Calendly vs Cal.com: which free scheduling plan suits a one-person business?

Prices checked on the official pricing pages on . Prices are in US dollars and can change at any time.

The short answer

On the free plans, Cal.com gives a single user much more: unlimited event types and calendars plus Stripe and PayPal payments, where Calendly Free allows one event type and one calendar. Calendly's advantage is familiarity; many clients have used it before.

Choose Calendly if

  • Your clients or industry expect a Calendly link
  • One meeting type on the free plan is enough
  • You want Calendly's team routing later (Teams plan)

Choose Cal.com if

  • You need several meeting types or calendars for free
  • You want clients to pay when they book without upgrading
  • You'd like the option to self-host

Calendly vs Cal.com, side by side

CalendlyCal.com
PriceStandard from $10 per seat a month; Teams from $16. Calendly's page didn't say whether these are monthly or yearly-billing rates.Teams $12 per user a month and Organizations $28, both billed yearly. 14-day trial.
Free planOne event type, one connected calendar, one-on-one meetings, a customizable booking page and the browser extension.1 user, unlimited event types and calendars, email and SMS notifications, 100+ integrations, Stripe and PayPal payments. Cal.com says there are no usage limits.
Best forConsultants whose clients already know and expect a Calendly link.Solo consultants and coaches who want paid bookings and several meeting types for free.
Works onWeb browser, iPhone and iPad, Android, Browser extensionWeb browser, iPhone and iPad, Android, Browser extension
Open sourceNoYes
Pros
  • Clients recognise it, so links rarely confuse anyone
  • Free plan is enough for a single kind of meeting
  • The most generous free plan here for a single user
  • Can be self-hosted if you have the technical skills
Cons
  • Free plan allows only one event type and one connected calendar
  • Payments and reminders start on the paid Standard plan
  • Team features (round robin, shared pages) need a paid plan
  • Self-hosting means you maintain and update it yourself
Key features
  • Booking page with your availability
  • Automations and reminders (Standard)
  • HubSpot, Mailchimp, Stripe and PayPal connections (Standard)
  • Round-robin and team scheduling (Teams)
  • Unlimited event types on the free plan
  • Stripe and PayPal payments on the free plan
  • One-click import of Calendly event types
  • Self-hosting option (Docker)
LinksAlternatives
Calendly website		Alternatives
Cal.com website

Prices checked on the official pricing pages on . Prices are in US dollars and can change at any time.

Neither quite right?

Other scheduling and booking tools worth a look:

  • TidyCal: A simple booking-page tool from AppSumo that you can buy once instead of subscribing. From $8.25/mo, free plan.
  • Zoho Bookings: Zoho's appointment scheduler, with a free plan for one user and low-cost paid tiers. From $6/mo, free plan.
  • Google Calendar appointment schedules: Booking pages built into Google Calendar, so there's no new account to set up. See vendor, free plan.
  • Acuity Scheduling: Squarespace's appointment scheduler, built for service businesses that take bookings and payments every day. From $16/mo.

Sources

Official pages we checked for the prices, plans and limits on this page:

How we choose and check these tools

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