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Free Appointment Scheduling Software - Our Top Picks

Written ByIvan Stevanovic

Updated December 15,2022

Are you suffering from organizational fatigue? Do you wish you could find a better way to manage your time? If so, you’ve come to the right place. We’ve compiled a list of free appointment scheduling software to help you organize your business and everyday tasks.

Take a look below at our product overview and methodology to learn how we chose our top picks. If any of the candidates piques your interest, we’ve also gone over each program in detail so you can compare your options thoroughly.

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Best for Solopreneurs

1. Square Appointments

Square Appointments is an excellent example of appointment-scheduling software that’s free for single users. It offers access to a big chunk of Square’s business management software, including invoicing, CRM, and payment processing, without any charge. The catch is that it’s only free for one location, which makes it ideal for solopreneurs. Read Review

⦿Free for single accounts
⦿Access to Square’s business management suite
⦿Excellent mobile app

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STAFF LOGINS & CALENDARS:

APPOINTMENTS PER MONTH:

Unlimited

REMINDERS:

Email, SMS

SUPPORTED PLATFORMS:

Windows, macOS, iOS, Android

CUSTOMER SUPPORT OPTIONS:

Phone, email, live chat, social media, self-help guides

2. Calendly

Calendly is certainly one of the most recognizable names in the appointment scheduling software niche. Its ability to replace dozens of “What time works for you?” emails with a single click propelled it to fame. This solution offers an excellent user experience and an incredible amount of features, for free! However, springing for its upgrade will be more than worth it, as it opens hundreds of integrations and many additional options. Read Review

⦿Very affordable paid plans
⦿Automated reminder and follow-up emails
⦿Top-notch mobile app

Staff Logins & Calendars:

Appointments per Month:

Unlimited

Reminders:

Supported Platforms:

Windows, macOS, iOS, Android

Customer Support Options:

Email, help center

TRY FOR FREE

3. Squarespace Scheduling

Squarespace Scheduling is a cloud-based appointment scheduling application for managing business appointments online. All three of its online appointment-scheduling packages are free of charge during the seven-day trial period. Despite the paid nature of the software, those in the service industry will have a hard time finding a better solution. Read Review

⦿Unlimited appointments
⦿Excellent user interface
⦿Easy to change appointments on the fly

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STAFF LOGINS & CALENDARS:

1-36

APPOINTMENTS PER MONTH:

Unlimited

REMINDERS:

Email, SMS

SUPPORTED PLATFORMS:

Browsers, iOS, Android

CUSTOMER SUPPORT OPTIONS:

Email, live chat, Twitter, self-help guides

TRY FOR FREE

Best for Small Businesses

4. Appointy

Appointy is a scheduler app that’s been around since 2009. It offers a lot of valuable features in its basic free plan, such as Zapier support for third-party software integration, booking directly from Google Calendar, automatic reminders, and accepting payments through Square. Read Review

⦿Square Payments integration in the free plan
⦿Over 1,000 app integrations through Zapier
⦿Google bookings and automatic reminders

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STAFF LOGINS & CALENDARS:

APPOINTMENTS PER MONTH:

100

REMINDERS:

Email, SMS

SUPPORTED PLATFORMS:

Browsers, iOS, Android

CUSTOMER SUPPORT OPTIONS:

Live chat, email, phone, help center

TRY FOR FREE

5. 10to8

10to8 is an online booking application with a unique instant chat feature. It can be integrated with more than 5,000 apps and program suites, including Office 365, Google Calendar, Zoom, Slack, Stripe, PayPal, and Xero. Not all of these integrations are available with the 10to8 free plan, but it still earns a place on our free appointment scheduling software list because of its versatility. Read Review

⦿Excellent for small businesses
⦿Recurring appointments
⦿Numerous software integrations

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STAFF LOGINS & CALENDARS:

APPOINTMENTS PER MONTH:

100

REMINDERS:

SUPPORTED PLATFORMS:

Windows, macOS, iOS, Android

CUSTOMER SUPPORT OPTIONS:

Live chat, email, FAQ, resource center

TRY FOR FREE

6. HubSpot

The Free Meeting Scheduler is one of the most popular components of the HubSpot platform, enabling users to schedule meetings with just a couple of clicks and send automated emails - both reminders and follow-ups. Moreover, it allows for effortless CRM integration. Essentially, this tool organizes the calendar for all your team members without the hassle of the back-and-forth emails. It enhances productivity, allowing you to focus on those sales pitches. Read Review

⦿Integrates with G Suite, Outlook, and Office 365
⦿Automated email triggers
⦿Group meeting links for effortless scheduling

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Staff Logins & Calendars:

Unlimited

Appointments per Month:

Unlimited

Reminders:

Supported Platforms:

Windows, macOS, iOS, Android

Customer Support Options:

Community, phone, email, live chat, self-help guides

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Best Customization

7. SimplyBook

SimplyBook offers advanced features ranging from payment processing tools and customer analytics to software integration, class and group bookings, membership rewards, and more. The best part? You get to pick one of these features with the free plan. Read Review

⦿Unlimited staff and services in the free version
⦿Custom features add flexibility
⦿Phenomenal customer support

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STAFF LOGINS & CALENDARS:

APPOINTMENTS PER MONTH:

REMINDERS:

SUPPORTED PLATFORMS:

Windows, macOS, iOS, Android

CUSTOMER SUPPORT OPTIONS:

Live chat, email, help center

TRY FOR FREE

8. Appointlet

Appointlet is a scheduling app for business owners who value unlimited monthly appointments and meeting types but don’t need a dedicated smartphone app. It offers plenty of competitive features in the free plan, but has only a web-based interface. Read Review

⦿Unlimited monthly bookings in all plans
⦿Google Calendar, Office 365 calendar, and Zoom integration in all plans
⦿Add your logo to the calendar

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STAFF LOGINS & CALENDARS:

Unlimited

APPOINTMENTS PER MONTH:

Unlimited

REMINDERS:

N/A

SUPPORTED PLATFORMS:

Windows, macOS

CUSTOMER SUPPORT OPTIONS:

Email, live chat, FAQ

GET STARTED

9. MeetFox

MeetFox is the best free booking software for managing meetings and appointments online. It has an easy-to-use dashboard that enables you to customize booking options. There are lots of features available with the free version, but the more comprehensive solutions come with its paid models. Read Review

⦿Accept Stripe payments from clients
⦿Create customized emails
⦿Live chat support

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STAFF LOGINS & CALENDARS:

APPOINTMENTS PER MONTH:

Unlimited

REMINDERS:

SUPPORTED PLATFORMS:

Windows, macOS

CUSTOMER SUPPORT OPTIONS:

Email, help center

GET STARTED

10. EssentialPIM

EssentialPIM is just what the doctor ordered if you want to take care of online appointment scheduling for free. The app combines appointment scheduling with a password manager and CRM features. While many basic features are available with the free plan, it is the paid plans that truly unlock this software’s potential. Read Review

⦿Unlimited bookings and services across all plans
⦿Excellent CRM platform
⦿Integration with external calendars available across all plans

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STAFF LOGINS & CALENDARS:

N/A

APPOINTMENTS PER MONTH:

N/A

REMINDERS:

Email, pop-ups

SUPPORTED PLATFORMS:

Windows, iOS, Android

CUSTOMER SUPPORT OPTIONS:

Email, knowledge base, community forum

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11. EngageBay

EngageBay is so much more than simple appointment booking software. The fact that it offers a whole suite of CRM, outreach, and marketing tools is a significant benefit to those needing these additional services, as everything is combined in one tool. Read Review

⦿Unlimited bookings and services across all plans
⦿Excellent CRM platform
⦿Integration with external calendars available across all plans

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STAFF LOGINS & CALENDARS

APPOINTMENTS PER MONTH:

Unlimited

REMINDERS:

SUPPORTED PLATFORMS:

Windows, macOS, iOS, Android

CUSTOMER SUPPORT OPTIONS:

Email, phone, knowledge base, product videos

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Our Methodology

Scheduling software isn’t a one-size-fits-all commodity. Different packages have distinctive features that make them ideal for some users and of very little use to others. We’ve created an evaluation rubric based on the essential features that every worthwhile appointment scheduler must implement. That rubric served as a guide as we evaluated each product on our list.

To pick the best product for your unique needs, figure out which factors we evaluate are essential to you. Look for schedulers that implement them well. And don’t forget to take each product’s unique special capabilities into account.

Here are the factors we use as the basis of our evaluations.

Features

There are plenty of apps out there that help you with scheduling and organization. But free software is a little harder to find, and open source scheduling software harder still. Companies often offer a free trial version that provides minimal functions compared to subscription-based alternatives.

Some plans offer unlimited appointments but limit the available features. Others make distinctions among their plans by allowing unlimited appointments for free users while restricting other features to paying customers. The “Features” category is based on what you are getting for free and how it compares to the company’s paid options.

Ease of Use

Every good program should be well-optimized, quick, and easy to use. This is especially important for online appointment scheduling software, whose purpose is to make appointment scheduling simple and painless.

This category includes everything about the software that’s relevant to the user experience - the ease of use of the scheduling app, the quality of the user interface, and how well all of the available options are explained to the user.

Platform and Compatibility

The world’s best appointment scheduler will be of little use to you if it works poorly on your operating system, or worse yet, doesn’t support your OS. Mobile solutions are slowly taking over from desktops.

The best appointment scheduling software solutions support Windows, macOS, and even different versions of Linux, as well as Android and iOS on mobile. This category includes which operating systems are supported by the scheduling management tool and which mobile platforms are supported, if any.

Calendar and Appointment Management

Organizing your appointments, remembering important dates, and planning events all start by taking a look at your calendar. Calendaring tools are an essential aspect of any appointment software.

When we evaluate tools according to this factor, we consider whether free calendar software is included in the app and how well-integrated the calendar is. We also consider how many monthly appointments you and your clients can set up.

Online Booking

Online booking should be easy and intuitive for clients and employees alike. One of the basic capabilities customers look for is the option to schedule their own appointments. Some advanced solutions also offer payment options.

We evaluate whether the scheduling application supports embedding and online booking functions on websites and social networks, as well as what kinds of integrations it offers with payment providers such as PayPal.

Customer Relationship Management

Managing relationships with customers is one of the most demanding tasks of any client-based business. That’s why CRM capabilities are essential. The best free appointment scheduling software should have options such as chat and email, and every appointment booking program, whether free or not, should have appointment reminders as a standard feature.

CRM features include all the tools the scheduling software uses to make it easier for your customers to schedule appointments with you or your business. These options are reserved for paid plans in most business scheduling software.

Customer Support

Appointment scheduling software is generally pretty straightforward. Nevertheless, you might run into bugs or issues, need clarification on how a particular feature works, or just want to learn more about the software solution before committing to it.

This is where quality customer support comes in. We evaluate the support options (phone, email, live chat, FAQ), as well as the overall quality of the customer support platform.

Top 10 Free Appointment Scheduling Software Providers

Square Appointments
Calendly
Squarespace Scheduling
Appointy
10to8
HubSpot
SimplyBook
Appointlet
Bookafy
MeetFox

The Reviews: Free Appointment Scheduling Software

Square Appointments Review

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Square Appointments Review

Usability:

VERY GOOD

Online Booking:

EXCELLENT

Software Integration:

EXCELLENT

CRM:

EXCELLENT

Customer Support:

VERY GOOD

⦿ Many premium features are completely free for one user
⦿ Set up recurring appointments
⦿ Booking directly from Google and Instagram

Square Appointments is an appointment manager from Square, a financial and merchant services aggregator and mobile payment company in San Francisco. It was first devised by an independent company called BookFresh. The scheduling software was acquired by Square in 2014.

Features

Square Appointments has an interesting concept – a huge part of its product offer is available for free, but only for one user. You get unlimited appointments, multiple booking options, multiple CRM features, and integration with all of Square’s other software, including a fantastic point-of-sale system. This makes it the best free scheduling software on our list for solopreneurs.

However, if you are in need of syncing your appointments with Google Calendar, no-show protection from flaky clients, and automated text and email appointment confirmations, it would be very much worth it to at least spring for the $29/month per location Plus plan.

Ease of Use

Square’s software is well known for its intuitive, user-friendly nature, and Square Appointments is no different. The sleek, modern user interface makes navigation a breeze, whether you are on a mobile device or using the web platform. It’s not as customizable as some of the other scheduling software on our list, but it does the job with style and class.

Platform and Compatibility

Square Appointments started as an iOS app, so its mobile UX is superior. However, the app for Android is still under development, and certain features that work on iOS and the web-based platform are missing or not working properly. It’s a work in progress.

Calendar and Appointment Management

Square Appointments provides access to a free online scheduling platform through its cloud-based calendar software. It’s very robust, allowing business owners to set up specific types of appointments and services.

Additionally, policies can be enforced: Cancellation and no-show fees can be automated with the Plus and Premium tiers, and the calendar also syncs with different devices and integrates with other popular calendar apps.

Online Booking

Square Appointments benefits from integration with Square’s payment processing services, so clients and customers can prepay for appointments with no fuss. In addition to integrating payment processing with your appointment booking calendar, Square also lets you integrate the booking software with other websites and social media platforms.

Finally, if you don’t have a website, you can use Square’s free booking website and online store options to host your webshop and appointment platform.

Customer Relationship Management

Square’s software is mostly free for single users, which makes its extensive CRM features all the more impressive. There’s a detailed customer database that can hold contact information, payment details, purchase history, and any notes you may wish to make about your clients. You can also set up automated email and SMS reminders for both you and your customers.

Customer Support

Square Appointments is part of a large family of Square products. Customer support for all of them works the same way – there is an extensive support center with a chatbot helper and a large selection of support articles. Phone support for the free booking software is available from Monday to Friday, 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. PST.

Summary

Overall, Square Appointments is a fantastic program. If you’re a solo business owner, you really cannot do any better. If, however, you need multiple calendars, have more than one employee who needs appointment booking, or want to sync it with other calendars and protect yourself from no-shows, it’s a less attractive option.

In that case, you’d be better off with some of Square’s competitors on this list or the paid version of this software. It’s especially good for people already using other products from Square, not just the free appointment scheduling software.

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Calendly Review

Usability:

EXCELLENT

Online booking:

EXCELLENT

Software integration:

EXCELLENT

CRM:

FAIR

Customer support:

GOOD

⦿ Excellent features with affordable paid plans
⦿ Compatibility with multiple calendars
⦿ Numerous integrations available

Calendly is a cloud-based SaaS platform that offers free online appointment-scheduling software to help people book, schedule, and organize their meetings. From its humble beginnings in Atlanta in 2013, Calendly has grown into a company reshaping how people make appointments.

It has solved organizational problems for more than 10 million users in less than 10 years, and its growth in that time can only be described as spectacular.

Features

Calendly’s most prominent feature is the option to share your availability with a single link. However, aside from this flagship asset, it has numerous additional options for streamlining the scheduling process, as well as more than enough integrations to cover all your other appointment-related needs.

For example, you can integrate it with PayPal to get paid during your session, or a popular CRM or analytics program to scale your business easier - if you get one of the higher-tier paid plans.

Ease of Use

Although ease of use doesn’t always go hand-in-hand with optimizing time-consuming processes, Calendly is famous for it. This online appointment scheduling software serves its primary purpose as simply as possible: All you have to do is copy and paste a link for your availability, and let Calendly handle the next steps.

Platform and Compatibility

Calendly is cloud-based software, so it works well no matter what operating system you use. Also, it has packed its large number of features into apps that work well on both iOS and Android. You can download these and take care of all your scheduling on the go.

Calendar and Appointment Management

Calendly is an excellent solution for anyone looking to outsource time-consuming admin tasks. This online appointment scheduling software, even when free, effortlessly merges all your calendars, making it easy to accommodate customers who may not be using the same calendar as you.

It also has automated reminders and follow-up emails. Thanks to its integration with Zapier, you can further automate scheduling once you sign up for the Professional paid plan.

Further, you can embed Calendly in your website and even remove its branding, making it look like a part of your business interface, which will certainly boost your credibility.

As you look through the pricing page, you’ll quickly notice that with higher tiers, you get many more Calendly options. The Professional tier of this scheduling appointment software, which starts at a mere $12 per month, opens up the possibility of booking group meetings and collecting payments with Stripe and PayPal - perfect for small businesses.

Online Booking

As mentioned, Calendly integrates two popular payment providers - PayPal and Stripe - to help you make money from your services much more efficiently. You can also connect Calendly with Google Analytics and Facebook Pixel for effortless tracking, and Gmail and Outlook for workflows.

Customer Relationship Management

Calendly focuses on being the best free appointment scheduling software, which explains why it doesn’t have a proprietary CRM. While this is something we would like to see in the future, it would inevitably change its price.

At the moment, it does offer excellent integration with Salesforce, which should cover your CRM needs. Otherwise, you could use Zapier to connect it with your preferred CRM.

Customer Support

Calendly has an extensive library of articles that can help you troubleshoot any problems without going back and forth with the team. However, even if you experience Calendly difficulties that aren’t covered here, you can rely on its customer support team.

Unfortunately, you can only reach Calendly’s agents by sending an email or submitting a ticket through the website.

Summary

If you are looking for appointment scheduling software, you can’t go wrong with Calendly. It’s extremely easy to use, offers a great selection of features for next to nothing, and integrates seamlessly with all the other software you might already be using to run your business.

Having Calendly on your side is like having an excellent virtual assistant. It understands how vital your meetings are and schedules them with ease.

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Squarespace Scheduling Review

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Squarespace Scheduling Review

Usability:

EXCELLENT

Online booking:

EXCELLENT

Software integration:

AVERAGE

CRM:

VERY GOOD

Customer support:

VERY GOOD

⦿ Unlimited number of online booking slots
⦿ Excellent mobile apps
⦿ Fantastic booking customization options

Squarespace Scheduling is an Acuity product designed for and integrated into Squarespace. Still, you don’t need to be subscribed to the provider’s website-building solution to purchase the appointment scheduling tool.

Although Squarespace Scheduling may not be an example of appointment–scheduling software with free downloads, it’s a reasonably priced option offering an advanced suite of customizable features for arranging appointments that comes with a seven-day free trial.

Features

Squarespace Scheduling has three plans, which you can try out by signing up for a free seven-day trial. Priced at $15 per month ($14 if you pay annually), the Emerging plan comes with one calendar for each team member, employee, or location, along with calendar and custom payment syncing, card vaulting, and automatic email reminders.

The Growing plan will set you back $25 a month, or $23 a month if you pay for the whole year. It offers everything from the previous tier plus two to six calendars, SMS reminders, and bundled deals for clients, such as packages, gift certificates, memberships, or subscriptions.

Lastly, there’s the Powerhouse solution, which costs $50 per month, or $45 per month for an annual package. Its appointment–scheduling software tools come with everything the other two subscription plans provide, with the addition of seven to 36 calendars, time-zone adjustments for teams spread across several locations, custom API and CSS customization, and HIPAA (BAA) compliance.

Ease of Use

Squarespace Scheduling has a well-organized user interface, with a modern and minimalist customizable design. Without any developer knowledge, you can change the color scheme, lettering, and logos. If you’re CSS-savvy, the customization can go even further.

The software allows integration with dozens of third-party accounting, email marketing, analytics, CRM, API, video conferencing, Squarespace’s own web builder, client engagement, and payment solutions.

Platform and Compatibility

Once you sign up for your free online scheduling trial, you’ll be able to jump right into organizing your business, either from your browser or the iOS and Android apps provided by Squarespace Scheduling.

Calendar and Appointment Management

Depending on the plan you choose, you can create one, six, or 36 scheduling calendars. Squarespace Scheduling lets you set your availability and arrange an unlimited number of appointments of various sorts, from live meetings to phone and video conferences.

To facilitate the process, the software can seamlessly integrate with popular apps such as iCloud, Google Calendar, Outlook, and Office 365.

Online Booking

The free online calendar is a replica of the paid version, which means you’ll know precisely what you’re getting if you decide to subscribe.

Squarespace has robust online booking functions. It lets you list an unlimited number of services with time slots and prices. You can collect payments via popular providers like PayPal, Stripe, and Square.

Customer Relationship Management

Squarespace Scheduling offers SMS and email reminders (the former only with the Growing and Powerhouse plans), payment integration, reporting, and calendar integration. All payment plans include unlimited appointments and access to your clients’ booking histories.

Customer Support

This appointment–scheduling service offers a very robust self-help section on the website. For real-time conversation and immediate answers, get in touch with Squarespace’s support agents via live chat, Monday through Friday from 4 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET. Alternatively, you can send the provider an email anytime.

Summary

Overall, Squarespace Scheduling is a great tool. Its fantastic user interface contains versatile online booking options, unlimited monthly appointments, customizable appointment reminders, quality integrations, and much more.

The only downside is that to keep enjoying these spectacular features, you’ll have to move up to one of the paid plans as soon as your free online calendar planner trial ends. On the bright side, everything you’ve set up in the free version will be saved, so you can continue right where you left off.

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Appointy Review

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Appointy Review

Usability:

VERY GOOD

Online booking:

VERY GOOD

Software Integration:

EXCELLENT

CRM:

EXCELLENT

Customer support:

EXCELLENT

⦿ Website and Facebook page integration
⦿ Zapier integration for access to 1,000+ apps
⦿ Square Payments available in all plans

Appointy started as an outsourcing company for software solutions. Its same-named schedule app has been around since 2009 and has been tweaked and improved constantly ever since it was introduced.

Features

Appointy offers four plans: Free, Growth, Professional, and Enterprise. The Free plan features include 100 monthly appointments, website integration, Zapier and Square Payments support, and automatic reminders.

Advanced features such as unlimited appointments and services, as well as Stripe and PayPal payments, are available with the Growth Plan, while support for multiple locations can only be acquired with the Enterprise plan.

Ease of Use

To be the best scheduling app, you have to deliver more than just valuable features - you have to put them within reach of every user, too. Luckily, Appointy’s interface is straightforward to navigate, whether you are using it on a computer or a mobile device.

All of the important booking information can be found on the left panel, where you can access your calendar, view reports, look up customers, and more. Notifications are in the top-right corner. All in all, it’s a simple and effective dashboard.

Platform and Compatibility

No matter your platform of choice, Appointy has got you covered. There are apps for Android and iOS, and the software works on all browsers.

Calendar and Appointment Management

Although the free version has its share of limitations, it is one of the better scheduling apps when it comes to calendar management. You get one calendar with the free version, and multiple staff logins are available only through the Professional and Enterprise plans.

Also, people can book directly from their Google Calendars with the premium versions. On the plus side, the free plan supports website integration and automatic reminders for both you and your customers, as well as five bookable services.

Online Booking

Google Calendar booking is handy, and clients can schedule, cancel, and reschedule appointments quickly with all plans. Unfortunately, the free version of this appointment scheduling app doesn’t allow for making group appointments. On the plus side, it supports payment processing through Square Payments.

The Growth plan adds payment processing through Stripe, PayPal, and Authorize.Net. It’s important to note that to set your account to compulsory prepayment, you must switch to one of the paid plans. The Professional and Enterprise plans offer Office 365 and Google Analytics integration. With the latter tier, you can also book appointments for multiple locations.

Customer Relationship Management

Appointy has several great CRM features. You get free basic client activity notifications (bookings, rescheduling, cancellations), and you can also request a review after a booking has been made through the client scheduling app.

Premium plans allow you to send customized messages and get more detailed reports on your customers, as well as send them gift cards and bonus offers. Email notifications are free for all plans, but SMS notifications cost extra.

Customer Support

Customer support is available around the clock except for Saturdays (when the hours are 6:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. PST) and Sundays, which are days off for the agents. You can reach customer service agents through email on the basic free plan, while the Growth plan also comes with the live chat option.

Higher-priced tiers add personalized phone support, and all plans can make use of the extensive help center on Appointy’s website. The customer support staff is quick to respond and helpful, though we do wish live chat were an option for all plans.

Summary

Appointy is a fantastic online scheduling app that offers some very useful features in the free version. Its excellent app integration through Zapier, easy booking through Google Calendar, and plentiful CRM options are commendable.

Still, we wish more plans (including the free one) supported multiple staff logins. Some businesses may find the five services offered in the free version to be too few as well.

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10to8 Review

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10to8 Review

Usability:

EXCELLENT

Online booking:

VERY GOOD

Software integration:

EXCELLENT

CRM:

VERY GOOD

Customer support:

GOOD

⦿ Automated online bookings
⦿ Turn off last-minute meetings
⦿ File sharing option

10to8 was made by the eponymous company, founded in 2011 and headquartered in Milton, England. The software was launched in 2014 and has since become the online booking system of choice for many organizations around the world. Notable examples include Autodesk, Mercedes-Benz, and Yale University.

Features

10to8 has five pricing plans, starting with the free appointment scheduler for small business owners, appropriately named Small Business. The other plans are Basic, Grow, Bigger Business, and the custom-tailored Enterprise version.

There is a 30-day trial option for those who wish to try premium features before committing. The free edition supports two staff logins and 100 appointments per month. It is also limited to online-only customer support.

Ease of Use

10to8 provides a very simple shared online calendar with a navigation pane so you can see your calendar, customer directory, messaging tab, help, or settings. A drop-down menu lets you customize the calendar view.

A search bar provides access to customer data and support articles. If you like, you can easily change the default blue-and-white color scheme. It’s a simple but effective system.

Platform and Compatibility

10to8’s appointment and work scheduling software is free to download from both the App Store and Google Play. The website is mobile-optimized, so you can access it on your phone without downloading the app, if you prefer.

Calendar and Appointment Management

10to8’s free plan supports up to four staff logins and calendars for coordinating meetings and appointments among staff members. It also allows users to view an activity log to check out schedule changes, cancellations, and payments.

The system integrates seamlessly with Google Calendar, making it a rare free online booking system with Google support.

Online Booking

10to8’s customizable booking page can easily be embedded into your website or social media page. You can create multiple bookable services, with service providers linked to some or all of them.

There are integration options for WordPress and Weebly, as well as PayPal payment processing, so clients can pay in advance for their bookings. The top-tier paid plan also includes health data privacy compliance features, which are missing from most other scheduling programs.

Customer Relationship Management

A lot of the handiest CRM features in 10to8’s online scheduling software are free. For example, you’ll get an automated email reminder system as well as online surveys that can be used to gather information about customer preferences or satisfaction.

There is also an extensive customer database that contains appointment, transaction, and communication history. And if you pay for one of the higher tiers, you’ll get a two-way messaging system, which adds a personal touch, allowing real-time communication with customers through the booking platform.

Customer Support

10to8 provides an excellent scheduling app free of charge and a quality customer support platform. It offers support via live chat, email, and a library of support articles, not to mention a detailed FAQ. The only thing missing is phone support, which is reserved for paid plans.

Summary

10to8 is a great online booking system with fantastic software integration, a personalized two-way chat system, and any CRM and online booking option you could ask for from free software.

Its main drawbacks compared to other event scheduling software that’s free are the 100-appointments-per-month limit and the online-only nature of its customer support platform.

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MeetFox Review

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MeetFox Review

Usability:

EXCELLENT

Online booking:

VERY GOOD

Software integration:

GOOD

CRM:

GOOD

Customer support:

VERY GOOD

⦿ Automated online bookings
⦿ Turn off last-minute meetings
⦿ File sharing option

MeetFox is a free scheduler that was designed in 2019 for professionals who want to spend less time on administrative tasks and improve communication with their clients.

Features

MeetFox has three plans, including a free option. The free version allows you to schedule unlimited online, phone, or face-to-face meetings per month, as long as you stick to a single meeting type.

Both paid versions also feature unlimited meetings, of course, but you can schedule a different kind of meetup whenever you feel like it.

Ease of Use

Widely regarded as the best free scheduling tool on the market, MeetFox is extremely intuitive to use. Even if you aren’t especially tech-savvy, you won’t have any trouble using this tool to schedule appointments and embed the schedulers on your website.

Platform and Compatibility

Windows and macOS users will be happy to hear they can use the cloud-based software on any of their devices. There is no mobile app, but that won’t be a problem because the software is responsive and all features are available for mobile users.

Calendar and Appointment Management

MeetFox has the best free scheduling app that’s designed to simplify your communications with clients and help you organize online meetings with relative ease. Of course, the free version doesn’t include all the features.

For example, if you want to organize group calls, you need to purchase the company’s Premium plan. Also, the group meetings are limited to 16 people.

Online Booking

MeetFox has various online booking functions. You can set the best appointment app to accept requests from your clients automatically, so you don’t need to waste time checking for new requests. Once the appointment is scheduled, the software will close the slot. Moreover, you can set the software to disable last-minute bookings.

The downside of this booking manager is that there is no rescheduling feature, so you’ll need to cancel your meeting manually before you can schedule another one.

Customer Relationship Management

MeetFox guarantees a great experience for your clients. For example, you can create a questionnaire for each service you provide and figure out what your clients like and dislike and how you can improve your offering.

You can also use MeetFox’s appointment booking app for free to send automated reminders to your clients via email or SMS (if you pay for the latter). The software integrates with Stripe, which enables fast and secure payments.

Customer Support

MeetFox offers free customer support via email with each of its pricing plans. The agents are very polite and knowledgeable, and they respond quickly. There is also a rich FAQ section where you can learn more about MeetFox and how to use its features.

For live chat, individual onboarding calls, and a dedicated customer success manager, you’ll need to get a paid plan, but priority support is often worth the price.

Summary

MeetFox is definitely the best free appointment scheduling app for those who want a simple solution to manage their online meetings. However, the software is not designed for businesses that need a robust platform to manage large-scale meetings.

The maximum number of people who can participate in a session is 16, meaning that the software is not the best option for webinars, for example.

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HubSpot Review

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HubSpot Review

Usability:

EXCELLENT

Online booking:

VERY GOOD

Software integration:

VERY GOOD

CRM:

EXCELLENT

Customer support:

GOOD

⦿ Shareable and embeddable links
⦿ Automated reminder and follow-up emails
⦿ Automatic CRM data integration

Back-and-forth conversations about the best time to meet can be a time-consuming process - especially for sales staff. By using HubSpot, you’ll never again spend long hours organizing a meeting. With an unlimited number of appointments you can make each month for free, this tool gives your staff the boost they’ll need to achieve record sales.

Features

HubSpot is an all-in-one solution for a small sales team. Its excellent appointment scheduling feature is only one of the platform’s handy components.

With this scheduler, you can customize every detail, including localizing language, time zones, and number formatting. It also allows you to add your branding to the schedule and set up time limits and buffers between meetings. It automatically adds details to its CRM, whose basic version is also entirely free.

Additionally, HubSpot offers many integrations you can set up with a couple of clicks. For starters, popular financial integrations (e.g., DocuSign) can help you manage your invoices, electronic contracts, and payments without requiring you to leave HubSpot. There are more than 900 other HubSpot integrations sales professionals rely on to enhance their productivity.

Ease of Use

The setup for HubSpot’s free scheduling tool is instantaneous. The tool integrates seamlessly with many popular calendars, including Google Calendar and Office 365. You can start scheduling meetings as soon as the tool is set up. The level of simplicity is something both your staff and customers will most certainly appreciate.

Platform and Compatibility

One of the best features of this appointment scheduler is that it’s fully compatible with all devices. Whether you’re using macOS or Windows or have an Android or iOS device, it’ll be able to handle all your appointments. In other words, it’s the perfect tool for effortless schedule management, even on the go.

Calendar and Appointment Management

By eliminating hours of unnecessary emailing, this tool keeps your calendar full while helping you and your team focus on productivity instead of admin. It also offers flexibility in how meetings are scheduled and allows you to share group meeting links.

Even before the meeting, or more precisely, as soon as a client books a meeting, it inserts the relevant information about the client into your CRM. This helps your sales team prepare for the meeting in advance. It also automatically creates reports for you to evaluate later.

While the free version is perfectly sufficient, upgrading to the paid plan offers even more options. With a paid plan, your sales team can remove HubSpot’s branding from automated emails and meetings, personalize meeting links, track unlimited emails, etc. In short, this is an affordable tool for optimizing the entire sales process.

Online Booking

You and your team will have all the booking options you need with this solution. We’ve already mentioned the useful CRM sync and automated emails.

However, you can further customize every step of the process: From changing the language, time zone, and number formatting to adding your logo and brand materials to the scheduler, you can incorporate this tool into your processes without any hassle.

You can set up custom forms to gather all the necessary information before the meeting, customize the schedule with various time increments, effortlessly handle no-shows, and set buffer times for your team members to prepare for the next meeting. All this extends to an unlimited number of meetings.

Customer Relationship Management

HubSpot tops the list of some of the best CRM for small businesses. It comes with all the essential features a good CRM should have while adding a few extra perks, such as this free scheduler.

With its CRM, you can enjoy the benefits of both email and call tracking, as well as AI-powered insights and detailed customer profiles. It allows for excellent contact management and visually appealing email templates that help you build better relationships with your customers. Of course, it’s no secret that happy customers are returning customers.

Customer Support

Customer support at HubSpot is available through several channels, depending on whether you’re using the free or paid version. Unfortunately, free users can rely solely on its community center and chatbot for help.

Meanwhile, paying customers can get access to agents via live chat, email, and phone if they sign up for the Starter, Professional, or Enterprise packages. If you are a growing team or using the scheduling software for the first time, having in-app support is certainly worth the affordable price.

Summary

All in all, HubSpot is an excellent scheduling app for smaller teams, as it has more than enough functionalities without being overwhelming. It also automates a large chunk of manual work, freeing up your sales team members to focus on actual sales.

It’s also predominantly free, making it an excellent option for fledgling teams. Still, even the paid solution is more than affordable, and the useful additional features bring real value to those who opt for it.

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EngageBay Review

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EngageBay Review

Usability:

GOOD

Online booking:

FAIR

Software integration:

EXCELLENT

CRM:

EXCELLENT

Customer support:

EXCELLENT

⦿ Live chat with clients
⦿ Gmail, Outlook, and Office 365 integration
⦿ Various marketing tools

EngageBay is one of the newer appointment-scheduling software tools on our list. Based in Wilmington, Delaware, the company has been providing a suite of marketing and CRM solutions since 2016.

Features

Although EngageBay’s appointment app has barebones features, booking is just part of the picture. EngageBay is not a traditional scheduling software solution but rather a suite of marketing, sales, and CRM tools that happen to include basic appointment booking features.

The company has four plans: a very feature-rich free plan and three paid options (Basic, Growth, and Pro). The free plan offers basic Stripe payments, as well as external calendar integrations for the appointment calendar app, unlimited monthly appointments, email notifications, and more – but you have to pay for features relating to customer analytics.

Ease of Use

EngageBay is a lot more than just appointment scheduling. Unfortunately, this means the interface is not the simplest and most user-friendly, especially if you’re just looking to book some appointments.

The top bar has a dropdown menu that lets you select Marketing, Sales, Services, or Live Chat. To access the appointment booking features on this cloud-based scheduling platform, you start by selecting Sales, then click on the three dots next to the Calendar.

From there, you can set your preferences, open new slots, and see upcoming events. It’s not the clearest or most straightforward system, but bear in mind that appointment scheduling is just part of the story.

Platform and Compatibility

EngageBay runs well on a variety of platforms. Its web-based interface is pretty snappy on both desktop and mobile, and there are dedicated apps for Android and iOS users.

Calendar and Appointment Management

You get one calendar per user, much as with competing products. Even the free version has complete Gmail, Outlook, and Office 365 integration, however, and there is no limit on monthly bookings.

Online Booking

As mentioned, the booking appointment app gets you not only unlimited monthly bookings, but also service types you want to advertise for.

Unfortunately, the online booking system doesn’t currently support rescheduling and cancellations. In terms of payment processing, Stripe integration is available in the free plan if you select the option to test out one free premium integration.

Those integrations include a variety of external apps, including Zapier, so you can choose what to incorporate or move to a paid tier to get more options.

Customer Relationship Management

Free online appointment scheduling software often offers very limited CRM capabilities, but not EngageBay: This product comprises a whole suite of email marketing and sales features, in addition to appointment booking. You can ask for customer feedback and send clients notes of your own – manually in the free plan or automatically with a paid plan.

Email notifications are free. SMS notifications are handled through external app integrations with Twilio, Plivo, and JustCall. As with many appointment software programs, there are also various customer analytics options, and the company is planning a social media interaction package in the future.

Both of those are perks for paying customers only. Those on the free plan have access to EngageBay’s unique customer live chat feature, however. You can not only set up real-time chats with customers but also keep track of your chat history.

Customer Support

Customer support is uniformly excellent with EngageBay. The very helpful team is quick to respond through email or live chat to both paid and free users. Sign up for the Growth or Pro plan and you’ll get access to a dedicated account manager and onboarding support. With the top tier, you’ll even get phone support.

Summary

If you are only interested in free online appointment scheduling, there are perhaps better and more intuitive options available. However, EngageBay offers a lot more than just appointment scheduling. If you consider that external calendar and payment processing support, as well as unlimited monthly bookings and services, are available in the free plan, EngageBay is hard to beat in terms of value.

Customer service is also top-notch, whether you are a paying or free customer. That said, we do hope that the appointment scheduling functionality gets beefed up in future releases.

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EssentialPIM Review

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EssentialPIM Review

Usability:

EXCELLENT

Online booking:

N/A

Software integration:

VERY GOOD

CRM:

EXCELLENT

Customer support:

GOOD

⦿ Six-in-one product
⦿ Robust tagging and interlinking system for sorting data
⦿ Cloud backup

EssentialPIM is far more than just free appointment scheduling software. It’s an all-in-one solution for saving and sorting all kinds of important information: Passwords, task lists, emails, notes, contacts, and appointments are all kept safe and easily viewable under one roof.

Features

EssentialPIM lets you store all kinds of important information you use daily and keep it in sync with the data from Google Calendar and Office 365.

All the data you save in EssentialPIM can be cross-linked, allowing you to find related information. For example, the appointment calendar links up with the contact list, so you can easily locate a phone number or email address to reschedule a client’s appointment.

A tagging system lets you add details to stored data so you can effortlessly search or filter it later. And all the data saved in this calendar scheduling software is protected by high-end encryption.

The EssentialPIM free plan gives you access to the core features of saving and sorting data, while paid plans allow global cross-linking, synchronization with other applications (e.g., G Suite and Office 365), cloud storage, advanced security, attachments, and more.

Paid plans are divided between Pro ($39.95) and Pro Business ($59.95), with the option to buy Lifetime licenses at an additional cost. Lifetime licenses feature free updates.

Ease of Use

While EssentialPIM’s visual design is nothing to write home about, the layout is quite intuitive, making the software easy to use. As soon as you launch the program for the first time, tutorial pop-ups will lead you through the basic functions. All the navigation buttons are found on a single menu bar, so you’re always a click away from everything you might need.

Platform and Compatibility

EssentialPIM is currently available on Windows, Android, and iOS.

Calendar and Appointment Management

The Calendar tab is where you’ll spend most of your time. You can cycle among hourly, daily, weekly, and monthly views, easily setting up appointments with the click of a button. You can even add pop-up reminders for appointments. EssentialPIM Pro gives you access to advanced calendar filtering options.

Online Booking

There are currently no online booking features to be found with this free scheduling software.

Customer Relationship Management

EssentialPIM has an array of powerful CRM-like features, but some of them are present only in paid versions of the product. This includes storage for contacts and notes saving, sending bulk emails to contacts, various email and calendar integrations, easy viewing of interlinked items in your database, and more.

Customer Support

If you need assistance when using EssentialPIM, you can contact its support staff via email, consult the knowledge base, or check out the user forums.

The forums are a great place to look for help, as they host a pretty lively community – the hallmark of any candidate for the best scheduling app. If you opt for one of the paid plans, you get free priority lifetime support.

Summary

All in all, EssentialPIM is an excellent solution for your appointment-scheduling needs. Not only do you get access to robust calendar and appointment features, but it also delivers a password manager and generator, a contact database, and CRM-like capabilities that make its paid plans truly worth the money.

We definitely recommend trying things out and seeing what this free online scheduling tool can do for you.

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SimplyBook Review

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SimplyBook Review

Usability:

EXCELLENT

Online booking:

GOOD

Software integration:

GOOD

CRM:

VERY GOOD

Customer support:

EXCELLENT

⦿ 60+ custom features
⦿ Facebook and Instagram bookings
⦿ Excellent admin app for both iOS and Android

SimplyBook is an online booking app from a company called Notando Iceland Ltd. While its parent company was formed nearly 20 years ago, SimplyBook’s current iteration was launched under its current name in 2011.

Features

SimplyBook has four plans, of which one is free, while the other three have a 14-day free trial. The main difference between the free scheduling software version and the paid versions is in the number of bookings (50 per month in the free version vs. 100, 500, and 2,000, respectively) and the custom features available (only one in the free version, three in the Basic, eight in the Standard, and unlimited in the Premium plan).

Custom features (of which there are more than 70) are the bread and butter of SimplyBook, and include everything from Google Calendar integration to accepting deposits and payments. You can choose any one of them; the paid plans truly make this option shine when you combine several of SimplyBook’s custom capabilities.

Ease of Use

SimplyBook has a fantastic user interface. You can easily customize the look of your booking page through several templates, while adding or removing various elements.

All of the important notifications and messages from the job scheduling software are located on the top bar, while settings, the calendar, live chat, and pricing plan info can be found on the left sidebar. You’ll get a well-rounded solution, whichever plan you choose.

Platform and Compatibility

The software works well across many platforms, including Windows, macOS, and Linux systems. There are also apps for Android and iOS devices. The company says the mobile apps are beta versions, but in our testing, they worked very well and provided an excellent alternative to using a web browser.

Calendar and Appointment Management

This appointment app doesn’t give you Google Calendar synchronization out of the box. You can pick that option as one of the custom features, however - although you’ll need to weigh it against all other options with the free plan.

Online Booking

In terms of online booking, a lot of the options depend on custom features. Even at the most basic level, you can set up accounts for an unlimited number of service providers, and people can book an appointment through your site.

Facebook and Instagram bookings are a custom feature, as are rebooking appointments; group and class bookings; and the option to receive payments and deposits. Basically, it’s all there, but you need to pick which feature you need the most or pay for a plan with more custom features.

Customer Relationship Management

Free appointment apps are often lacking in terms of customer relationship management. The SimplyBook free version allows you to ask clients a question through an intake form before booking. It also sends clients a feedback form they can fill in after booking an appointment.

Email notifications for both you and your clients are free, but SMS notifications cost extra. Advanced CRM features such as sending gift cards and coupons, organizing memberships with benefits, and getting detailed info on your customers are all available as custom features.

Customer Support

Whether you’re using the web version or the mobile schedule app, SimplyBook has excellent customer service. You can reach them through live chat during business days or shoot them an email at any time, including on the weekends. There are also very helpful articles on many topics on the website.

Summary

SimplyBook is a terrific piece of software. It features a very good intuitive interface, unlimited bookable services even in the free version, and excellent customer support.

The main issue is that most of its best advantages are gated behind premium plans, which means that you’ll be missing out on some or most of them, depending on how much you’re willing to pay.

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Appointlet Review

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Appointlet Review

Usability:

VERY GOOD

Online booking:

EXCELLENT

Software integration:

GOOD

CRM:

VERY GOOD

Customer support:

FAIR

⦿ Automatic booking page translation into 10 languages
⦿ Add the company logo to the booking page and emails
⦿ Personalized booking page URL

When it comes to free scheduling apps, you can’t do much better than Appointlet. Launched in 2012 by a small company based in Portland, Oregon, Appointlet offers some beneficial features in its free plan that many other companies would charge for.

Features

Appointlet keeps things simple: There are the Free plan, Premium, and Enterprise. The first includes unlimited users and bookings, time zone handling, and collaborative hosting while supporting full two-way Google Calendar and Office 365 integration, automatic booking notifications, reporting, and more.

If you pay for the Premium plan, you will get Stripe integration for processing payments, Zapier support for thousands more app integrations, automated reminders when scheduling an appointment, and plenty more customization across the board.

Ease of Use

Appointlet has a pretty standard user interface. Important information about bookings, meeting types (which you can customize), form fields, and software integration can be found on the left panel.

Your account settings and billing information are in the top-right corner, while a live chat button is available in the bottom right corner. The gray, light blue, and white color scheme makes everything look simple, clean, and professional, if a little boring.

Platform and Compatibility

One downside to Appointlet is that it has only a web-based interface. There are no appointment-book apps available with Appointlet - just an iPhone app that allows you to send links to existing appointments from your web calendar to others, but this functionality is fairly limited. That said, the website version runs well on a multitude of platforms and is optimized for mobile devices.

Calendar and Appointment Management

Appointlet’s support for calendars and appointment management is the standard one-calendar-per-user arrangement - but there are unlimited users, even with the free plan. That said, there are also unlimited monthly bookings and meeting types, plus full integration with Google Calendar and Office 365.

Online Booking

When it comes to online booking, in addition to the aforementioned unlimited slots, your booking page can easily and automatically be translated into various languages, including French, German, Spanish, and Italian.

You can also integrate it into other websites and get automated booking notifications. Canceling and rescheduling options are free in the scheduling software, but payment processing through Stripe and PayPal is available only with the Premium plan.

Customer Relationship Management

In terms of CRM, the free plan gets you basic reporting tools, personalized links to the booking page, and the ability to place your company’s logo on the booking page and in emails to clients.

You also enjoy the benefit of automatic translation of your booking page into multiple languages, plus booking notifications for both you and your clients – automatically, whether it is bookings, rescheduling appointments, or cancellations.

There are limits to what the free appointment scheduling software version can do, of course: Customizable booking confirmations, automated and customizable reminders, and integration through Zapier are available only in the Premium plan.

Customer Support

Customer support is available through email, live chat, and text. The latter two are only available during business hours, but you can send an email if your query isn’t urgent. You also get access to a knowledge base on the company website. Of course, moving to the Premium plan gives you priority support for both the email and live chat options.

Summary

While Appointlet may not be the single best app for scheduling, it definitely does a lot of things right. The unlimited monthly appointments and meeting types, as well as the ability for your clients to easily cancel or reschedule while getting automated email notifications for all booking-related changes, are excellent features – and you get them free of charge.

Automatic translation of your booking page into multiple languages is a convenient feature too. We just wish there were some app integrations available with the free version and that customer support were more responsive.

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FAQ

What is the best free online appointment scheduling software?

If you’re a solo entrepreneur, Square Appointments offers the most features. Another great option for small businesses is Appointy.

What is a scheduling tool?

It is a tool that consists of component names, definitions, structural relationships, and formatting that help schedule appointments or employees’ timetables. Appointment scheduling tools allow clients to book, reschedule, and cancel appointments through a web interface, while ones for employees help organize your staff.

What is software scheduling?

Software scheduling is simply using a software platform to help organize your appointments so you can focus on other aspects of running your business. You can check out our list to find the best free appointment booking app for your needs. Some are best-suited for solopreneurs, others for small or medium-sized businesses.

Why is appointment scheduling important?

It helps you organize your business effectively and avoid double bookings, no-shows, and bad feedback from unsatisfied customers. A well-organized appointment schedule not only helps you run your business more effectively, but it also makes it look more professional. A good one can become the hub around which you organize your whole business life.

How do you schedule an appointment effectively?

Make sure that customers have multiple booking method options and timeslots. They should also have the option of receiving appointment reminders and cancellation options. To help automate these tasks, you can use free appointment scheduling software such as 10to8.