Best Appointment Scheduling Software

Appointment Scheduling Software Reviews

In today’s day and age, people can schedule appointments for nearly everything, from getting their hair cut to discussing business matters with advisors. Because of this, businesses must stay on top of their schedules to make the most of their time, avoid over- or underbooking, and track customer profiles. To help businesses find the best appointment scheduling software for their needs, we evaluated over 20 vendors and narrowed our list to our top picks below. Read our methodology section to learn more.

Twizzlo – Best for Unlimited & All-in-One Appointment Scheduling

Twizzlo is an all-in-one online booking software that supports unlimited locations, staff, contacts, and bookings, with no per-seat or per-location fees. The tool manages online bookings, sends SMS reminders, connects client CRMs, runs payments, and provides staff scheduling and insights. Every module feature is unlocked from day one, meaning you don’t have to pay extra to enhance your business operations.

Twizzlo supports payment and tip processing with Stripe Connect on every plan. It offers real-time insights on revenue, occupancy, satisfaction, and top staff. Plus, with the 24/7 online booking page, you’ll easily fill up slots. Twizzlo sends automatic SMS and email confirmations and reminders, along with clear cancellation policies, reducing no-shows. You can also check your real-time availability on any device. Other key features include multi-location control, drag-and-drop rescheduling, recurring appointments, per-staff availability & shifts, block time in one click, auto-built profiles, client search & filtering, and more.

Start for Free Visit Twizzlo’s website

Twizzlo features

• Calendar Sync – Keeps track of appointments and meetings with drag-and-drop daily, weekly, and monthly calendar views while managing individual employee availability and shifts.
• Self-Serve Booking – Allows clients to schedule appointments online 24/7 through online scheduling links and a client portal that lets them manage appointments, view history, and reschedule.
• Automated Reminders – Sends automated SMS and email notifications, including booking confirmations and appointment reminders before upcoming appointments.
• Time Zone Detection – Provides centralized multi-location control and multiple time zone support, allowing you to control each location.
• Payment Processing – Offers built-in payment processing via Stripe Connect. It accepts prepaid online bookings, deposits, and client tips. Twizzlo does not function as an in-person point of sale system.

How Twizzlo pricing works

Twizzlo has two plans available. Each plan includes no per-seat fees and all modules.

• Free: $0/month; up to 150 bookings/mo
• Pro: Starts at $29.99/mo per business for unlimited bookings

Receive a 30-day money-back guarantee on the Pro plan.

What markets does Twizzlo serve?

Twizzlo supports new businesses and multi-location establishments, offering services to all industries, including barbershops, hair salons, tattoo studios, day spas, nail salons, massage therapy, photographers, auto detailing, and more.

Read our full Twizzlo review

Acuity Scheduling – Best for Easy Customization & Branding

Acuity Scheduling is scheduling software that supports a quality customer experience. It lets you book appointments, take payments and automate operations so you can focus on service. Acuity Scheduling lets you create a branded booking page, creating a unified experience for your clients. It reduces no-shows with deposits, appointment reminders, and cancellation policies.

Acuity helps boost your earnings by offering packages, subscriptions, gift certificates, add-ons, and coupons. It allows you to track bookings and revenue in one place. It syncs with your calendar so you can manage your staff’s time easily. It offers features like client management, class scheduling, invoicing software, point-of-sale, online booking, availability controls, a website builder, and more.

Acuity Scheduling features

• Calendar Sync – Connects to the calendars you already use to optimize your workflows and prevent double-bookings.
• Self-Serve Booking – Clients can view real-time availability and book open slots, manage their appointments, fill out custom intake forms, and pay for services.
• Automated Reminders – Offers built-in automated, fully customizable reminders for both email and text messages to reduce no-shows.
• Time Zone Detection – Automatically detects clients’ local time zone using browser settings and restricts all available times to your specific business time zone.
• Payment Processing – Integrates with Stripe, Square, Venmo, and PayPal and accepts in-person payments, such as card and Tap to Pay.

How Acuity Scheduling pricing works

Acuity Scheduling offers three plans and a 7-day free trial. Pricing information below is based on a monthly billing schedule.

• Starter: Starts at $20/month for 1 calendar
• Standard: Starts at $34/month for up to 6 calendars
• Premium: Starts at $61/month for up to 36 calendars

What markets does Acuity Scheduling serve?

Acuity Scheduling supports solo practitioners to multi-location teams across industries like beauty, fitness, business services, visual & performing arts, wellness, education, and more.

Setmore – Best Free Appointment Scheduling for Small Teams

Setmore is a free scheduling software that helps you organize your business with 24/7 automated online booking, reminders, payments, and more. The custom booking page allows you to set your business apart both visually and functionally, allowing clients to self-book at their convenience. Plus, you can create a free QR code and feature it on marketing, merch, and more to lead customers to your booking page. Each new appointment lands in your calendar, and you can add Zoom or Google Meet video meeting links as needed.

Setmore also reduces no-shows by sending personalized email or text reminders to every customer. It integrates with your website, social media, sales CRM, and more. Plus, it allows you to accept payment securely online, meaning you don’t have to chase down invoices. Finally, Setmore offers around-the-clock support via phone, chat, or email.

Setmore features

• Calendar Sync – Syncs with popular platforms like Google Calendar, Office 365, Apple macOS, and Outlook to keep you and your staff on schedule.
• Self-Serve Booking – Features a customizable booking page online, showing customers a live service menu, prices, available time slots, and handling payment processing.
• Automated Reminders – Offers both automated text and email messaging to reduce no-shows.
• Time Zone Detection – Includes a Show Local Time feature that automatically detects and displays booking availability in your customer’s local time zone. It also provides a manual override, allowing you to select a different time zone if needed.
• Payment Processing – Supports online and in-person payments through Stripe, Square, PayPal, Tap to Pay, Booking Page payments, and more.

How Setmore pricing works

Setmore offers two plans, with annual and monthly billing available. Pricing below is based on monthly billing.

• Free: $0/month for up to 4 users
• Pro:Starts at $12/month for unlimited users

What markets does Setmore serve?

Setmore is best for small businesses, solo entrepreneurs, and service-based industries in fields such as beauty, health & wellness, trade & field services, professional services & B2B, education & e-learning, and creative & lifestyle services.

SimplyBook.me – Best for Multi-Service Scheduling

SimplyBook.me, by team.blue, is an AI-powered scheduling system that handles appointments, reminders and payments for all service-based industries. It provides seamless, mobile-optimized booking for your business and sends automated reminders through WhatsApp, SMS & email. SimplyBook.me’s built-in AI chat sets up services and schedules in minutes, and the system allows you to accept secure online payments and deposits as well as make in-person transactions.

SimplyBook.me connects with Facebook, Instagram, Google, and more, allowing you to reach a wide audience. It offers custom features like coupons, gift cards, and tips, and it lets you personalize your booking page to match your branding. The tool scales with your booking volume and selected features. It makes it easy to offer more services to each client during booking, lets you manage your business on-the-go via the Admin App, and integrates with Google Calendar, Outlook, Zapier, and over 5,000+ apps to automate your workflow and prevent scheduling conflicts.

SimplyBook.me features

• Calendar Sync – Automatically syncs client bookings with Google Calendar or Outlook; plus, you can automatically export bookings to your external Google or Outlook calendar.
• Self-Serve Booking – Clients can view your availability and book appointments via your personalized booking website whenever works best for them.
• Automated Reminders – Sends WhatsApp, SMS, and email reminders to clients, ensuring they never forget an appointment.
• Time Zone Detection – Lets your clients view booking pages and receive notifications in their local time zones.
• Payment Processing – Accepts payments via Stripe, PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Tap to Pay, QR codes, or payment links.

How SimplyBook.me pricing works

SimplyBook.me offers five pricing plans, as well as a 14-day free trial. The pricing information below is based on a monthly billing schedule.

• Free: $0/month with 50 included bookings, 1 custom feature, and 1 provider
• Basic: Starts at $13.90/month with 100 included bookings, 3 custom features, and 5 providers
• Standard: Starts at $29.90/month with 500 included bookings, 8 custom features, and 15 providers
• Premium: Starts at $59.90/month with 2,000 included bookings, unlimited custom features, and 30 providers
• Enterprise: Custom pricing, bookings, and providers with unlimited custom features

What markets does SimplyBook.me serve?

SimplyBook.me supports a wide range of service-based and appointment-driven businesses, from small local shops to large enterprises, focusing on industries including beauty and wellness, sport and fitness, medical and health practices, education and training, and more.

Zoho Bookings – Best for Zoho Ecosystem Integration

Zoho Bookings, by Zoho, is an AI-powered appointment scheduling software that helps businesses of all sizes schedule appointments with ease. The system is easy for both businesses and their clients. Customers can easily access availability and pick a time slot, add their info, and set the appointment. On the business side, you can create the event type (e.g., sales call, consultation, interview, etc.), set your availability & when appointments can be made, and as bookings come in, they will automatically be synced with your connected calendars.

Zoho Booking’s AI-powered setup, named Zia, helps you get set up quickly so you can begin immediately. It lets you set up appointments, manage your teams, and create scheduling workflows. It also offers routing forms to qualify leads and direct them to the right person and integrates with Zoho CRM to give your sales team full context and to track leads, bookings, and follow-ups from one platform. Additionally, Zoho Booking links with email tools like Zoho Mail, Gmail, and Outlook, and it offers WhatsApp integration so you can operate directly from WhatsApp chats.

Zoho Bookings features

• Calendar Sync – Features a two-way calendar sync to help you manage your schedule and prevent double bookings.
• Self-Serve Booking – Automatically applies working hours, buffer times, and service durations that clients can access via custom links, making it easy to pick an open time slot at their convenience.
• Automated Reminders – Provides fully automated reminders for both customers and staff that trigger at specific intervals.
• Time Zone Detection – Offers both automatic time zone detection and conversion between the customer’s local time and your business or staff. Configurable options are also available.
• Payment Processing – Offers payment processing capabilities powered by Zoho Checkout and native integrations, including Stripe, PayPal, Razorpay, and more.

How Zoho Bookings pricing works

Zoho Bookings offers two pricing options. Monthly and annual billing is available; prices below are based on a monthly billing schedule.

• Basic: Starts at $8/month/user
• Premium: Starts at $12/month/user

Zoho Bookings also has a Forever Free plan for solo users who only need the fundamentals of scheduling software.

What markets does Zoho Bookings serve?

Zoho Bookings supports solopreneurs, SMBs, and enterprise teams, serving every industry that relies on appointment scheduling, including finance, professional services, healthcare, education, beauty & wellness, fitness, real estate, and more.

YouCanBookMe – Best for Straightforward Scheduling

YouCanBookMe is designed to help small businesses with online scheduling, saving time and getting you more clients. It allows you to customize booking pages to create a consistent brand image and streamline your scheduling. Offer different types of appointments at varies lengths while also setting minimum notice periods, buffer times, group sessions, and more. You can also take payment upon booking, so you don’t have to chase down invoices.

YouCanBookMe allows you to automate everything, taking away the hassle of scheduling and allowing you to focus on your customers. Additional feature includes 24/7 scheduling, 1-click reschedule & cancel, no-show tracking, instant CRM updating, analytics integration, and automatic confirmation, reminder, & follow-up messages. Plus, you can integrate with your favorite apps, including popular calendar apps, video platforms, CRMs, and 7,000+ other tools via Zapier.

YouCanBookMe features

• Calendar Sync – Offers two-way real-time calendar sync with Google Calendar, Microsoft Outlook, Apple iCloud, Fastmail, Fruux, and CalDAV.
• Self-Serve Booking – Share a personalized booking link via email, text, or your website to clients so they can see your availability and book a time that works for them.
• Automated Reminders – Sends automated reminders via email or SMS text messages to clients, yourself, and team members.
• Time Zone Detection – Features full time zone detection for both the organizer and the person booking.
• Payment Processing – Offers payment processing through Stripe, major credit/debit cards, and digital wallets like Google Pay and Apple Pay.

How YouCanBookMe pricing works

YouCanBookMe offers four pricing plans as well as a 14-day free trial. Billing can be monthly, yearly, or every two years. Pricing information below is based on a monthly billing cycle.

• Free: $0/month for 1 calendar & 1 booking page
• Individual: Starts at $9/month for 2 calendars & 2 booking pages
• Professional: Starts at $13/month for 6 calendars & 10 booking pages
• Team: Starts at $18/month for 10 calendars & 15+ booking pages

What markets does YouCanBookMe serve?

YouCanBookMe primarily serves customer-facing, service-based solopreneurs and small-to-medium-sized businesses across industries like education, professional services & consulting, tech startups, real estate & local retail, and more.

Calendly – Best for Scheduling & Managing Meetings

Calendly handles the busy work from scheduling to automated meeting recaps and follow-ups while giving you complete control and total customization. It provides an AI-powered scheduling assistant, Callie, that runs 24/7 and can be added to any email thread to coordinate scheduling on your behalf. Calendly has built-in payment tools allowing you to charge upfront, sell packages, and send invoices. Its notetaker provides actionable, shareable recaps for every meeting.

Calendly provides a better way for businesses to book meetings, making it easy to control multiple calendars, set hours, and control exactly when you’re available. It offers meeting templates, automated email & text workflows, website embeds, and routing forms. It supports one-on-one calls and multi-host meetings with pre-built event types. Calendar is available on the mobile app and browser extension and can integrate with 150+ tools.

Calendly features

• Calendar Sync – Connects your external calendars, like Google Calendar, Outlook/Office 365, to prevent double-booking.
• Self-Serve Booking – Clients can access your availability via a scheduling link and book an appointment, which is automatically added to your connected calendar.
• Automated Reminders – Reduce no-shows with personalized email and text reminders, allowing invitees to reschedule when needed without the back-and-forth.
• Time Zone Detection – Automatically detects both the host’s and client’s local time zone using browser and device settings. The host can change their time zone information manually if needed.
• Payment Processing – Offers built-in payment processing with Stripe and PayPal and also accepts major credit/debit cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, instant bank payments via Link, and more depending on your setup.

How Calendly pricing works

Calendly offers four pricing options, with monthly and annual billing terms available. The pricing below is based on monthly billing.

• Free: $0/month for 1 event type
• Standard: Starts at $12/month/seat for unlimited event types
• Teams: Starts at $20/month/seat for unlimited event types
• Enterprise: Starts at $15k/year

For an additional $12/month, you can add the Notetaker and Callie to the Standard and Teams plans.

What markets does Calendly serve?

Calendly serves global markets ranging from solo micro-businesses to Fortune 500 enterprises, focusing on industries like business consulting, professional services, sales & marketing, recruiting & HR, financial services, and healthcare.

Compare the Best Appointment Scheduling Software Side-by-Side

What is Appointment Scheduling Software?

Appointment scheduling software, also known as meeting scheduling systems, enables businesses and professionals to manage appointments and bookings by syncing their calendars with the software. It automates workflows by letting customers view your availability via a personalized link and book appointments directly, eliminating the back-and-forth of phone calls and emails.

It is most often used by businesses that are heavily appointment-based, such as spas, salons, gyms, medical clinics, financial advisors, contractors, and more. Appointment scheduling software reduces no-shows, automates scheduling, and streamlines payment processing.

Features to Look for in Appointment Scheduling Software

When looking for an appointment scheduling system, prioritize features like two-way calendar integration and automated reminders to avoid double-bookings and no-shows. Additional core features to look for include:

• Self-Service Online Booking: Ensure the tool provides a client-facing booking page that allows them to choose times, cancel, or reschedule appointments on their own without calling.
• Customizable Booking Rules: Look for platforms that allow you to set clear buffer times between meetings, define your working hours, limit how far in advance clients can book, and create custom intake forms.
• Online Payment Processing: Platforms that can accept credit card payments, deposits, or cancellation fees online and at the time of booking are preferable, as it keeps you from chasing invoices.
• Staff and Resource Management: Look for systems that let you manage multi-user access permissions and assign specific team members, rooms, or equipment to services.
• Client Management Tools: Look for platforms that maintain a centralized history of customer contact details, past visits, and personal preferences.
• Third-Party Integrations: Prioritize tools that integrate with third-party tools such as customer relationship management (CRM) systems, video conferencing links, and invoicing software.
• Customizable Branding: Look for platforms that allow you to customize your booking page colors, logos, and forms to match your business style.

How to Choose the Best Appointment Scheduling Software

To choose the best appointment scheduling software for your business, you should identify your core business needs, team size, and integration ecosystem. This information will help you determine what is most important for the scheduling software to support.

Follow these eight steps to easily find an appointment scheduling software for your business:

• Step 1—Identify your booking type. Do you need 1-on-1 scheduling, walk-in management, group meetings, or all three? Look for platforms that specialize in the booking type you require.
• Step 2—Assess your operational complexity. Consider your daily visit volume, number of offered services, number of locations, and other such factors. Businesses with more complex operations should choose a platform that can easily manage the volume and scale as needed.
• Step 3—Evaluate the ecosystem fit. Consider if your current tools will smoothly integrate with the software you already use, such as HubSpot & Microsoft Teams, or if it requires external add-ons. Native integrations are usually best as they are more affordable and reduce friction.
• Step 4—Consider the pricing structure. Does the platform charge a flat fee for all services, or does it charge per user and per location? Costs can add up quickly, especially for larger teams and multi-location organizations.
• Step 5—Check compliance management. Depending on your industry, you may be required to meet certain compliance rules. If this is the case for your organization, be sure to ask directly about SOC2 certification, HIPAA compliance, data residency, and encryption standards.
• Step 6—Evaluate automation and reminder capabilities. Ensure the platform supports automated SMS/email reminders to ensure customers remember their appointments, reducing no-shows and last-minute cancellations.
• Step 7—Request live demos. Have the sales rep walk you and your staff (those who will actually use the system) through the platform to understand how it works and whether it meets your business needs.
• Step 8—Take advantage of any free trials and plans. If the software has a free trial or offers a free plan, consider making use of that to get a sense of how the platform works in real-time and if it’s a good long-term match.

Pros and Cons of Appointment Scheduling Software

While appointment scheduling software is generally beneficial, there are a few drawbacks to be aware of before purchasing a service for your business.

Pros:

• Streamlines scheduling processes
• Reduces scheduling errors & frustration
• Enhances productivity & accountability
• Saves time
• Reduces no-shows & cancellations
• Provides 24/7 accessibility
• Offers data insights
• Enables workflow integration
• Manages waitlists
• Integrates with CRM tools

Cons:

• Loss of control over bookings
• Higher costs
• Technical reliance
• Setup complications & learning curves
• Diminished personal touch in interactions

Appointment scheduling software offers numerous benefits, automating bookings, reducing administrative work, and minimizing scheduling conflicts; however, it can come with drawbacks such as an over-reliance on technology, which can be a problem during internet outages or technical glitches. It also requires businesses to invest time in training their staff, which can lead to issues early on, but once everyone is comfortable with the new tool, your business will start to experience the many benefits.

How Much Does Appointment Scheduling Software Cost?

The average cost of appointment scheduling software generally ranges from $0 to $50 per month, depending on the provider, your team size, and number of features. Providers like Twizzlo have a free plan that includes all features and allows for unlimited locations and users for up to 150 monthly bookings; however, its Pro plan includes all that with unlimited bookings for a flat rate of $29.99 per month per business.

Other providers (i.e., Setmore, SimplyBook.me, YouCanBookMe, and Calendly) have free plans as well, but features are typically limited. Higher plans cost between $12 and $20 dollars on average. Acuity Scheduling has plans ranging from $20 to $61 per month. Calendly offers one of the most expensive plans on this guide, with its Enterprise plans starting at $15k per year. As such, many Calendly alternatives are available.

Most providers offer a discount if you pay for the whole year up front rather than month-to-month. However, keep in mind additional costs such as payment processing fees and SMS fees for exceeded limits.

Appointment Scheduling Software FAQs

What makes a good appointment scheduling system?

A good appointment scheduling system offers a simple design, real-time calendar syncing, and lets clients book, change, or cancel appointments online without calling or emailing.

Will calendar appointment scheduling software be beneficial to my customers?

Yes, calendar appointment scheduling software is highly beneficial for customers as it provides 24/7 self-service access to your calendar, allowing them to book, reschedule, or cancel appointments without needing to call or email you.

How do I set up an online appointment scheduler for my business?

To set up an online appointment scheduler for your business, start by linking the software to your calendar or primary scheduling app. Then, set your availability and booking rules, and then you can input services and pricing, build intake forms, and turn on automated reminders. Most platforms will walk you through this process, or you can find tutorials online.

How We Chose the Best Appointment Scheduling Software

We curated a list of 24 Appointment Scheduling Software companies currently on the market and narrowed our focus to 11 popular vendors with a strong online presence. From there, we chose 7 vendors that stood out for their offered features, markets served, brand reputation, and more.

We scored each appointment scheduling software company on a scale of 1 (poor) to 5 (excellent) across the following criteria, each worth 25% of our total score:

• Variety of features: The B2B Reviews team identified key appointment scheduling software features like calendar integration, self-serve booking, automated reminders, time zone detection, and payment processing and ensured that each provider offered these features and more.
• Pricing and transparency: We compared pricing and plans as well as considered how easily the information was to find and understand. Companies that had transparent pricing earned more points.
• Onboarding and support: Our team looked at the types of available support, including onboarding, online documentation, and phone, email, or chat support. The more customer support offered, the higher the vendor scored.
• Brand reputation: To get a sense of what real customers think about the platforms, we went to third-party review sites and gathered customer sentiment data.