Softwr

Calendars · head to head

Cron Calendar vs Zcal

Cron Calendar logo

Cron Calendar

Calendars

The next-generation calendar for professionals

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Zcal logo

Zcal

Scheduling

Scheduling with an unusually large free tier and heavy branding control

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Cron Calendar no longer sold as Cron. Notion acquired it and renamed it Notion Calendar, and cron.com now carries that banner; Zcal zcal branding stays on the free booking page, so the tier that is otherwise generous is not usable as a customer facing page for a business that cares how it looks.
  • They diverge on capability: Cron Calendar covers Keyboard shortcuts, Zcal covers Unlimited booking links.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Cron Calendar and Zcal actually diverge.

Attributes where Cron Calendar and Zcal differ
AttributeCron CalendarZcal
Pricing modelsubscriptionPer user per month
PlatformsMacos, Windows, Ios, Android, WebWeb
CategoryCalendarsScheduling
Founded2016Unknown

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), 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 Cron Calendar

  • Keyboard shortcuts
  • Multi-timezone
  • Scheduling links
  • Team availability
  • Menu bar access
  • Google Calendar
  • Notion
  • Zoom

Only in Zcal

  • Unlimited booking links
  • Branded booking pages
  • Meeting polls
  • Group events
  • Round robin and collective
  • SMS reminders
  • Paid bookings

What people use each for

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

Cron Calendar

  • Keyboard-driven calendar for people living in their schedulenot Zcal
  • Managing several Google calendars in one viewnot Zcal
  • Scheduling links for meeting availabilitynot Zcal
  • Joining video calls from the menu barnot Zcal

Zcal

  • A consultant who runs several different meeting types and refuses to pay a subscription for the privilege of having more than one booking linknot Cron Calendar
  • A coach or recruiter who wants a branded page with a welcome video and intake questions before the call happensnot Cron Calendar
  • A small team that needs round robin distribution of inbound calls without buying a full sales engagement platformnot Cron Calendar
  • Anyone taking payment at the point of booking, where the Stripe connection removes an invoicing step afterwardsnot Cron Calendar

Where each one falls short

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

Cron Calendar

  • No longer sold as Cron. Notion acquired it and renamed it Notion Calendar, and cron.com now carries that banner
  • Tied to the Notion account system rather than standing alone

Zcal

  • Zcal branding stays on the free booking page, so the tier that is otherwise generous is not usable as a customer facing page for a business that cares how it looks.
  • Paid tier prices are not stated plainly in the product documentation and third party sources disagree on the figure, so the paid step up has to be confirmed on the vendor pricing page before budgeting for a team.
  • SMS reminders are credit metered on paid tiers, so a high volume booker can exhaust the allowance and be pushed up a tier by message count rather than by needing any feature.
  • The integration list is short next to established competitors, and there is no deep native CRM object writing, so a sales team that wants bookings to create and update CRM records will need automation glue.
  • It is a small vendor in a category dominated by much larger companies, which is fine for a personal booking link and a real consideration if booking is a core business process you cannot afford to migrate off in a hurry.

Pricing, plan by plan

Cron Calendar

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Notion Calendar access
    • Basic calendar features
  • Plus$10/month
    • Notion Calendar included
    • Unlimited users
    • All Notion workspace features
  • Business$20/month
    • Notion Calendar included
    • Unlimited users
    • All Plus features
  • Enterprise$null/month
    • Notion Calendar included
    • Custom pricing
    • Unlimited users

Zcal

Free
  • Free ForeverFree
    • Unlimited booking links
    • Unlimited connected calendar accounts
    • Meeting polls and group events
  • Pro$undefined/month
    • Per user per month, priced on the vendor pricing page
    • Team creation and team pages
    • Round robin and collective events
  • Business$undefined/month
    • Per user per month, priced on the vendor pricing page
    • Everything in Pro
    • Custom domain and custom sending email domain

Which should you pick?

Choose Cron Calendar if

  • You need keyboard shortcuts.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Macos, Windows, Ios, Android, Web.
  • You also want multi-timezone.
Cron Calendar review

Choose Zcal if

  • You need unlimited booking links.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want branded booking pages.
Zcal review

Questions people ask

Is Cron Calendar or Zcal better?
Neither clearly leads. Cron Calendar starts at Free and Zcal at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Cron Calendar or Zcal?
Cron Calendar starts at Free and Zcal at Free.
Does Cron Calendar or Zcal run on more platforms?
Cron Calendar runs on Macos, Windows, Ios, Android, Web. Zcal runs on Web.
Can I use Cron Calendar for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Cron Calendar best used for?
Cron Calendar is most often used for keyboard-driven calendar for people living in their schedule, managing several google calendars in one view, scheduling links for meeting availability, joining video calls from the menu bar. Of those, keyboard-driven calendar for people living in their schedule and managing several google calendars in one view are not what Zcal is typically brought in for.
What can Cron Calendar do that Zcal cannot?
Cron Calendar covers Keyboard shortcuts, Multi-timezone, Scheduling links, Team availability. Zcal covers Unlimited booking links, Branded booking pages, Meeting polls, Group events.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Cron Calendar: How much does Notion Calendar cost?

Notion Calendar is included at no additional cost with any Notion plan. The Free Notion plan includes Calendar at $0/month. Paid Notion plans start at $10/member/month for Plus and $20/member/month for Business, with Enterprise custom pricing.

Source
Zcal: Is the free plan actually usable?

Yes. Unlimited booking links and unlimited calendar connections, which is more than most competitors allow, but Zcal branding stays on the page.

Cron Calendar: Is Notion Calendar free?

Notion Calendar is included free with all Notion plans, including the free tier. There is no separate pricing for the Calendar feature.

Source
Zcal: What do you pay for?

Team features, round robin and collective events, branding removal, custom fonts, SMS reminders and custom domains.

Cron Calendar: What is the per-user cost for Notion Calendar?

Notion Calendar has no separate per-user cost as it is bundled into Notion's pricing. Free Notion accounts include it at $0/month. Plus plan is $10 per member/month and Business is $20 per member/month.

Source
Zcal: Can I take payment for bookings?

Yes, through the Stripe connection at the point of booking.

Zcal: Does it do round robin?

Yes, on the paid tiers. Round robin and collective events are not on the free plan.

Share

Related pages

More on Cron Calendar

More on Zcal

Keep looking

Other head to heads