From marketing firms to medical clinics, many different businesses rely on scheduling appointments to attend clients.
The most convenient and efficient way to let your customers book time with you is through your website, which you could do by embedding Calendly into the site. But, there are many Calendly alternatives out there that might work better for you and your business.
Top 5 Website Booking Apps That Are Better Than Calendly:
- Webba Booking – Powerful and easy-to-use booking plugin for WordPress sites.
- Acuity Scheduling – A simple booking app by Squarespace, for Squarespace.
- SimplyBook.me – An uncomplicated booking platform with lots of integrations.
- HubSpot – A free meeting scheduler for sales professionals who use HubSpot.
- Wix Bookings – A free basic scheduling app for Wix websites.
Why You Should Be Looking for Alternatives to Calendly?
Calendly is a popular booking app that has been around since 2013, and there are many things that it does well. It’s simple and straightforward to use, and allows people to book appointments with you via a unique link or an embedded website calendar.
However, although Calendly works with most websites, it’s not designed specifically for any of the common web building platforms, such as WordPress, Squarespace, and Wix. Calendly is also very limiting in what it lets you customize.
So, if you want an app designed specifically to work with your website or that has more customization options, features, and functions, you might want to try an alternative to Calendly.
The 5 Best Calendly Alternatives for Your Website Reviewed
1. Webba Booking
Webba Booking is a WordPress booking plugin designed for service-based businesses that use WordPress to build and host their sites.
Besides being built specifically for WordPress users, Webba is full of features and customization choices that make it better than Calendly for websites.
For starters, there are 80+ options for customizing Webba’s appearance, so you can make it fit right in with your WordPress site’s design. Webba is also fully responsive and multilingual, so it will work no matter where you do business.
Like Calendly, your site’s Webba Booking plugin can include a payment option, in case your business requires some type of prepayment in order to schedule appointments. The plugin integrates seamlessly with popular payment services, including PayPal and Stripe, and can receive credit card payments.
There is really only one downside to Webba Booking that is worth mentioning. It is only for WordPress sites. So, if your website is hosted elsewhere, you won’t be able to use Webba.
Webba Booking’s pricing starts at $89/year for a one-website pro plan or $259 for a lifetime one-site pro plan. There is also a free lite version of the WordPress plugin, which includes most of the features you would need in a booking and scheduling plugin.
Webba Booking Highlights:
- Great for WordPress websites
- Has payment integrations
- Tons of customization options
- Fully responsive
- Multilingual
Webba Booking Cons:
- Only works for WordPress sites
Who it’s for?
Webba Booking is best for WordPress users, service-based businesses, and those who want lots of customization options and features.
2. Acuity Scheduling
Acuity Scheduling is a Squarespace booking app for business websites built and hosted on Squarespace. The app lets you manage multiple locations and staff, so you can show clients different calendars based on their location. Acuity Scheduling also allows you to receive payments along with bookings.
In terms of customization options, Acuity lets you customize calendars to display your company’s logo and use your brand’s colors. If you need to customize Acuity Scheduling beyond the basic options, you can use CSS to do so. Other notable features include the ability to offer gift certificates, packages, memberships, and group classes to your customers.
Pricing for Acuity starts at $14/month for one user/location. Unfortunately, there is no per-user or per-site pricing structure, and the only other options are either $23/month for 6 users/locations or $45/month for 36 users/locations. This odd pricing structure may make Acuity unappealing for small businesses with different needs.
Acuity Scheduling Highlights:
- Ideal for Squarespace websites
- Ideal for managing multiple locations/different staff members’ schedules
- Calendars can be customized to match your brand
Acuity Scheduling Cons:
- Only works for Squarespace sites
- No per-user or per-location pricing
Who it’s for?
Acuity Scheduling is best for service-based business sites made with Squarespace.
3. SimplyBook.me
SimplyBook.me is a booking platform that you can either add to an existing site or use to create a standalone landing page for scheduling appointments. The app also integrates with Facebook, Instagram, and Google My Business, so you can receive bookings directly through those channels.
In addition to scheduling appointments, SimplyBook.me also provides you with some handy built-in tools for increasing your sales. For instance, you can send existing clients “Book Soon” reminders when they’re due for another recurring appointment, as well as offer coupons, gift cards, and loyalty programs to help incentivize and retain clients.
One con of using SimplyBook.me as an alternative to Calendly is that the navigation can be confusing, so it’s a little difficult to use at first.
Pricing plans for SimplyBook.me range from free for up to 50 bookings a month and 1 custom feature included, to $49.90/month for up to 2000 monthly appointments and unlimited custom features.
SimplyBook.me Highlights:
- Can be used to create a standalone booking page
- Integrates smoothly with Facebook, Instagram, and Google My Business
- Includes built-in sales/promotional tools
SimplyBook.me Cons:
- Confusing navigation
Who it’s for?
SimplyBook.me is best for those who want a booking app with lots of integrations and added business features for increasing sales and client retention, or for users who don’t have their own websites but want a simple online scheduling page.
4. HubSpot
HubSpot offers a free meeting scheduler that you can embed into your website or share via a link. If you already use HubSpot to manage sales funnels, this could be a great option for booking appointments in order to avoid relying on (and paying for) additional services.
Some benefits of using HubSpot’s meeting scheduler is that it integrates with Gmail, G Suite, and Microsoft’s Outlook and Office 365. It’s also very easy to set up if you already have a HubSpot account — all you have to do is associate your chosen calendar with it to get started. Then, you can create and edit different scheduling pages to suit all your sales appointment needs.
The problem with HubSpot’s meeting scheduler is that it’s really geared only towards sales professionals. So, this probably isn’t the right tool to use if you’re in a service-based business.
HubSpot Pros:
- Integrations with Gmail, G Suite, Microsoft Outlook, and Office 365
- Easy to set up within existing HubSpot accounts
- Allows multiple scheduling pages
HubSpot Cons:
- Only designed for booking sales appointments, not service-bases appointments
Who it’s for?
HubSpot’s meeting scheduler is best for anyone who already uses HubSpot to manage sales.
5. Wix Bookings
If your website is built on Wix and all you’re after is a very basic free Calendly alternative, Wix Bookings might be right for you.
Wix Bookings is free to install from the Wix App Marketplace, and offers standard scheduling functionality. Like other Calendly alternatives, Wix Bookings lets users book one-on-one or group appointments, and they can make payments using different payment methods if needed.
However, Wix Bookings doesn’t offer much in the way of extras, and many user reviews state that it is missing some important features or functions that they would like. Besides integration with major payment platforms, Wix Bookings doesn’t integrate with many non-Wix services. For example, it only works with Google Calendar.
Wix Bookings Pros:
- Built for Wix websites
- Allows one-on-one or group appointment bookings
- Accepts different payment methods
Wix Bookings Cons:
- Only works for Wix sites
- Very basic functionality
Who it’s for?
Wix Bookings is best for Wix users who don’t need any extra features or functions from their scheduling app.
Wrap up on the best Calendly alternatives
What the best Calendly alternative is depends a lot upon your specific needs and what platform you host your website on.
We tried to include something for everyone on the list above, so by now, you should have a good idea of what app to use instead of Calendly to suit you and your business perfectly
If your website is built on WordPress we suggest trying WEBBA Booking – the most flexible WordPress plugin out there.
