Softwr

Scheduling · head to head

Timely vs Zcal

Timely logo

Timely

Scheduling

Smart scheduling software with AI-powered features

From
$11/month
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

  • Only Zcal has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Timely starter is capped at 20 projects and a maximum of 5 users, at $11 per user per month billed monthly or $9 billed yearly; 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: Timely covers AI-powered scheduling, Zcal covers Unlimited booking links.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Timely and Zcal actually diverge.

Attributes where Timely and Zcal differ
AttributeTimelyZcal
Starting price$11/monthFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionPer user per month
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, Ios, Android, ApiWeb
Founded2015Unknown

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

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 Timely

  • AI-powered scheduling
  • Online booking
  • Automated reminders
  • Staff management
  • Client management
  • Resource allocation
  • Analytics and reporting
  • Mobile app

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.

Timely

  • Team time tracking for professional servicesnot Zcal
  • Project billing and utilization reportingnot Zcal
  • Workforce capacity planningnot Zcal
  • Multi-team time management across currenciesnot 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 Timely
  • A coach or recruiter who wants a branded page with a welcome video and intake questions before the call happensnot Timely
  • A small team that needs round robin distribution of inbound calls without buying a full sales engagement platformnot Timely
  • Anyone taking payment at the point of booking, where the Stripe connection removes an invoicing step afterwardsnot Timely

Where each one falls short

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

Timely

  • Starter is capped at 20 projects and a maximum of 5 users, at $11 per user per month billed monthly or $9 billed yearly
  • Premium is capped at a maximum of 50 users, at $20 per user per month billed monthly or $16 billed yearly
  • Unlimited users requires the Unlimited plan at $28 per user per month billed monthly or $22 billed yearly
  • Capacity management and reporting, overtime and undertime tracking, Azure user management and 50+ currencies are all on the Unlimited plan only
  • Team management, budgets and costs, and accounting and project management integrations are excluded from Starter
  • The Enterprise plan is contact sales only with no published price
  • Tasks is sold as a paid add-on rather than being included

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

Timely

$11/month
  • Starter$11/month
    • Up to 5 users
    • Up to 20 projects
    • Basic time tracking
  • Premium$20/month
    • Up to 50 users
    • Unlimited projects
    • All Starter features
  • Unlimited$28/month
    • Unlimited users
    • Unlimited projects
    • All Premium features
  • Enterprise$null/month
    • Custom pricing
    • All features

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 Timely if

  • You need ai-powered scheduling.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android, Api.
  • You also want online booking.
Timely 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 Timely or Zcal better?
Neither clearly leads. Timely starts at $11/month and Zcal at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Timely or Zcal?
Zcal has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $11/month for Timely and Free for Zcal.
Does Timely or Zcal run on more platforms?
Timely runs on Web, Ios, Android, Api. Zcal runs on Web.
Can I use Zcal for free?
Yes. Zcal has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Timely starts at $11/month.
What is Timely best used for?
Timely is most often used for team time tracking for professional services, project billing and utilization reporting, workforce capacity planning, multi-team time management across currencies. Of those, team time tracking for professional services and project billing and utilization reporting are not what Zcal is typically brought in for.
What can Timely do that Zcal cannot?
Timely covers AI-powered scheduling, Online booking, Automated reminders, Staff management. Zcal covers Unlimited booking links, Branded booking pages, Meeting polls, Group events.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Timely: Does Timely offer a free trial?

Yes, Timely provides 14 days of full feature access without requiring a credit card.

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.

Timely: What annual discounts does Timely offer?

Annual billing discounts range from 20% to 22% off monthly prices. Starter saves 20%, Premium saves 21%, and Unlimited saves 22% when billed yearly.

Source
Zcal: What do you pay for?

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

Timely: Can I add team members to the Starter plan?

Starter plan supports a maximum of 5 users. For larger teams, Premium supports up to 50 users and Unlimited supports unlimited users.

Source
Zcal: Can I take payment for bookings?

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

Timely: What is the cost of Timely's Tasks feature add-on?

The Tasks feature starts at $5 per person per month and is available across all Timely plans.

Source
Zcal: Does it do round robin?

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

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