Software · head to head
Cal.com vs Calendly
Calendly
Software
Scheduling automation platform for eliminating back-and-forth
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Cal.com free plan limited to single user only; Calendly the free plan allows one event type and one calendar connection, so it cannot handle different meeting formats
- They diverge on capability: Cal.com covers Custom booking pages, Calendly covers Calendar sync.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Cal.com and Calendly actually diverge.
Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).
What each one covers
Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.
Only in Cal.com
- Custom booking pages
- Team scheduling
- Collective scheduling
- Routing forms
- Webhooks
- Google Meet
- Web support
- Self-hosted support
Only in Calendly
- Calendar sync
- Automated scheduling
- Custom availability
- Time zone detection
- Reminder emails
- Buffer time
- Meeting polls
- Embed on website
Both cover
- Google Calendar
- Outlook
- Zoom
- Stripe
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Cal.com
- Schedule meetings and manage availabilitynot Calendly
- Accept payments via Stripe and PayPalnot Calendly
- Integrate with Salesforce and HubSpotnot Calendly
Calendly
- Sales meetingsnot Cal.com
- Interview schedulingnot Cal.com
- Customer callsnot Cal.com
- Office hoursnot Cal.com
- Webinar registrationnot Cal.com
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Cal.com
- Free plan limited to single user only
- Free plan restricted to 1 user account
- Teams plan requires yearly billing at $12/user/month
- Organizations plan requires yearly billing at $28/user/month
- Free plan lacks team collaboration features
Calendly
- The free plan allows one event type and one calendar connection, so it cannot handle different meeting formats
- Automated reminders and multiple calendars need Standard at $10 per seat per month
- Round-robin routing, lead qualification and Salesforce integration require Teams at $16 per seat per month
- SAML single sign-on, audit logs and domain control are Enterprise only, starting at $15,000 a year
- Advertised prices are the annual rates
Pricing, plan by plan
Cal.com
FreeNo published plan breakdown. See the Cal.com review.
Calendly
Free- FreeFree
- 1 event type
- 1 calendar connection
- Basic confirmation email
- Standard$10/month
- Unlimited event types
- Multiple calendars (up to 6)
- Integrations with HubSpot, Mailchimp, Stripe, PayPal
- Teams$16/month
- All Standard features
- Salesforce integration
- Round-robin meetings
- Enterprise$15000/year
- All Teams features
- Salesforce routing lookup
- Microsoft Dynamics 365
Which should you pick?
Choose Cal.com if
- You need custom booking pages.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Mobile app, Browser extension.
- You also want team scheduling.
Choose Calendly if
- You need calendar sync.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, iOS, Android.
- You also want automated scheduling.
Questions people ask
- Is Cal.com or Calendly better?
- Neither clearly leads. Cal.com starts at Free and Calendly at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Cal.com or Calendly?
- Cal.com starts at Free and Calendly at Free.
- Does Cal.com or Calendly run on more platforms?
- Cal.com runs on Web, Mobile app, Browser extension. Calendly runs on Web, iOS, Android.
- Can I use Cal.com for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is Cal.com best used for?
- Cal.com is most often used for schedule meetings and manage availability, accept payments via stripe and paypal, integrate with salesforce and hubspot. Of those, schedule meetings and manage availability and accept payments via stripe and paypal are not what Calendly is typically brought in for.
- What can Cal.com do that Calendly cannot?
- Cal.com covers Custom booking pages, Team scheduling, Collective scheduling, Routing forms. Calendly covers Calendar sync, Automated scheduling, Custom availability, Time zone detection. Both handle Google Calendar, Outlook, Zoom, Stripe.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Calendly: Does the free tier include automatic reminders?
No. The free plan only includes a basic confirmation email when someone books. Automated reminder workflows, SMS reminders, and follow-up sequences require the Standard plan ($10/month or higher).
SourceCalendly: Can I offer multiple meeting types on the free plan?
Only one event type can be active at a time. You can create multiple event types, but only one booking link works simultaneously. Switching between different meeting lengths requires manually activating another event type.
SourceCalendly: Does Calendly work with Apple Calendar and iCloud?
No longer for new users. As of August 20, 2024, new users cannot connect iCloud or Apple Calendar. Existing connections continue to work, but Calendly ended support for new Apple Calendar integrations citing Apple's security changes.
SourceCalendly: What platforms can I use Calendly on?
Calendly is available on Web, iOS, and Android. Browser extensions are available for Safari. There are no dedicated Windows or Mac desktop applications.
SourceCalendly: What does the Standard plan ($10/month) add over free?
Unlimited event types, multiple calendar connections (up to 6), integrations with HubSpot, Mailchimp, Salesforce, Stripe, PayPal, Zapier, and webhooks, plus automated reminders and email sequences.
Source