TL;DR / Key Takeaways
- Calendly is the best default for most people; payments start on Standard at $10 a seat a month billed yearly.
- Cal.com's free plan has unlimited booking links and takes Stripe and PayPal payments.
- Microsoft Bookings comes with Microsoft 365 but has no payment support.
- SavvyCal Basic ($10) and Zcal Pro ($7) are the cheapest round robin plans here.
- Acuity has no free plan but takes Stripe, Square, PayPal and Venmo on every plan.
Short answer: Calendly is the best scheduling app for most people: it is the one your clients already know, the free plan covers one meeting type, and payments start on Standard at $10 a seat a month billed yearly. Cal.com is the strongest free plan here, with unlimited booking links and Stripe and PayPal payments at $0. If you live in Google Workspace or Microsoft 365, the booking pages you already pay for may be enough. Reclaim.ai is the pick if you want booking links and automatic planning of your own week in one tool. Updated November 9, 2026.
This guide is about booking-link scheduling: you share a link, a client, prospect or candidate picks a free slot, and it lands on your calendar. If what you want is software that plans your own week (moving tasks, focus time and habits around meetings), that is a different category, covered in our guide to the best AI calendar assistants.
How we checked: plans, prices, free-plan limits, payment options and team features come from each vendor's own pricing, help or documentation page, read November 9, 2026, and each one is linked below. Where a vendor page does not say something, we write "Not stated" instead of guessing. We did not run bookings through every tool, so this guide does not rank booking-page design or reliability.
Scheduling apps at a glance
| App | Free plan | Entry paid price | Take payments | Team / round robin | Who it is for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Calendly | Yes: 1 event type, 1 calendar | Standard $10/seat/month billed yearly ($12 monthly) | Stripe, PayPal from Standard | Teams plan, $16/seat/month billed yearly | Most freelancers, consultants and sales teams |
| Cal.com | Yes: 1 user, unlimited links and calendars | Teams $12/user/month (25% off yearly) | Stripe, PayPal on Free | Teams plan | Best free plan; paid bookings at $0 |
| Google Calendar appointment schedules | Yes: 1 booking page | Workspace Business Standard $14/user/month | Stripe on premium plans | Not stated | Teams already on Google Workspace |
| Microsoft Bookings | No; part of Microsoft 365 | Business Basic $7.00/user/month paid yearly | None | Shared pages auto-assign staff at random | Teams already on Microsoft 365 |
| Reclaim.ai | Yes: 1 scheduling link, 1 calendar | Starter $10/seat/month billed yearly ($12 monthly) | Not stated | Round robin on Business ($15 yearly) | Booking links plus automatic planning of your week |
| Acuity Scheduling | No; 7-day trial | Starter $16/month billed yearly ($20 monthly), 1 calendar | Stripe, Square, PayPal, Venmo on all plans | Up to 6 calendars on Standard ($27) | Service businesses selling sessions and packages |
| SavvyCal | No; links cannot be booked without a paid plan | Basic $10/user/month billed yearly ($12 monthly) | Stripe on Premium ($17 yearly) | Round robin and collective on Basic | Small teams that want round robin on the cheapest plan |
| TidyCal | Yes: 1 calendar, unlimited booking types | Pro $99/year ($12 monthly); $29 one-time lifetime via AppSumo | Stripe, PayPal on Free (1% fee; none on Pro) | Pro and Agency lifetime | Solo freelancers on a tight budget |
| Zcal | Yes: unlimited links and calendars | Pro $7/user/month | Stripe on Free (3% fee; none on paid) | From Pro | Free links with no booking cap |
| YouCanBookMe | Yes: 1 calendar, 1 booking page, 30 bookings/month | Not stated | Stripe on Free (extra fees apply) | Team plan | Simple pages with tight free-plan limits |
1. Calendly: the default most clients already know
Calendly is the safe first choice. The free plan allows one event type and one connected calendar, which covers a single "book a call with me" link. Standard is $10 a seat a month billed yearly or $12 monthly, and adds unlimited event types, six connected calendars and payments through Stripe or PayPal. Round robin and team scheduling start on Teams at $16 a seat a month billed yearly ($20 monthly), which also sends meetings to Salesforce. Enterprise starts at $15,000 a year with a 50-seat minimum. Calendly pricing.
Not for: anyone who needs to charge for bookings without paying, or a team that wants round robin on an entry plan. Both cost more here than at Cal.com, Zcal or SavvyCal.
2. Cal.com: the most generous free plan
Cal.com gives one user unlimited booking links and unlimited connected calendars free, and the free plan accepts payments through Stripe and PayPal. Teams is $12 per user a month and adds round robin and shared team availability; Organizations is $28 per user a month; both save 25% billed yearly, though the page does not print the yearly figure. Cal.com pricing.
A note on "open source": Cal.com now describes its main codebase as open core. The fully MIT-licensed, self-hosted edition is a fork called Cal.diy, which has no hosted version and which Cal.com recommends for personal, non-production use. For a business, use hosted Cal.com.
Not for: someone who wants the booking page clients already recognise, or a team that does not want to think about which edition to run.
3. Google Calendar appointment schedules: free if you are on Google
Every Google account can publish one booking page for one appointment type at no charge, straight from Google Calendar. Premium features (multiple booking pages, Stripe payments at booking, email reminders, verified bookers and conflict checks across several calendars) come with Workspace Business Standard, Business Plus and Enterprise. Google lists Business Standard at $14 per user a month, with a 50% promotion running November 22, 2026 to February 22, 2027; the pricing page lists appointment booking pages from Business Standard, not Starter. Personal users can get the premium features through a Google One plan; Google's help page names AI plans of 2 TB or above for family sharing but does not state a price. Google appointment scheduling, Workspace pricing, Google One help.
Not for: teams that need round robin. Google's pages we read do not mention it.
4. Microsoft Bookings: included with Microsoft 365
Microsoft Bookings is not sold on its own; it comes with Microsoft 365 Business Basic, Business Standard and Business Premium, the E and F plans, and Teams Essentials and Premium. Business Basic is $7.00 per user a month paid yearly. Shared booking pages let customers pick a staff member, or Bookings assigns an available one at random; Microsoft notes there is no way to balance those assignments evenly. Bookings supports group appointments, Teams meeting links and SMS reminders in North America. Microsoft's FAQ is blunt on payments: "there's no payment support in Bookings." Bookings FAQ, Business Basic.
Not for: anyone who needs to collect payment at booking, or anyone outside Microsoft 365.
5. Reclaim.ai: booking links plus a self-planning calendar
Reclaim.ai is mainly a calendar automation tool (focus time, habits, buffers and rescheduling around meetings), and its scheduling links read that same calendar, so the slots you offer reflect what you would actually give up. The free Lite plan includes one scheduling link and one calendar sync. Starter is $10 a seat a month billed yearly ($12 monthly) with three links and three calendar syncs, for up to 10 seats. Business is $15 billed yearly ($18 monthly) with unlimited links and up to 100 seats. Round robin links (any free teammate) and team links (all required people free) both exist; Reclaim's help center puts round robin on Business and Enterprise. The pricing page does not state whether links can take payment. Reclaim pricing, round robin help.
Not for: someone who only needs a booking link; Calendly or Cal.com free is simpler. If the planning side is what you want, compare it in our AI calendar assistants guide.
6. Acuity Scheduling: for selling appointments
Acuity Scheduling is built for service businesses that sell time: every plan takes payment through Stripe, Square, PayPal or Venmo. Starter is $16 a month billed yearly ($20 monthly) with one calendar; Standard is $27 ($34 monthly) with up to six calendars and adds text reminders, waitlists, packages, memberships and gift certificates; Premium is $55 ($69 monthly) with up to 36 calendars and HIPAA BAA signing. There is no free plan, only a 7-day trial with no card. Acuity pricing.
Not for: sales teams booking demos, or anyone who wants a free link.
7. SavvyCal: round robin on the entry plan
SavvyCal has no free plan in practice: you can set up links free, but nobody can book until you pay. Basic is $10 per user a month billed yearly ($12 monthly) and already includes round robin, collective and group links, unlimited links and unlimited calendars. Premium is $17 billed yearly ($20 monthly) and adds Stripe payments, custom domains and branding removal. There is a 30-day money-back guarantee instead of a trial. SavvyCal pricing.
Not for: anyone who wants a free plan.
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8. TidyCal: cheapest paid option for one person
TidyCal's free plan includes unlimited booking types, paid bookings through Stripe or PayPal with a 1% platform fee, and one calendar connection. Pro is $99 a year or $12 monthly and removes the fee and branding, and adds round robin, custom domains and unlimited calendars. A one-time Individual lifetime deal costs $29 through AppSumo (10 calendars, no team features); Agency lifetime is $79 and adds round robin. TidyCal pricing.
Not for: teams on the free plan: round robin needs Pro, and the free plan has no Zoom or Teams meeting links.
9. Zcal: free links with payments
Zcal's Free Forever plan gives unlimited links and unlimited calendar accounts and takes Stripe payments with a 3% fee. Pro is $7 per user a month and adds round robin, collective events, one team and no payment fee; Business is $12 with unlimited teams. Both paid plans have a 14-day trial. Zcal pricing.
Not for: anyone charging high prices per booking; the 3% free-plan fee adds up fast.
10. YouCanBookMe: simple pages, tight free limits
YouCanBookMe's free plan allows one calendar, one booking page and 30 bookings a month, keeps a "Powered for free" button on your page and emails, and takes Stripe payments (the page notes extra fees apply). Round robin is on the Team plan. When we read the pricing page it showed $0 on every plan with a Contact Sales button, so paid prices are Not stated; check before you buy. YouCanBookMe pricing.
Not for: anyone likely to pass 30 bookings a month on the free plan.
How to choose a scheduling app
- You just need one link clients will trust: Calendly free, or Standard once you need more than one meeting type.
- You want to charge for bookings on a free plan: Cal.com (no platform fee stated), then TidyCal (1%) or Zcal (3%).
- You sell sessions, packages or memberships: Acuity Scheduling.
- You need round robin for a sales or support team: SavvyCal Basic ($10) or Zcal Pro ($7) are the cheapest here; Calendly Teams ($16) if the team already uses Calendly.
- Your company runs on Google Workspace or Microsoft 365: try the built-in booking pages first; Microsoft Bookings cannot take payment.
- You also want your own week planned around bookings: Reclaim.ai, or see the AI calendar assistants guide.
Before you pay, check two limits that catch people: how many calendars the plan checks for conflicts (Calendly's free plan checks one, Standard checks six) and whether the payment fee on a free plan is higher than the subscription you are avoiding.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best scheduling app?
For most freelancers, consultants and sales teams, Calendly: its free plan covers one event type and payments start on Standard at $10 a seat a month billed yearly. Cal.com has the strongest free plan, with unlimited booking links and Stripe and PayPal payments at $0. Prices read November 9, 2026.
What is the best free scheduling app?
Cal.com's free plan gives one user unlimited booking links and calendars and takes Stripe and PayPal payments. Zcal and TidyCal are also free with payments, at a 3% and 1% platform fee. Calendly free allows one event type, Google Calendar free allows one booking page, and YouCanBookMe free caps you at 30 bookings a month.
Which scheduling app can take payments when someone books?
Cal.com, TidyCal and Zcal take payments on their free plans; Calendly from Standard ($10 a seat a month billed yearly); SavvyCal from Premium ($17); Acuity on every plan through Stripe, Square, PayPal or Venmo; Google Calendar through Stripe on premium Workspace plans. Microsoft Bookings has no payment support.
Is Calendly or Cal.com better?
Calendly is the more familiar choice for clients and is the safer default. Cal.com is better value: its free plan includes unlimited links and payments, which Calendly reserves for paid plans, and its Teams plan is $12 per user a month for round robin.
What is the difference between a scheduling app and an AI calendar assistant?
A scheduling app gives other people a link to book time with you. An AI calendar assistant plans your own week, placing tasks, focus time and habits around your meetings. Reclaim.ai does both; for the planning side, see Stork's guide to the best AI calendar assistants.