Intuitive scheduling apps reduce no-shows, eliminate double booking, and organize your business appointment schedules without messaging back and forth. The best appointment scheduling apps have responsive desktop and mobile booking pages, calendar synchronization, automated reminders, and real-time notifications. We evaluated over a dozen apps and came up with the eight best solutions for small businesses.
- Best appointment scheduler overall: SimplyBook.me
- Recommended for businesses with remote services, especially global: Planfy
- Best free online booking system with robust features: Calendly
- Top booking system for end-to-end sales management: Zoho Bookings
- Best appointment scheduling mobile app: Goldie (formerly Appointfix)
- Solid scheduling app for appointment management: SuperSaaS
- Great appointment booking app for healthcare providers: Bookafy
- Best for scheduling sales meetings with clients: HubSpot Meeting Scheduler Tool
Best Appointment Scheduling Apps Compared
Provider | Starting Price per Account* | Free Plan? | Our Rating Out of 5 |
---|---|---|---|
$8.25 | ✓ | 4.78 | |
$17 | ✕ | 4.73 | |
$8 | ✓ | 4.71 | |
$6 | ✓ | 4.51 | |
✓ | 4.46 | ||
✓ | 4.41 | ||
$7 | ✓ | 4.34 | |
N/A | ✓ | 4.15 | |
*Based on annual billing on a per account, monthly basis. Monthly billing is also available for slightly higher rates. |
SimplyBook.me: Best Appointment Scheduling App Overall
Pros
- Easy to set up and with a dedicated booking website
- Over 60 custom features that expand your booking page functionality—from payment processing to client management
- Robust marketing tools for referrals; ideal for service-based small businesses
Cons
- Limited monthly bookings; only 50 for the Free plan
- Does not offer automated staff assignments for booked meetings
- Advanced customer features are gated in the Premium plan
- You want to integrate a specific functionality into your booking site: SimplyBook.me has over 60 custom features to accommodate multiple areas of your business operation. For example, you can add bundled service options and incorporate marketing tactics, such as offering memberships, gift cards, and coupons. Although you can only access limited features under the free and lower-tiered paid plans, your options already include essential tools for payment processing and sales management.
- You prefer a customizable booking website: With SimplyBook.me, you don’t only get a plain booking page but an entire website where you can add other pages for blogs, reviews, news, and photo galleries. You can start with its prebuilt template or tailor the design and layout to fit your brand using custom CSS code.
- You need capabilities for automated booking assignments: Businesses with sales teams may prefer an online appointment scheduling software that automatically assigns client bookings based on sales rep availability. Despite the plethora of custom features, SimplyBook.me lacks this automation.
- Alternative: HubSpot Meeting Scheduler checks the availability of team members and matches their open schedule with the client or contact’s booked date and time.
- You want a free appointment scheduling app with robust features: SimplyBook.me’s free plan offers limited features for booking appointments. For one, you can only have no more than 50 bookings monthly, which may not be sufficient if you’re operating an in-demand service-based business, such as a barbershop or a medical clinic.
- Alternative: SuperSaaS has the most features we’ve used under a freemium plan. If you’re running a virtual consultation business, Calendly’s Basic plan also offers numerous tools for setting up meetings at no cost.
SimplyBook.me Monthly Pricing Plans*
*Pricing is based on annual billing on a per-user monthly breakdown. Monthly billing is available at a higher cost. You can also try out the paid plans through its 14-day free trial. Pricing reflects info available at the time of publishing. While we update pricing information regularly, we encourage our readers to check current pricing here.
Additional Packages
You can buy more online bookings and short message service (SMS) credits regardless of plan subscription. The additional number is fixed, and bookings of 15,000 and above expire in six months.
- Pricing for a la carte bookings
- 200 bookings: $14
- 2,000 bookings: $70
- Pricing for additional SMS credits
- 50 SMS credits: $5
- 100 SMS credits: $7
Our Expert Opinion
We find SimplyBook.me worthy of the title best scheduling app for small business for its robust core appointment booking system and custom features that centralize your business operation tools. Not only can you set service appointments, but you can also expand your marketing efforts and sales functionality through perks like directory listing inclusion, third-party integrations, and scalable plans.
Planfy: Best Booking App for Remote Services
Pros
- Language translation for emails and short message service (SMS)
- Automated rebooking invitations for inactive clients
- Customizable booking controls
Cons
- No free plan and the free trial is limited to three days
- Only syncs with Google Calendar
- Expensive paid plans
- You’re dealing with clients from various locations: Businesses extending their services in multiple locations, especially on a global scale, will find Planfy a great option for its built-in language translation and video calling app. It also has native chat messaging, a personal calendar, and data storage. If you’re doing recurring virtual consultations, you can also take advantage of the customizable forms.
- You want more control in your booking management system: You can set your booking rules, including the earliest and latest booking time, payment type, cancellation policy, and account billing. If you have a tailored privacy policy, you can also add that to your booking page. Planfy is Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)-compliant, making it a viable medical appointment scheduler.
- You’re looking for a free app to book appointments: Unlike the rest of the providers in this list, Planfy does not offer a free plan. Unfortunately, its free trial for the paid plans only lasts three days, enough for you to try some of the features and decide if you want to subscribe.
- Alternative: While you can choose from any of the free plans from the other apps, we recommend SuperSaaS for its rich features and SimplyBook.me for the ability to add a custom feature. If you want a simpler free app, Goldie is your go-to app.
- You’re using a different shareable calendar than Google Calendar: Planfy only connects with Google Calendar. If you’re already using other calendars like Outlook and iCloud, shifting your schedule to another calendar could be inconvenient.
Planfy Monthly Pricing Plans*
*Pricing is based on monthly billing with VAT exclusion. You can sign up for a three-day trial to test their features. Pricing reflects info available at the time of publishing. While we update pricing information regularly, we encourage our readers to check current pricing here.
Our Expert Opinion
Whether you offer virtual consultations or online services with recurring meetings, you can expect efficiency in Planfy’s booking and rebooking system. The automated translation and built-in communication tools make it easier for clients to manage all conversations in one space. Plus, we can’t miss the level of customization you can apply in the user portal and even the mobile app, should you need a tailored one when you expand.
Calendly: Best Free Online Booking System
Pros
- Free plan includes unlimited meetings, video conferencing tools, and email confirmation and reminders
- Straightforward booking page navigation for clients
- Customized schedule blocking and shareable calendar
Cons
- Payment processing is not available until the Professionals plan
- Lacks booking for services and resources
- Meeting notifications through text messaging requires the Professionals plan
- You’re looking for an appointment scheduler for online meetings: Calendly is a popular powerhouse in the virtual appointment setting game. It seamlessly integrates with various video conferencing tools, timely reminders, and calendar-blocking capabilities. Group meetings can also be scheduled based on common availability using polls.
- You want your client bookings automatically synced to your calendar: Connect your calendar to Calendly to ensure your schedules are not overlapping and to remove manual editing. It works with Google, Office 365, iCloud, and Exchange calendars.
- You want a scheduling app for service and resource booking: Calendly is ideal for setting up meetings and events like webinars. But it pales in comparison with other providers when it comes to the built-in tools for service and resource booking, such as tailored categorization for multiple offerings, pricing, and staff selection.
- Alternative: Zoho Bookings allows you to choose from different types of appointments, including schedule blocking for services and resources, like room or equipment reservations.
- You prefer to send meeting notifications via text at no cost: Service-based businesses like salons, spas, and pet groomers find it easier to remind their clients of an upcoming appointment through text messaging than email. This is because SMS often has more opens and is easier to respond to. While Calendly does offer text reminders, you need the Professionals plan at $12 per account to unlock it.
- Alternative: SuperSaaS offers SMS reminders for booked appointments under its free plan.
Calendly Monthly Pricing Plans*
*Pricing is based on annual billing on a per-user monthly breakdown. Monthly billing is available at a higher cost. Pricing reflects info available at the time of publishing. While we update pricing information regularly, we encourage our readers to check current pricing here.
Our Expert Opinion
Calendly’s appointment booking system secures schedule synchronization, making it easier for you and your team to plan your sales activities. It’s easy to use, has polls for availability checking, and can be embedded into your website so clients can jump right into the booking page. You can access all these and more starting from its free plan.
Zoho Bookings: Best Scheduling App for Sales Teams
Pros
- Option to set your booking page for services, resources, and staff
- Built-in connection with other Zoho products for sales management
- Custom fields for booking forms that help in lead qualification
Cons
- SMS messaging requires the Premium plan
- Overwhelming features, plus a decent learning curve when familiarizing the setup dashboard
- Pooled availability checker isn’t free
- You want an all-in-one appointment booking and sales management system: While Zoho Bookings is a standalone product in the Zoho ecosystem, you can weave its functionality into other Zoho products for various sales processes. For example, you can use the data collected from appointment booking for lead qualification and customer database management in Zoho CRM.
- Your business involves resource use and service delivery: Zoho provides separate scheduling for services, workspace, and resources, which you can monitor from a single calendar. Each booking also comes with a customizable link. Take note, however, that resource booking is only available under the Premium plan for $9 per staff, monthly.
- You want a free scheduling app with a booking website: Zoho Bookings only provides a booking page you can embed in your website. If you wish for an option that comes with a full site and additional pages for a photo gallery and knowledge base, consider other providers.
- Alternative: SimplyBook.me allows you to create a website around your appointment booking system, complete with design customization.
- You’re looking for a booking tool with a simple user interface: Although Zoho Bookings’ user interface provides plenty of tools, absolute beginners may find them difficult to navigate.
- Alternative: Goldie has a more straightforward dashboard. You can also consider HubSpot Meeting Scheduler if you only need a scheduling tool.
Zoho Bookings Monthly Pricing Plans*
*Pricing is based on annual billing on a per-user monthly breakdown. Monthly billing is available at a higher cost. Pricing reflects info available at the time of publishing. While we update pricing information regularly, we encourage our readers to check current pricing here.
Our Expert Opinion
Zoho Bookings’ easy integration with other sales management products under the Zoho umbrella and third-party apps make it an ideal solution for businesses with complex offerings, such as software as a service (SaaS) subscriptions. We particularly like how the interface presents a hybrid appointment booking system and prospecting tool, allowing users to streamline their lead generation efforts and set up meeting schedules quickly.
Goldie: Best Appointment Scheduling Mobile App
Pros
- Minimalist admin dashboard with easy navigation
- Multiple-device and shared calendar sync
- Includes option for recurring appointments and a straightforward client management system
Cons
- Booking under the free plan is limited to 20 appointments monthly
- Reminders and follow-ups are only available via text messaging
- Not a HIPAA-compliant online booking system
- You want a booking app that syncs across devices: A key attribute of Goldie is its ability to have your web-booked appointments synchronized with the mobile app. This makes it easier to monitor your daily business schedule and block specific time slots or dates based on your availability, even on the go.
- You’re looking for a clean, uncomplicated service booking interface: Setting up your Goldie dashboard can be done within a minute or two due to its simple interface with native service categories. For example, if you have a pet grooming business, common services like bath, brush, and nail trimming are already available as options. You also get to customize these services, including the price for each.
- You want unlimited appointment scheduling at no added cost: Under its free plan, you only have 20 monthly bookings. For unlimited appointments, you’ll need to upgrade to the Pro plan at $199.99 per year.
- Alternative: Calendly allows you to schedule unlimited appointments for a tailored service booking page.
- You offer healthcare services: Medical clinics and other businesses with healthcare services require a HIPAA-compliant booking system. Unfortunately, Goldie lacks this feature.
- Alternative: Bookafy is our recommended healthcare appointment booking app for its HIPAA-compliant status and other tools useful for medical practitioners. You can also go for SimplyBook.me.
Goldie Monthly Pricing Plans*
*Pricing is based on annual billing on a per-user monthly breakdown. Monthly billing is available at a higher cost. Pricing reflects info available at the time of publishing. While we update pricing information regularly, we encourage our readers to check current pricing here.
**Based on annual billing, monthly billing is unavailable.
Our Expert Opinion
Goldie proves you don’t need hefty features to create an efficient appointment booking system that attracts your target clients. We find it the best solution if you’re always on the go, as its mobile app provides an interface that is easy on the eyes yet comprehensive enough to keep track of your booked appointments.
SuperSaaS: Best App for Appointment Management
Pros
- Robust free appointment booking features, including online scheduling for services and resources
- Payment processing setup is available under the Free plan
- Includes a waitlist with manual and automatic placement
Cons
- Poor user ratings for its mobile site
- Cumbersome backend system for beginners
- Calendar synchronization and ad removal require a paid plan
- You’re a small business wanting a complete appointment management app: Under its free plan, SuperSaaS offers scheduling tools designed to streamline appointments, such as a waitlist, recurring appointment booking, and complex scheduling scenarios. It also has numerous integrations, like custom booking buttons for Facebook and Instagram, as well as a built-in online payment system.
- You handle group events and rentals: One feature worth highlighting under SuperSaaS is its multiple resource scheduling, where a client can book more than one facility or equipment under one schedule. Plus, it has limited-time event bookings, which is perfect for businesses offering rentals.
- You want an intuitive mobile app for appointment booking: Unlike other providers in this list, SuperSaaS doesn’t offer a mobile app downloadable via iOS or Android app store. Instead, you’ll have to use a handheld-optimized link, which is less convenient if you’re on the go.
- Alternative: Goldie takes the lead in mobile-friendly appointment scheduling apps for its intuitive user interface and notification, as well as update sync.
- You’re a beginner looking for simple scheduling software: The numerous features on the SuperSaaS dashboard can be overwhelming if you’re new to these tools and simply looking for a scheduling app.
- Alternative: For easy-to-navigate scheduling software, consider HubSpot Meeting Scheduler and Calendly. Both have clear-cut functionality for appointment blocking with less daunting features for absolute beginners.
SuperSaaS Monthly Pricing Plans*
*Pricing is based on monthly billing; annual billing is unavailable. Pricing reflects info available at the time of publishing. While we update pricing information regularly, we encourage our readers to check current pricing here.
Our Expert Opinion
SuperSaaS defied expectations as its free plan includes features often found in its competitors’ paid plans, such as a native payment processing system, multi-language setting, automatic placement for the waitlist, and data storage. If you’re looking for an end-to-end appointment management tool, SuperSaaS is a solid option. Scale up to remove the ads and unlock the shared calendar connection for as low as $9 per user under Package A.
Bookafy: Best Healthcare Appointment Scheduler
Pros
- HIPAA-compliant for medical appointment bookings, with built-in access to medical records and a payment system
- Free plan has unlimited booking
- Unique features like skills-based routing and single booking for two staff
Cons
- Notifications and reminders are not available for free
- Requires the Pro plan to access calendar synchronization
- Limited booking website customization
- You’re a healthcare service provider wanting to automate online scheduling: Businesses offering medical services must comply with the HIPAA security requirements to safe keep sensitive client information. Bookafy is one of the options in the list to tick this box off. On top of being HIPAA compliant, it also allows cross-integration with existing scheduling systems. It has skills-based routing (ideal for healthcare specialists) and multiple staff booking.
- You cater to numerous appointments: If you have a large client base, you’ll be thrilled to know that Bookafy does not put a limit on its appointment type and scheduling numbers. What’s more is that you can have unlimited appointments even under the Free plan.
- You want to sync your calendar with the booking page for free: Having your calendar directly synchronized with your booking page removes the likelihood of double booking and overlapping schedules. While you can have your external calendar connection with Google, iCloud, and Outlook with Bookafy, it will cost you at least $7 under the Pro plan.
- Alternative: Calendly and Zoho Bookings both have calendar connections under their free plans.
- You need an appointment scheduler with high levels of customization: Bookafy offers a mini website to house your calendar bookings. However, if you want to fully customize the website, the capabilities for this task are not exactly out of the box with Bookafy.
- Alternative: SimplyBook.me offers a customizable booking website where you can add supplemental pages to promote your services.
Bookafy Monthly Pricing Plans*
*Pricing is based on annual billing on a per-user monthly breakdown. Monthly billing is available at a higher cost. Pricing reflects info available at the time of publishing. While we update pricing information regularly, we encourage our readers to check current pricing here.
Our Expert Opinion
Bookafy has solid features despite its limited customer support. Still, it is an ideal choice for healthcare service providers looking for a scheduling solution—adhering to the HIPAA standard and providing unique capabilities for any medical appointment process. We particularly like the skills-based scheduling and appointment management tools for patients where they can arrange appointment rescheduling and cancellations in one space.
HubSpot Meeting Scheduler: Best for Scheduling Client Meetings
Pros
- Easy-to-use meeting scheduler with a simple interface
- Round-robin scheduling based on the availability of team members
- Data storage automation in the contact database
Cons
- Bare-bones free features
- Lacks scalable plans for dedicated service booking
- Payment processing, marketing, and sales tools require separate modules
- You want to schedule sales meetings and automate contact storage: HubSpot Meeting Scheduler allows you and your prospects or clients to set a meeting that automatically syncs to your connected calendar. It’s a no-frills tool that simplifies appointment booking by having you embed your calendar in your website and add the link to your email. Plus, it’s directly connected to your contact database, which saves prospect information generated during the booking process.
- You’re already using HubSpot for your business operation: HubSpot is one of the best customer relationship management (CRM) software for small business for its all-in-one solution approach to sales, marketing, and customer service. If you’re already inside the HubSpot ecosystem, you should take advantage of the Meeting Scheduler as it links into other hubs and modules.
- You’re looking for a free scheduling app with expanded features: Although HubSpot Meeting Scheduler is free, it has a singular functionality—which is to simply facilitate scheduling. With that, you can’t expect to find advanced booking features like resource or service categorization.
- Alternative: If you want a free app for appointment booking with comprehensive features, consider SuperSaaS and Zoho Bookings. Both have freemium plans with robust tools that go beyond meeting scheduling.
- You want to grow your appointment system capabilities: HubSpot Meeting Scheduler is an excellent gateway tool if you’re still familiarizing with online appointment booking. However, if you wish to expand your service or offerings, its bare-bones features may not catch up.
HubSpot Meeting Scheduler Monthly Pricing Plan
Free
Cost:
- $0 per user
Key Features:
- Appointment booking link with calendar sync to Google and Office 365
- Embed calendar on your website
- Group meetings and round-robin links for rep assignments
- Automated client data inclusion in the contacts database
Our Expert Opinion
HubSpot Meeting Scheduler may be the simplest tool on our list. But what it lacks in complexity, it makes up for its user-friendliness and purposive functionality for drawing more prospects into your contact database. For HubSpot users, it’s the appointment booking tool closest to home, making it easier to centralize all your apps in one sales management software.
Visit HubSpot Meeting Scheduler
How We Evaluated the Best Appointment Scheduling Apps
To end up with the list of the best scheduling apps, our team tested the apps that met our initial criteria, like pricing and feature variability. We compared the core capabilities expected from appointment booking apps, primarily the scheduling tools, calendar sync, and notification automation. We also checked other features that make each provider stand out, such as web page customization, industry-specific security compliance, and payment processing.
Open the tabs below to get more insights on how we evaluated the best appointment scheduling apps:
35% of Overall Score
The app’s general features carried the heaviest weight in our evaluation as we closely used and assessed various functions essential for online appointment bookings, such as notification channels, calendar sync, third-party and native integrations, and the availability of a mobile app or mobile-friendly website interface. We also checked if the provider has a viable payment processing system.
30% of Overall Score
The affordability of the scheduling software is another priority we considered to ensure the options best fit the typical budget allocation of small businesses. We looked into freemium plans, free trials, low-cost subscriptions, and if there’s an offer of monthly billing. We also reviewed the value of the features under the free plan for a streamlined appointment scheduling process.
20% of Overall Score
Reliable customer service support and continuous guidance strengthen the confidence of users in their chosen scheduling app. With that in mind, we checked the customer service hours of each provider, the number of channels they have, and the availability of knowledge base resources and community forums.
15% of Overall Score
Aside from our firsthand experience in using these apps, we also spent hours analyzing reviews online to understand the general perception and overall experience of the users. We looked into feedback about the features, ease of use, and value for money. Then, we combined the data we collected with our own observations.
Frequently Asked Questions
An online appointment scheduler is an app or software that allows users to set a meeting or book a service or resource without engaging in multiple conversations. When you book an appointment, you’ll have access to the other person’s calendar, allowing you to choose a date and time that’s convenient for you. Once you complete the booking, you’ll receive a confirmation email and SMS, as well as real-time notifications.
The best scheduling app depends on your business type, needs, and client base size. For example, if you’re meeting with prospects online, Calendly provides more than enough features to facilitate calendar synchronization for all attendees. On the other hand, if you want a booking app that weaves in marketing materials like coupons and discount codes, consider SimplyBook.me instead.
The simplest way to let your clients book an appointment with you online is to embed your booking calendar on your website or social media page. Then, have them choose the date and time for an appointment. You can also include a call-to-action button linked to your calendar in your emails or ads.
Bottom Line
Online appointment booking makes it easier to organize your schedule and deliver services efficiently. While we hailed SimplyBook.me as the best scheduling app for small business, you may find other solutions in the list that best suit your needs. For example, if you’re offering medical services, Bookafy could be your top choice. Zoho Bookings, on the other hand, may be the most viable option if you want an appointment app, which you can connect to a native customer relationship manager (CRM).