Research-based guide. Compared on the vendors' official pricing pages, documentation and help centers. We have not tested these products hands-on yet; results will be added when we do. How we test
On this page
A business online booking system lets customers pick a time on your website or booking page, pay a deposit if you ask for one, and get reminders without a phone call. On vendor pages checked November 7, 2026, the biggest difference between products is how they charge: Acuity Scheduling by calendars, Square Appointments by location, Calendly, Zoho Bookings and Appointlet by user, and SimplyBook.me by plan tier and monthly bookings.
Service businesses with several staff calendars should look first at Acuity Scheduling, Square Appointments and SimplyBook.me. Teams that mostly book sales calls or consultations can start with Calendly or Appointlet. Very small teams that want a free plan can look at Setmore or Zoho Bookings.
This guide compares seven products using what each vendor documents. For a wider view, read our Scheduling & Booking Software Guide (2026), or see the best appointment scheduling software.
We may earn a commission if you buy through our links. It never affects our rankings. Read our affiliate disclosure.
Shortlist: Best Fit by Business Type
These are fits based on documented features and price, not test winners.
- Multi-staff service businesses: Acuity Scheduling, with 1, 6 or 36 calendars by plan.
- Businesses that also take card payments in person: Square Appointments, which has a $0 plan with unlimited staff calendars.
- Businesses that want costs tied to bookings, not seats: SimplyBook.me, which lists no per-user charges.
- Consultants and sales teams: Calendly, with Standard at $10 per seat per month billed yearly.
- Tiny teams on a budget: Setmore (free for up to 4 users) or Zoho Bookings (free for one user).
- Small teams wanting a paid plan under $10 per member: Appointlet Premium at $9 per member per month billed annually.
Comparison Table
Prices are in dollars per month as each vendor displays them; annual rates are billed annually.
| Product | Starting paid price | Free plan | Free trial | Pricing unit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acuity Scheduling | $16 annual, $20 monthly | No | 7 days, no card | Calendars |
| Square Appointments | $49 per location | Yes ($0) | 30 days on Plus, Premium | Location |
| SimplyBook.me | $11.9 annual, $13.9 monthly | Yes (50 bookings) | 14 days, no card | Plan tier |
| Calendly | $10 per seat, billed yearly | Yes | Two weeks of Teams Plus | Seat |
| Setmore | $5 per user, billed annually; $12 monthly | Yes (4 users) | Paid upgrade; 30-day money-back guarantee for web upgrades | User (Pro) |
| Zoho Bookings | $6 per user, yearly; $8 monthly | Yes (1 user) | 15 days, no credit card | User |
| Appointlet | $9 per member, annual; $12 monthly | Yes (25 meetings a month) | 14 days of Premium | Member |
Pricing checked November 7, 2026. Feature placement follows each vendor’s own page; confirm tier details before you buy.
How We Evaluated
This is a research-based guide comparing the products on their official pricing pages, documentation and help centers, checked November 7, 2026. We have not yet run our hands-on test scenario on these products. When we do, we will add the results and mark the page as tested. See our how we test page.
The Best Business Online Booking Systems, Reviewed
Acuity Scheduling
Acuity Scheduling lists Starter at $16 per month billed annually ($20 monthly), Standard at $27 ($34) and Premium at $55 ($69). Plans differ mainly by calendars: 1, up to 6 and up to 36. All list unlimited appointments, intake forms, email reminders and payments through Stripe, Square, PayPal or Venmo.
Standard adds text reminders, a waitlist, memberships, packages and gift certificates. Premium adds an AI Booking Assistant, a signed BAA for HIPAA compliance, multiple time zones and custom API and CSS.
Best fit: appointment-based service businesses selling packages or memberships. Limitations: Acuity says it has no free plan. The trial is 7 days, no credit card.
Acuity Scheduling pricing and plans
Square Appointments
Square Appointments lists a free plan at $0 per location per month, Plus at $49 and Premium at $149. Every plan lists an online booking site, reminders and unlimited staff calendars. Plus adds cancellation and no-show fees, multi-staff booking and a waitlist. Premium adds a future bookings report, service cost tracking and resource management.
Best fit: businesses already taking payments with Square. Limitations: processing fees apply: online cards at 3.3% + 30 cents on the free plan and 2.9% + 30 cents on Plus and Premium. Plus and Premium have a 30-day trial.
SimplyBook.me
SimplyBook.me lists dollar prices: Free (50 bookings, 1 provider), Basic ($11.9 annual, $13.9 monthly; 100 bookings, 5 providers), Standard ($24.9, $29.9; 500 bookings, 15 providers), Premium ($49.9, $59.9; 2,000 bookings, 30 providers) and custom Enterprise. The page says the core booking system has no hidden setup fees, transaction fees or per-user charges.
Payments, deposits, tips and point of sale start at Basic. Standard adds HIPAA support and SAML SSO. Premium adds Payments PRO, accounting integrations and a white-label footer. SMS credits cost $8 per 100.
Best fit: growing service businesses. Limitations: monthly booking caps apply. The 14-day premium trial includes 50 bookings and needs no card.
SimplyBook.me pricing and plans
Calendly
Calendly lists Free, Standard ($10 per seat per month billed yearly), Teams ($16) and Enterprise (from $15,000 a year, 50 seats minimum). Free covers one event type and one calendar. Standard adds unlimited event types, multiple calendars, automations, reminders and Stripe or PayPal payments. Teams adds round-robin and routing.
The page also offers Notetaker and Callie, an email scheduling assistant in beta, as optional additions to Standard and Teams. Best fit: consultants and sales teams booking meetings. Limitations: every host needs a seat. New users start with a two-week Teams Plus trial.
Setmore
Setmore has Free for up to 4 users and Pro at $5 per user per month on annual billing ($12 monthly). Both list unlimited appointments, a branded booking page, payments through Square, Stripe, PayPal and LawPay, and group classes. Pro adds SMS reminders, branding removal, two-way calendar sync, deposits, recurring and video appointments and API access.
Best fit: small teams wanting a no-cost start. Limitations: deposits and calendar sync need Pro. Pro requires payment at upgrade; eligible web upgrades have a 30-day money-back guarantee if you downgrade and request a refund within the first 30 days.
Zoho Bookings
Zoho Bookings lists a free plan for one user, with online meetings, email reminders and two-way calendar sync. Basic is US$6 per user per month billed yearly (US$8 monthly) and Premium US$9 (US$12). Zoho positions Premium for multiple locations and online payments. A FLEX plan is custom-priced.
Best fit: teams already using Zoho CRM. Limitations: confirm the required tier for your workflow before buying. The Premium trial lasts 15 days and needs no credit card.
Appointlet
Appointlet has Free (5 members, 25 meetings a month, one scheduling page), Premium at $9 per member per month billed annually ($12 monthly) and Enterprise on request. Accounts start with a 14-day Premium trial. Premium lists payment collection, manual confirmation, Zapier, webhooks and branding removal.
Best fit: small teams booking consultations. Limitations: the free plan suits light use only.
What to Look For in a Business Online Booking System
- Pricing unit: compare per-calendar, per-location, per-seat and per-tier pricing against your headcount.
- Payments and fees: Square lists card rates on its pricing page, while other tools route payments through Stripe, PayPal or Square, each with its own fees.
- No-show tools: Acuity text reminders start at Standard, Setmore SMS at Pro and Square no-show fees at Plus.
- Booking caps: SimplyBook.me caps bookings monthly and Appointlet Free caps meetings at 25.
- Privacy: Acuity Premium lists a signed BAA and SimplyBook.me lists HIPAA support from Standard. Confirm your own obligations.
- Scale: our guide to a booking system for small business covers the single-location case.
This list covers customer appointments and meetings. For tours, flights or lodging, see travel reservation software. Project scheduling is a different category; our p6 scheduling overview explains one example.
FAQ
What is the best scheduling software for a business?
There is no single winner. On documented features and price, Acuity Scheduling fits service businesses with several staff calendars, Square Appointments fits in-person card payments, and Calendly fits meeting-based work. Match the pricing unit and plan limits to your team before comparing headline prices.
Is there a free business online booking system?
Yes. Square Appointments, SimplyBook.me, Calendly, Setmore, Zoho Bookings and Appointlet list free plans with limits, such as 50 bookings at SimplyBook.me, 4 users at Setmore and 25 meetings a month at Appointlet. Acuity Scheduling says it has no free plan, only a trial.
How much does a booking app for a business cost?
On the pages checked, paid entry prices run from $5 per user per month (Setmore, annual) to $49 per location (Square Plus). Acuity starts at $16, Calendly at $10 per seat and SimplyBook.me at $11.9. Processing fees and add-ons such as SMS credits are extra.
Sources
- Acuity Scheduling pricing (checked November 7, 2026)
- Square Appointments pricing (checked November 7, 2026)
- SimplyBook.me pricing (checked November 7, 2026)
- Calendly pricing (checked November 7, 2026)
- Setmore pricing (checked November 7, 2026)
- Zoho Bookings pricing (checked November 7, 2026)
- Appointlet pricing (checked November 7, 2026)
- Calendly billing and trial (checked November 7, 2026)
- Setmore Pro billing and features (checked November 7, 2026)
- Setmore Pro trial and refund policy (checked November 7, 2026)
- Zoho Bookings trial (checked November 7, 2026)
Mehmet Değirmenci is the founder and editor of BusinessSoftwareAtlas. He runs a law office in Istanbul, Türkiye, where he has spent years choosing, setting up and running the practice-management, scheduling and automation software his own team works with every day, including an in-house case-management system. He decides what this site covers and is responsible for everything it publishes.