Cal.com vs Setmore

Cal.com is an open-source scheduling platform positioned as the Calendly alternative you can own. The hosted version is free for individuals with unlimited event types; teams pay per seat for round-robin, routing forms and workflows. The code is on GitHub, and companies can self-host or embed scheduling into their own products with Cal.com Platform APIs and atoms.

It supports many calendars and conferencing tools, includes its own Cal Video, and offers payments, workflows (reminders), and dynamic group links. Development is fast and public.

The product occasionally feels less polished than Calendly, and self-hosting requires maintenance, but for price, openness and embeddability it leads the category.

Cal.com offers an Enterprise plan with SSO and dedicated support, and exposes bookings, availability and routing through a public API and webhooks. That is why product teams often treat it as scheduling infrastructure rather than a standalone booking link, which is the clearest difference from Calendly. For individuals the practical advice is simple: start on the free plan and pay only when you need team features such as round-robin or routing forms.

Setmore is an online appointment scheduling app launched in 2011 and run by AnywhereWorks, a US software company based in Portland, Oregon. It is aimed at service businesses (salons, spas, clinics, tutors, trades and consultants) that need customers to book specific services with specific staff members, then show up on time.

Each business gets a booking page with services, staff, prices and availability, plus booking buttons for its website, Facebook and Instagram and a QR code. Payments and deposits run through Stripe, Square or PayPal, including Tap to Pay on mobile. The free plan covers up to four users with unlimited appointments and email reminders. Pro adds SMS reminders (500 credits per user each month), deposits, recurring appointments, video meetings via Zoom or Google Meet, two-way calendar sync, branding removal and API access.

Setmore suits small teams that want staff-based booking at a very low price; the annual Pro rate of $5 per user is among the cheapest in the category. Acuity Scheduling offers deeper intake forms and packages, Calendly is better for B2B meeting scheduling, and Zoho Bookings fits companies already on Zoho.

A practical tip: the monthly Pro price ($12) is more than double the annual rate, so pay yearly once you are sure. The optional Live Receptionist add-on ($99/month, US only) staffs your phone line with real people.