If you’re looking for the best booking software for your business, two popular options you’ve probably heard of are Cal.com and Calendly. While they both offer powerful scheduling solutions, they are built for different types of users and needs.
So which one should you choose? Let’s break down their features, pros, cons, and what kind of business each one is best for.
Quick Introduction
What Is Cal.com?
Cal.com is an open-source scheduling platform that offers full customization and advanced workflows. It’s ideal for teams, developers, or businesses that need more control over their scheduling system.
What Is Calendly?
Calendly is one of the most popular scheduling tools out there. It’s clean, easy to use, and works straight out of the box, great integrations perfect for individuals, freelancers, and most small businesses.
Feature Comparison: Calendly vs Cal.com
| Feature | Calendly | Cal.com |
|---|---|---|
| Ease of Use | Very beginner-friendly | Simple UI but more technical setup for advanced features |
| Open Source | No | Yes |
| Integrations | Zoom, Google Meet, PayPal, Stripe, HubSpot, and more | Similar integrations, plus flexibility for custom ones |
| Team Scheduling | Yes (Pro plans and up) | Yes (built-in) |
| Custom Branding | Available on paid plans | Fully customizable |
| Pricing | Free plan, paid starts at $12/month | Free plan, paid starts at $15/month |
| Hosted or Self-Hosted | Hosted only | Both available |
When to Choose Calendly
Calendly is best when you want something simple that just works. If you’re a solopreneur, consultant, coach, or a small team looking for fast setup and reliable performance, Calendly is a solid choice.
- Easy to set up in under 10 minutes
- Trusted by millions of users
- Plenty of third-party integrations
- Works great even on the free plan
When to Choose Cal.com
Cal.com is a better fit for tech-savvy teams, developers, or larger organizations that need full control. You can host it on your own server, customize every part of the experience, and create workflows that match your exact needs.
- Highly customizable workflows
- Can be self-hosted for full data control
- Open source, ideal for privacy-focused teams
- Excellent developer documentation
Pros and Cons
Calendly
- Pros: Simple UI, quick setup, great integrations, solid free plan
- Cons: Limited customization, branding locked behind paid plans
Cal.com
- Pros: Open source, fully customizable, developer-friendly
- Cons: Slightly higher learning curve, more technical if self-hosted
Final Verdict: Which Should You Pick?
If you want a reliable tool that’s easy to use with no tech setup, go with Calendly. It works out of the box and covers most use cases for solopreneurs and small teams.
If you need full control, care about hosting your own data, or want to deeply integrate scheduling into your product, go with Cal.com.
Both are powerful. It just depends on the level of flexibility and customization you want.