List of top 10 online appointment scheduling software to help small businesses to automate the scheduling process, reducing the need for manual scheduling and streamlining the overall workflow.
In this article, I have curated a list of best business appointment booking software and apps for small businesses to add multiple users, events and locations for 1:1, group and round-robin appointments.
Disclaimer: The comparisons are done by independent writers by comparing the features, prices, API access etc. to find the best online scheduling software for appointments and doesn’t reflect our views.
What is appointment scheduling software?
Appointment scheduling software is an online tool that helps businesses and individuals manage appointments, meetings and service bookings. It allows clients to book appointments or services online through a website or mobile app.
For example, here are some use-case how the appointment scheduling software is used in various industries:
Use cases
Appointment booking software is ideal for most of the online businesses, whether they are small or big that need to schedule appointments, consultations, or meetings with their clients. Here are some example for different industries who uses online appointment software:
| Industry | Use case |
|---|---|
| Healthcare | This is extremely useful for hospitals, therapists and doctors to improve patients’ experience, streamline patients’ management and many more. |
| Recruiters | Recruiters can use it to schedule interviews, manage candidate availability, and improve communication. |
| Professional Services | Law firms, accounting firms, and consulting firms can benefit to streamline their clients’ scheduling, improve efficiency, and reduce administrative workload. |
| Wellness businesses | Spa services, gym, salon and yoga instructor can use it to reduce no-shows, improve efficiency, and increase client retention. |
| Educational Institutions | Educators and teachers use it to schedule online classes, student conferences, and parent meetings while venture capitals can use it to manage startup pitches and to schedule investor meetings. |
The Top 10 appointment scheduling software list is updated every year to re-compare the features, pricing, ease-of-use, accessibility and mobile responsiveness:
DaySchedule
DaySchedule is a powerful and user-friendly appointment scheduling software which allows businesses to easily manage their schedules and appointments. It offers customization and branding features, with custom color and themes to embed to any website easily.
DaySchedule is very popular in India due to its out of box payment integration support to accept payment on appointment bookings via UPI, PayTM, Gpay etc.
DaySchedule offers multiple integrations whether it is about your calendar like Google, Microsoft, payment integrations like Stripe, RazorPay or Mollie etc., or CRM like Zoho, Hubspot etc. and many more that make your appointment scheduling process easy.
Mobile Apps:
Pros:
- Easy to use and navigate
- 2-way calendar sync
- UPI payment support for Indian customers
- More customizable
- Affordable pricing: starts from $8/per month
- Secure and reliable
Cons:
- No chrome extension
- No custom domain option with CNAME
Square Appointments
Square appointment is a scheduling and payment processing tool which is basically designed for small businesses to manage their scheduling requirements. Here, you can create and send appointments with Square Messages in your online Square Dashboard or your Square Appointments app for iOS and Android. This can integrate with Google Calendar and other popular calendar platforms.
Mobile Apps:
Pros:
- User-friendly interface
- Automated reminders
- It have also mobile apps for iOS and Android
Cons:
- Learning curve
- High priced compare to features
Calendly
Calendly is the most popular cloud based online scheduling software, it simplifies the process of scheduling meetings, appointments and events. This is an easy and user-friendly scheduling tool that easily integrates with popular calendar apps. Calendly offers a free plan with limited features, as well as paid plans with customization and additional features. Calendly’s automatic time zone conversion and analytics features helps it easily fit for any scheduling needs.
Mobile Apps:
Pros:
- Multiple integrations
- Automatic time zone conversion
- User-friendly and flexible scheduling software
Cons:
- Free plan with limited features
- Limited payment gateways
- No customer support for small teams
Doodle
Doodle offers a wide selection of online solutions. It allows users to create a poll or survey to find the best time for a meeting or event. Here the participants can then vote on the options provided and the organizer can easily see the most popular option. Doodle offers calendar integrations with Google calendar, iCloud and Microsoft Outlook.
Mobile Apps:
Pros:
- Multiple Calendar integrations: iCloud, Google calendar, Microsoft Outlook etc.
- User-friendly and straightforward
- Mobile app
Cons:
- Limited reminders and notification options: email only
- Free versions have basic features.
Setmore
Setmore is a great appointment software which is designed beautifully. It allows businesses to offer their clients the easy way to schedule appointments either through a booking page or directly on the business’s website. Best thing about Setmore is its pricing plan, it’s affordable and easy to fit any business needs. Setmore provides integration with popular payment gateways and business tools such as Square, PayPal, Google Calendar, Zoom, Mailchimp and many more.
Mobile Apps:
Pros:
- Intuitive interface which is easy to use for both business as well as customers.
- Simplest pricing plan
- Real time notification via email, SMS
Cons:
- Basic reporting and analytics features
- Limited customization options
Appointy
Appointy is powerful cloud based scheduling software which automates and manages the business schedule in a single place. Appointy offers their customer a range of features and customization options to cater to businesses of all sizes and industries. It syncs with popular calendars like e.g… Google Calendar, Outlook, Apple iCal etc…
Mobile Apps:
Pros:
- User-friendly interface
- Wide range of third party tools(Integrations)
- Great customer support
Cons:
- Mobile responsiveness
- Learning curve
Acuity
Acuity scheduling is reliable and user-friendly appointment scheduling software that allows businesses to easily manage and schedule appointments with clients. This is basically designed for all types of business whether its small size or medium size, freelancers, entrepreneurs whoever need reliable and easy to use scheduling software. It also offers custom branding features where the customers can easily customize their scheduling page to match your branding.
Mobile Apps:
Pros:
- Easy to setup with simple interface
- Responsive and helpful customer support
- Wide range of customizations
Cons:
- Pricing plan is little higher than others tool
- Limited functionality
CalendarHero
CalendarHero is an AI-powered scheduling and calendar management software for modern business. It’s good for those who schedule a lot of video meetings. It includes automatic scheduling, meeting tracking, customizable meeting types, email and chat integrations. This tool is integrated with popular calendars such as Microsoft Outlook, Google Calendar and Apple Calendar, and allows users to create meeting invitations with personalized scheduling links.
Mobile Apps:
- Android version: No
- iOS version: No
Pros::
- Real time scheduling
- Two-Way Synchronization
- Affordable pricing
Cons:
- No mobile apps
- Learning curve
Fresha
Fresha is a cloud-based scheduling software which is basically designed for beauty and wellness business eg spa, saloons and individual’s wellness services. This tool enables clients to book appointments online through its mobile app or website. It also provides a range of features like staff management, point-of-sale transactions, inventory management, and reporting etc. Fresha includes both pricing plans free as well as paid(Fresha Plus).
Mobile Apps:
Pros:
- Great free scheduling tool for salons and spa with basic features
- Integrate with various payment gateways
- Service directory listing
- It works on both mobile and desktop devices
Cons:
- Only for services business
- No round-robin, group scheduling
Bookafy
Bookafy is a user-friendly and comprehensive cloud-based scheduling software that helps businesses manage their appointment scheduling and booking processes effectively. This scheduling tool is suitable for a range of industries, including health and wellness, beauty and education. It also includes integrations with popular calendar platforms like Google Calendar, Outlook, and iCal.
Mobile Apps:
- Android version: No
- iOS version: No
Pros:
- Calendar sync
- User-friendly and comprehensive scheduling
- Good for recurring appointments and group scheduling
Cons:
- Doesn’t have Mobile apps
- Reporting features are limited
Now, it’s time to simplify the booking process and save your time and energy by picking up the best online scheduling software for your business. Each and every software on list above offers unique features and benefits to help businesses streamline their appointment booking processes and provide a better experience for their customers.
Overall, whether you’re a small startup or a large enterprise, choosing the right online appointment software or app can make a huge difference in your efficiency, productivity, and client’s satisfaction.
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