7 Best Microsoft Bookings Alternatives & Competitors

Microsoft Bookings (part of the Microsoft 365 suite) facilitates the scheduling of appointments and meetings directly through a web interface.

But, it has a few downsides to keep in mind. First, setting Microsoft Bookings up requires a bit of tinkering, so it’s worth considering.

Second, the customization options are limited. You’ll find it hard to adapt the app to suit your preferences.

Below, I’ll provide an overview of 7 Microsoft Bookings alternatives that address all these drawbacks.

1. Acuity Scheduling

Best for: freelancers, consultants, and service providers in various industries

Pricing: $20/mo – $61/mo

Acuity Scheduling is a cloud-based appointment scheduling software designed to make booking appointments easier for businesses and their clients.

Features

• Recurring appointments
• Personalized scheduling links
• Different appointment types
• Waitlist management
• Group scheduling for classes & workshops
• Custom forms for client intake
• Automatic confirmations & reminders
• Calendar management
• Time zone adjustments
• Payment processing
• Check-out add-ons
• 500+ integrations

Acuity Scheduling Vs Microsoft Bookings

Criteria	Acuity Scheduling	Microsoft Bookings
Best For	Freelancers, consultants, and service providers	Service-based small businesses, event planners, educators
Standout Feature	Advanced reporting	Scheduling policies
Pricing	$20/mo – $61/mo	$6/mo – $22/user/mo

Conclusion

Acuity Scheduling stands out for its direct links feature. Instead of navigating through multiple options, clients can use a link that directly leads them to a specific booking type, like a particular service or class.

These links can pre-select details such as the appointment type, category, or even a specific location. It’s a convenient shortcut that simplifies scheduling.

Start free trial of Acuity Scheduling today!

Try Acuity Scheduling for free

2. Square Appointments

Best for: service professionals, solopreneurs, and small business owners

Pricing: Free – $69/mo

Square Appointments is a scheduling and appointment management software designed for businesses to streamline booking, manage calendars, and accept payments.

Features

• Custom booking page
• Class booking
• Waitlist management
• Payment processing
• Customer profiles & notes
• Client portal
• Cancellation policy management
• Daily appointment limit
• Calendar sync
• Automated email & text reminders
• Appointments reports
• Social media integrations

Square Appointments Vs Microsoft Bookings

Criteria	Square Appointments	Microsoft Bookings
Best For	Service professionals, solopreneurs, and small business owners	Service-based small businesses, event planners, educators
Standout Feature	Payment processing	Scheduling policies
Pricing	Free – $69/mo	$6/mo – $22/user/mo

Conclusion

What I find unique about Square Appointments is its ability to consolidate multiple business functions, including scheduling, point-of-sale, client management, and retail inventory, into one platform.

Get started with Square Appointments today!

Try Square Appointments for free

3. Zoho Bookings

Best for: service professionals, recruitment companies, small teams, and solopreneurs

Pricing: Free – $12/user/mo

Zoho Bookings is a scheduling platform that allows businesses and professionals to manage appointments, bookings, and services online.

Features

• Customizable booking pages
• Recurring group bookings
• Custom fields for booking forms
• Team scheduling
• Custom working hours & holiday settings
• Terms & conditions options
• Advanced reporting options
• Payment processing
• Calendar sync
• Time zone adjustment
• Customer self-service tools
• Automated reminders & notifications

Zoho Bookings Vs Microsoft Bookings

Criteria	Zoho Bookings	Microsoft Bookings
Best For	Service professionals, recruitment companies, small teams, and solopreneurs	Service-based small businesses, event planners, educators
Standout Feature	Advanced reporting options	Scheduling policies
Pricing	Free – $12/user/mo	$6/mo – $22/user/mo

Conclusion

What really stands out to me about Zoho Bookings is its impressive reporting capabilities.

For example, it’s packed with a dashboard that shows appointments booked and revenue generated, complete with filters for customer name, number of appointments booked, and service.

This level of detail in reporting is useful for businesses looking to optimize their services.

Sign-up for free to Zoho Bookings

Try Zoho Bookings for free

4. Google Calendar

Best for: individuals, busy professionals, and small teams

Pricing: Free – $18/mo

Google Calendar is a time-management and scheduling tool developed by Google. It lets users create events, reminders, and tasks, facilitating easy planning and organization of personal and professional schedules.

Features

• Daily, weekly & monthly calendar views
• Recurring events
• Color-coding for different events
• Public holiday calendars based on country
• Attach files to events
• Calendar sharing
• Working hours settings
• Offline access
• Search functionality to find events
• Time zone support
• Attachments for events
• Customizable event notifications
• Custom notifications

Google Calendar Vs Microsoft Bookings

Criteria	Google Calendar	Microsoft Bookings
Best For	Individuals, busy professionals, and small teams	Service-based small businesses, event planners, educators
Standout Feature	Public holiday calendars based on country	Scheduling policies
Pricing	Free – $18/mo	$6/mo – $22/user/mo

Conclusion

I’d say the real charm of Google Calendar lies in its integration with other Google services, making it a central hub for all scheduling needs.

Its design simplicity and color labels to track calendar entries clearly stand out.

5. Calendly

Best for: individuals, business professionals, freelancers, and consultants

Pricing: Free – $20/mo (per seat)

Calendly is a scheduling tool that simplifies setting appointments and meetings by automating the availability sharing and invitation response process.

Features

• Embeddable scheduling links on websites
• Customizable event types
• Multi-person scheduling
• Maximum number of meetings per day
• Minimum scheduling notice
• Buffer times between meetings
• Secret event types for private meetings
• Group meetings

Calendly Vs Microsoft Bookings

Criteria	Calendly	Microsoft Bookings
Best For	Individuals, freelancers, small business owners, sales and marketing teams	Service-based small businesses, event planners, educators
Standout Feature	Secret event types for private meetings	Scheduling policies
Pricing	Free – $20/mo (per seat)	$6/mo – $22/user/mo

Conclusion

Calendly nails it with secret event types for private meetings. This gives a layer of privacy that’s actually a rarity in scheduling tools.

Imagine booking a meeting or event and choosing to keep it under wraps for personal reasons, whether it’s planning a surprise birthday party or discussing confidential matters.

6. Doodle

Best for: entrepreneurs, freelancers, and consultants

Pricing: Free – $19.95/user/mo

Doodle is a web-based application that helps people schedule meetings by collecting availability from participants to find the most suitable meeting time for everyone.

Features

• Customizable time slots
• Participant limit settings
• Option for participants to vote anonymously
• Deadlines for poll responses
• Calendar sync
• Meeting reminders via email
• No-show management
• Customizable questions to collect info
• Co-host events
• Recurring polls
• Custom logo & branding
• Google Meet, Zoom & Microsoft Teams integrations

Doodle Vs Microsoft Bookings

Criteria	Doodle	Microsoft Bookings
Best For	Entrepreneurs, freelancers, and consultants	Service-based small businesses, event planners, educators
Standout Feature	Option for participants to vote anonymously	Scheduling policies
Pricing	Free – $19.95/user/mo	$6/mo – $22/user/mo

Conclusion

What I like about Doodle is how it lets people anonymously choose their preferred meeting times. 

Plus, you can set a deadline for when votes need to be in, so decisions get made quickly and without hassle.

7. SimplyBook.me

Best for: service businesses, solopreneurs, event organizers, and coaches

Pricing: Free – $99.9/mo

SimplyBook.me is an online booking system designed primarily for service-based businesses to manage appointments and schedules.

Features

• Website integration using iframe
• Waiting management
• Service & class bookings
• Recurring appointments
• Automatic cancellation emails
• No show management 
• Client history
• Automatic reminders
• Bookings via Facebook, Instagram & Google Business Profile
• Promotions & gift cards
• Payment processing

Doodle Vs Microsoft Bookings

Criteria	SimplyBook.me	Microsoft Bookings
Best For	Service businesses, solopreneurs, event organizers, and coaches	Service-based small businesses, event planners, educators
Standout Feature	Bookings via Facebook, Instagram, and Google Business Profile	Scheduling policies
Pricing	Free – $99.9/mo	$6/mo – $22/user/mo

Conclusion

What stands out with SimplyBook.me is its ability to integrate bookings via popular social platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Google Business Profile.

I think this feature is awesome because it meets customers where they already hang out online.

Get started with SimplyBook.me for free today!

Try SimplyBook.me for free

Which Microsoft Bookings alternative should I use?

Acuity Scheduling is ideal for freelancers and service providers with features like recurring appointments, personalized scheduling links, and 500+ integrations.

It offers easy navigation, a 7-day free trial, and efficient client management. Ideal for service professional and small business owners, Square Appointments makes appointment management smooth with features like customizable booking pages, waitlist management, and payment processing.

A quick recap of Microsoft Bookings alternatives:

1. Acuity Scheduling
2. Square Appointments
3. Zoho Bookings
4. Google Calendar
5. Calendly
6. Doodle
7. SimplyBook.me