Calendly vs SimplyBook.me Comparison 2026
Calendly is built around one person's calendar: free for one event type, then $10 a seat a month billed yearly once a second kind of call is needed. SimplyBook.me is built around a business with staff: bookings, providers and feature modules are what the price tracks instead of seats, free for 50 bookings and one provider a month, then $11.90 a month billed annually for 100 bookings and five providers. A coach with one calendar wants Calendly's simplicity. A salon with four staff and deposits to collect wants SimplyBook.me's provider calendars.
At a glance
- Calendly starts cheaper, at $10.
- Both have a genuinely free tier.
Side by side
Calendly | SimplyBook.me | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price (they differ) | From $10 | From $11.90 |
| Pricing model | Free plan, paid tiers | Free plan, paid tiers |
| Free tier | Yes | Yes |
| Billing | Not stated | Monthly or annual |
| Free trial | 14 days | 14 days |
| API |
Calendly
A booking page that reads your own calendar
Calendly publishes the times you are genuinely free and lets somebody claim one, which settles in a click what usually takes three emails. Buffers, round robin and paid bookings are there when the calls start earning. The free plan allows one event type, so anybody running a coaching call and a sponsor call from the same calendar pays.
Our note
The one to buy when a bad calendar is costing you calls. Start on Standard rather than free: the second event type is what everybody needs by the second week.
Only on this side
- Covers courses & coaching
SimplyBook.me
Booking for a business with staff
SimplyBook.me is built for the appointment business rather than the meeting: several providers, a service list, deposits taken at the point of booking, and an app for the client. Its plans are counted in bookings a month instead of seats. That is the right unit for a studio with four staff and the wrong one for a consultant taking four calls a week.
Why people weigh these two
- SimplyBook.me instead of Calendly
- SimplyBook.me from $12 with a free tier is built for a business with staff and services, where Calendly books one person at a time.
- Calendly instead of SimplyBook.me
- Calendly reads an existing calendar rather than managing a service list and staff roster, with a free tier and a $10 plan, for a one-person booking page rather than a studio.
Which one should you pick
Pick Calendly for one person's time, or a small team routing calls, where event types and an API matter more than staff calendars. The free plan covers one event type, and Standard at $10 a seat a month billed yearly removes that cap along with adding integrations. It has no concept of providers, rooms or deposits, which SimplyBook.me is built entirely around.
Pick SimplyBook.me for a salon, studio or clinic with staff and a room to fill, where deposits at booking and a branded client app matter. Free covers 50 bookings, one provider and one feature module a month, and Basic at $11.90 a month billed annually raises that to 100 bookings and five providers. Check which modules a cheap plan actually includes before buying; the wrong four features make a plan the wrong plan regardless of price.
Common questions
- Is Calendly cheaper than SimplyBook.me?
- Close, but they meter different things. Calendly Standard is $10 a seat a month billed yearly for one person with unlimited event types. SimplyBook.me Basic is $11.90 a month billed annually, slightly more, but covers 100 bookings a month across five providers rather than one seat.
- Does Calendly support multiple staff members taking bookings?
- It supports teams on its Teams plan at $16 a seat a month billed yearly, with round robin routing. SimplyBook.me is built around this from the free tier up, billing by provider count and booking volume rather than by seat, which suits a business with staff more directly.
- Can either one take a deposit when somebody books?
- SimplyBook.me can, on any tier including free: deposits and payments are taken at the point of booking. Calendly offers paid bookings from Standard at $10 a seat a month billed yearly, charging the full amount rather than a deposit specifically.
- What is the free plan's limit on each?
- Calendly's free plan allows one connected calendar and one event type, with no stated cap on how many times it is booked. SimplyBook.me's free plan caps at 50 bookings a month with one provider and one custom feature, a volume limit rather than an event-type limit.
Ratings are the average of reviews readers left. The facts are stated by each tool’s own listing and are not verified by CloutStack. How we make money.