TL;DR
Calendly works well, but you probably don't need to pay for it.
- Free plan: 1 meeting type, Calendly branding, 1 calendar — fine for personal use
- Paid plan ($12/mo): Worth it only if you're client-facing and need branding removed
- Better free options: Cal.com (unlimited calendars), Zoho Bookings (best free tier)
Our rating: 4/5 — Good product, but overpriced when great free alternatives exist.
What Calendly Does Well
It Just Works
Send someone your Calendly link, they pick a time, it's on your calendar. No back-and-forth emails. The core experience is polished and reliable.
Easy Setup
Connect your calendar, set your availability, get a booking link. Takes about 5 minutes. The interface is clean and intuitive—even non-technical users figure it out quickly.
Solid Integrations
100+ integrations including Zoom, Google Meet, Teams, Salesforce, Zapier. If you need to connect scheduling to other tools, Calendly has you covered.
The Problems
Free Plan Is Quite Limited
The free tier gives you:
- Only 1 meeting type (so one link for everything)
- Calendly branding on your booking page
- Only 1 calendar connection
For personal use, this is often fine. For professional client work, the branding looks unprofessional and one meeting type isn't enough.
The Upgrade Pressure
Once you're using Calendly professionally, upgrading becomes almost mandatory. The Calendly logo on your booking page doesn't look serious when clients are paying for your services.
Pricing Adds Up
- Standard: $12/month per user
- Teams: $20/month per user
- Enterprise: Custom pricing
For teams, this gets expensive quickly. A 10-person team on the Teams plan = $200/month just for scheduling.
The Free Alternatives Worth Considering
Cal.com (Best Free Option)
Cal.com is open-source and offers way more on the free tier:
- Unlimited calendar connections (vs. Calendly's 1)
- More event types
- Can self-host for full control
- Teams plan is $15/month (vs. Calendly's $20)
The interface is modern, and it's improving fast. If you don't need Calendly's specific integrations, Cal.com is worth trying first.
Zoho Bookings
Zoho Bookings has one of the best free plans in the space. The paid tier starts at just $6/month. If you're in the Zoho ecosystem already, this is a no-brainer.
Other Options
- Zcal: Free, simple, gets the job done
- Brevo Meetings: Free scheduling from the Brevo email platform
- Google Calendar Appointment Slots: Built-in and free if you use Google
Calendly vs Cal.com
| Factor | Calendly | Cal.com |
|---|---|---|
| Free calendar connections | 1 | Unlimited |
| Integrations | 100+ | 60+ |
| Teams pricing | $20/user/month | $15/user/month |
| Self-hosting | No | Yes (open source) |
| Ease of setup | Excellent | Good |
| Brand recognition | High ("Send me your Calendly") | Lower (but growing) |
Who Should Use Calendly
Good Fit
- Client-facing professionals who value polish
- Teams needing robust integrations
- Users who want the most seamless experience
- Enterprise with compliance requirements
Bad Fit
- Budget-conscious users (try Cal.com)
- Personal use only (free options suffice)
- Small teams watching costs
- Developers wanting customization (use Cal.com)
The Bottom Line
Our Verdict: 4/5
Calendly is a well-made product that does exactly what it promises. The scheduling experience is smooth and reliable.
But the free tier is increasingly limited, and paid plans feel expensive when alternatives like Cal.com offer more for free. Calendly's main advantage is brand recognition and integrations.
Recommendation: Try Cal.com or Zoho Bookings first. If they don't meet your needs, then consider Calendly's paid plan.