You’ve finally decided to go into business. Now, all you need is a booking system. Many small businesses use computer software to help run their operations. A booking system helps small businesses allocate their time, manage appointment times, and provide customers with online access to make appointments or check for schedules. When choosing a booking system, consider the one that will meet your unique needs while giving you more control over your business.
Calendly has more than 700 app integrations with Zapier and three pricing tiers: free, premium, and pro plans. The free plan offers basic features and gives access to one calendar, but you can schedule unlimited appointments. The pro plan is $10 per month and supports two calendar connections, while the premium plan costs $15 per month with up to six calendar connections.
Calendly has a free 14-day trial with access to all features. It’s cloud-based and also available on the go with mobile apps for iOS and Android. Payment integrations include Stripe and PayPal.
Calendly provides online support via email and live chat. Users like the multiple integrations and the ability to sync with several calendars.
The ability to sync with multiple calendars makes Calendly the best scheduling software for calendar management.
The software connects all your calendars to avoid double bookings. You can easily set up and customize calendars based on your needs. It has a buffer feature, allowing you to take a break in between meetings before the next appointment. In addition, Calendly detects time zones and automatically shares the right time to meet with customers based on their location.
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Square Appointments is part of the Square family and focuses on keeping track of appointments for individuals, small businesses, and freelancers.
The service is easy to set up and free to use for one user, and two to five users pay $50 per month. Six to 10 users costs $90 per month, and if your company has more than 10 users you need to contact them directly for customized pricing.
Square Appointments can be used on your register, iPad, Android, or iPhone app. It’s cloud-based and works with any business that needs appointment booking capabilities. It comes with a free online booking website, automated email and text reminders, and a Google calendar sync. It also creates an enforceable late or missed appointment fee.
Square is a reputable company with positive reviews about its innovative technology and ability to have all of its products and services used together.
Why We Chose It: Square Appointments is an integrated POS (point of sale) that comes with online scheduling and is free for individual users.
Picktime is a relatively new appointment software founded in 2017. It’s designed to simplify scheduling for individuals and businesses. The software is free and offers tons of features and customizations, making it the best app for individuals and small businesses on a budget.
Picktime offers several features, such as scheduling appointments, sending reminders, invoicing, and managing teams. You can sync your Google, Outlook, Exchange, Office 365, and iCloud calendars with Picktime, so you’re never overbooked or miss appointments. It also has video chat integrations with Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Jitsi Meet, and more, allowing you to manage appointments anywhere.
Currently, Picktime is entirely free, but it plans on introducing paid plans in the future—early adopters will likely continue using the software for free. It has multiple app integrations and accepts online payments through PayPal, Stripe, and Square.
Apart from being free, users also like the wide variety of features and integrations with existing apps.
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Appointlet is cloud-based and can be used on any device. You can customize your appointment schedule and booking page and share it with your customers and prospects. It’s ideal for sales because you can spend more time on sales and less time going back and forth scheduling meetings and appointments.
The company is made up of a small team and is based in Portland, Oregon. It’s designed to be simple and easy to set up.
Some features include custom branding, booking pages available in multiple languages, customizable reminders and confirmations, calendar syncing, and integration throughout your sales funnel. Customers can book an appointment with you at the peak of their interest so your conversion and closed-sales rates should increase. It also shortens your sales cycle by saving time and performing fewer administration tasks.
There is a basic plan that is free and a premium plan that is $8 per month per member. A free trial is offered for 15 days with no required credit card.
Support is available via chat, online, and over the phone.
Doodle lets you organize meetings with large groups of up to 20 people where everyone’s time zone varies.
Doodle is a simple and easy-to-use web-based scheduling application with apps for iPhone and Android. It makes this possible through an intuitive interface that allows users to see availability across multiple time zones. You can sync your Google calendar, Office 365, or iCal to avoid double bookings. Other features include the Doodle poll, which lets participants vote on the ideal time to hold a meeting. Doodle also has integrations with Zoom, Slack, and Microsoft Teams, keeping everyone on the same page about the meeting.
The software offers a 14-day trial with no credit card commitment. Once the trial expires, pricing starts at $6.95 per month for the pro plan with only one user. There’s an $8.95-per-month plan for teams that includes five to 20 users. If you’re an enterprise, you can contact Doodle for custom pricing.
Doodle’s support is available online, and users like the fact that they can collaborate with every team member despite their schedule.
Square Appointments is part of the Square family and simplifies scheduling for individuals and businesses. The software has a built-in POS system that tracks payments in real time, which is why it takes the payment integration category.
The software is easy to set up and lets you sync your schedules across multiple time zones. Its features include a free online booking website, Google calendar sync, automated emails, and text reminders. Square Appointments also has website integration, allowing customers to book appointments directly from your website. It can also create an enforceable fee for late bookings and cancellations.
Square Appointments has a unique pricing structure among appointment scheduling software for small businesses. It’s free for one user, but there’s a 2.6% processing fee plus $0.10 per transaction. Two to five users pay $50 per month, while six to 10 users pay $90 per month. All paid plans includes processing fee of 2.5% plus $0.10 per transaction. If your company has more than 10 users, you can contact the sales team for custom pricing. Square Appointments is cloud-based but also available in apps for iPhone, iPad, and Android.
Square is a reputable company with several positive reviews, and customer support is available online.
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Setmore allows clients to book appointments directly from social media.
Setmore makes it easy to book appointments and send reminders to customers. The software can be used with desktops, tablets, and phones. It’s easy to use and has the features you need: automatic booking confirmation, sync calendars, social media integrations, custom branded messages, email and text reminders, reporting tools for tracking your performance—all in one place, giving it the edge as a project management booker.
The scheduling software has three pricing tiers: free, premium, and pro. The free plan includes up to four users with unlimited appointments, custom booking, email reminders, and more. For more advanced features, you can choose a premium plan for $12 per user per month, including up to two users, or the pro plan for $9 per user per month for more than three users. All paid plans come with a 30-day money-back guarantee and accept online payments through Square and Stripe.
Apps are available for iOS and Android, letting users manage their schedules on the go. Setmore has email support and 24/7 in-app support and donates 1% revenue to plant trees worldwide.
Conclusion
We recommended the best appointment scheduling software for small businesses and all of our recommendations have valid pros and cons. Some software is free, others are paid, and some offer a free trial period. Features vary and so do amounts of users and available tools.
The one you choose depends on your business needs and goals. Budget may play a big factor for some while other companies will automatically opt for more robust plans.