Don’t underestimate the power of a good scheduling tool. It can save you time. It can make life easier for the people you serve. It can even help you win more opportunities and close more sales.
After all, one of the best ways to gain a new customer or client is have them book an appointment. For many businesses, it’s how you “get in the room” (literally, if we’re talking about an in-person meeting). And for other kinds of businesses—such as healthcare, legal services, salons, home repairs, and companies in other service-driven industries—an appointment and a sale may as well be the same thing.
So, which scheduling tool, app, or software is right for your business? While we might not be able to answer that question definitively, we can certainly help you make an educated decision.
At Ruby, our virtual receptionists schedule appointments on behalf of businesses every day—and we’ve used a lot of different platforms to make that happen. Pulling from our experience, here’s a quick rundown of 20 of the best scheduling tools and apps for small businesses.
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Acuity
Acuity Scheduling is a popular appointment scheduling option owned by Squarespace and designed for small businesses of 1–36 people. All plans include online scheduling, unlimited services and appointments, and integrations with tools like Stripe, Zoom, Google, QuickBooks, and Zapier. You can learn more and get a 7-day free trial here.
Appointlet
Appointlet describes itself as “the simple and affordable way to book meetings online.” The app is used by businesses in many of the same kinds of industries Ruby serves, including legal, financial, property management, and healthcare. All plans include unlimited meetings, with features such as multiple scheduling pages, private meeting types, and unlimited custom intake forms available at paid tiers. You can learn more and create a free account here.
Appointment.com
Appointment.com is a scheduling tool that may be a good fit for businesses with multiple locations, departments, or appointment categories. Pricing is based on number of bookings per month rather than features. There’s also a pay-as-you-go option. You can learn more and start a 30-day free trial here.
Appointy
Appointy is a versatile scheduling tool used by various service-oriented businesses and professionals—such healthcare providers, educators, spas, and attorneys. A free plan is available but is limited to one user, five services, and 100 appointments per month. You can learn more and create a free account here.
Baluu
Baluu is a UK-based scheduling system that promises “a premium booking experience” with eye-catching design, extensive customizability, and advanced features such as block bookings and upsells. All plans, including the free option, offer unlimited bookings, multiple locations, and multi-person bookings. Additionally, Baluu offers web design services. You can learn more and try it free here.
Booksy
Booksy is built specially for beauty and wellness professionals, and includes a listing platform (called Marketplace) alongside its scheduling tool. You can set up a business profile, promotions, automated client messaging, and more. You can check it out and get a free trial here.
Bookwhen
Bookwhen specializes in scheduling for online classes, courses, and events. It’s also a popular choice for franchise businesses. Plans vary in terms of bookings per month, number of team members, and number of booking pages, as well as features such as vouchers, passes, and YouTube integration. A free plan is available but is limited to 50 bookings/month, one user, and free events only. You can learn more and get started for free here.
Calendly
Calendly is one of the most popular online scheduling tools, with solutions for all kinds of business roles, industries, and sizes. All Calendly plans include unlimited meetings, with paid plans additionally allowing for multiple calendars, team scheduling, and integrations with tools such as HubSpot, Google Analytics, and Zapier. You can learn more and try it for free here.
Doodle
Doodle is among the most popular scheduling tools for small businesses, specializing in group scheduling capabilities. Features include unlimited 1:1s, group poll time slots, sign-up sheets, and booking pages. A free, ad-supported, and feature-limited plan is also available. You can learn more and try it for free here.
HoneyBook
HoneyBook is a small business management and customer relationship management (CRM) tool that offers scheduling as one feature alongside capabilities such as online contracts, invoicing, and client activity monitoring. You can learn more and get started here.
HubSpot meeting tool
HubSpot’s free meeting scheduler is a simple booking tool that syncs with Google Calendar and Office 365 Calendar. It’s available for free, though you need to sign up for a HubSpot account to use it. You can learn more and get started here.
NexHealth
NexHealth is geared toward medical practices and offers a handful of plans with varying features including scheduling, digital forms, and text-enabled billing. You can check it out and request a demo here.
Picktime
Picktime is a versatile scheduling tool used by businesses in all sorts of industries, ranging from salons to medical providers to consultants, lawyers, financial services professionals, home services professionals, and others. Features include support for multiple locations, customer data management, recurring bookings, customized booking forms, and more. A free plan with unlimited appointments is available. You can learn more and sign up for free here.
Setmore
Setmore compares favorably with popular scheduling tools like Calendly, with many of the same features and a focus on small businesses. Features indlue pro integrations, recurring appointments, two-way calendar sync, and full booking page customization Plans. A free plan offers unlimited appointments but lacks the aforementioned features. You can learn more and get started for free here.
Sign In Scheduling
Sign In Scheduling (formerly 10to8) is distinct from many scheduling tools in that it offers HIPAA compliance out of the box. Customers can also manage staff appointment control, add unlimited services on their booking pages, track visitors, and more. You can learn more and get a free trial here.
SimplePractice
SimplePractice is a practice management platform with plans that include scheduling, telehealth, insurance claim e-filing, a client portal, professional website, and more. You can check it out and request a demo here.
SimplyBook
SimplyBook offers numerous payment and marketing and sales tools alongside its scheduling capabilities. Users can activate “Custom Features” such as payment processing, additional fields, memberships, Facebook and Instagram integration, and a client mobile app. A free plan is available, but only allows for 50 bookings, one custom feature at a time, and one provider. You can learn more and sign up for free here.
Square
Square offers an add-on scheduling app with many of the same features as standalone tools like Calendly. You can sign up for a free plan or pay for access to additional features such as a waitlist, cancellation policies and fees, and staff access level controls. See how it works here.
Vcita
Vcita is a business management and customer relationship management (CRM) tool that offers scheduling as one feature alongside capabilities such as invoicing and client activity monitoring. Pricing ranges depending on team size and required business management features. Learn more and get a free trial here.
Zoho Bookings
Zoho’s scheduling software is comparable to dedicated calendar tools like Calendly, offering many of the same features, plus integration with Zoho CRM (and other customer relationship management tools through Zapier or Zoho Flow). Learn more here.
Ruby can schedule with all of these tools and more.
Did you know that Ruby can book appointments for you and your callers with any of the scheduling tools above? That’s right! It’s just one of the ways we can help you save time, win opportunities, and delight the people you serve.
Learn more about what the virtual receptionists at Ruby can do for you.
