All industries · head to head
Zoom vs Calendly
Zoom
All industries
Video conferencing that's easy, reliable, and secure
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
Calendly
All industries
Scheduling automation platform for eliminating back-and-forth
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Zoom cost creep from add-ons increases pricing from $14/user to $25+/user when including Phone and advanced features; Calendly the free plan allows one event type and one calendar connection, so it cannot handle different meeting formats
- They diverge on capability: Zoom covers HD video & audio, Calendly covers Calendar sync.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Zoom and Calendly actually diverge.
Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (All industries).
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 Zoom
- HD video & audio
- Screen sharing
- Recording & transcripts
- Virtual backgrounds
- Breakout rooms
- Polling & Q&A
- Chat
- Whiteboard
Only in Calendly
- Calendar sync
- Automated scheduling
- Custom availability
- Time zone detection
- Reminder emails
- Buffer time
- Meeting polls
- Embed on website
Both cover
- Slack
- Google Calendar
- Outlook
- Salesforce
- HubSpot
- SOC2
- HIPAA
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Zoom
- Team meetingsnot Calendly
- Webinarsnot Calendly
- Virtual eventsnot Calendly
- Online trainingnot Calendly
- Telehealthnot Calendly
Calendly
- Sales meetingsnot Zoom
- Interview schedulingnot Zoom
- Customer callsnot Zoom
- Office hoursnot Zoom
- Webinar registrationnot Zoom
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Zoom
- Cost creep from add-ons increases pricing from $14/user to $25+/user when including Phone and advanced features
- Feature set is overwhelming with complex navigation and too many options
- Limited analytics and coaching features compared to dedicated contact center platforms
- Call recording and admin oversight lack strict governance needed for regulated industries
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
Zoom
Free- BasicFree
- 100 participants
- 40-minute group meetings
- Unlimited 1-on-1 meetings
- Pro$14.99/month
- 100 participants
- 30-hour group meetings
- Cloud recording (5GB)
- Business$19.99/month
- 300 participants
- Single sign-on
- Recording transcripts
- Enterprise$25/month
- 500 participants
- Advanced admin features
- Executive business 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 Zoom if
- You need hd video & audio.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, iOS, Android, Windows, macOS.
- You also want screen sharing.
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 Zoom or Calendly better?
- Neither clearly leads. Zoom 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, Zoom or Calendly?
- Zoom starts at Free and Calendly at Free.
- Does Zoom or Calendly run on more platforms?
- Zoom runs on Web, iOS, Android, Windows, macOS. Calendly runs on Web, iOS, Android.
- Can I use Zoom for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is Zoom best used for?
- Zoom is most often used for team meetings, webinars, virtual events, online training. Of those, team meetings and webinars are not what Calendly is typically brought in for.
- What can Zoom do that Calendly cannot?
- Zoom covers HD video & audio, Screen sharing, Recording & transcripts, Virtual backgrounds. Calendly covers Calendar sync, Automated scheduling, Custom availability, Time zone detection. Both handle Slack, Google Calendar, Outlook, Salesforce.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Zoom: What are Zoom's main pricing tiers?
Zoom offers a free Basic plan with 40-minute limits for group meetings, Pro at $14.16/user/month, Business at $15.58/user/month with 300 participant capacity, and Enterprise with custom pricing. Additional costs apply for Phone ($10.50/user/month), Webinars, and Rooms.
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).
SourceZoom: What integrations does Zoom support?
Zoom integrates with Salesforce, Slack, Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, HubSpot, Zendesk, and many other business applications, though integration depth varies by partner.
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.
SourceZoom: Can Zoom be used for webinars?
Yes, Zoom Webinars is available as a separate product starting at $66.67 per month, providing larger audience capabilities and specialized webinar features.
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