Last updated: October 5, 2026
Calendly’s free plan stops at one event type and one connected calendar. It sends no reminder emails and can’t take payment at booking.
Most Calendly alternatives free to use move those limits rather than remove them. Only two of the seven below clear all four.
Every plan here was read on the company’s own pricing and help pages between October 3 and 5, 2026.
In This Article
Find the limit you hit, then read the tool that removes it.
- Which Two Clear All Four Limits: The only free plans that remove every Calendly limit, and the one that keeps a cut of each payment.
- What a Paid Booking Costs on Free: How much of a $100 session reaches you on each tool that can take payment without a paid plan.
- Why TidyCal Stops at One Calendar: The near-complete alternative that removes three limits but checks only one calendar.
- How Sign-Up Trials Hide the Limits: Three tools start new accounts on a trial, so the real free plan shows up later.
- Why Google’s Free Page Matches Calendly: The booking page you may already have comes with the same four limits.
Which Calendly Free Limit Did You Hit?
Calendly caps its free plan at four limits: one event type, one calendar, no reminders and no payments.
Cal.com and Zcal clear all four on their free plans. TidyCal clears three, and Google’s free booking page clears none.
The chart sets all eight free plans against those four limits, each read on the company’s own pages October 3–5, 2026.
Most of the alternatives move a limit rather than remove it. The table below gives the price to upgrade each one.
Prices come from each company’s own page, read October 3–5, 2026: Calendly’s pricing, Cal.com’s pricing, Zcal’s pricing, TidyCal’s pricing, Koalendar’s pricing, Zoho’s pricing, Reclaim’s pricing and Google’s plan chart.
Each tool’s own section below has the details.
Where Every Free-Plan Limit Here Comes From
Every limit in this post comes from the company’s own pricing or help page. Nothing was tested hands-on — what counts is the plan each company promises in writing.
The check covers seven alternatives that have a free plan, not just a trial. Each one is set against Calendly’s four limits: event types, calendars, reminder emails and payments.
Paid-only tools were left out, and so were features outside those four limits. The reader in mind books clients one-to-one and wants to stay at $0.
Most lists ranking for this search come from scheduling companies, and several rank their own tool first.
This one checks each tool against its own pages.
One of those lists, from AI assistant maker Carly, says Google’s booking pages are “included with paid Google Workspace plans.”
Google’s own help page says a personal account gets one booking page free. That page has the same four limits as Calendly’s free plan.
Trials blur the picture too. Three tools start new accounts on one:
- Calendly: two weeks of Teams Plus, then the Free plan automatically, per its billing help page.
- Zoho Bookings: its sign-up page opens on a 15-day free trial.
- Koalendar: every new account gets full access for 7 days, per Koalendar’s pricing page.
Each tool here is judged on the free tier left once its trial ends, not during it.
The Free Alternatives, Checked Against Calendly’s Limits
Each tool below gets the same four-limit check and two named catches.
Calendly’s CEO, Tope Awotona, told SaaStr in 2025 the company is “happy for people to use the product for free.”
Free users still count, he said, because Calendly spends “almost zero dollars on marketing campaigns.”
Every free booking page carries its maker’s name to the clients who book. The chart shows the cheapest paid plan that takes each tool’s branding off.
Cal.com: Clears All Four Limits, Keeps Its Branding
| Limit | Calendly Free | Cal.com Free |
|---|---|---|
| Event types | 1 | Unlimited |
| Calendars | 1 | Unlimited |
| Reminder emails | None | Default email only |
| Payments at booking | No | Stripe and PayPal |
| Branding | Can’t remove | Removed on Teams |
Cal.com lists unlimited event types and calendars on its free plan, against Calendly’s one of each. Its pricing page also lists Stripe and PayPal payments and a one-click Calendly import.
The catches are one user and a fixed reminder email. Cal.com’s help page says free accounts can only use the default one.
Its branding stays until Teams, at $12 per user a month billed yearly. If clients pay when they book and you run several session types, open this free plan first.
Zcal: Clears All Four, Keeps 3% of Every Payment
Zcal keeps 3% of every Stripe payment on its free plan, says Zcal’s Stripe help page.
Apart from that cut, it clears all four limits. Its free plan lists unlimited links and calendar accounts, automated email reminders and Stripe payments.
Pro drops the cut and the branding for $7 per user a month, billed yearly. Monthly billing is $10.50. SMS and multiple email reminders are Pro-only too.
Zcal’s 3% is the gap with Cal.com, whose Stripe app page lists no platform fee. If you never charge at booking, that 3% never applies.
TidyCal: Unlimited Booking Types, One Calendar, a 1% Fee
TidyCal takes 1% of each Stripe payment, where Zcal takes 3%. But its free plan connects one calendar, against Zcal’s unlimited.
That one calendar is the same wall Calendly puts up. Free accounts still get unlimited booking types, paid bookings and a Calendly importer.
Reminders go out 24 hours and 1 hour before by default. Custom email templates need a paid plan.
The $29 Individual Lifetime plan adds 10 calendars but keeps the 1% fee. Pro at $12 a month or $99 a year drops the fee and the branding.
It suits paid sessions on a free page, as long as one calendar covers your week.
Koalendar: Unlimited Booking Pages, No Reminders
New Koalendar accounts get 7 days of every feature, so the free plan only shows up on day eight.
That free plan lists unlimited bookings and booking pages, calendar sync, video calls and website embeds. Its pricing page gives no calendar count.
Like TidyCal, it lists unlimited booking types. Unlike TidyCal, its free plan sends no reminder emails and takes no payments.
Both start on Pro: $9 per seat a month billed yearly, with one email reminder per booking. Removing the branding takes Premium at $16 per seat a month.
Zoho Bookings: Reminder Emails, but One Meeting Type
Picture a coach with one session type and clients who forget to show up. That’s who Zoho Bookings fits.
Its free plan sends automatic confirmation, reminder, cancellation and no-show emails. That’s reminders where Koalendar’s free plan has none.
But Zoho allows one event type and one calendar, against Koalendar’s unlimited types. Payments and branding removal both wait for Premium. Premium costs US$9 per user a month, billed yearly.
The cheapest step up, Basic at US$6 a month billed yearly, adds unlimited event types and two calendars.
Reclaim.ai: Two Calendars, One Scheduling Link
Reclaim.ai is a calendar planner first and a booking tool second. Its free Lite plan includes one scheduling link.
That link checks two calendars against Zoho’s one, and every plan includes email reminders.
No payment option appears anywhere on its plan table. Branding stays until Business at $15 per seat a month, billed yearly. Starter, at $10, gives three links.
It suits people who already plan their week there; our AI scheduling assistant comparison covers that planning side.
Google Calendar: The Free Page With Calendly’s Limits
If you already use Gmail, Google Calendar has a free booking page waiting. Google’s help page says a personal account gets one booking page.
| Calendly free plan limits | Calendly Free | Google free account |
|---|---|---|
| Event types / pages | 1 | 1 |
| Calendars checked | 1 | 1 |
| Reminder emails | No | No (paid) |
| Payments at booking | No | No (paid) |
Every limit matches. More schedules, automatic reminders and other calendars need Google One Premium or paid Workspace.
Taking payment needs Workspace Individual or higher. And you can’t create schedules in Google’s phone app.
So the Google page is a twin of Calendly’s free plan, not a way past its limits.
What Does Free Cost Once a Client Pays You?
On a $100 session paid by US card, Stripe’s standard fee is 2.9% plus 30 cents, or $3.20.
That $3.20 goes to Stripe on every tool here. TidyCal’s free plan adds $1, and Zcal’s free plan adds $3.
On Cal.com, the Stripe app page lists no fee of its own, so $96.80 reaches you. The other five can’t take payment on free, as the chart at the top shows.
Upgrading only pays once bookings get big enough. TidyCal Pro costs $99 a year and drops the 1% fee. It pays for itself above $9,900 a year in bookings.
Zcal Pro costs $84 a year on yearly billing and drops the 3% cut. It pays for itself above $2,800 a year.
Below those amounts, the free plan’s cut is cheaper than the upgrade.
The Free Plan to Pick for Each Kind of Booking
Pick by how clients book, not by the longest feature list. Whether they pay upfront decides most of it.
If they pay when they book, start with Cal.com, which lists Stripe and PayPal on free. If nobody pays upfront, Zcal’s free plan clears all four limits, and its payment cut never applies.
The rest fit narrower cases. TidyCal’s free plan works for paid sessions if one calendar covers your week.
Zoho’s free plan fits one session type that needs reminders. Reclaim.ai fits if you already plan your week inside it.
Skip Google’s free page if Calendly’s limits are what you’re escaping.
Whatever you pick, stay on the free plan until a limit costs you more than the upgrade. Our guide to the best productivity tools for side hustlers covers the rest of your software.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I Move My Existing Calendly Bookings and Links to a New Tool?
Partly, and your booked meetings are the easy part. They already sit in your calendar, so connecting that calendar blocks those slots.
Event types can come across too. Cal.com’s free plan lists a one-click Calendly import, and TidyCal’s pricing page lists a Calendly importer.
Your Calendly link itself can’t move, so switch in three steps:
- Rebuild or import your event types in the new tool.
- Share the new link wherever the old one lived.
- Keep Calendly’s free plan running until booked meetings have passed.
What Happens to My Extra Event Types if Calendly’s Trial Ends?
New accounts get a two-week Teams Plus trial, then move to Free automatically, per Calendly’s billing help.
On Free, Calendly’s own blog says you can have one active event type at a time. The rest stay in your account, switched off.
Calendly’s help says a switched-off event type’s link “won’t accept new bookings.” So choose which one stays on before day 14.
If you need several live at $0, Cal.com’s free plan lists unlimited event types.
Can I Run Two Free Scheduling Tools at Once Without Double Bookings?
Yes, as long as both tools check the same calendar. Set each one up the same way:
- Connect both tools to the calendar you book into.
- Make that calendar the one each tool adds new bookings to.
- Make it the one each tool checks for conflicts too.
A booking in one tool then blocks that slot in the other. Watch the calendar caps, though.
These free plans connect just one calendar:
- Calendly: one calendar connection.
- TidyCal: one calendar connection; its $29 Lifetime plan allows 10.
- Zoho Bookings: one calendar sync.
Do Free Calendly Alternatives Add Zoom or Google Meet Links Automatically?
It depends on the tool, so check before a client books.
- Calendly: its free plan integrates with Zoom, Google Meet and Microsoft Teams.
- Zcal: its free plan lists Zoom, Google Meet and Microsoft Teams integrations.
- Koalendar: its free plan lists video conferencing.
- TidyCal: auto-created Zoom and Meet links start on the $29 Lifetime plan.
Whichever you pick, book yourself a test meeting before a real client does.
Can I Embed a Free Booking Page on My Own Website?
Yes on Zcal’s free plan and Koalendar’s free plan, which both list website embedding. The embedded page still shows each vendor’s branding.
Removing it takes Zcal Pro at $7 a month or Koalendar Premium at $16, both billed yearly.
Conclusion
Write down the one limit that pushed you off Calendly’s free plan.
Then open the free plan that removes it. Check it again the day any trial ends, because that’s the plan you’ll keep.
If you’re weighing Cal.com against Calendly’s paid plans, our Cal.com vs Calendly comparison is the next read.
