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TL;DR
Try Calcom → wins on value and flexibility. Its Free plan is unusually generous, its paid team plan is priced per user at a low rate, and it is open source if you want full control of your data. Try Calendly → wins on familiarity: many clients have already booked through a Calendly link, and its interface is very polished. If you are starting fresh or paying for several seats, try Cal.com first.
Quick comparison
| Try Calcom → | Try Calendly → | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | 1 user, unlimited event types and calendars | Yes, with limits; check current plan |
| Paid team plan | Teams: $12/user/mo billed yearly (verified Oct 2026) | Check current pricing |
| Larger org plan | Organizations: $28/user/mo billed yearly | Check current pricing |
| Open source / self-host | Yes | No |
| Round-robin scheduling | Teams plan | Paid plans |
| Routing forms | Teams plan | Paid plans |
| Payments at booking | Stripe and PayPal on Free | Stripe and PayPal (check plan) |
| CRM sync | Two-way Salesforce and HubSpot on Free | Available on paid plans; check current details |
| Compliance | SOC 2, HIPAA, ISO 27001 on Organizations | Check vendor security page |
Cal.com details come from cal.com/pricing in October 2026. Calendly changes its plans from time to time, so check its pricing page for current limits.
What both tools do well
Both apps solve the same core problem: they remove the back-and-forth emails needed to find a meeting time. You connect your calendar, set your availability, share a link, and people book a time that is actually free. Both handle time zones automatically, send reminders, add video links, let invitees reschedule or cancel, and embed on your website. For a solo consultant with one meeting type, either works.
The differences show up when you add more event types, teammates, payments or routing.
Cal.com in detail
Try Calcom → started as an open-source alternative to Calendly and has grown into a full scheduling platform with an AI phone agent (Cal.ai), APIs and embeddable components.
Free plan (verified October 2026): one user, unlimited event types and calendars, email and SMS notifications, 100+ app integrations, mobile app and browser extension, Stripe and PayPal payments, two-way Salesforce and HubSpot sync, and one-click import of Calendly events.
Teams, $12 per user per month billed yearly: one team with shared availability, round-robin, managed and collective event types, recurring events, custom notifications, removal of Cal.com branding, routing forms, booking analytics and custom APIs. There is a 14-day free trial.
Organizations, $28 per user per month billed yearly: unlimited sub-teams, routing by custom variables, a company subdomain, SAML SSO and SCIM, plus SOC 2, HIPAA and ISO 27001 compliance. Enterprise is custom priced.
Pros
- Very generous free plan with unlimited event types
- Low per-seat team pricing
- Open source, with a self-hosted option and US or EU hosting
- Payments and CRM sync without paying for an upgrade
Cons
- Some advanced options, such as custom workflows, sit on paid tiers (the Free plan has templated workflows only)
- Slightly more settings to learn than Calendly
- Fewer invitees will recognise the brand
Calendly in detail
Try Calendly → is the best-known scheduling link on the market. Its strength is a clean, simple booking experience that invitees understand instantly, plus a mature set of integrations and team features for sales and recruiting.
Pricing: Calendly offers a free plan and several paid tiers priced per seat. Limits and prices change, so check current pricing on Calendly's site before buying.
Pros
- Polished, familiar booking page
- Mature team, routing and admin features on higher tiers
- Large integration ecosystem
Cons
- Costs add up as you add seats
- The free plan is more limited than Cal.com's
- Not open source, so self-hosting is not an option
For a full rundown, see our Calendly review.
Head-to-head by use case
Solo freelancers and consultants
Cal.com's free plan covers unlimited event types, payments and calendar connections, which is everything most freelancers need. Unless your clients specifically expect a Calendly link, Cal.com is the better free choice.
Small teams (2 to 20 people)
Price matters more here. Cal.com's Teams plan is $12 per user per month on yearly billing and includes round-robin and routing forms. Compare that against Calendly's current team plan for the same number of seats. For most small teams, Cal.com is cheaper for similar features.
Sales teams
Both tools route leads and distribute meetings across reps. Cal.com includes two-way Salesforce and HubSpot sync on Free and attribute-based routing on higher plans. Calendly is a mature choice that many sales orgs already use. Trial both with your own CRM before deciding.
Healthcare, legal and regulated teams
Cal.com's Organizations plan lists HIPAA compliance, SOC 2, ISO 27001, SSO and SCIM, and its open-source code can be self-hosted. That makes Cal.com the stronger choice when data control matters. Always confirm a BAA or contract terms with the vendor.
Developers and product teams
Cal.com offers APIs, embeddable "Atoms" components and self-hosting. If you want to build scheduling into your own product, Cal.com is built for it.
How to switch from Calendly to Cal.com
- Create a free Try Calcom → account and connect your calendar.
- Use the one-click Calendly import to bring over your event types.
- Check availability, buffers, minimum notice and booking questions on each event.
- Connect payments and video conferencing.
- Replace the booking links on your website, email signature and social profiles.
- Keep Calendly active for a week or two so existing bookings are not disrupted.
Verdict
- Choose Try Calcom → if you want the best free plan, low team pricing, open-source control, or strong compliance options.
- Choose Try Calendly → if your team already uses it and values a familiar booking experience over cost.
Still deciding? Our list of Calendly alternatives covers more options, and best AI scheduling tools for small business looks at AI calendar assistants. Browse everything on our scheduling tag.