Calendly alternatives for a local business
Six booking tools a local business can use instead of Calendly Standard, or alongside it: who each one fits, its price as listed on its own site on Nov 4 2026, and what it does that Lo-Cal, the booking calendar by Busifier, does not.
When Calendly is the better pick
Stay with Calendly if its free plan already covers you, if you take card payments when someone books, if your team needs round-robin or a calendar for each person, or if your bookings feed sales tools such as HubSpot or Salesforce. Lo-Cal does none of those. It is for one local business with one calendar that wants its booking page set up for its trade. The full two-way table is on Lo-Cal vs Calendly.
Six options side by side
| Tool | Who it fits | Price | What it has that Lo-Cal does not |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calendly Free | One person with one kind of appointment who wants to pay nothing. | Free: $0, always free. One event type, one calendar connection, one-on-one bookings. Standard: $12 a seat a month, or $10 a seat a month, billed yearly ($120 a year). | A free plan that never ends. A customizable booking page and a browser extension, on Free. |
| Cal.com | A one-person business that wants a free plan with payments and text notifications, and does not mind setting it up. | Free for one user, $0: unlimited booking links and calendars, email and text notifications, Stripe and PayPal payments, 100+ app integrations. Teams: $16 a user a month, or $12 a user a month billed yearly. | A free plan for one user. Payments: Stripe or PayPal, on the free plan too. Text notifications on the free plan. |
| Acuity Scheduling | Appointment businesses that need intake forms, payments at booking, or packages and gift certificates. | Starter, 1 calendar: $20 a month, or $16 a month billed yearly. Standard, up to 6 calendars: $34 a month, or $27 a month billed yearly. Premium, up to 36 calendars: $69 a month, or $55 a month billed yearly. | Payments through Stripe, Square, PayPal or Venmo, on every plan. Custom client intake forms, on every plan. Packages, memberships and gift certificates, on Standard and Premium. |
| Setmore | A small shop with up to four people who want a free plan, or a team that wants text reminders at a per-user price. | Free: $0 for up to 4 users, unlimited appointments, online payments, email reminders. Pro: $5 a user a month with annual pricing, unlimited users. | A free plan for up to 4 users. Online and in-person payments. Text reminders on Pro (500 texts a user each month), not on Free. |
| Square Appointments | Salons, barbers and studios that take card payments in person and online, and already use Square. | Free: $0 a month per location, with unlimited staff calendars. Plus: $49 a month per location. Card fees for online payments: 3.3% + 30¢ on Free, 2.9% + 30¢ on Plus. | Appointment deposits on Free and Plus; no-show fees on Plus. Text and email appointment reminders. Unlimited staff calendars, and in-person card payments with Square hardware. |
| Lo-Cal by Busifier | One local business with one calendar that wants a booking page set up for its trade and wants to confirm each request. | $9.60 a month plus applicable sales tax, or $96 a year plus applicable sales tax. No free plan. Free for 7 days, with a card. | This row is Lo-Cal. |
- Calendly Free: Prices as listed on calendly.com on Nov 4 2026; check their site for today's price. Source: calendly.com/pricing.
- Cal.com: Prices as listed on cal.com on Nov 4 2026; check their site for today's price. Source: cal.com/pricing.
- Acuity Scheduling: Prices as listed on acuityscheduling.com on Nov 4 2026; check their site for today's price. Source: acuityscheduling.com/pricing.
- Setmore: Prices as listed on setmore.com on Nov 4 2026; check their site for today's price. Source: setmore.com/pricing.
- Square Appointments: Prices as listed on squareup.com on Nov 4 2026; check their site for today's price. Source: squareup.com/us/en/appointments/pricing.
Each option in a few lines
Calendly Free
Fits: One person with one kind of appointment who wants to pay nothing.
Price: Free: $0, always free. One event type, one calendar connection, one-on-one bookings. Standard: $12 a seat a month, or $10 a seat a month, billed yearly ($120 a year). Prices as listed on calendly.com on Nov 4 2026; check their site for today's price.
What it has that Lo-Cal does not:
- A free plan that never ends.
- A customizable booking page and a browser extension, on Free.
On paid plans:
- Card payments through Stripe or PayPal, on Standard and up.
- On Standard: HubSpot and Mailchimp integrations.
- Teams: round-robin and team scheduling, routing forms for leads, Salesforce and other sales tools.
Cal.com
Fits: A one-person business that wants a free plan with payments and text notifications, and does not mind setting it up.
Price: Free for one user, $0: unlimited booking links and calendars, email and text notifications, Stripe and PayPal payments, 100+ app integrations. Teams: $16 a user a month, or $12 a user a month billed yearly. Prices as listed on cal.com on Nov 4 2026; check their site for today's price.
What it has that Lo-Cal does not:
- A free plan for one user.
- Payments: Stripe or PayPal, on the free plan too.
- Text notifications on the free plan.
- 100+ app integrations, and mobile apps for iOS and Android.
- Teams: round-robin, collective events, routing forms and workflows.
Acuity Scheduling
Fits: Appointment businesses that need intake forms, payments at booking, or packages and gift certificates.
Price: Starter, 1 calendar: $20 a month, or $16 a month billed yearly. Standard, up to 6 calendars: $34 a month, or $27 a month billed yearly. Premium, up to 36 calendars: $69 a month, or $55 a month billed yearly. Prices as listed on acuityscheduling.com on Nov 4 2026; check their site for today's price.
What it has that Lo-Cal does not:
- Payments through Stripe, Square, PayPal or Venmo, on every plan.
- Custom client intake forms, on every plan.
- Packages, memberships and gift certificates, on Standard and Premium.
- Text reminders on Standard and Premium, not on Starter.
- Calendars for staff and locations, up to 36 on Premium.
Setmore
Fits: A small shop with up to four people who want a free plan, or a team that wants text reminders at a per-user price.
Price: Free: $0 for up to 4 users, unlimited appointments, online payments, email reminders. Pro: $5 a user a month with annual pricing, unlimited users. Prices as listed on setmore.com on Nov 4 2026; check their site for today's price.
What it has that Lo-Cal does not:
- A free plan for up to 4 users.
- Online and in-person payments.
- Text reminders on Pro (500 texts a user each month), not on Free.
- Deposits on Pro, not on Free.
Square Appointments
Fits: Salons, barbers and studios that take card payments in person and online, and already use Square.
Price: Free: $0 a month per location, with unlimited staff calendars. Plus: $49 a month per location. Card fees for online payments: 3.3% + 30¢ on Free, 2.9% + 30¢ on Plus. Prices as listed on squareup.com on Nov 4 2026; check their site for today's price.
What it has that Lo-Cal does not:
- Appointment deposits on Free and Plus; no-show fees on Plus.
- Text and email appointment reminders.
- Unlimited staff calendars, and in-person card payments with Square hardware.
Lo-Cal by Busifier
Fits: One local business with one calendar that wants a booking page set up for its trade and wants to confirm each request.
Price: $9.60 a month plus applicable sales tax, or $96 a year plus applicable sales tax. No free plan. Free for 7 days, with a card.
What it does:
- Starts from your trade: the usual appointment length, the break after it, the notice you need and the questions you would ask on the phone.
- You confirm each request in one tap, or turn on automatic confirming.
- Priced per business, not per seat.
What Lo-Cal does not do
- No card payments or deposits at booking.
- Email only, no text messages.
- One calendar per business, so no calendar for each staff member, and no round-robin.
- No free plan. It is free for 7 days, with a card.
- Your calendar link only, for busy times in and invites out. No app marketplace.
If you need any of those, one of the tools above fits better.
When Lo-Cal fits
- You run one local business with one calendar: a groomer, a barber, a detailer, a tutor.
- You want the booking page to start from your trade, then change any setting.
- You want to see each request and confirm it in one tap, or turn on automatic confirming.
- Paste your Google, Outlook or iCloud calendar link, and Lo-Cal hides the times you are busy. Each confirmed booking reaches your calendar as an invite.
Lo-Cal is set up for these trades: dog groomers, barbers, mobile detailers, lash artists, braiders, massage therapists, dog trainers, tutors, lawn care and cleaning.
Price
Lo-Cal on its own
Or $96 a year plus applicable sales tax. One price per business, no setup fee. Cancel anytime, and download your bookings anytime.
Free for 7 days. A card is needed to start; cancel before day 7 and you pay nothing. We email you 2 days before your trial ends.
$9.60 a month plus applicable sales tax (or $96 a year plus applicable sales tax) after the trial.
With a Busifier website
Booking is included at no extra cost. Busifier builds your whole website, and you pay $0 until your approved site is live.
Questions
What is a good free Calendly alternative?
If you want to pay nothing, start with the free plans. Cal.com is free for one user, with payments and text notifications. Setmore is free for up to 4 users. Square Appointments is free per location, with card fees on each payment. Calendly Free itself covers one event type and one calendar connection, which may be all you need. As listed on each site on Nov 4 2026. Lo-Cal by Busifier has no free plan: it is free for 7 days, then $9.60 a month plus applicable sales tax.
Is there a Calendly alternative for a small business with one calendar?
Yes. Lo-Cal by Busifier is built for one local business with one calendar: a booking page set up for your trade, for $9.60 a month plus applicable sales tax (or $96 a year plus applicable sales tax). Acuity Scheduling Starter and Calendly Free also cover one calendar. The table above sets the prices side by side, as listed on each site on Nov 4 2026.
Is there a Calendly alternative without per-seat pricing?
Yes. Lo-Cal by Busifier is priced per business: $9.60 a month plus applicable sales tax for one calendar. Square Appointments is priced per location (Plus: $49 a month per location, as listed on squareup.com on Nov 4 2026). Acuity Scheduling plans are priced by how many calendars you need. Cal.com and Setmore price their paid plans per user.
Which Calendly alternative takes deposits?
Not Lo-Cal: it books times only and takes no card payments or deposits. Square Appointments lists appointment deposits on its Free and Plus plans, and Setmore lists deposits on Pro. Acuity Scheduling takes payments when someone books, on every plan, and Calendly Standard and Cal.com take card payments through Stripe or PayPal. As listed on each site on Nov 4 2026.
Which Calendly alternative sends text reminders?
Lo-Cal does not: it sends email only. As listed on each site on Nov 4 2026, Cal.com sends text notifications on its free plan, Setmore Pro and Acuity Standard send text reminders, and Square Appointments sends text and email reminders.
Can I move from Calendly to Lo-Cal?
Yes. Set up Lo-Cal, then swap the booking link in your Instagram bio, Google Business Profile or website. Bookings you already have in Calendly stay there.