Productivity · Ranked by price to features
10 Best Appointment Scheduling Software of 2026
By the Rankozo research desk · Updated November 6, 2026 · Next review December 21, 2026
Cal.com is the best appointment scheduling software for consultants and small teams in 2026, because its free plan already takes Stripe and PayPal payments and team seats cost $12 per user per month billed yearly; Setmore suits clinics and service businesses that want card, deposit and Tap to Pay payments for every staff member; Setmore Pro is also the cheapest paid per-user plan at $5 per user per month billed annually.
- Tools ranked
- 10
- With free plan
- 8
- Cheapest paid plan
- Setmore, $5
- per user per month
Comparison table
| Tool | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cal.com | 01 | 8.8 | 9.2 | $12per user per month | Yes |
| Calendly | 02 | 8.6 | 8.2 | $10per seat per month | Yes |
| Setmore | 03 | 8.6 | 9.1 | $5per user per month | Yes |
| Zoho Bookings | 04 | 8.6 | 9.0 | $6per user per month | Yes |
| Square Appointments | 05 | 8.5 | 8.3 | $49per location per month | Yes |
| TidyCal | 06 | 8.5 | 9.3 | $8.25per month | Yes |
| Acuity Scheduling | 07 | 8.3 | 7.8 | $16per month | No |
| SimplyBook.me | 08 | 8.1 | 8.0 | Free plan | Yes |
| YouCanBookMe | 09 | 8.1 | 7.9 | Free plan | Yes |
| Microsoft Bookings | 10 | 7.9 | 8.2 | $7per user per month | No |
Click a column to sort. Prices are the cheapest paid plan quoted from each vendor's US pricing page; "Check price" means the US price check is pending.
How this ranking works
One method for every tool. We compared documented features and published prices; we did not run hands-on tests. Value carries the most weight.
Full methodThis list is for consultants, coaches, clinics, salons and other service providers who want clients to book and pay online. Booking tools charge in very different ways: per user, per location, per calendar, by booking volume, or as part of a wider software bundle, so the cheapest tool depends on how many staff take appointments and how you get paid. We compared documented features and published prices on each vendor's own pages and scored value at 40%, features at 35% and ease of use at 25%. Prices are the cheapest paid plan in USD as shown on the vendor page in November 2026. Two vendors showed prices in another currency or an unclear billing period from our location, so those are marked as pending.
The verdict
Cal.com gives the most for the least: one person can take Stripe or PayPal payments, connect unlimited calendars and send email and SMS notifications on the free plan, and teams pay $12 per user per month on yearly billing for round robin and routing forms. Setmore is the best value for multi-staff service businesses, with a free plan for up to 4 users that already accepts online and in-person payments and a Pro plan at $5 per user. Zoho Bookings is the cheapest per-user option for teams that already use Zoho CRM, and Calendly remains the easiest to roll out across a sales or consulting team. Square Appointments is the pick for salons and clinics that take most payments at the front desk, Acuity Scheduling suits solo practices that sell packages and memberships, and TidyCal is the low-cost choice for solo coaches.
- 01Top value
Cal.com
8.8/10An open scheduling platform with a free plan for individuals and per-user plans for teams and larger organizations.
Price
$12per user per month
Free plan for one user; Teams from $12 per user per month billed yearly
“Teams Yearly $12 per user/month Save 25% For small teams & startups with combined scheduling needs.” Quoted from the pricing page, November 6, 2026.
- Free plan
- Yes
- Free trial
- 14 days
- Value (40%)
- 9.2
- Features (35%)
- 8.7
- Ease of use (25%)
- 8.3
Best forConsultants, coaches and small teams that want to take paid bookings for free and add team routing later.
Cal.com puts more into its free plan than any other tool we compared. A single user gets unlimited booking links and calendar connections, email and SMS notifications, more than 100 integrations, a mobile app, two-way Salesforce and HubSpot sync and Stripe and PayPal payments without paying anything. For a solo consultant who charges for sessions, that covers the whole booking and checkout flow. Teams costs $12 per user per month on yearly billing and adds shared availability, round robin, managed and collective links, recurring events, routing forms, booking analytics and removal of Cal.com branding. Organizations at $28 per user adds sub-teams, a company subdomain, SAML SSO and SCIM and lists SOC 2, HIPAA and ISO 27001 compliance, which matters for clinics. The trade-offs are small: the free plan shows Cal.com branding, the page lists yearly prices only, and clinical compliance needs the higher tier.
- ✓The free plan takes Stripe and PayPal payments with no stated usage limits
- ✓Two-way Salesforce and HubSpot sync on the free plan
- ✓One-click import of Calendly event types
- ✕Removing Cal.com branding needs the Teams plan
- ✕Only yearly prices are shown on the pricing page
- ✕Compliance features such as HIPAA sit on the $28 Organizations plan
- Free plan:
- Yes, 1 user
- Cheapest paid plan:
- Teams, $12 per user per month billed yearly
- Payments:
- Stripe and PayPal, including the free plan
- Free trial:
- 14 days on paid plans
- Next tier:
- Organizations, $28 per user per month billed yearly
Bottom line: Cal.com is the strongest free start for paid one-on-one sessions and a fair per-user price once a team needs routing. Clinics that need HIPAA should budget for Organizations.
- 02
Calendly
8.6/10The widely used scheduling link tool, with a free plan and per-seat plans for individuals, teams and enterprises.
Price
$10per seat per month
Free plan; Standard from $10 per seat per month billed yearly
“$10 /seat/mo Seats are required for users to connect calendars and host Calendly meetings” Quoted from the pricing page, November 6, 2026.
- Free plan
- Yes
- Value (40%)
- 8.2
- Features (35%)
- 8.6
- Ease of use (25%)
- 9.2
Best forConsultants and client-facing teams that want the easiest booking links and sales integrations.
Calendly is the tool most clients already recognize, and its booking flow is the simplest to share. The free plan covers unlimited one-on-one meetings with one event type, one calendar connection, a customizable booking page and the browser extension, which suits a consultant offering one kind of call. Standard costs $10 per seat per month billed yearly and adds unlimited event types, up to 6 calendars, automated reminders, cancellation policies, HubSpot and Mailchimp connections and Stripe and PayPal payments. Teams at $16 per seat adds round robin, lead qualification and routing, centrally managed event types and Salesforce, Marketo and Pardot connections. Enterprise starts at $15k a year from 50 seats. For our angle the main weakness is payments: a solo provider who charges for sessions has to pay for Standard, while Cal.com, Setmore, TidyCal and YouCanBookMe take payments on their free plans.
- ✓Invitees never need a seat or account to book
- ✓Unlimited one-on-one meetings on every plan
- ✓Cancellation policies and automated reminders on Standard
- ✕The free plan cannot take payments
- ✕Free is limited to one event type
- ✕Round robin needs Teams at $16 per seat
- Free plan:
- Yes, one event type and one calendar
- Cheapest paid plan:
- Standard, $10 per seat per month billed yearly
- Teams:
- $16 per seat per month billed yearly
- Payments:
- Stripe and PayPal on Standard and above
- Enterprise:
- From $15k per year, from 50 seats
Bottom line: Calendly is the easiest scheduling link to roll out to clients and a team. Expect to pay $10 per seat to charge for bookings.
- 03
Setmore
8.6/10An appointment booking app for service businesses with a free plan for up to 4 users and built-in online and in-person payments.
Price
$5per user per month
Free for up to 4 users; Pro from $5 per user per month billed annually ($12 monthly)
“Pro Unlimited users $5* user / mo Compare plans *Annual pricing” Quoted from the pricing page, November 6, 2026.
- Free plan
- Yes
- Value (40%)
- 9.1
- Features (35%)
- 8.0
- Ease of use (25%)
- 8.8
Best forClinics, salons and service teams that want low per-user pricing and payments at booking and at the desk.
Setmore is built for businesses where several staff take appointments and clients pay in more than one way. The free plan covers up to 4 users with unlimited appointments, a branded booking page and mobile app, team calendars and permission levels, and it already accepts online payments, in-person payments, Tap to Pay and a cash register through Square, Stripe, PayPal or LawPay. Pro opens unlimited users at $5 per user per month on annual billing, or $12 monthly, and adds deposits, recurring appointments, video appointments, SMS reminders, two-way calendar sync, Google review requests and removal of Setmore branding. A US-only Live Receptionist service answers calls for $99 a month as a separate plan. The main gaps are that free users get one-way calendar visibility only and cannot take deposits, and the low headline price depends on paying for a year at a time.
- ✓Pro at $5 per user per month on annual billing is the lowest per-user price we found
- ✓Payments work on the free plan, including Tap to Pay
- ✓24/7 human support listed on both plans
- ✕Two-way calendar sync is a Pro feature
- ✕Deposits and recurring appointments need Pro
- ✕Monthly billing more than doubles the per-user price to $12
- Free plan:
- Yes, up to 4 users
- Cheapest paid plan:
- Pro, $5 per user per month billed annually
- Monthly billing:
- Pro $12 per user
- Payment providers:
- Square, Stripe, PayPal, LawPay
- Add-on:
- Live Receptionist, $99 per month, US only
Bottom line: Setmore is the cheapest way to give a whole service team online booking with payments, from free to $5 per user. Pay for Pro if deposits or two-way calendar sync matter.
- 04
Zoho Bookings
8.6/10Zoho's appointment scheduling app with a free plan for one user and per-user plans that sync with Zoho CRM.
Price
$6per user per month
Free for one user; Basic from $6 per user per month billed yearly ($8 monthly)
“BASIC US$ 6 per user TRY FOR FREE ACCESS ZOHO BOOKINGS Contact sales for custom pricing Contact us US$8 per user /month” Quoted from the pricing page, November 6, 2026.
- Free plan
- Yes
- Value (40%)
- 9.0
- Features (35%)
- 8.4
- Ease of use (25%)
- 8.3
Best forTeams that want low per-user pricing, round robin and routing, especially if they already use Zoho apps.
Zoho Bookings is a low-cost per-user option with more team tools than its price suggests. The forever free plan covers one user with online meetings, email notifications and reminders and two-way sync with Zoho, Google and Microsoft calendars. Basic costs $6 per user per month on yearly billing, or $8 monthly, and Premium $9, or $12 monthly. The plan comparison lists round robin with four distribution methods, routing forms, a customer portal, appointment limits, email blocklists, audit logs, recurring, collective and group bookings, email and SMS workflows and white labeling. Integrations include Zoho CRM, Bigin, Zoho SalesIQ, Zapier, WhatsApp and payment providers. Zoho describes Premium as the plan for organizations with multiple locations or departments that need online payments and integrations, so teams that charge at booking should budget for $9 rather than $6. Rooms and equipment are bought separately as resources.
- ✓Basic at $6 per user per month billed yearly is among the lowest per-user prices
- ✓Round robin and routing forms are listed in the core features
- ✓Deep sync with Zoho CRM and Bigin
- ✕Zoho positions online payments for teams on the $9 Premium plan
- ✕Basic includes 1 workspace, Premium 3
- ✕Resource bookings for rooms and equipment are paid add-ons
- Free plan:
- Yes, 1 user
- Cheapest paid plan:
- Basic, $6 per user per month billed yearly
- Monthly billing:
- Basic $8, Premium $12 per user
- Premium:
- $9 per user per month billed yearly
- Pricing page updated:
- October 1, 2026
Bottom line: Zoho Bookings gives teams round robin and routing at $6 per user, and it is the natural choice inside the Zoho suite. Plan on Premium if you collect payments online.
- 05
Square Appointments
8.5/10Square's booking and point of sale software for appointment businesses, priced per location with built-in card processing.
Price
$49per location per month
Square Free with processing fees only; Plus $49 per location per month; Premium $149 per location per month
“With Square Plus and Square Premium, the monthly fee applies to each location you run. $0/mo. per location $49/mo. per location $149/mo. per location” Quoted from the pricing page, November 6, 2026.
- Free plan
- Yes
- Free trial
- 30 days
- Value (40%)
- 8.3
- Features (35%)
- 8.8
- Ease of use (25%)
- 8.5
Best forSalons, spas and clinics that take most payments in person and want no-show protection.
Square Appointments is the most payment-focused tool on this list, because booking, point of sale and card processing come from one company. Square Free has no monthly fee and includes an online booking site, appointment reminders and unlimited staff calendars, so a busy salon can start without a subscription and pay only processing fees. Clients can prepay, leave deposits and check out with Apple Pay or Google Pay while booking. Plus costs $49 per location per month and adds cancellation policies with no-show fees charged to a card on file, multi-staff appointments, waitlists, class packages, processing time for services like hair color and multi-location management. Premium at $149 adds resource management and service cost tracking. Plus also cuts the online card rate from 3.3% + 30¢ to 2.9% + 30¢. The catch is that you must process through Square, and the per-location fee is steep for a single consultant.
- ✓The free plan includes unlimited staff calendars and reminders
- ✓Payments, point of sale and booking in one system
- ✓Lower card rates on paid plans: 2.9% + 30¢ online on Plus against 3.3% + 30¢ on Free
- ✕Plus costs $49 per location, a lot for a solo provider
- ✕Payments run through Square processing only
- ✕No-show fees and waitlists need Plus
- Free plan:
- Yes, processing fees only
- Cheapest paid plan:
- Plus, $49 per location per month
- Online card rate:
- 3.3% + 30¢ on Free, 2.9% + 30¢ on Plus
- In-person card rate:
- 2.6% + 15¢ on Free, 2.5% + 15¢ on Plus
- Free trial:
- 30 days on Plus and Premium
Bottom line: Square Appointments is the best fit when the booking and the card terminal should be one system. The free plan is generous, and Plus pays off once no-shows cost real money.
- 06
TidyCal
8.5/10A simple booking page tool from AppSumo with a free plan, one-time lifetime plans and a low-cost Pro subscription.
Price
$8.25per month
Free plan; Pro $99 per year (about $8.25 per month) or $12 monthly; lifetime plans from $29 one time
“Pro Monthly Yearly -31% $12 per month $8 .25 $12 per month · billed annually at $99” Quoted from the pricing page, November 6, 2026.
- Free plan
- Yes
- Value (40%)
- 9.3
- Features (35%)
- 7.4
- Ease of use (25%)
- 8.8
Best forSolo coaches and freelancers who want paid bookings and packages at the lowest total cost.
TidyCal is the budget option for one person selling their time. The free plan already includes unlimited bookings and booking types, paid bookings, recurring and package bookings, group bookings and translation, which is more selling power than most free tiers. Payments run through Stripe or PayPal, and on the free and lifetime plans TidyCal takes a 1% platform fee on Stripe payments on top of Stripe's own fees. The Individual Lifetime plan costs $29 once on AppSumo and adds automatic Zoom, Meet and Teams links, custom emails, booking limits and 10 calendar connections. Agency Lifetime at $79 adds round robin, collective meetings and a team page. Pro costs $99 a year or $12 monthly and removes the platform fee and branding, adds a custom domain and unlimited calendar connections. It lacks the routing, CRM sync and admin depth of Cal.com or Calendly.
- ✓Paid, package and recurring bookings work on the free plan
- ✓A one-time $29 lifetime plan avoids subscriptions entirely
- ✓Pro at $99 a year has no platform fee on payments
- ✕Free and lifetime plans add a 1% platform fee on Stripe payments
- ✕Free connects only 1 calendar
- ✕Fewer team and routing features than Cal.com or Calendly
- Free plan:
- Yes, unlimited bookings
- Cheapest subscription:
- Pro, $99 per year or $12 monthly
- Lifetime plans:
- Individual $29, Agency $79, one-time
- Platform fee:
- 1% on Free and lifetime plans, none on Pro
- SMS reminders:
- 10 a month on Agency, unlimited on Pro (US and Canada)
Bottom line: TidyCal is the cheapest way for a solo provider to sell sessions and packages. Move to Pro once the 1% fee on payments costs more than $99 a year.
- 07
Acuity Scheduling
8.3/10Squarespace's appointment scheduling software for service businesses, priced by number of calendars.
Price
$16per month
Starter from $16 per month billed annually ($20 monthly) for 1 calendar
“All prices are in USD. Prices do not include applicable taxes. Starter $16 / month $20 / month” Quoted from the pricing page, November 6, 2026.
- Free plan
- No
- Free trial
- 7 days
- Value (40%)
- 7.8
- Features (35%)
- 8.9
- Ease of use (25%)
- 8.4
Best forSolo practices and small clinics that sell packages, memberships and gift certificates.
Acuity Scheduling has the deepest set of selling tools for appointment businesses in this group. Every plan takes payments and deposits through Stripe, Square, PayPal or Venmo, and includes custom intake forms, email reminders and automatic time zone conversion. Starter costs $16 a month on annual billing, or $20 monthly, for 1 calendar. Standard at $27 covers up to 6 calendars and adds text reminders, a waitlist, appointment packages with payment plans, subscriptions, memberships and gift certificates, which suits a therapist or trainer who sells blocks of sessions. Premium at $55 covers 36 calendars and adds a signed BAA for HIPAA compliance, an AI booking assistant, multiple time zones for staff and custom API and CSS. Pricing per calendar rather than per user is cheap for a team of six on Standard, but there is no free plan and SMS reminders are not on Starter.
- ✓Four payment providers including Venmo on the cheapest plan
- ✓Packages, payment plans, subscriptions and gift certificates on Standard
- ✓Signed BAA for HIPAA compliance on Premium
- ✕No free plan, only a 7-day trial
- ✕Starter allows only 1 calendar
- ✕Text reminders and waitlists start at $27 a month
- Free plan:
- No, 7-day trial
- Cheapest paid plan:
- Starter, $16 per month billed annually, 1 calendar
- Standard:
- $27 per month billed annually, up to 6 calendars
- Premium:
- $55 per month billed annually, up to 36 calendars
- Payment providers:
- Stripe, Square, PayPal, Venmo
Bottom line: Acuity is the pick for practices that sell packages and memberships, with four payment options on every plan. Clinics needing a BAA should go straight to Premium.
- 08
SimplyBook.me
8.1/10An online booking system for service businesses with plans set by monthly bookings and number of providers.
- Free plan
- Yes
- Free trial
- 14 days
- Value (40%)
- 8.0
- Features (35%)
- 8.5
- Ease of use (25%)
- 7.6
Best forClinics, studios and multi-provider businesses that want a booking website, client app and add-on features.
SimplyBook.me prices by bookings and providers rather than by user, which can suit a clinic with several practitioners and steady volume. The free plan allows 50 bookings a month for 1 provider with a booking website, widget, admin app and WordPress widget. Basic raises the limits to 100 bookings and 5 providers and opens options such as a client app, payments, deposits, tips and point of sale. Standard allows 500 bookings and 15 providers and adds a branded client app plus HIPAA and SAML SSO options. Premium allows 2,000 bookings and 30 providers and adds Payments PRO with refunds, payment links and saved cards, accounting integrations with QuickBooks, FreshBooks and Xero and white labeling. Extra SMS, WhatsApp and booking packs are sold separately. From our location the pricing page showed plan prices in euros only, so we have not listed a USD price.
- ✓Plans cover several providers instead of charging per user
- ✓Many optional features can be switched on per account
- ✓HIPAA available from the Standard plan
- ✕Plans cap monthly bookings, from 50 on Free to 2,000 on Premium
- ✕Plan prices showed in euros from our location, so the USD price is pending
- ✕The number of options makes setup slower than simpler tools
- Free plan:
- Yes, 50 bookings and 1 provider
- Basic:
- 100 bookings, 5 providers
- Standard:
- 500 bookings, 15 providers
- Premium:
- 2,000 bookings, 30 providers
- Free trial:
- 14 days, includes most features and 50 bookings
Bottom line: SimplyBook.me is a good fit for multi-provider clinics that want a booking site, payments and HIPAA in one account. Check the booking caps against your monthly volume first.
- 09
YouCanBookMe
8.1/10A customizable booking page tool with a free plan, individual tiers and per-member team pricing.
- Free plan
- Yes
- Free trial
- 14 days
- Value (40%)
- 7.9
- Features (35%)
- 8.0
- Ease of use (25%)
- 8.4
Best forSolo professionals who want a heavily customized booking page with Stripe payments.
YouCanBookMe focuses on booking pages that can be shaped to a business. The free plan covers 1 calendar connection, 1 booking page and 30 bookings a month, with custom booking form questions, confirmation emails and SMS, Zoom, Teams and Meet links and Stripe payments with cards, Apple Pay and Google Pay. Individual adds a second calendar and booking page, unlimited bookings, reminder emails and SMS, fixed-date events and group sessions. Professional covers 6 calendars and 10 booking pages and adds automated workflows with no-show management, promotion codes, request approval, HubSpot, Zapier and pixel tracking, which suits a consultant selling sessions. Team is priced per member and adds roles, round robin, centralized billing and API access. Billing can be monthly, yearly with 10% off or every two years with 20% off. The price shown by default from our location did not state which billing period it applied to, so we have marked the USD price as pending.
- ✓Stripe payments on the free plan
- ✓Promotion codes and no-show workflows for paid sessions
- ✓Prices can be shown in USD, GBP or euros
- ✕The free plan caps bookings at 30 a month
- ✕Round robin needs the per-member Team plan
- ✕The default price view did not state its billing period clearly, so the USD price is pending
- Free plan:
- Yes, 30 bookings a month
- Individual:
- 2 calendar connections, 2 booking pages, unlimited bookings
- Professional:
- 6 calendar connections, 10 booking pages
- Team:
- Priced per member, 10 calendar connections per user
- Free trial:
- 2 weeks
Bottom line: YouCanBookMe suits solo professionals who want a branded page and payments from the free plan. Teams that need routing will find better per-user value elsewhere.
- 10
Microsoft Bookings
7.9/10Microsoft's appointment scheduling app, included with Microsoft 365 business plans that come with Teams.
Price
$7per user per month
Included with Microsoft 365 Business Basic from $7.00 per user per month paid yearly
“Microsoft 365 Business Basic Lightweight web and mobile apps to kickstart your business $7.00 user/month, paid yearly” Quoted from the pricing page, November 6, 2026.
- Free plan
- No
- Value (40%)
- 8.2
- Features (35%)
- 7.6
- Ease of use (25%)
- 7.8
Best forOffices that already pay for Microsoft 365 and want booking pages tied to Outlook and Teams.
Microsoft Bookings makes sense when the cost is already covered. It comes with Microsoft 365 business plans in the versions that include Teams, starting with Business Basic at $7.00 per user per month on yearly billing, which also pays for business email, Teams, OneDrive and SharePoint. Bookings checks Microsoft 365 calendars so customers only see free times, creates a Teams link for online appointments and lets you build several calendars, each with its own page, staff, services and messages. Customers can reschedule or cancel themselves, and staff can book on a customer's behalf so confirmations and reminders still go out. Microsoft shows bank, school and healthcare examples. For our angle it scores lowest on payments: the Bookings pages we read do not list built-in payment collection, and booking page design is plainer than Calendly or YouCanBookMe. It is best treated as a free extra for Microsoft offices.
- ✓No extra cost if you already pay for Microsoft 365 with Teams
- ✓Works inside Outlook calendars and the Teams app
- ✓Separate calendars per department or service
- ✕Not sold on its own; Bookings is included in the versions with Teams
- ✕The Bookings pages we read do not list built-in payment collection
- ✕Fewer booking page design options than dedicated tools
- Free plan:
- No
- Cheapest plan with Bookings:
- Microsoft 365 Business Basic, $7.00 per user per month paid yearly
- Availability:
- Included in the versions with Teams
- Online meetings:
- Microsoft Teams
- Also includes:
- Business email, Teams, OneDrive, SharePoint
Bottom line: Microsoft Bookings is the obvious choice for offices already on Microsoft 365 with Teams. Businesses that charge at booking should pick a dedicated tool.
What to check before you pay
Work out what you pay for: users, calendars or locations
Cal.com, Calendly, Setmore, Zoho Bookings and YouCanBookMe Team charge per user. Acuity Scheduling charges per account with a calendar cap of 1, 6 or 36, Square charges Plus and Premium per location, and SimplyBook.me limits bookings and providers per plan. A five-person consultancy pays $25 a month on Setmore Pro annual billing, $30 on Zoho Bookings Basic annual billing, $50 on Calendly Standard and $60 on Cal.com Teams, while Acuity Standard covers up to 6 calendars for $27 a month billed annually.
Check whether payments are on the free plan
If clients pay when they book, look at the plan where payments start. Cal.com, Setmore, TidyCal, YouCanBookMe and Square all let free users take payments. Calendly adds Stripe and PayPal from Standard. Acuity includes Stripe, Square, PayPal and Venmo on every paid plan, and Zoho positions its Premium plan for teams that need online payments.
Deposits and no-show fees matter more than reminders
Every tool here sends reminders, but fewer can protect the calendar with money. Square Appointments Plus adds cancellation policies, no-show fees and card on file charges, Square lets clients pay deposits, Setmore Pro adds deposits, and YouCanBookMe Professional adds no-show management workflows. Clinics and salons with expensive empty slots should weigh these features above design options.
Count processing and platform fees
Subscription price is only part of the cost. Square's online card rate is 3.3% + 30¢ on the free plan and 2.9% + 30¢ on Plus, so a busy business can save more on fees than the plan costs. TidyCal adds a 1% platform fee on Stripe payments on its free and lifetime plans, which Pro removes. Stripe and PayPal charge their own fees on top of any booking tool.
Healthcare and regulated work
Clinics that handle protected health information should check compliance options before price. Acuity Premium offers a signed BAA for HIPAA compliance, Cal.com lists HIPAA on the Organizations plan, and SimplyBook.me lists HIPAA as an option from its Standard plan. Read the vendor's terms for what is covered before storing clinical details in booking forms.
FAQ
What is the cheapest appointment scheduling software?
Setmore Pro is the cheapest paid per-user plan we found at $5 per user per month billed annually, followed by Zoho Bookings Basic at $6 and Microsoft 365 Business Basic, which includes Bookings, at $7.00. For one person, TidyCal Pro costs $99 a year and its Individual Lifetime plan is $29 once.
Which booking tools take payments on the free plan?
Cal.com takes Stripe and PayPal payments on its free plan, Setmore accepts online and in-person payments for up to 4 users, YouCanBookMe and TidyCal take Stripe payments, and Square Free takes card payments with processing fees only. TidyCal charges a 1% platform fee on Stripe payments outside Pro.
Which scheduling software is best for clinics?
Acuity Scheduling Premium at $55 a month billed annually offers a signed BAA for HIPAA compliance and covers 36 calendars. Cal.com lists HIPAA on its Organizations plan at $28 per user per month, and SimplyBook.me offers HIPAA as an option from its Standard plan.
Is Calendly or Cal.com better for consultants?
Cal.com is better value for paid sessions, since its free plan takes Stripe and PayPal payments while Calendly needs Standard at $10 per seat per month billed yearly. Calendly is easier to roll out to clients and adds lead routing on Teams at $16 per seat.
How can I reduce no-shows with booking software?
Take money at booking. Square Appointments Plus charges no-show fees to a card on file for $49 per location per month, Setmore Pro adds deposits, Acuity takes deposits on every plan and YouCanBookMe Professional adds no-show management workflows. Automated reminders help too and are standard on every tool here.
Questions or corrections: editorial@rankozo.comSee our disclosure. Prices change; confirm on the vendor page before buying.
More rankings