Calendly vs Cal.com (2026)
A head-to-head on price, free access, and staying power. Both live and price-verified as of Jul 29, 2026.
The verdict, first
Calendly
- if it starts cheaper, at $12/mo against $15/mo.
- if a longer track record matters to you; it has run since 2013.
What each one is
Calendly
What sets it apart Booking-link scheduling with 100+ integrations, notetaking added on
Calendly is a scheduling automation platform that connects to a user's calendars (Google, Outlook, Exchange) and turns shared availability into booking links, removing back-and-forth email coordination. Invitees pick open slots directly, and the tool handles time zones, buffers, and event types such as one-on-one, group, and round-robin meetings, with integrations for Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, Salesforce, HubSpot, and Stripe. It also includes a Meeting Notetaker feature for automated recaps and action items. The free tier suits individuals, while the Standard, Teams, and Enterprise plans add integrations, routing, and admin controls for larger teams.
Sources Calendly homepage · Calendly pricing page
Cal.com
What sets it apart Open-source scheduling infrastructure that can be self-hosted
Cal.com is open-source scheduling infrastructure for booking meetings: users set availability, share personalized booking links, and sync calendars with automatic double-booking prevention. It includes built-in video (Cal Video) plus Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams integrations, email and SMS reminders, Stripe payment collection, round-robin and managed event types for teams, and workflow automation. Paid tiers add team and organization features such as SAML SSO, SCIM, company subdomains, and SOC 2, HIPAA, and ISO 27001 compliance controls. It fits individuals who want a free self-serve booking page as well as teams and developers who want to self-host or embed scheduling.
Sources Cal.com homepage · Cal.com pricing
Side by side
| Metric | Calendly | Cal.com |
|---|---|---|
| From $/mo | $12 | $15 |
| Free tier | Yes | Yes |
| Founded | 2013 | 2021 |
| Best for | solo & SMB & enterprise | solo & SMB & enterprise |
| Status | Live | Live |
ALL FIGURES = LOWEST PAID MONTHLY PLAN · STATUS & PRICE VERIFIED JUL 29, 2026
Where they differ
Price
Calendly is the cheaper entry at $12/mo, versus $15/mo for Cal.com. Both prices are the lowest paid monthly plan, verified Jul 29, 2026.
Free access
Both Calendly and Cal.com offer a permanent free tier - you can trial either at no cost. A permanent free tier lowers the risk of committing before you have validated the fit.
Track record
Calendly has been operating since 2013; Cal.com since 2021. For a tool you build a business process on, a longer survival record matters.
Questions of record
Calendly or Cal.com - which is better in 2026?
Is Calendly cheaper than Cal.com?
Does Calendly or Cal.com have a free tier?
Are Calendly and Cal.com still maintained?
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