SimplyBook.me vs zcal
SimplyBook.me and zcal are both scheduling & calendar tools. SimplyBook.me is aimed at small businesses and freelancers, while zcal is aimed at freelancers. Both have a free plan.
Online booking system with payments and POS for service businesses
Free, well-designed scheduling pages
| Pricing | Freemium | Freemium · $7 |
| Starting price | Not published | $7/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | 14 days | 14 days |
| Built for | Small businesses, Freelancers | Freelancers |
| Platforms | web, ios, android | web |
| Country | CY · 2009 | US · 2021 |
| Rating | — | — |
Choose SimplyBook.me if
Small and mid-sized appointment-based service businesses that want booking, payments, memberships and light POS in one tool.
- Very broad feature set for a booking tool at this price
- Free plan is permanent, not just a trial
- Payments, POS and memberships remove the need for separate tools
Look elsewhere if: Knowledge workers who only need a meeting link or solo users who want the simplest setup (Calendly, Acuity Scheduling).
Choose zcal if
Individuals wanting free scheduling.
- Generous free plan
- Clean design
- Polls
Look elsewhere if: Sales teams.
SimplyBook.me vs zcal pricing
SimplyBook.me
- Free€050 bookings/mo, 1 provider, 1 custom feature
- Basic€13.9/mo€11.9/mo billed annually; 100 bookings, 5 providers
- Standard€29.9/mo€24.9/mo billed annually; 500 bookings, 15 providers
- Premium€59.9/mo€49.9/mo billed annually; 2,000 bookings, 30 providers
- EnterpriseCustomCustom booking volume and providers; contact sales
zcal
- Free$0Unlimited links and calendars, meeting polls
- Pro$7/user/moTeams, workflows; small teams
- Business$12/user/moCustom domains, custom email domains
SimplyBook.me · Key features
- Mobile-optimised booking website plus embeddable widget for your own site
- Multi-provider and multi-location calendars with service-level rules
- Online payments via Stripe, PayPal, Square, Apple Pay and Google Pay
- Point-of-sale module with Tap to Pay, QR codes and payment links
- Booking through Google, Facebook, Instagram and a branded client app
- Packages, memberships, gift cards, coupons and loyalty as add-on features
Cons
- Admin panel is cluttered and has a learning curve
- Monthly booking caps force upgrades for busy businesses
- SMS credits, custom domain and SMS gateway cost extra
zcal · Key features
- Free booking pages
- Group events
- Meeting polls
- Reminders
- Custom questions
- Calendar sync
Cons
- Limited team features
- Fewer integrations
- Small company
SimplyBook.me vs zcal: FAQ
Do SimplyBook.me and zcal have a free plan?
Yes, both SimplyBook.me and zcal have a free plan; paid plans add more usage and features.
Which is better for small businesses, SimplyBook.me or zcal?
SimplyBook.me lists small businesses as a core audience, while zcal is aimed more at freelancers.