Calendly Alternatives for Small Business (2026)

Why people switch

Calendly’s free plan gives you one event type and one connected calendar. That’s fine for a single “book a call” link. It gets tight once you want a 15-minute intro and a 60-minute consult, or need to check two calendars for conflicts.

The paid tiers add up quickly. As of October 2026, Calendly Standard is $10 per seat per month and Teams is $16, both billed yearly. Round-robin scheduling, where bookings rotate across your staff, is a Teams feature. A five-person team on Teams is $80 a month.

Many small businesses already pay for a scheduling tool without knowing it. Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 both include one. That’s the most common reason to switch.

The alternatives

Google Calendar appointment schedules

Who it suits: Businesses already on Google Workspace Business Standard or higher.

Starting price: Included. Business Standard is $14 per user per month on the Annual plan. Business Starter and free personal accounts get one booking page.

On Business Standard and up, you get multiple appointment schedules, automatic email reminders, availability checked across several calendars, paid bookings, email verification to block spam bookings, and up to 20 co-hosts. Bookings land in your calendar with a Meet link attached.

The catch: No routing forms, no round-robin rules as detailed as Calendly’s, and fewer marketing integrations. On Business Starter you’re limited to a single booking page. See Google Workspace pricing.

Microsoft Bookings

Who it suits: Teams on Microsoft 365.

Starting price: Included with Microsoft 365 Business Basic ($7 per user per month, paid yearly), Business Standard and Business Premium.

Bookings offers personal booking pages and shared pages, where customers pick a service and a staff member. You set services, business hours and staff availability. It opens at book.ms and inside Outlook and Teams.

The catch: Setup lives inside the Microsoft admin world, which can confuse non-technical owners. Its integrations outside Microsoft are limited. Read our Microsoft 365 review.

Zoho Bookings

Who it suits: Small teams that want a full scheduling tool at a low per-user price, especially if you use Zoho CRM.

Starting price: Free for one user. Basic is $6 per user per month billed annually ($8 monthly). Premium is $9 ($12 monthly) and adds online payments and integrations for businesses with several locations or departments.

The free plan includes online meetings, reminders and two-way sync with Zoho, Google and Microsoft calendars. Premium is included with Zoho One.

The catch: Basic is limited to one workspace. Booking rooms or equipment is a separate add-on. See our Zoho One review.

Acuity Scheduling

Who it suits: Appointment-driven businesses: salons, coaches, therapists, trainers, consultants.

Starting price: Starter is $16 a month billed annually ($20 monthly) for one calendar. Standard is $27 ($34 monthly) for up to 6 calendars. Premium is $55 ($69 monthly) for up to 36.

Acuity is priced per plan, not per user. It takes payments through Stripe, Square, PayPal or Venmo. Standard adds text reminders, waitlists, packages, memberships and gift certificates. All plans have a 7-day free trial.

The catch: Starter has no text reminders. Removing “Powered by” branding and HIPAA agreements need Premium.

Cal.com

Who it suits: Solo operators who want a strong free plan, and teams comfortable with a newer tool.

Starting price: Free for individuals. Teams is $16 per user per month. Organizations is $37 per user per month.

The free plan includes unlimited event types, calendar syncing, workflow automation, Stripe payments and Cal Video. Cal.com is open source and can be self-hosted.

The catch: Team pricing matches Calendly Teams, so the savings are mostly for individuals. Self-hosting needs technical help to set up and maintain.

Side-by-side table

Prices as of October 2026, billed annually unless noted.

Tool	Free plan	Paid from	Priced per	Best for
Calendly	1 event type	$10	Seat	Sales teams needing routing
Google appointment schedules	1 booking page	Included in Business Standard ($14)	User	Workspace users
Microsoft Bookings	No	Included in Business Basic ($7)	User	Microsoft 365 users
Zoho Bookings	1 user	$6	User	Low-cost teams, Zoho users
Acuity Scheduling	7-day trial	$16	Plan	Client-service businesses
Cal.com	Yes, individuals	$16 (Teams)	User	Solo operators

How to switch without losing data

1. List your event types. Write down every Calendly link, its length, buffers, questions and reminders before you cancel.
2. Build the new pages first. Recreate each event type in the new tool and book a test appointment with a personal email.
3. Leave existing bookings alone. Don’t cancel Calendly until every future meeting booked through it has happened, or you’ll lose reminders and reschedule links.
4. Save your history. Past bookings are already in your calendar. If you also need the answers people gave to booking questions, save them from Calendly before your plan ends.
5. Update every link. Check your website, email signature, Google Business Profile, social bios and any automated emails. An old link on a forgotten page is the usual cause of missed bookings.
6. Reconnect your CRM. If bookings fed HubSpot or Zoho CRM, set up the new connection and confirm a test booking creates a contact.

Our take

Check what you already pay for before you buy anything. If you’re on Google Workspace Business Standard or Microsoft 365, the built-in booking tool handles most small-business scheduling at no extra cost. If you need more, Zoho Bookings is the cheapest full-featured option per user, and Acuity is the stronger fit for salons, studios and practices. Stay on Calendly if your sales team depends on routing forms and Salesforce or HubSpot sync. For more on running a lean stack, see planning your business technology stack, or get it set up and we’ll move your booking pages for you.

Questions people ask

What is the best free alternative to Calendly?

If you have Google Workspace Business Standard or higher, Google Calendar appointment schedules cost nothing extra. Cal.com is free for individuals with unlimited event types. Zoho Bookings has a free plan for one user.

Is Google Calendar appointment scheduling as good as Calendly?

For one-on-one bookings, it covers the basics. Business Standard and up add multiple schedules, email reminders, availability across calendars and paid bookings. It lacks Calendly’s routing forms and deep CRM connections.

Does Microsoft 365 include a scheduling tool?

Yes. Microsoft Bookings is included in Microsoft 365 Business Basic, Business Standard and Business Premium. It supports personal booking pages and shared pages for a team.

How much does Calendly cost?

As of October 2026, Calendly is free for one event type and one connected calendar. Standard is $10 and Teams is $16 per seat per month billed yearly. Enterprise starts at $15,000 a year.

Which Calendly alternative is best for salons, coaches and clinics?

Acuity Scheduling is built for client-service businesses. It handles intake forms, packages, memberships and gift certificates on its higher plans, and takes payments through Stripe, Square or PayPal.

Sources

• Calendly pricing
• Compare premium features for appointment schedules (Google Calendar Help)
• Compare Flexible and Annual/Fixed-Term payment plans (Google Workspace Help)
• Zoho Bookings pricing
• Microsoft Bookings overview (Microsoft Learn)
• Microsoft 365 business plans and pricing
• Acuity Scheduling pricing
• Cal.com