics available in dashboard
βοΈ Neural networks use data from past calendars to streamline the scheduling process
βοΈ Email based scheduling makes it easy to book appointments from any device
Cons
β Payment options only limited to stripe
β User interface is not very smooth and streamlined
Pricing
π° Free plan available,
π° Individual plan – $10 per user per month
π° Team plan- $15 per user per month
Best known for
Since artificial intelligence and neural networking is a huge park of x.ai, automation is one of its core strengths and it makes the platform very popular among many big corporates e.g. Disney, Nike and Coca Cola.
7. Genbook

Being one of the largest scheduling software providers, processing over one millions bookings a month, Genbook is an established player and a tough Calendly competitor that has been providing online scheduling, booking site and payments solutions since 2006.
Pros
βοΈ Multipurpose calendar features that can be used from any device
βοΈ Optimized booking features that help with last minute bookings and freed-up slots
βοΈ Point of sale payment features to boost in-store sales
βοΈ Versatile performance dashboard and analytics
Cons
β Lack of payment integration options
β Mobile app is not very user friendly
Pricing
π° Solo plan- $29/month billed monthly
π° Team plan (2-5 users) – $59/month billed monthly
π° Company plan (6-12 users) – $99/month billed monthly
Best known for
Genbook is known for its superlative technical support and customer service, this is what makes them so popular amongst Saas providers.
π RISING STARS
8. Zoom.ai

Similar to X.ai, Zoom.ai also uses artificial intelligence and neural networking to make scheduling and appointment management easy for businesses. Along with scheduling, they also offer sales, marketing and recruitment features to meet the needs of businesses of all sizes.
Pros
βοΈ Thorough automation of meeting scheduling, CRM updates and document generation
βοΈ Video conferencing features to help with remote meetings
βοΈ CRM synchronization features help log meeting activity and view customer information
βοΈ Versatile recruitment features to help with candidate research and interview preparation
Cons
β Lack of payment integration options
β Lack of analytics features
Pricing
π° Basic plan – Free
π° Professional plan – $15/month
π° Team plan- $25/month/user
Best known for
Zoom.ai is best known for its video conferencing features and its use of artificial intelligence to schedule remote meetings
9. Setmore

Setmore offers a novel platform with solutions and features that are designed to be streamlined and easy to use. Setmore offers booking, appointment and online payment features through its desktop platform and its mobile apps.
Pros
βοΈ Solutions and features are customized based on the industry-needs of the client
βοΈ User interface and mobile app are lightweight and easy to use
βοΈ Handy features to manage online reviews
βοΈ Staff scheduling features to optimize workflow management
Cons
β Only Square and Stripe available for payments integrations
β Lack of analytics features
Pricing
π° Free plan available
π° Premium plan- $25/month up to 20 users
π° Customised pricing for live booking plans
Best known for
Setmore specializes in providing industry specific solutions, hence its customized plans based on the needs of their clients makes it very unique. They are also known for their easy to use and streamlined mobile app.
10. Cogsworth

This Australian start up provides an all-in-one online scheduling and appointment booking tool to cater to businesses of all sizes. Along with booking and scheduling, Cogsworth also offers custom web design and payments solutions as well.
Pros
βοΈ Custom integrations can be created with web-hooks and APIs
βοΈ Flexible video conferencing features
βοΈ Options for customised URLs and domain names
βοΈ Multiple languages are offered on the platform
Cons
β Lack of features for lead conversion and funnelling
β Lack of analytics features
Pricing
π° Solo plan- $9/month
π° Upstart plan- $29/month
π° Power plan- $69/month
Best known for
Cogsworth is best known for its flexibility when it comes to integrations. Through APIs and Webhooks, integrations can be customized into any platform.
11. Bookafy

Bookafy offers scheduling and booking tools at some of the most competitive prices in the scheduling software space. Team booking features and enterprise solutions are also offered by Bookafy.
Pros
βοΈ Unique team scheduling features such as skill-based scheduling
βοΈ Flexible scheduling features where lead times, appointment limits, start times and buffer times can be adjusted as per client requirements
βοΈ Enterprise and individual solutions offered in multiple languages
βοΈ Unlimited users can be added with Pro and Pro+ plan
Cons
β Back-end dashboard is not very streamlined
β Lack of options w.r.t payment methods
Pricing
π° Free trial available
π° Pro plan- $9/month
π° Pro+ plan- $13/month
π° Custom pricing for enterprise solutions
π° Special discounts and deals are also available for non-profits and start-ups
Best known for
Bookafy is best known for being a value-for-money scheduling platform. Considering all the powerful features being offered on their platform, their prices are very competitive.
12. AppToto

AppToto provides scheduling and appointment booking software for business looking to reduce no-shows and increase recurring revenues. AppToto is a great alternative to Calendly and also provides businesses with campaign features to increase appointments with existing clients.
Pros
βοΈ Sharp communication and reminder features to engage with clients
βοΈ Campaign features to attract repeat customers
βοΈ Industry specific customized solutions available
βοΈ Multilingual messaging options are available
Cons
β Payment integrations have to be custom made
β Pricing on higher side compared to peers, given the features offered
Pricing
π° Starter plan- $29/month
π° Plus plan- $59/month
π° Professional plan- $99/month
π° Group plan- $249/month
Best known for
Apptoto is best known for its campaign features. These are versatile marketing tools which help boost business from repeat clients and reduce no-shows.
13. Sidekick AI

Sidekick uses smart AI to make scheduling and booking easier. Through its scheduling network, Sidekick makes appointment management swift and easy. A virtual assistant is also provided for every account.
Pros
βοΈ Bookings can be made through Sidekick assistant via chat or email
βοΈ Flexible features to manage availability
βοΈ Auto-scheduling features help remove clutter
βοΈ Robust group features to manage teams
Cons
β Limited integration options, there are many integrations that have to be custom made
β Lack of customisation options
Pricing
π° Free trial available
π° Premium account at $10/month
π° Custom prices for enterprise solutions
Best known for
Sidekick is best known for its AI-based assistant feature, which makes swift and easy bookings through emails and chat.
Conclusion
Did you like the list? Have we missed something important? Let us know in the comments