Calendly vs. Youcanbook.me: Which scheduling tool is better?

Discover the differences between Calendly and YouCanBook.Me in our comprehensive comparison.

Find the ideal appointment scheduling solution for your needs.

In the world of efficient scheduling tools, Calendly and YouCanBook.me emerge as leading contenders.

Calendly specializes in streamlined appointment booking, while YouCanBook.me offers a comparable service with its own unique features. 

We’ll explore and analyze the distinct features and functionalities of both platforms, empowering you to make an informed choice between the two.

You can also explore our detailed reviews of Calendly and YouCanBook.me.

Calendly vs. YouCanBook.me: At a Glance

Criteria	Calendly	YouCanBook.me	Winner
SMB Guide’s Rating	9/10	8.8/10	Calendly
Appointment Workflow Automation	✅	✅	Tie
Customization Options	✅	✅	Tie
Calendar Management Features	✅	✅	YouCanBook.me
Automated Reminders and Notifications	✅	✅	Tie
Client Management & Communication	❌	✅	YouCanBook.me
Automatic Rules	✅	✅	Tie
In-Meeting Tools	❌	❌	Calendly
Meeting Templates	✅	✅	YouCanBook.me
Meeting Analytics	✅	❌	Calendly
UX and UI	High user-friendliness	Easy to use UI	Tie
Integrations & API Capabilities	✅	✅	Calendly
Supported Platforms	✅	❌	Calendly
Customer Support	Live chat, automated chat box, email support tickets	Email, help center	Calendly
Pricing	Free – $20/mo (per seat)	Free – $12/mo	YouCanBook.me
Scalability	✅	❌	Calendly

Calendly: Key Features, Pros, Cons, & Pricing

Calendly stands as a renowned web-based scheduling tool, acclaimed for simplifying the often complex task of coordinating optimal meeting times.

Its popularity owes much to its intuitive interface and adaptable functionality, catering to both individuals and businesses. 

Noteworthy features include seamless calendar integration, customizable meeting formats, automated reminders, and smart timezone detection.

However, despite its user-friendly reputation, some users might find limitations within its pricing plans, tailored for specific requirements.

Pros & Cons

Pricing

Calendly offers four separate plans, beginning with a free tier that includes essential scheduling features.

• Free: $0
• Standard: $10/seat/month
• Teams: $16/seat/month
• Enterprise: Custom

For larger organizations needing more than 30 accounts, a custom quote from Calendly is required to meet specific requirements.

YouCanBook.me: Key Features, Pros, Cons, & Pricing

YouCanBook.me is an online reservation management software accessible via the cloud.

It empowers users to customize booking pages, sync calendars, automate reminders, accept payments, and more. 

The platform aims to minimize no-shows, boost conversions, and enhance overall customer satisfaction.

Pros & Cons

Pricing

YouCanBook.me offers two options: a Free Forever Plan and a paid plan. 

• Free Forever Plan: All basic features including calendar checks and customized booking links
• Lifetime Plan: Advanced features, more appointment types, and email support

The Lifetime Plan is priced at:

• $12 per calendar per month
• $10.80 per calendar per month (paid yearly)
• $9.60 per calendar per month (paid every 2 years)

Appointment Workflow Automation

Calendly guarantees a smooth scheduling experience when you share your unique scheduling page link with clients.

Clients independently choose from your offered event types and select available dates, facilitating self-scheduled meetings.

Automatically factoring in buffer time before and after meetings, Calendly prevents consecutive bookings, easily adjustable in settings.

Following the booking, clients receive email invitations containing conference call links and the flexibility to reschedule or cancel appointments as needed.

YouCanBook.me streamlines appointment workflows, assigning bookings to staff based on availability or location.

It allows diverse appointment types with different durations, prices, and recurring options.

Clients can self-book, reschedule, or cancel appointments, reducing no-shows and enhancing satisfaction.

The platform enables cancellation policies and fees to discourage last-minute changes.

Automated follow-up messages enhance customer satisfaction, gather feedback, and encourage reviews, with customizable message templates.

✅ Winner: Tie

Customization Options

Paid subscription plans on Calendly provide extensive flexibility when creating various appointment types available for booking.

While the free Calendly plan limits users to one event type, it still offers considerable customization within that event.

This includes specifying meeting locations (such as Zoom or Google Meet), allowing guest additions by invitees, setting future scheduling limits, and implementing parameters like buffer time, minimum notice, and daily meeting limits.

Although customization options for the scheduling page are restricted on the free plan, users can personalize the URL and URLs for individual event types.

Upgrading to the Standard plan or higher allows the addition of company branding and removes Calendly’s logo from the scheduling site. 

Conversely, while the free plan permits the addition of a company logo, it does not offer the option to remove Calendly’s branding.

YouCanBook.me provides extensive customization options for your booking page.

You can personalize the design with your branding elements, such as logos, colors, and fonts.

Custom fields help gather client information like preferences, objectives, or obstacles before scheduling.

Each appointment type allows detailed configuration, including buffer times, booking limits, and availability settings.

Syncing with calendars like Google Calendar or Outlook streamlines scheduling. You can also set specific rules like notice periods, cancellation policies, confirmation modes, and payment options for different appointment types.

Additional custom questions or forms can be added to gather more client details.

✅ Winner: Tie

Calendar Management Features

Calendly effortlessly connects with Google, Outlook, iCloud, and Exchange calendars, effectively avoiding scheduling clashes.

Under the Free plan, users can synchronize with one external calendar, which can be expanded to six upon upgrading.

The platform automatically adjusts client meeting times in various time zones, ensuring smooth coordination.

For rescheduling, users can navigate to “Scheduled events” in the menu, select the meeting, and make adjustments seamlessly.

Providing a reason is optional, and clients receive notifications, retaining the ability to reschedule on their own end.

YouCanBook.me streamlines staff and resource management for efficient scheduling. A shared calendar displays everyone’s bookings and availability.

Users can also assign distinct roles to staff (up to 4) for booking management. Password protection ensures security for shared calendars, limiting unauthorized access.

The platform supports appointments across various time zones, automatically adjusting them to match both client and staff local times.

Real-time updates and notifications ensure both parties stay informed about any changes or cancellations.

YouCanBook.me wins this category as it has some pretty stellar calendar management features in-house, even without integrations.

✅ Winner: YouCanBook.me

Automated Reminders and Notifications

Upon booking a meeting through Calendly, clients automatically receive a calendar invitation.

To access additional automated reminders, upgrading to a paid subscription is necessary.

The Standard plan and higher tiers offer the option to set up text or email reminders, ensuring invitees receive crucial meeting details.

YouCanBook.me excels in sending automated reminders and notifications to clients before appointments, aiding in reducing no-shows and ensuring clients are prepared.

Users can select reminder type (email or SMS), set frequencies, and personalize message content using variables like client details, appointment specifics, and policies.

Additionally, the platform notifies users about new bookings or schedule changes through email or SMS alerts.

Automation templates are available for creating standardized messages for various scenarios, including confirmations, thank-you notes, and rescheduling emails.

✅ Winner: Tie

Client Management and Communication

Regrettably, Calendly does not offer the feature to store meeting information within a client database.

If this feature is crucial, you’ll need to consider exploring alternative scheduling software solutions.

YouCanBook.me offers a centralized and secure client information hub, storing contact details, appointment history, and notes securely.

Users can access, update, and track client interactions and preferences. The system secures this database using AES-256 encryption via AWS Key Management Service (KMS).

Moreover, YouCanBook.me furnishes communication tools facilitating seamless interactions between businesses and clients.

Users can confirm meetings, follow up on comments, or send targeted offers via in-app messages, email notifications, or SMS reminders.

Customization options and automated procedures streamline messaging tasks.

✅ Winner: YouCanBook.me

Automatic Rules

Calendly provides diverse automated rules and configurations that significantly streamline appointment management:

• Auto-Cancellation Policies: Users can set specific conditions for automatic appointment cancellations, such as defining timeframes for clients to reschedule or cancel appointments.
• Time Zone Adjustments: Automatically adjusts meeting times across different time zones, ensuring precise scheduling and minimizing time zone-related confusion.
• Setting Working Hours: Enables users to define their availability by establishing specific working hours, allowing clients to schedule appointments only during these designated times.

Calendly’s user-friendly design ensures easy implementation of these rules.

YouCanBook.Me offers several automatic rules and configurations to streamline your booking process. These are the ones I found most useful:

• Booker Timezone Detection: The platform automatically detects visitors’ timezones based on their IP addresses, ensuring that available booking times are displayed in their local time. Users have the option to disable this auto-detect feature if preferred.
• Tentative Bookings Control: With Tentative Bookings, all appointments are initially set as ‘requests’ that await approval or rejection. This feature grants users full control to review incoming requests and easily accept or deny bookings with a simple click.
• Zapier Integration: YouCanBook.Me seamlessly integrates with Zapier, enabling users to set up various automated rules by connecting with other apps and services. Additionally, the platform provides suggestions for useful Zaps that users can implement for their specific automation needs.

✅ Winner: Tie

In-Meeting Tools

Calendly and YouCanBook.me streamline appointment scheduling by allowing users to set availability, automate reminders, and integrate with various calendars.

While they excel in simplifying meeting coordination, both lack in-meeting tools such as note-taking, file-sharing, or live collaboration.

However, Calendly stands out in offering meeting poll features to assist attendees in determining optimal meeting times, streamlining scheduling without requiring additional communication.

Unfortunately, YouCanBook.me doesn’t provide in-meeting tools or meeting polls.

✅ Winner: Tie

Meeting Templates

Under Calendly’s free plan, users can generate templates exclusively designed for one-on-one meetings.

Nevertheless, by upgrading to the paid plans, users unlock enhanced capabilities that permit the creation of specific templates catering to various meeting styles like Group, Collective, and Round Robin options.

This functionality allows customization of settings and preferences tailored to different meeting structures.

Users can craft and utilize separate templates for each style, simplifying the scheduling process for diverse meeting scenarios.

Additionally, Calendly offers suggestions on the most suitable meeting type based on a user’s preferences or requirements.

YouCanBook.me simplifies the booking page setup by offering pre-set templates, enabling swift creation of booking pages for individuals or teams

Alternatively, users can craft custom templates for team use.

The platform provides distinct options such as an individual team member’s booking page or a unified team booking page, along with the ability to choose or create custom templates. 

Once a template is selected, users can fine-tune its settings, encompassing availability, padding between meetings, minimum and maximum booking notice, color themes, footer, and more.

These settings are applied universally to all booking pages derived from the chosen template.

Within the custom templates in YouCanBook.Me, you also have further features such as the ability to:

• Establish recurring or calendar-specific availability
• Set customized duration preferences
• Tailor booking form queries
• Utilize shorthand codes for team members
• Personalize notification settings
• Define color themes for a cohesive booking page appearance

The level of ease with setting up custom templates, and customization, is magnificent in YouCanBook.me.

✅ Winner: YouCanBook.me

Meeting Analytics

Calendly’s analytics capabilities, accessible through its paid plans such as Calendly Groups, offer valuable insights into meeting metrics, furnishing users with comprehensive meeting analytics and team-specific booking data.

Using Calendly’s Analytics leaderboard aids administrators in recognizing top-performing team members who schedule the highest number of meetings.

This functionality empowers companies to discern effective meeting strategies, facilitating the development and dissemination of best practices across the entire team to enhance overall performance.

Moreover, it aids in capacity planning by allowing organizations to evaluate meeting trends, identify peak booking periods, and assess team performance metrics.

Additionally, this feature supports the acknowledgment of successful outcomes and the identification of potential training opportunities within teams.

YouCanBook.me lacks native meeting analytics tools. However, users can implement tracking analytics by creating a dedicated ‘Thank you for your booking’ page that YouCanBook.me automatically directs to after a booking is confirmed.

This page serves as a basis for collecting data and insights.

Additionally, users can track referral data by incorporating a hidden question within the booking process.

This hidden field allows the tracking source to be passed into the booking form without the booker’s direct visibility.

Another approach to monitor visitor activity on the booking page involves embedding it directly onto a website equipped with tracking codes.

However, all of this means integrating your use of YouCanBook.me with conversion and tracking software which can be a hassle.

✅ Winner: Calendly

User Experience and User Interface

Calendly offers a user-friendly interface that promptly provides access to your scheduling link upon logging in.

Its straightforward dashboard layout facilitates easy navigation.

The software setup involves configuring availability and creating events, which is remarkably simple and intuitive, contributing to its user-friendly design.

YouCanBook.me offers a user-friendly interface with a clean and straightforward layout, ensuring easy navigation without overwhelming the screen.

Users can access essential functions like managing bookings, checking calendars, and adjusting preferences from the main dashboard.

The platform provides extensive customization options, allowing users to tailor the program to their needs.

They can create personalized booking forms, incorporate branding, choose themes, colors, and embed forms into their websites or social media.

Users can establish various booking rules regarding availability, pricing, cancellations, or rescheduling.

New user onboarding is seamless, thanks to a guided tour introducing key features.

The software offers access to tutorials, videos, FAQs, and tips via the website or directly within the app, enhancing the learning experience for users.

✅ Winner: Tie

Integrations & API Capabilities

Calendly offers over 100 integrations with a range of third-party applications, including marketing automation, project management, and applicant tracking systems.

It seamlessly synchronizes with calendar apps to manage availability.

In terms of API capabilities, Calendly provides an API that empowers developers to build custom integrations, allowing users to expand its functionalities as per their individual requirements.

YouCanBook.ne seamlessly integrates with various commonly-used tools and systems like Google Calendar, Outlook, Zoom, Slack, Stripe, and Zapier.

This allows users to sync calendars, contacts, payments, and workflows across multiple platforms.

Additionally, the software provides APIs and webhooks for custom integrations.

✅ Winner: Calendly

Supported Platforms

Calendly provides web-based software complemented by dedicated mobile apps for iOS and Android, facilitating easy appointment scheduling on the go. 

Both mobile versions have received high ratings, scoring 4.9 stars on the App Store and 4.7 stars on the Google Play Store.

As a web-based application, YouCanBook.Me is accessible via any browser and operating system without the need for downloads or installations.

However, it currently lacks dedicated mobile apps for Android or iOS. Nevertheless, its mobile-responsive booking pages ensure easy scheduling on mobile devices.

Regular users can add the booking link to their phone’s home screen for quick access to schedules.

✅ Winner: Calendly

Customer Support

Calendly’s free plan offers diverse support avenues to users. An automated chat feature addresses basic queries efficiently, while personalized assistance can be accessed by submitting a support ticket after signing into the account.

For self-guidance, users can explore the Help Center, comprising written guides and video tutorials.

Upgrading to Standard or Teams plans unlocks live chat support, whereas custom subscription plans provide expedited support, including onboarding and software implementation assistance for teams.

YouCanBook.me offers comprehensive self-help resources, including extensive documentation, a knowledge base with articles, guides, tutorials, videos, FAQs, and a user forum for interaction.

Priority email support is available for paid plan users with prompt responses during weekdays. 

However, the free version lacks this feature, and the platform does not offer phone or live chat support.

✅ Winner: Calendly

Pricing

Calendly offers four different pricing plans summarized below:

Plan	Price
Free	Always free
Standard	$10/seat/mo
Teams	$16/seat/mo
Enterprise	Custom

YouCanBook.me offers a Free Forever plan and only one paid plan, priced at $10.80 per seat, per month billed annually. 

✅ Winner: YouCanBook.me

Scalability

Calendly’s adaptability is demonstrated through its varied pricing structures, catering to companies of different sizes.

Tailored for enterprise teams, its advanced packages offer collaborative scheduling, integrations, and robust security features.

Testimonials from the Enterprise plan highlight notable achievements, including a 160% customer reach increase, a 22X rise in scheduled interviews, and an impressive 323% ROI.

Calendly states this solution helps enterprises:

• Boost team efficiency.
• Enhance business performance and customer satisfaction.
• Standardize and expand scheduling processes.
• Ensure robust security measures for organizational data.

YouCanBook.me’s scalability is notably different from Calendly;s offerings. 

While YouCanBook.me has a single paid plan, unlike Calendly’s tiered options, its scalability extends beyond basic functionalities.

Despite not competing directly with Calendly’s enterprise-level plans, YouCanBook.me still offers considerable scalability.

The platform’s single paid plan allows for diverse features such as more than one appointment type or team member on a single page, team round-robin scheduling, group bookings, and shared availability management.

However, it doesn’t match the extensive enterprise-grade capabilities found in Calendly’s advanced plans.

✅ Winner: Calendly

Standout Features of Calendly

Calendly’s standout functionalities to know include:

• Customized event creation, facilitating diverse appointment scheduling requirements.
• Automated time adjustments for meetings across different time zones, ensuring scheduling clarity.
• Buffer time settings, minimum notice periods, and daily limitations to prevent consecutive appointments.

Standout Features of YouCanBook.me

YouCanBook.me offers some unique features to know:

• YouCanBook.Me enables the setup of scenarios requiring approval or confirmation from both parties before finalizing the booking, ensuring mutual agreement.
• You get the ability to safeguard the booking page with a password, restricting access to authorized team members only, thereby enhancing data privacy and control.
• The YouCanBook.Me team hosts the “Get More Done” podcast, dedicated to boosting productivity, serving as a valuable resource for users aiming to optimize time management and efficiency.
• The payment integrations feature is a great stand-out for those charging before accepting appointments/meetings. It’s incredibly useful for meeting-based business/revenue models.

Calendly vs. YouCanBook.me: SMB Guide’s Verdict

Following our in-depth analysis, the ultimate victor is Calendly. 

Calendly excels in offering a robust set of tools suitable for various business sizes.

It provides a plethora of functionalities, insightful analytics, and scalability options, making it adaptable to evolving business requirements.

For those in need of an all-in-one scheduling solution packed with diverse features, Calendly is the ideal choice.

In contrast, YouCanBook.Me is a solid scheduling tool for smaller teams on a budget but falls short when compared to Calendly’s extensive feature set and scalability options.

For users looking for a more cost-effective alternative without compromising efficiency, YouCanBook.Me is worth a try.