Softwr

Scheduling · head to head

Calendly vs Rise Calendar

Calendly logo

Calendly

Scheduling

Scheduling automation platform for eliminating back-and-forth

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Rise Calendar logo

Rise Calendar

Calendars

The modern calendar for Mac

From
$16/year
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Calendly has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Calendly the free plan allows one event type and one calendar connection, so it cannot handle different meeting formats; Rise Calendar product discontinued as of March 31, 2025
  • They diverge on capability: Calendly covers Calendar sync, Rise Calendar covers Native Mac app.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Calendly and Rise Calendar actually diverge.

Attributes where Calendly and Rise Calendar differ
AttributeCalendlyRise Calendar
Starting priceFree$16/year
Pricing modelUnknownsubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidiOS, Android, macOS, Windows
CategorySchedulingCalendars
Founded20132021

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated).

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 Calendly

  • Calendar sync
  • Automated scheduling
  • Custom availability
  • Time zone detection
  • Reminder emails
  • Buffer time
  • Meeting polls
  • Embed on website

Only in Rise Calendar

  • Native Mac app
  • Natural language
  • Menu bar widget
  • Quick event creation
  • Minimal design
  • iCloud
  • Exchange
  • Macos support

Both cover

  • Google Calendar
  • Outlook

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Calendly

  • Sales meetingsnot Rise Calendar
  • Interview schedulingnot Rise Calendar
  • Customer callsnot Rise Calendar
  • Office hoursnot Rise Calendar
  • Webinar registrationnot Rise Calendar

Rise Calendar

  • Schedulingnot Calendly
  • Appointment bookingnot Calendly
  • Time trackingnot Calendly
  • Resource managementnot Calendly
  • Team coordinationnot Calendly

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

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

Rise Calendar

  • Product discontinued as of March 31, 2025
  • Failed to achieve sufficient commercial traction despite 900 teams and 30% month-over-month growth

Pricing, plan by plan

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

Rise Calendar

$16/year
  • Annual$16/year
    • Full calendar
    • Menu bar access
    • Natural language

Which should you pick?

Choose Calendly if

  • You need calendar sync.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want automated scheduling.
Calendly review

Choose Rise Calendar if

  • You need native mac app.
  • You work on iOS, Android, macOS, Windows.
  • You also want natural language.
Rise Calendar review

Questions people ask

Is Calendly or Rise Calendar better?
Neither clearly leads. Calendly starts at Free and Rise Calendar at $16/year, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Calendly or Rise Calendar?
Calendly has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Calendly and $16/year for Rise Calendar.
Does Calendly or Rise Calendar run on more platforms?
Calendly runs on Web, iOS, Android. Rise Calendar runs on iOS, Android, macOS, Windows.
Can I use Calendly for free?
Yes. Calendly has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Rise Calendar starts at $16/year.
What is Calendly best used for?
Calendly is most often used for sales meetings, interview scheduling, customer calls, office hours. Of those, sales meetings and interview scheduling are not what Rise Calendar is typically brought in for.
What can Calendly do that Rise Calendar cannot?
Calendly covers Calendar sync, Automated scheduling, Custom availability, Time zone detection. Rise Calendar covers Native Mac app, Natural language, Menu bar widget, Quick event creation. Both handle Google Calendar, Outlook.

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).

Source
Rise Calendar: Is Rise Calendar still available?

No, Rise Calendar was discontinued on March 31, 2025. The service shut down after failing to achieve commercial traction in a competitive market. All user data was permanently deleted.

Source
Calendly: 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.

Source
Rise Calendar: What were Rise Calendar's main features?

Rise offered calendar management with synchronization to Google Calendar, Outlook, and iCloud; integrated task and project management; scheduling optimization with FocusGuard; and cross-platform apps for iOS, Android, macOS, and Windows.

Source
Calendly: 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.

Source
Calendly: 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.

Source
Calendly: 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
Share

Related pages

More on Calendly

More on Rise Calendar

Keep looking

Other head to heads