# Calendar Booking Lab

> Comparisons of calendar booking tools, with every price sourced and re-checked weekly. One published 100-point rubric for every tool; affiliate links never affect scores or order. Prices last verified 2026-10-29.

The highest-scoring calendar booking tool in October 2026 is Cal.com (89/100), ahead of Calendly (78/100). Cal.com is furthest ahead on Price for value (17.6 of 24 points; the next best tool has 14.9). The best pick still depends on what you need: see "Best for" below.

## Rankings
- [All tools compared](https://calendarbookinglab.com/): ranked table with scores, free plans and cost for three team setups
- [Pricing compared](https://calendarbookinglab.com/pricing): every plan per user, a team cost calculator and the cheapest plan per setup
- [Best free scheduling tool](https://calendarbookinglab.com/best/free): Cal.com. Has a $0 plan. Ranked by our Free plan score (event types, connected calendars and bookings at $0). Tools level on this measure are shown as joint picks.
- [Best scheduling tool for freelancers](https://calendarbookinglab.com/best/freelancers): Cal.com. Cheapest plan that covers 1 user with 3 event types and 2 connected calendars, 40 bookings a month and a video link. Tools level on this measure are shown as joint picks.
- [Best scheduling tool for small teams](https://calendarbookinglab.com/best/small-teams): TidyCal. Cheapest plan that covers 5 users with 5 event types and 2 connected calendars each, 200 bookings a month, a video link and round robin. Tools level on this measure are shown as joint picks.
- [Best scheduling tool for sales teams](https://calendarbookinglab.com/best/sales-teams): Cal.com. Cheapest plan that covers 20 users with 10 event types and 2 connected calendars each, 1,000 bookings a month, a video link, round robin, routing forms and CRM sync (HubSpot or Salesforce). Tools level on this measure are shown as joint picks.
- [Best scheduling tool for taking payments](https://calendarbookinglab.com/best/payments): Cal.com. Can take payment at booking. Ranked by the monthly price for one user of the cheapest plan that includes payments. Tools level on this measure are shown as joint picks.
- [Best HIPAA-ready scheduling tool](https://calendarbookinglab.com/best/healthcare): Cal.com. Offers a HIPAA option with a business associate agreement. Ranked by our Reliability & privacy score. Tools level on this measure are shown as joint picks.
- [Best scheduling tool for developers](https://calendarbookinglab.com/best/developers): Cal.com. Has a documented API. Ranked by our Developer & openness score (API, webhooks, embedding, open source, self-hosting). Tools level on this measure are shown as joint picks.
- [Most established scheduling vendor](https://calendarbookinglab.com/best/established-vendors): Doodle. Has an independent security audit of the vendor (SOC 2 or ISO 27001) first, then the most years in operation, counting earlier names. Tools level on this measure are shown as joint picks.

## Tool reviews
- [Cal.com](https://calendarbookinglab.com/tools/cal-com): Cal.com has a free plan with unlimited event types and unlimited connected calendars, and paid plans start at $16 per user/month billed monthly. It scores 89/100 on our published rubric, ranking #1 of 16 tools we compare.
- [Calendly](https://calendarbookinglab.com/tools/calendly): Calendly has a free plan with 1 event type and 1 connected calendar, and paid plans start at $12 per user/month billed monthly. It scores 78/100 on our published rubric, ranking #2 of 16 tools we compare.
- [OnceHub](https://calendarbookinglab.com/tools/oncehub): OnceHub has a free plan with 1 event type and 1 connected calendar, and paid plans start at $12 per user/month billed monthly. It scores 75/100 on our published rubric, ranking #3 of 16 tools we compare.
- [Koalendar](https://calendarbookinglab.com/tools/koalendar): Koalendar has a free plan with unlimited event types and 2 connected calendars, and paid plans start at $9.99 per user/month billed monthly. It scores 70/100 on our published rubric, ranking #4 of 16 tools we compare.
- [TidyCal](https://calendarbookinglab.com/tools/tidycal): TidyCal has a free plan with unlimited event types and 1 connected calendar, and paid plans start at $29 one-time (Individual Lifetime). It scores 69/100 on our published rubric, ranking #5 of 16 tools we compare.
- [YouCanBookMe](https://calendarbookinglab.com/tools/youcanbookme): YouCanBookMe has a free plan with 1 event type and 1 connected calendar, and paid plans start at $9/month billed monthly. It scores 66/100 on our published rubric, ranking #6 of 16 tools we compare.
- [Zoho Bookings](https://calendarbookinglab.com/tools/zoho-bookings): Zoho Bookings has a free plan with 1 event type and 1 connected calendar, and paid plans start at $8 per user/month billed monthly. It scores 64/100 on our published rubric, ranking #7 of 16 tools we compare.
- [Zcal](https://calendarbookinglab.com/tools/zcal): Zcal has a free plan with unlimited event types and unlimited connected calendars, and paid plans start at $10.50 per user/month billed monthly. It scores 59/100 on our published rubric, ranking #8 of 16 tools we compare.
- [HubSpot Meetings](https://calendarbookinglab.com/tools/hubspot-meetings): HubSpot Meetings has a free plan with 1 event type and 1 connected calendar, and paid plans start at $20 per user/month billed monthly. It scores 57/100 on our published rubric, ranking #9 of 16 tools we compare.
- [Chili Piper](https://calendarbookinglab.com/tools/chili-piper): Chili Piper has no free plan, and paid plans start at $12 per user/month billed yearly. It scores 55/100 on our published rubric, ranking #10 of 16 tools we compare.
- [Doodle](https://calendarbookinglab.com/tools/doodle): Doodle has a free plan with 1 event type and 10 connected calendars, and paid plans start at $15 per user/month billed monthly. It scores 54/100 on our published rubric, ranking #11 of 16 tools we compare.
- [Acuity Scheduling](https://calendarbookinglab.com/tools/acuity-scheduling): Acuity Scheduling has no free plan, and paid plans start at $20/month billed monthly. It scores 52/100 on our published rubric, ranking #12 of 16 tools we compare.
- [SavvyCal](https://calendarbookinglab.com/tools/savvycal): SavvyCal has no free plan, and paid plans start at $12 per user/month billed monthly. It scores 50/100 on our published rubric, ranking #13 of 16 tools we compare.
- [Setmore](https://calendarbookinglab.com/tools/setmore): Setmore has a free plan, and paid plans start at $12 per user/month billed monthly. It scores 44/100 on our published rubric, ranking #14 of 16 tools we compare.
- [Google Calendar appointment schedules](https://calendarbookinglab.com/tools/google-appointment-schedules): Google Calendar appointment schedules has a free plan with 1 event type and 1 connected calendar, and paid plans start at $8.40 per user/month billed monthly. It scores 42/100 on our published rubric, ranking #15 of 16 tools we compare.
- [Microsoft Bookings](https://calendarbookinglab.com/tools/microsoft-bookings): Microsoft Bookings has no free plan, and paid plans start at $8.40 per user/month billed monthly. It scores 39/100 on our published rubric, ranking #16 of 16 tools we compare.

## Comparisons
- [Cal.com alternatives](https://calendarbookinglab.com/alternatives/cal-com)
- [Calendly alternatives](https://calendarbookinglab.com/alternatives/calendly)
- [OnceHub alternatives](https://calendarbookinglab.com/alternatives/oncehub)
- [Koalendar alternatives](https://calendarbookinglab.com/alternatives/koalendar)
- [TidyCal alternatives](https://calendarbookinglab.com/alternatives/tidycal)
- [YouCanBookMe alternatives](https://calendarbookinglab.com/alternatives/youcanbookme)
- [Zoho Bookings alternatives](https://calendarbookinglab.com/alternatives/zoho-bookings)
- [Zcal alternatives](https://calendarbookinglab.com/alternatives/zcal)
- [HubSpot Meetings alternatives](https://calendarbookinglab.com/alternatives/hubspot-meetings)
- [Chili Piper alternatives](https://calendarbookinglab.com/alternatives/chili-piper)
- [Doodle alternatives](https://calendarbookinglab.com/alternatives/doodle)
- [Acuity Scheduling alternatives](https://calendarbookinglab.com/alternatives/acuity-scheduling)
- [SavvyCal alternatives](https://calendarbookinglab.com/alternatives/savvycal)
- [Setmore alternatives](https://calendarbookinglab.com/alternatives/setmore)
- [Google Calendar appointment schedules alternatives](https://calendarbookinglab.com/alternatives/google-appointment-schedules)
- [Microsoft Bookings alternatives](https://calendarbookinglab.com/alternatives/microsoft-bookings)
- [Calendly vs Microsoft Bookings](https://calendarbookinglab.com/compare/calendly-vs-microsoft-bookings)
- [Calendly vs Acuity Scheduling](https://calendarbookinglab.com/compare/calendly-vs-acuity-scheduling)
- [Calendly vs Cal.com](https://calendarbookinglab.com/compare/calendly-vs-cal-com)
- [Calendly vs Google Calendar appointment schedules](https://calendarbookinglab.com/compare/calendly-vs-google-appointment-schedules)
- [Calendly vs Doodle](https://calendarbookinglab.com/compare/calendly-vs-doodle)
- [Calendly vs TidyCal](https://calendarbookinglab.com/compare/calendly-vs-tidycal)
- [Calendly vs HubSpot Meetings](https://calendarbookinglab.com/compare/calendly-vs-hubspot-meetings)
- [Calendly vs Chili Piper](https://calendarbookinglab.com/compare/calendly-vs-chili-piper)

## Guides
- [Why does my booking page show the wrong time zone?](https://calendarbookinglab.com/guides/booking-page-time-zones): Time zones and daylight saving on booking pages: how Calendly, Cal.com, HubSpot Meetings and Microsoft Bookings detect the invitee's zone, whose zone your availability uses, the 2026 weeks when US and European clocks change on different dates, and why confirmations show UTC.
- [What do free scheduling plans actually include?](https://calendarbookinglab.com/guides/free-scheduling-plan-limits): What free booking-link plans allow and leave out: event types, calendars checked for conflicts, users, booking caps, branding, personal-use rules, reminders, and what pushes you to a paid plan.
- [Why won't my booking tool sync with Outlook or iCloud?](https://calendarbookinglab.com/guides/outlook-icloud-booking-sync): Booking tool problems with Outlook, Microsoft 365, Exchange and iCloud calendars: connection types, admin approval, the Exchange Web Services retirement, on-premises Exchange, shared mailboxes, app-specific passwords, events that don't block or don't appear, and reconnecting.
- [How does round robin scheduling work for a small team?](https://calendarbookinglab.com/guides/round-robin-small-teams): Round robin, collective and team booking pages for teams of two to ten: availability vs equal distribution, which plan Calendly, Cal.com, SavvyCal, Zoho Bookings, OnceHub and HubSpot Meetings need, how Microsoft Bookings and Google appointment schedules handle teams, and who needs a paid seat.
- [How do I stop double bookings with several calendars?](https://calendarbookinglab.com/guides/stop-double-bookings): Why booking links still let people book over existing events when you use work and personal, Google and Outlook, or shared calendars, and how to fix each cause in Calendly, Cal.com, Microsoft Bookings, Google appointment schedules and others.
- [How do I take payment when someone books an appointment?](https://calendarbookinglab.com/guides/take-payment-when-booking): Taking payment at booking in scheduling tools: Stripe, PayPal and Square connections, which plan each tool needs, deposits vs full payment, refunds on cancellation, coupon codes, and tool fees vs processor fees.

## Data and method
- [Full data as Markdown](https://calendarbookinglab.com/llms-full.txt): every tool's plans, limits, features and scores
- [Data (JSON)](https://calendarbookinglab.com/data/tools.json), CC BY 4.0
- [Methodology](https://calendarbookinglab.com/methodology): rubric, scoring formulas, test protocol
- [Ranking with other weights](https://calendarbookinglab.com/api/weights?price=2&freePlan=0): re-ranks every tool with your own category multipliers (0 to 10; keys price, freePlan, scheduling, integrations, developer, trust, support); Markdown, or JSON with &format=json
- [Scoring code](https://calendarbookinglab.com/data/scoring.js) and [an example that recalculates every score](https://calendarbookinglab.com/data/recalculate-scores.mjs)
- [Disclosure](https://calendarbookinglab.com/disclosure): affiliate relationships
- [Changelog](https://calendarbookinglab.com/changelog): every price change and correction, dated