Software · head to head
Doodle vs Calendly
Calendly
Software
Scheduling automation platform for eliminating back-and-forth
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Doodle free plan restricted to one active poll and one booking page with 10-slot limit; Calendly the free plan allows one event type and one calendar connection, so it cannot handle different meeting formats
- They diverge on capability: Doodle covers Group polls, Calendly covers Automated scheduling.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Doodle and Calendly actually diverge.
Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (Unknown), 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 Doodle
- Group polls
- 1:1 scheduling
- Booking pages
- Time zone support
- Microsoft Teams
- Web support
- Ios support
- Android support
Only in Calendly
- Automated scheduling
- Custom availability
- Time zone detection
- Reminder emails
- Buffer time
- Meeting polls
- Embed on website
- Office 365
Both cover
- Calendar sync
- Google Calendar
- Outlook
- Zoom
- Slack
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Doodle
- Schedulingnot Calendly
- Appointment bookingnot Calendly
- Time trackingnot Calendly
- Resource managementnot Calendly
- Team coordinationnot Calendly
Calendly
- Sales meetingsnot Doodle
- Interview schedulingnot Doodle
- Customer callsnot Doodle
- Office hoursnot Doodle
- Webinar registrationnot Doodle
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Doodle
- Free plan restricted to one active poll and one booking page with 10-slot limit
- Free users see excessive advertisements on booking pages
- Limited customization options for poll types and response formats
- Mobile app experiences bugs and has less polished interface than desktop version
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
Doodle
FreeNo published plan breakdown. See the Doodle 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 Doodle if
- You need group polls.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Mobile (iOS, Android).
- You also want 1:1 scheduling.
Choose Calendly if
- You need automated scheduling.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, iOS, Android.
- You also want custom availability.
Questions people ask
- Is Doodle or Calendly better?
- Neither clearly leads. Doodle 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, Doodle or Calendly?
- Doodle starts at Free and Calendly at Free.
- Does Doodle or Calendly run on more platforms?
- Doodle runs on Web, Mobile (iOS, Android). Calendly runs on Web, iOS, Android.
- Can I use Doodle for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is Doodle best used for?
- Doodle is most often used for scheduling, appointment booking, time tracking, resource management. Of those, scheduling and appointment booking are not what Calendly is typically brought in for.
- What can Doodle do that Calendly cannot?
- Doodle covers Group polls, 1:1 scheduling, Booking pages, Time zone support. Calendly covers Automated scheduling, Custom availability, Time zone detection, Reminder emails. Both handle Calendar sync, Google Calendar, Outlook, Zoom.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Doodle: Does Doodle offer a free plan?
Yes. Doodle's free plan includes one active group poll, one booking page, and one 1:1 meeting, limited to 10 slots per poll with ads displayed. Premium plans start at $15/month.
SourceCalendly: 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).
SourceDoodle: What are Doodle's pricing plans?
Professional plan costs $15/month (or $132/year). Team plan costs $19.95/user/month (or $8.95/user/month billed annually) with a two-seat minimum.
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.
SourceDoodle: Does Doodle integrate with calendar apps?
Yes. Doodle integrates with Google Calendar and Outlook Calendar to prevent double-bookings. Slack integration allows poll creation and sharing directly in Slack channels.
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