Top 10+ Online Appointment Setting Software

An online appointment scheduling software has several undeniable advantages for a company.

It makes it easier to make and manage appointments, thus increasing their number in the long term. You save time, money and the energy of your teams. Above all, you have more guarantees in case of cancellation or “no-show”.

The market for appointment scheduling software is quite diverse, with high-quality tools that often offer a free version. Others are more complete and even include scheduling features. They often have to be paid for, but they allow you to go much further. It’s up to you to see what you need, depending on the size of your company and the sector of activity!

We guide you through our top 12 best online appointment scheduling software of 2022!

What makes good online appointment scheduling software?

Features common to all the software in this selection

Whether free or not, good online appointment scheduling software almost always offers these few features:

• Calendar integrations: this is the basis of online appointment scheduling software. So the more calendar service applications a software supports, the better! And the best part is when they also offer integration with project management or automation software like Zapier.
• Integrations with video tools: With the rise of the home office in recent years, visios have become a must. Online appointment scheduling software adds your calls to your calendar but also generates the links to the call. The most common integrated applications: Zoom, Google Meet and Microsoft Teams.
• Automatic reminders and appointment tracking: This is the only way to ensure that participants in a call are on time. Good software sends reminders to all participants when the meeting is imminent.

• Ease of use: we tend to forget this, but a meeting is both the organiser and the invited participants. An appointment scheduling software should be able to address both, and be easy to access and use.

The differentiating features of online appointment scheduling software

However, not all appointment scheduling software is created equal and some features can really make a difference:

• Accepting payments and offering an online catalogue: the best appointment scheduling software supports accepting payment at the time of booking, and even asks for a deposit from customers to protect you in case of cancellation. Another interesting feature is the possibility to put a catalogue of products online, to be chosen by the user.
• Shared calendars: one of the most differentiating features. Some software programs share the calendars of a company’s sales representatives, for example. The idea is that a user looking for a quick meeting can make an appointment at the first convenient time between 3, 4 or 5 sales representatives. The software then assigns the appointment to the salesperson available at that time: this saves time and efficiency for everyone. And if several salespeople are available, routing rules automatically assign the appointment according to the relevance of the case: according to the language spoken by the user, the expertise of certain salespeople, etc.
• Votes: the most obvious example is Doodle, which is essentially used to collect votes on the best date to schedule a meeting. Other software have integrated the functionality, in particular Calendly.

Best online appointment scheduling software: summary table

#1 Calendly : the leader in the sector

The ideal application for those who have a large number of meetings to organise and need a simple, clear and effective solution. The industry leader, and at an affordable price.

• The feature that makes the difference: customisable event notifications, outbound links to connect to customers who do not have the application. Above all, the Votes option to be able to choose the date according to everyone’s availability.
• Pricing: Take advantage of a Basic package that is completely free, with all the basic features.
  Then the Essential plan at $8/month/user with the ability to create group events and access to the software’s reporting on your performance. The more advanced plans ($12 to $16/month/user) unlock customisation possibilities. They also offer an Enterprise plan for 30+ people, with rates and terms to be discussed with them.

#2 Hubspot: the veteran

One of the tools of the Reference CRM online appointment setting. In addition to other features, it allows you to remain productive and to ensure the follow-up of appointments with your new prospects.

• The feature that makes the difference: the increased possibilities of personalisation (choice of favourite time periods between two appointments, etc.)
• Pricing: the tool is part of the Sales Hub, and is accessible from the free version. To access the advanced features, you need to subscribe to the paid plans (from €41/month).

#3 Acuity Scheduling: The Flexible and Easy Software

Developed by Squarespace, this is an interesting option for businesses looking for a software that is easy to learn and customisable at the same time. It is also suitable for a wide range of sectors.

• The feature that makes the difference: an interesting option to improve your image: the “Look busy” option, which automatically hides certain available times in your calendar in case of an empty agenda.
• Pricing They offer a free 7-day trial. Then choose between :
  • Emerging Entrepreneur Plan ($14/month/user): access to all basic features.
  • Growing Plan ($23/month/user): SMS reminders and additional personalisation options.
  • Powerhouse Plan ($45/month/user): access to multiple time zones, ideal for international business.

#4 Simply Book Me: International

The ideal appointment scheduling software for international organisations, with a wide range of languages and international payment options supported.

• The feature that makes the difference: the 32 languages available on the site, from Arabic to Icelandic. Another asset: the available integrations with social networks (Facebook and Instagram in particular).
• Pricing: a free plan is available for up to 50 bookings per month and 5 users. The Basic plan at 6.7€/month gives you access to online payment and a customer application. The following plans from 21€/month give access to all the features and allow you to increase the number of users (up to 500).

#5 Doodle: ideal for group meetings

Doodle is a scheduling software that works like a survey. Based on the votes of the participants, it determines the optimal date for an appointment. Its only drawback is that not enough people use it …

• The feature that makes the difference: Doodle has all the functionality you’d expect from online appointment software, with some differentiating details. For example, switching to Calendar mode allows you to better view your survey options in relation to your calendar.
• Pricing: a 14-day free trial is available to get an idea of the features.
  After that, the first plan with unlimited surveys, meetings and bookings costs €6.95/user/month. The Team plan gives you additional access to reporting features. For customised needs, their Enterprise plan is available with prices on request.

#6 ChiliPiper: the reference for sales teams

A real time-saver for converting leads. It is the benchmark for sales teams with rapid conversion needs. And the numbers don’t lie: 41% of their customers are software companies.

• The feature that makes the difference: there are even several: live calls and videos, direct website integration and advanced lead routing.
• Pricing: at the price level, they offer a Spicy plan ($15/month) with basic functionality. For access to Robin-round routing and reporting, go for the Hot plan for $25/month.

#7 Thryv: the asset for small and growing structures

An all-in-one software that includes appointment scheduling, but also a CRM, website creation support, etc. It has over 40,000 users worldwide. The free trial allows users to familiarise themselves with the tool before committing to a minimum of 6 months.

• The feature that makes the difference: integrations with various applications (Slack, Yelp or Quickbooks) and access to their iOS and Android mobile application.
• Pricing Prices: prices are only available on request, but they offer 3 plans:
  • Plus: limited to 2 users, with all basic features (calendar, notifications, integrations). Access to payment acceptance from this plan.
  • Premium and Unlimited: More users, customisation possibilities and additional storage.

#8 On Sched: the solution for service boxes

They describe themselves as the perfect compromise between flexibility and speed. The application is cloud-based and is mainly intended for the health sector (medical appointments), but is also suitable for consulting and IT services.

• The feature that makes the difference: their model is different from the other software on the list: you pay according to your usage and per user. This is ideal for service companies that pay according to their activity!
• Pricing No trial or free plan, but all plans have a 10% discount for an annual subscription. They offer 2 standard plans with all available features:
  • Starter (from $299/month)
  • Growth (from $699/month and up to 3000 appointments).
  • The Scale plan (from $1799/month) offers in addition a personalized follow-up with development assistance with their teams.

#9 Super Saas: the tool for beginners

The company has over 190,000 customers worldwide. A simple and effective design at first glance, but which offers great possibilities for customisation. Easy to access and use for beginners, but flexible for web developers.

• The feature that makes the difference: all the features of an online appointment scheduling software, at a more affordable price than the competition.
• Pricing: they offer a free plan, but it does not include automatic synchronisation with Apple or Google calendars and with advertising. Then, their plans go from A (6€/month) to J (114€/month) with all the available features (automatic synchronization and unlimited users). Only the number of upcoming appointments unlocked increases from one plan to the next.

#10 Setmore: the reference for the tertiary sector

A comprehensive software package for appointment scheduling and payment acceptance, and at a price that is attractive to larger organisations. It is particularly suitable for companies in the service sector.

• The feature that makes the difference: we particularly appreciate the ease with which customers can plan their appointments by taking them at any time.
• Pricing They offer a free plan for up to 4 users, with unlimited appointments, email reminders and online payment acceptance via Square.
  • The Premium plan ($9/user/month) also offers SMS reminders and unlocks more payment options (including Paypal).
  • The Pro plan has the same features, but at a lower price ($5/user/month) as it is intended for larger organisations (more than 5 users).

#11 Planyo: the most flexible

The ideal software for all companies, and in particular for hotel or car rental services. Payment management services, customer email management, booking confirmation tracking: all the essential features are there.

• The feature that makes the difference: the module is integrated directly into your website: the customer never leaves your website during the entire booking process. The software is available in 27 languages.
• Pricing They offer a free 30-day trial. Then, 2 plans available:
  • Pro (€28/month): All the features of online appointment booking, with a free insurance if you have no booking in a month. Access to telephone and email support.
  • ProComm: With this plan, the site charges a commission on each reservation made by a client (from 0.5 to 1.5%). Reservations made by you remain free.

#12 Calendesk : the solution for small businesses

An appointment software particularly suitable for small organisations (individuals, small businesses or companies with up to 100 employees).

• The feature that makes the difference: a complete software, with all the features you would expect, including the acceptance of payments directly on the software.
• Pricing: no free version, but a 14-day free trial to test the possibilities of the software. Then, the standard offer at $24.99/month/user gives access to all the features and many integrations (Zoom, Google Meet). With the Pro package at $41.66/month/user, increase the number of available notifications and get access to the Zapier integration.