Cal.com suits solo owners who want several meeting types and more than one calendar without upgrading, because its free plan includes unlimited event types and calendars. Calendly suits people who want the familiar booking link and AI extras, but its free plan allows one event type and one calendar connection. If you offer more than one kind of call, that difference decides it.
A booking link ends the back-and-forth emails about when you're free. Calendly and Cal.com both give you that link, with very different free plans. I read both companies' plan pages, and every detail below comes from them.
Cal.com and Calendly free plans compared
| Cal.com | Calendly | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes, free forever for individuals | Yes, always free |
| Users on free | 1 user | 1 user |
| Event types on free | Unlimited | One |
| Calendars on free | Unlimited | One calendar connection |
| Notifications | Email and SMS | Automated reminders from Standard |
| CRM sync on free | Two-way Salesforce and HubSpot sync | HubSpot from Standard; Salesforce from Teams |
| Round-robin | Teams plan | Teams plan |
| AI extras | Not covered on the plans page | Notetaker and Callie (beta) on upgraded plans |
| Trial | 14-day trial on Teams and Organizations | Not covered on the plans page |
Cal.com in plain terms
Cal.com's free plan is aimed at individuals and says it has no usage limits. You get unlimited event types and calendars, email and SMS notifications, 100+ app integrations, a mobile app and browser extension, and two-way sync with Salesforce and HubSpot. There's even a one-click import of your Calendly events, which tells you who Cal.com expects to win over.
Teams adds shared availability, round-robin, collective and managed event types, recurring events, routing forms and the option to remove Cal.com branding. Organizations adds sub-teams, a company subdomain, SSO and compliance with SOC 2, HIPAA and ISO 27001.
The free plan also comes with a mobile app and a browser extension and connects to 100+ apps, so your booking link can sit inside the tools you already open every day.
Calendly in plain terms
Calendly's free plan covers one event type, one calendar connection, unlimited one-on-one meetings, a customisable booking page and a browser extension. Standard opens up unlimited event types, up to 6 connected calendars, automated reminders and connections to HubSpot and Mailchimp. Teams adds round-robin, lead routing and Salesforce.
Calendly is also adding AI. Its Notetaker records and transcribes meetings on Zoom, Google Meet and Microsoft Teams, and Callie is a beta assistant you add to an email thread to suggest times and book the meeting for you.
One more detail from Calendly's page: seats are only needed by the people who host meetings, so your clients never need a Calendly account to book with you. And if your bookings need a quick text reminder, Cal.com's free plan includes SMS notifications alongside email, while Calendly keeps its automated reminders for Standard.
Where the free plans split
Here's the part that matters for a small business. Say you offer a free discovery call and a longer client session. On Calendly's free plan, that's already two event types, one more than it allows. On Cal.com's free plan, you can set up as many as you like and check them against every calendar you use, including a personal one, so you don't get booked over the school run. For a solo service business, that's the whole decision.
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Who each tool suits
Cal.com suits coaches, consultants and freelancers with several meeting types and more than one calendar. Calendly suits people who want the name clients recognise and are happy to upgrade for AI notes and email scheduling. For a wider look at the options, see how to choose an online scheduling tool for a team, and my notes on Calendly's marketing strategy are a fun read too.
My advice for a solo service business
List every type of call you take and every calendar that holds your time. One call type and one calendar works on either free plan, so pick the one whose booking page you like. Two or more of either points to Cal.com's free plan, or to Calendly Standard if you want its AI notetaker. Whichever you choose, send yourself a test booking from your phone before you share the link.
Do you make scheduling or booking software? Tool makers can ask to be considered for a featured place in comparisons like this one.
Frequently asked questions
Is Cal.com free?
Yes. Cal.com's free plan is free forever for individuals, with unlimited event types and calendars.
How many event types does Calendly's free plan allow?
One. Calendly's free plan includes one event type and one calendar connection. Standard adds unlimited event types.
Can I move from Calendly to Cal.com?
Cal.com lists a one-click import of Calendly events on its free plan.
Do invitees need an account?
No. Calendly says meeting invitees don't need a seat or account, and Cal.com bookings work from a public link too.
