Calendar booking tools compared (October 2026)
The highest-scoring calendar booking tool in October 2026 is Cal.com (89/100), ahead of Calendly (78/100). Cal.com is furthest ahead on Price for value (17.6 of 24 points; the next best tool has 14.9). The best pick still depends on what you need: see "Best for" below.
Prices last verified . Checked weekly.
Best for
| Best for | Top pick | Runner-up | How we pick |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free |
Cal.com, Koalendar and Zcal
tied
Free plan 12/12
|
TidyCal Free plan 11/12 |
Has a $0 plan. Ranked by our Free plan score (event types, connected calendars and bookings at $0). |
| Freelancers |
Cal.com, Koalendar and Zcal
tied
free
|
TidyCal $0.81/month |
Cheapest plan that covers 1 user with 3 event types and 2 connected calendars, 40 bookings a month and a video link. |
| Small teams |
TidyCal
$12/month
|
Acuity Scheduling $34/month |
Cheapest plan that covers 5 users with 5 event types and 2 connected calendars each, 200 bookings a month, a video link and round robin. |
| Sales teams |
Cal.com
$320/month
|
Calendly $400/month |
Cheapest plan that covers 20 users with 10 event types and 2 connected calendars each, 1,000 bookings a month, a video link, round robin, routing forms and CRM sync (HubSpot or Salesforce). |
| Paid sessions |
Cal.com, TidyCal, YouCanBookMe, Zcal, HubSpot Meetings, Doodle and Setmore
tied
free
|
Koalendar $9.99/month |
Can take payment at booking. Ranked by the monthly price for one user of the cheapest plan that includes payments. |
| Healthcare (HIPAA) |
Cal.com and Doodle
tied
Reliability & privacy 13/16
|
OnceHub Reliability & privacy 11/16 |
Offers a HIPAA option with a business associate agreement. Ranked by our Reliability & privacy score. |
| Developers & open source |
Cal.com, Calendly, OnceHub, TidyCal, YouCanBookMe, Chili Piper, Acuity Scheduling and SavvyCal
tied
Developer & openness 8/10
|
Zoho Bookings Developer & openness 6/10 |
Has a documented API. Ranked by our Developer & openness score (API, webhooks, embedding, open source, self-hosting). |
| Established vendors |
Doodle
SOC 2 Type II, running since 2007
|
YouCanBookMe SOC 2 Type II; ISO 27001, running since 2010 |
Has an independent security audit of the vendor (SOC 2 or ISO 27001) first, then the most years in operation, counting earlier names. |
Tools level on a pick's measure are shown as joint picks. Each pick links to the full ranking for that need.
How to choose a scheduling tool
- Free, for a business: Cal.com, Calendly, OnceHub, Koalendar, TidyCal, YouCanBookMe, Zoho Bookings, Zcal, HubSpot Meetings, Doodle, Setmore and Google Calendar appointment schedules have free plans that don't restrict business use. On Calendly, OnceHub, TidyCal, YouCanBookMe, Zoho Bookings, HubSpot Meetings and Google Calendar appointment schedules, the free plan checks only one calendar for conflicts. Best free plans.
- Working alone: Cal.com, Koalendar and Zcal are cheapest for one person with a work and a personal calendar. Best for freelancers.
- A small team sharing bookings: you need round robin, which Setmore, Google Calendar appointment schedules and Microsoft Bookings don't document. For small teams (5 users, 5 event types, 2 calendars each, 200 bookings/month, video link, round robin), TidyCal is cheapest. Best for small teams.
- A sales team: routing forms and CRM sync push the price up; at 20 users, 10 event types, 2 calendars each, 1,000 bookings/month, video link, round robin, routing forms, CRM sync, Cal.com is cheapest. Best for sales teams.
- Already paying for a suite: HubSpot Meetings, Google Calendar appointment schedules and Microsoft Bookings come with a wider product (email, a CRM or office apps), so check what you already have before buying a separate tool.
- The lowest bill for your team: enter your users and needs in the cost calculator.
All tools, ranked
| # | Tool | Score | Free plan | Paid from | Solo | Small team | Sales team | Prices checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cal.com | 89 | Yes · trial 14d | $16/mo | Free | $80 | $320 | |
| 2 | Calendly | 78 | Yes · trial 14d | $12/mo | $12 | $100 | $400 | |
| 3 | OnceHub | 75 | Yes · trial 14d | $12/mo | $12 | $115 | $460 | |
| 4 | Koalendar | 70 | Yes · trial 7d | $9.99/mo | Free | $49.95 | no fit | |
| 5 | TidyCal | 69 | Yes | $0.81/mo | $0.81 | $12 | no fit | |
| 6 | YouCanBookMe | 66 | Yes · trial 14d | $9/mo | $13 | $90 | no fit | |
| 7 | Zoho Bookings | 64 | Yes · trial 15d | $8/mo | $8 | $40 | no fit | |
| 8 | Zcal | 59 | Yes · trial 14d | $10.50/mo | Free | $52.50 | no fit | |
| 9 | HubSpot Meetings Part of a suite | 57 | Yes | $20/mo | no fit | no fit | no fit | |
| 10 | Chili Piper | 55 | No | $12/mo | $1,250 | $1,250 | $1,475 | |
| 11 | Doodle | 54 | Yes | $15/mo | $15 | $105 | no fit | |
| 12 | Acuity Scheduling | 52 | No · trial 7d | $20/mo | $20 | $34 | no fit | |
| 13 | SavvyCal | 50 | No | $12/mo | $12 | $60 | no fit | |
| 14 | Setmore | 44 | Yes | $12/mo | $12 | no fit | no fit | |
| 15 | Google Calendar appointment schedules Part of a suite | 42 | Yes · trial 14d | $8.40/mo | $16.80 | no fit | no fit | |
| 16 | Microsoft Bookings Part of a suite | 39 | No · trial | $8.40/mo | $8.40 | no fit | no fit |
Setup columns are the monthly cost for the whole team on the cheapest plan that covers each setup, billed monthly (or the yearly price ÷ 12 when no monthly price is published). "No fit" means no published plan covers it. "Paid from" is per user on per-user plans. Order: score, then name. Affiliate status is not an input.
Questions
What is the best calendar booking tool?
Cal.com has the highest score (89/100) on our rubric as of October 2026. The best pick depends on team size and features, so see the "best for" picks.
Is there a free scheduling app like Calendly?
Yes: 12 of the 16 tools we rank have a free plan. The best is Cal.com, which has a free plan with unlimited event types and unlimited connected calendars; Koalendar, which has a free plan with unlimited event types and 2 connected calendars; Zcal, which has a free plan with unlimited event types and unlimited connected calendars.
What is the cheapest paid scheduling tool?
TidyCal, with paid plans from $29 one-time (Individual Lifetime).
How are these tools scored?
Every tool is scored on the same 100-point rubric across price for three team setups, free plan, scheduling features, calendars and integrations, developer features and openness, reliability and privacy, and help docs, all from published information. Problems found in a short functional check take points off. Affiliate links never affect scores or order.
How current are the prices?
Prices and limits are re-checked every week against each vendor's pricing page. Most recent check: 2026-10-29.
Out of scope: AI calendar planners, and salon or clinic suites where booking is one module of a larger system. Missing a tool? Tell us.