Coordinating emails and appointment scheduling can be a long-suffering task without the proper app or software. Unnecessary email coordinating takes up a lot of time for little return, as only about 20% of emails that are sent get opened.
Tools like appointment scheduling apps and booking software help automate the process of scheduling meetings with potential and existing customers without relying on email replies to nail down a good time.
So, I set out to find the best appointment-scheduling apps and booking software in today’s tech market. Read more to hear about the pros and cons, pricing, and features of the software and apps I tried.
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Ready for more advanced features? Check out these paid options. Each tool includes the following features:
Recommended for: Businesses and teams looking to eliminate scheduling friction to drive more qualified meetings.
Not recommended for: Businesses that need to combine event scheduling with payment processing.
With Cirrus Insight, you can intelligently match buyers to staff in real-time with personalization criteria, availability & utilization. Eliminate back-and-forth emails by simply sharing a unique calendar link leading to a customizable booking page. On top of that, every activity effortlessly syncs to Salesforce.
Cirrus Insight also makes it easy to book group meetings. You can share your combined team availability with a calendar link. Cirrus Insight offers a Calendar API that can serve up your availability on your website based on specific criteria from internal workflow. It’s great for teams where meetings drive revenue.
From real-time lead qualifying and routing to group scheduling, to 1-on-1 scheduling, Cirrus Insight has you covered.
Pricing: Basic plans cost $14 per user a month. Advanced plans cost $24 per user a month. Contact Cirrus Insight for discounted pricing.
Recommended for: Professionals looking for simple scheduling automation, reporting, and CRM integrations.
Not recommended for: Businesses that need complex scheduling features for a variety of users.
Chili Piper is an inbound conversion platform built for revenue teams, with features that help reps close deals faster. Chili Piper is perfect for sales teams with 5+ people. It’s for teams who are looking to book sales meetings faster, whether it be:
I know I mentioned that back-and-forth emails to schedule or reschedule meetings aren’t the most efficient previously in this article — Chili Piper’s scheduling widget is the exception to this rule. Rather than sending your prospect to a landing page with your online calendar, you can place convenient buttons at the end of an email to get a meeting booked in one click.
Pricing: Instant Booker costs $15 per user a month. Handoff plans cost $25 per user a month. Form Concierge plans cost $30 per user a month, plus a platform fee. Distro plans cost $30 per user a month.
Recommended for: Medium to enterprise-sized teams with complex scheduling needs, operating across multiple locations.
Not recommended for: Sole operators that don’t require advanced features.
MarketBox is an appointment scheduling and route optimization software built for mobile, in-home, and brick-and-mortar service businesses.
MarketBox simplifies the process for consumers to self-book and pay online, while providers can easily manage logistics and payment processing across both desktop and mobile apps. As a HubSpot ecosystem partner, MarketBox seamlessly syncs customer and sales data back into the CRM for an up-to-date view of your customer base and sales performance.
A key advantage of MarketBox is its robust scheduling management features and AI-powered route optimization capabilities. MarketBox offers advanced solutions for medium-sized teams up to enterprise sizes of 1000+ to maximize workforce utilization, while reducing scheduling gaps, drive time, and carbon emissions.
Pricing: Free Trial Available. Starter plans cost $39 per user a month. Professional plans cost $49 per user a month. Contact MarketBox for enterprise pricing.
Recommended for: Scheduling with payments or service-specific communication.
Not recommended for: Enterprise-level scheduling needs, like data analytics.
Acuity Scheduling makes it easy to book appointments with clients and prospects. It’s an online assistant where prospects, customers, and clients can see your real-time availability and book their own appointments. The tool allows you to send customized confirmations that reflect your branding. And you can send appointment reminders and follow-up messages by email or text.
I think Acuity will work best for those in the wellness or beauty industry. Acuity lets you block off times you don’t want to be scheduled, as well as hosting virtual appointments.
Pricing: Emerging plans cost $16 a month for one calendar. Growing plans cost $27 a month for six calendars. Powerhouse plans cost $49 a month for 36 calendars.
Recommended for: Small service businesses and solopreneurs.
Not recommended for: Individuals on the go
Booknetic is a comprehensive scheduling solution that seamlessly integrates into your website, accepts bookings, and creates appointments on your behalf. As a small business owner, I’ve used this app to let customers book their own time slot for appointments. A feature of Booknetic that’s nice is it’s programmed to automatically insert new appointments into your calender and notify any other staff you want to be aware.
When customers book a time slot for their appointments, it automatically slides into your calendar and notifies the staff members. People can also register for a waiting list if the service is highly-demanded.
A great advantage of Booknetic is its business-side automation options. You can easily configure workflows, create funnels from your web pages, and track the efficiency of your website with enhanced analytics.
While I don’t love that Booknetic doesn’t offer a free version of their product, I do appreciate that their pricing is a one-time fee instead of a subscription model.
Pricing: This app is a $79 one-time payment.
Recommended for: Service professionals and small businesses in hair and beauty
Not recommended for: Large enterprises and franchises
I’ve used Schedulicity a bunch in the past when scheduling my hair appointments and also for massages. Schedulicity is an easy-to-use appointment scheduler for service providers like hair stylists, barbers, cosmetologists, and estheticians.
With a color-coordinated calendar, you can keep track of daily and weekly appointments with clients. You can also set recurring appointments for repeat customers — or they can book their own appointments online for free. Schedulicity comes with client and provider notifications, email marketing tools, and customizable policies. You can block clients who repeatedly no-show, set personal time off, and ask clients to sign waivers when they book online.
On the customer side, clients can look at multiple calendars and choose dates and times that work for them. I appreciate the reminder emails that Schedulicity sends out leading up to an appointment.
You can also get built-in payment processing, which includes pay-by-text, and access to free customer support via email, chat, and phone.
Schedulicity doesn’t offer a free version of their software, but you can choose a 14-day free trial.
Pricing: Solo provider plancs cost $34.99 a month, plus $10 for each additional provider.
Recommended for: Service businesses with potential for no-shows and cancellations.
Not recommended for: Businesses with complex booking or feature needs.
Businesses in the beauty and personal care industries often need to schedule several meetings and manage multiple calendars. Booksy offers an affordable scheduling app and booking solution. This app is great for small to medium-sized businesses looking to manage bookings, client management, inventory, and payments all from one app.
Booksy doesn’t offer a free version but does offer a free trial to see if it’s the right fit for you. One con I found is the micro-transaction of 30 cents when accepting online mobile payments, but this is a feature you can add on.
Pricing: Plans start at $29.99 a month, plus $20 a user per month for each additional user. Mobile payments cost $0.30 per transaction.
Recommended for: Professionals looking for a single platform for scheduling and project management.
Not recommended for: Quickly scaling businesses.
HoneyBook allows you to manage bookings throughout the entire sales process. You can book initial meetings with prospects and even send proposals, contracts, and invoices when they’re ready. It helps you manage your clients and integrates with other useful tools to simplify business processes.
I like that HoneyBook offers so much on one platform, including letting clients sign contracts and agreements. I think that while HoneyBook doesn’t offer a free version (but does have a free trial), its low-cost point is appealing. At the time that this article was written, they were offering 50% off their products, which is reflected in the prices below.
Pricing: Starter plans cost $8 a month. Essential plans cost $16 a month. Premium plans cost $33 a month.
Recommended for: Managing internal scheduling and team availability, and businesses where upselling is a focus.
Not recommended for: Large businesses with multiple locations.
If you’re looking for a tool that provides appointment setting and advanced tracking for how your meeting contacts move through the sales pipeline, Bookeo Appointments is the tool for you. This platform automatically updates your schedule in real time for optimal booking. It integrates directly with HubSpot to keep your contact list up-to-date based on booking reservations.
I think Bookeo works great for those who are less tech-savvy and might need to print off a physical copy of their schedule to refer to. You can also print off Bookeo’s reporting to show executives who want to see how full schedules are and rates of cancellations and no-shows.
Pricing: Solo plans cost $14.95 per user a month. Small plans cost $29.95 per user a month. Standard plans cost $39.95 per user a month. Large plans cost $79.95 per user a month.
Whether you choose a free option or a paid one with more features, scheduling apps cut out the hassle of managing clients, meetings, and bookings. Get more done in less time with the efficient solution these scheduling apps provide in managing your calendar.
Editor's note: This post was originally published in November 2020 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.
