Best Appointment Software for Small Business
Need scheduling help? Check out this list of the best scheduling apps for your small business.
Think about how many appointments you make in a month. A haircut, a doctor’s visit, a gym class, the dog groomer, a babysitter . . . the list goes on. Now, think about which service is the easiest to book. Is the scheduling page easy to navigate? Do you receive follow-up reminders that offer easy ways to reschedule? Does the company’s scheduling platform provide an overall pleasant experience?
The answers to these questions matter a lot in the world of online scheduling—not only for the customer, but also for you as a business owner. You’ll want your scheduling software to be affordable, able to grow with your business, and easy for both your clients and team members to use. We pulled together a list of the best appointment software for small business to make selecting one easier. As part of our review process, we considered things like account price, the number of integrations, key features, customer service, and even potential downsides.
#1
Setmore
Setmore sets itself apart from competitors with the number of users allowed on its free plan. While most free scheduling apps only allow one user on a free plan, Setmore allows up to four. It is one of the best scheduling apps for small businesses that want simple, affordable, and effective appointment software that can grow with them.
- Price: Free for up to four users. The Premium plan is $5 per user, per month, with a limit of two users. The Pro and Premium plans are $9 to $12 per user, per month, with a varying number of users.
- Integrations: Connect your customer-facing booking page with your website and Facebook and Instagram profiles to reach more people and make booking easy. Setmore can also connect with CRM platforms.
- Key features: Setmore seamlessly integrates with Google, Apple, and Office 365 calendars, and the higher-priced plans have a two-way sync between calendar views. You can accept payments through Square, Stripe, or PayPal.
- Customer service: Every user can reach out for help by phone, chat, or email.
- Potential downsides: There are limited options for users of the free plan.
#2
Square Appointments
If your business already uses the Square POS or CRM system and you need scheduling software, you’re in luck. Square appointments is one of the best scheduling apps for business due its seamless integration with Square’s POS and CRM systems. It’s a wonderful tool for customer-facing businesses.
- Price: Free for a single location. The Plus plan is $29 per location, per month. The Premium plan is $69 per location, per month.
- Integrations: Integrate with the Square POS at a register or with the Square or iPad stand. Other integrations may include your website, Instagram, and Google.
- Key features: The standout feature of Square Appointments is its focus on small businesses that offer services.The software can be used across various locations, making it easy to grow your business offerings. In addition to customer booking, Square Appointments also allows you to view your team’s schedules—no more overlapping appointments.
- Customer service: Even if your business uses the free plan, you’ll still have access to “premium customer support.” You can also access help articles, the seller community, and Square events.
- Potential downsides: While the lowest-priced plan is more expensive than others on our list, Square Appointments is one of the best scheduling apps for brick-and-mortar stores.
#3
Acuity Scheduling
Acuity Scheduling touts ease-of-use and affordability as attributes that make it the perfect appointment software for small business. Acuity provides seamless scheduling solutions for both internal teams and customers who need to book an appointment.
- Price: The Emerging plan is $15 per month for one person.The Growing plan is $25 per month, with a limit of six users.The Powerhouse plan is $50 per month, with a limit of 36 users. You can save 10% on each plan if you pay annually.
- Integrations: Embed the scheduling software on your website for easy customer and client access. (If you use Squarespace website builder, website integration is super easy—Acuity Scheduling is owned by Squarespace.) You can also integrate Acuity Scheduling with email marketing apps, other calendar apps, accounting software, and more.
- Key features: A notable feature of Acuity Scheduling is that you can accept payments through the app, and with the Growing and Powerhouse plans, you can facilitate subscription, membership, and gift certificate purchases—all things that potential customers are likely looking for. Plus, every plan allows for reminder, confirmation, and follow-up emails; branding and logo capabilities, easy upsells at check-out, and advanced reporting.
- Customer service: Customer support doesn’t vary depending on the plan you purchase, which is great news for members of the lower-priced plans.
- Potential downsides: Acuity Scheduling does not offer a free plan.
#4
Doodle
Doodle is a great scheduling solution for individual consultants or small businesses who want help with team management and collaboration. So, if you need software that assists with things like fitness classes or hair salon appointments, it might be best to choose a different app.
- Price: Free for one member. The Pro plan is $6.95 for one member, per month. The Team plan is $8.95 per user, per month, with a limit of five users.
- Integrations: Doodle integrates with Microsoft Outlook and Teams, Google Meet, Zapier, Webex, and Zoom. It also integrates with some CRM systems. Check yours to see if this is an option.
- Key features: Doodle’s best feature is that it helps eliminate an influx of email, Teams, or Slack messages by providing easy scheduling in one place. It’s also beneficial for independent consultants or company recruiters because they don’t have to email back and forth with clients or interviewees to schedule an appointment.
- Customer service: The free and Pro versions do not allow for easy chat support. You’ll need to upgrade to the Team or Enterprise tiers for dedicated support within the app.
- Potential downsides: While Doodle offers free scheduling software, you’ll eventually want to upgrade to Pro to eliminate ads and to access things like integrations, custom branding, unlimited booking pages and one-on-one meetings.
#5
Calendly
Another team and consultant-friendly scheduling app is Calendly, where you can reduce the number of emails or internal chats—just use the Calendly app instead. This appointment software for small business seems more robust than Doodle, based on the number of integrations and features. Read on to learn more.
- Price: Free for up to one member. The Essentials plan is $8 per person, per month, with a limit of two people. The Professional plan is $12 per person, per month, with a limit of six people. The Teams plan, which has more customization and team collaboration options, is $16 per person, per month, with a limit of six people.
- Integrations: Calendly has a full suite of integration options, from adding Calendly to your website to connecting to HubSpot, Mailchimp, Slack, Zoom, and more. The available integrations increase with each plan.
- Key features: Calendly makes it easy to communicate scheduling notifications with clients or team members. You can send reminders and follow-ups, create automated event notifications, receive meeting notifications via text, and more.
- Customer service: The free version does not include live chat support, but the other three tiers do. If you’re using the free version of Calendly, you’ll still be able to access the help center and reach out with questions via email.
- Potential downsides: As with other free scheduling apps, Calendly’s free plan has a limited number of integrations, team scheduling capabilities, and customization options.
FAQs
The best scheduling app is the one that fits your budget and provides easy scheduling for either your team or your customers—or both. Check out our list of the best appointment scheduling software to see which one works best for your business.
We think that Doodle and Calendly are two of the best apps for scheduling employees and team members. They both integrate with communication apps, like Zoom or Google Meet, and CRM systems.
We think that Setmore and Square Appointments are two of the best apps for scheduling appointments for customers. They both offer free plans and make scheduling services like classes and salon appointments effortless.
See other resources related to:
