8 best Calendly alternatives in 2026 (free and paid)
Short answer: People leave Calendly for two reasons: the free plan allows one event type, and every paid feature is billed per seat ($10 to $16 per seat per month on yearly billing). The best alternatives are TidyCal for solo pros who want to get paid, Cal.com for developers and open source, Acuity for appointment businesses, SavvyCal for sales and client calls, and Zoho Bookings for teams already on Zoho.
Yes, this list is written by TidyCal, so we put ourselves first. We also say where each tool beats us, so you can pick the right one. If you have already decided you want one tool to replace Calendly, read how to switch from Calendly to TidyCal in 5 minutes instead.
Quick comparison
| Tool | Free plan | Paid from | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| TidyCal | Yes, unlimited booking types | $29 one time | Coaches, consultants, solo pros |
| Cal.com | Yes, unlimited event types | $12/user/mo (Teams) | Developers, open source, custom setups |
| Acuity Scheduling | No, 7-day trial | $20/mo ($16/mo yearly) | Salons, studios, intake-heavy appointments |
| SavvyCal | No | $12/user/mo ($10 yearly) | Sales and client calls |
| Zoho Bookings | Yes, 1 user, no payments | $8/user/mo ($6 yearly) | Teams already on Zoho |
| Google Calendar appointment schedules | Yes, basic | Google Workspace plans | People already in Google Workspace |
| YouCanBookMe | Yes, 1 booking page | Paid plans, see their pricing page | Simple booking pages |
| Square Appointments | Yes | Paid plans, see their pricing page | In-person service businesses using Square |
| Calendly (for reference) | Yes, 1 event type | $10/seat/mo yearly ($12 monthly) | Sales teams, CRM-heavy workflows |
Competitor prices are list prices from each vendor's pricing page as of September 2026 and can change. Check before you buy.
Why people look for a Calendly alternative
Calendly is good software. Most people who leave are not unhappy with how it works. They are unhappy with what it costs to do simple things.
- The free plan is one event type. Most people need at least two: a short intro call and a longer paid session. On Calendly, the second one means a paid seat.
- Taking payment needs a paid plan. Stripe and PayPal payments, session packages and coupon codes all start at Standard ($10 per seat per month billed yearly, $12 month to month).
- Teams pay per seat. Round robin starts at Teams, $16 per seat per month billed yearly ($20 month to month). A team of five pays five times.
- There is no way to pay once. Calendly is subscription only. There is no lifetime plan.
If none of those bother you, stay on Calendly. If one of them does, the list below is sorted by who each tool fits best.
What to look for in a Calendly alternative
Before you compare feature lists, answer four questions. They rule out most tools fast.
1. Do you charge for your time?
If yes, check which plan unlocks payments, packages and subscriptions. Some tools put payments on the free plan. Others make it a top-tier feature. This is the single biggest price difference between tools.
2. Is it just you, or a team?
Solo pros should look at the free plan and the cheapest paid plan. Teams should do the math on seats. A $16 seat looks cheap until you multiply it by five people and twelve months.
3. Do you want to pay monthly or once?
Almost every scheduling tool is a subscription. A lifetime plan costs more on day one and less every year after. Over three years it is usually the cheapest option by a wide margin.
4. What do you need to plug into?
If your sales team lives in Salesforce, the choice narrows to tools with deep CRM routing. If you need Zoom links, Stripe and a calendar, almost every tool here works.
1. TidyCal
TidyCal is a scheduling app from AppSumo used by 150,000+ people. The Free plan includes unlimited booking types, unlimited bookings, one calendar connection, and paid bookings through Stripe or PayPal. Packages, subscriptions, recurring bookings and discount codes are on the Free plan too.
Pricing: Free. Individual Lifetime is $29 one time. Agency Lifetime is $79 one time for up to 4 people. Pro is $12 a month or $99 a year and removes TidyCal branding. The lifetime plans are sold through AppSumo.
Why people switch from Calendly: sell session packages, client subscriptions and coupons on every plan; get a booking page with your bio and reviews; import your Calendly event types, bookings and contacts in one click.
Where it falls short: fewer CRM integrations than Calendly (no Salesforce, no routing forms), and team scheduling needs Agency Lifetime or Pro. On the Free plan, Stripe bookings may carry a small TidyCal platform fee; see the current fee.
Best for: coaches, consultants, tutors and other solo pros who charge for sessions. See TidyCal for life coaches, consultants and tutors.
2. Cal.com
Open-source scheduling you can self-host or use hosted. The free individual plan includes unlimited event types, unlimited calendars and Stripe and PayPal payments, which makes it one of the most generous free plans on this list.
Pricing: Free for one user. Teams is $12 per user per month, and that is where round robin and collective events live. Organizations is $28 per user per month and adds SSO and sub-teams.
Best for: technical teams who want APIs, self-hosting and routing forms. Tradeoff: more settings to learn than simpler tools, and team features are per user. Full comparison: TidyCal as a Cal.com alternative.
3. Acuity Scheduling
Squarespace's scheduling tool, built for appointment businesses. Strong on intake forms, packages, memberships, gift certificates and multiple staff calendars.
Pricing: no free plan, a 7-day trial, then Starter at $20 a month ($16 billed yearly). Packages, memberships and text reminders start at Standard, $34 a month. Removing the Acuity logo needs Premium, $61 a month.
Best for: salons, wellness studios and clinics that need gift certificates, a waitlist, Square or Venmo payments, or a signed HIPAA BAA (on Premium). Tradeoff: a monthly bill from day one. Full comparison: TidyCal as an Acuity alternative.
4. SavvyCal
Known for letting invitees overlay their own calendar on your availability, which makes picking a time faster. It also has ranked availability and time blocking to protect focus time.
Pricing: no free plan for scheduling links. Basic is $12 per user per month ($10 yearly). Paid bookings, custom domains and delegated access are on Premium, $20 per user per month.
Best for: consultants and sales reps with lots of 1:1 calls. Tradeoff: charging for bookings needs Premium. Full comparison: TidyCal as a SavvyCal alternative.
5. Zoho Bookings
Scheduling inside the Zoho suite. If your business runs on Zoho CRM or Zoho One, bookings sync into the tools you already use, and you can book rooms and equipment as resources.
Pricing: a free plan for one user without online payments. Basic is $8 per user per month ($6 yearly) and Premium is $12 ($9 yearly). Online payments are on Premium.
Best for: teams already inside Zoho. Tradeoff: per-user pricing adds up, and taking payments needs the top plan. Full comparison: TidyCal as a Zoho Bookings alternative.
6. Google Calendar appointment schedules
Built into Google Calendar. Good enough if you just need people to grab an open slot on your calendar.
Best for: people already paying for Google Workspace who need basic booking. Tradeoff: limited branding and workflows.
7. YouCanBookMe
A long-running, simple booking page tool. The free plan covers one calendar connection and one booking page, and paid plans add more of both plus Stripe payments.
Best for: basic booking with light customization. Tradeoff: fewer ways to sell your time (packages, subscriptions).
8. Square Appointments
Scheduling from Square, the point-of-sale company. Built for in-person services, with reminders, cards on file and a free plan for solo professionals.
Best for: businesses already using Square for payments at a physical location. Tradeoff: built around a storefront, less suited to online calls.
What three years of scheduling costs
Monthly prices hide the real number. Here is what one person and a team of five pay over three years, using list prices.
| One person, 3 years | Team of 5 with round robin, 3 years | |
|---|---|---|
| TidyCal | $0 on Free, $29 once on Individual Lifetime, or $297 on Pro | $297 on Pro, no seat fees |
| Calendly | $360 on Standard, billed yearly | $2,880 on Teams, billed yearly |
| Cal.com | Free plan covers most solo needs | $2,160 on Teams |
| SavvyCal | $360 on Basic, billed yearly | $1,800 on Basic, billed yearly |
List prices as of September 2026, before tax. Annual billing where the vendor offers it.
What you give up when you leave Calendly
Be honest with yourself about this part. Calendly does a few things better than most tools on this list:
- Sales routing. Routing forms, Salesforce and HubSpot routing and lead qualification are Calendly's strongest area. If a sales team books meetings from inbound forms, few alternatives match it.
- Invitee familiarity. A lot of people have booked through Calendly before. That matters less than it sounds, because every booking page works the same way: pick a day, pick a time, enter your email.
- Built-in video links on the free plan. Calendly adds Zoom, Google Meet and Teams links on every plan. On TidyCal, automatic meeting links come with the Lifetime and Pro plans; on Free you paste your own link.
If you are a solo pro or a small team that mostly needs people to book and pay, none of those should hold you back.
How to choose
- You charge for your time (coaching, consulting, lessons): TidyCal or Acuity.
- You want free and unlimited: TidyCal or Cal.com.
- You want to pay once: TidyCal. It is the only tool here with a lifetime plan.
- You have a developer and want control: Cal.com.
- You live in Zoho: Zoho Bookings.
- You run a sales team on Salesforce: stay on Calendly Teams.
How to switch without losing bookings
Whichever tool you pick, the switch looks the same:
- Sign up for the new tool and connect your calendar first, so it can see when you are busy.
- Recreate your event types: name, length, availability, price and questions. TidyCal can import these from Calendly for you.
- Connect Stripe or PayPal if you charge, and your video tool.
- Swap the booking link on your website, email signature and social profiles.
- Leave Calendly running until the last meeting booked there has happened, and turn off its reminders so people do not get two.
FAQ
What is the best free Calendly alternative?
TidyCal and Cal.com both have free plans with unlimited booking types and paid bookings. Calendly's free plan allows one event type and no payments. Google Calendar appointment schedules are free with a Google account for basic booking.
What is the cheapest Calendly alternative?
TidyCal. The Free plan costs $0, and the Individual Lifetime plan is $29 one time. One year of Calendly Standard is $10 per seat per month billed yearly.
Is there a Calendly alternative with a lifetime deal?
Yes. TidyCal sells Individual Lifetime for $29 and Agency Lifetime for $79 as one-time payments through AppSumo. Calendly, Cal.com, Acuity, SavvyCal and Zoho Bookings are all subscriptions.
Which Calendly alternative is best for coaches who charge?
TidyCal, if you want paid bookings, packages and subscriptions on a free plan. Acuity, if you also need gift certificates or a waitlist and do not mind a monthly bill.
Can I move my Calendly event types to another tool?
TidyCal has a Calendly importer that brings across event types, bookings and contacts. The other tools on this list have you recreate event types by hand, which takes a few minutes per type.
Comparing just the two? Read TidyCal vs Calendly, or see TidyCal pricing. New to TidyCal? Start with What is TidyCal? and the TidyCal FAQ.
Get booked. Get paid.
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