Best Appointment Scheduling Software in 2025
Whether you're a solo consultant or managing a team of 3,000+ staff members, the right scheduling software can transform how you book appointments. Stop losing clients to scheduling friction and eliminate the endless back-and-forth emails.
We've tested and compared the top appointment scheduling tools to help you find the perfect fit for your business size and needs.
What is Appointment Scheduling Software?
Appointment scheduling software is a digital tool that allows clients and customers to book meetings, consultations, or services directly from your website or a booking page. It syncs with your calendar, sends automatic reminders, and eliminates the manual work of coordinating schedules.
Modern scheduling software goes beyond simple bookings—it handles team assignments, payment processing, video conferencing integration, and sophisticated routing rules for organizations of any size.
Why Your Business Needs Scheduling Software
24/7 Booking Availability
Let clients book appointments anytime, even outside business hours. Never miss an opportunity.
Reduce No-Shows by 90%
Automated email and SMS reminders keep appointments top of mind for your clients.
Scale Your Team Effortlessly
Manage scheduling for 3 to 3,000+ team members with intelligent assignment rules.
Professional Client Experience
Branded booking pages with your logo, colors, and domain build trust and credibility.
Quick Comparison
| Best for | Teams | Individuals | Fitness | Beauty | Services | Developers |
| Team Management | ||||||
| Multiple team members | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Round-robin assignment | ✓ | ✓ | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | ✓ |
| Admin controls & roles | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✕ | ✕ |
| Scales with your team | ✓ | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ |
| Customization | ||||||
| Custom branding | ✓ | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ |
| Custom domain | ✓ | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ |
| Custom CSS | ✓ | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | ✓ |
| Integrations | ||||||
| Google Calendar | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Outlook / O365 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Zoom / MS Teams | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Zapier | ✓ | ✓ | ✕ | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ |
| ✓ | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | |
| Anti-spam (email verification) | ✓ | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ |
| Rules engine (routing, limits) | ✓ | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ |
Here is our list of the best appointment scheduling software:
- Sprintful – Best for growing teams
- Calendly – Best for individuals
- Mindbody – Best for fitness & wellness
- Fresha – Best for beauty & salons
- Acuity Scheduling – Best for service businesses
- Cal.com – Best open-source option
Sprintful
Sprintful is the most flexible appointment scheduling software for teams that need to scale. Trusted by technology startups, banks, universities, and hospitality leaders, it handles everything from simple 1:1 meetings to complex multi-team scheduling scenarios.
What makes Sprintful stand out?
Sprintful offers the most comprehensive team management features in the industry. With multiple round-robin assignment strategies, custom routing rules, and enterprise-grade admin controls, it scales effortlessly as your team grows.
Top Features
- Advanced team scheduling – Multiple round-robin strategies, weighted distribution, and custom assignment rules.
- Enterprise administration – Role-based access, audit logs, and user impersonation for support.
- Custom domain & branding – Use your own domain (book.yourcompany.com) with full CSS customization.
- Payment collection – Accept payments and deposits at booking via Stripe.
- Complex forms & file uploads – Collect detailed information with custom intake forms and file attachments.
- Anti-spam & no-show protection – Advanced rules engine to prevent abuse and reduce no-shows.
- Full integration suite – Google Calendar, Outlook, Zoom, MS Teams, WhatsApp, and Zapier.
Considerations
- No integration with legacy calendars (CalDAV, WebDAV).
Pricing: 7-day free trial | Basic $9/user/mo | Professional $19/user/mo | Business $49/user/mo | Enterprise: custom
Calendly
Calendly is one of the most recognized names in appointment scheduling. It's simple, clean, and works great for individuals and small teams who need basic scheduling functionality.
What makes Calendly popular?
Calendly's strength is its simplicity. It's easy to set up, has a clean interface, and integrates with most common tools. However, as teams grow, many find they need more advanced features.
Top Features
- Simple, intuitive interface for quick setup.
- Team scheduling with round-robin (on paid plans).
- Integrations with Zoom, Google Meet, and Salesforce.
- Automated workflows and reminders.
Considerations
- Custom domain not supported.
- Limited customization options compared to alternatives.
- Advanced team features require expensive plans.
Pricing: Free tier available | Standard $10/user/mo | Teams $16/user/mo | Enterprise: custom
Mindbody
Mindbody is the industry standard for fitness studios, yoga centers, spas, and wellness businesses. It's an all-in-one platform that combines scheduling with business management, marketing, and payment processing.
What makes Mindbody a leader in fitness?
Mindbody dominates the fitness and wellness space because it understands the unique needs of these businesses—class scheduling, membership management, instructor assignments, and client retention tools.
Top Features
- Class & appointment scheduling – Handle both group classes and individual sessions.
- Membership management – Recurring billing, packages, and class passes.
- Staff management – Schedule instructors, track hours, and manage payroll.
- Marketing tools – Email campaigns, client retention, and the Mindbody marketplace.
Considerations
- Very expensive—pricing is not publicly listed, requiring a sales call.
- Overkill for businesses outside fitness/wellness.
- Steep learning curve due to comprehensive features.
Pricing: Contact sales for pricing (not publicly listed)
Fresha
Fresha (formerly Shedul) is the go-to scheduling platform for beauty salons, barbershops, and spas. It's completely free for appointment scheduling, making it incredibly popular in the beauty industry.
What makes Fresha popular in beauty?
Fresha's free-forever model for core scheduling features, combined with beauty-specific tools, has made it the largest beauty booking platform in the world.
Top Features
- Free scheduling – No monthly fees for core booking features.
- Beauty marketplace – Get discovered by new clients on Fresha's platform.
- Point of sale – Process payments and sell products.
- Inventory management – Track products and supplies.
Considerations
- Your business is listed alongside competitors—they can run ads and steal your customers.
- Takes a percentage of new client bookings from marketplace.
- Limited customization options.
Pricing: Free for scheduling | Payment processing fees apply | Optional paid add-ons
Acuity Scheduling
Acuity Scheduling, now part of Squarespace, is a robust scheduling tool designed for service-based businesses like salons, consultants, coaches, and photographers.
What makes Acuity great for services?
Acuity excels at handling the complexities of service businesses—packages, gift certificates, intake forms, and payment collection at booking time.
Top Features
- Accept payments and deposits via Stripe, Square, or PayPal.
- Offer packages, gift certificates, and memberships.
- Customizable intake forms for client information.
- Multiple calendar support for different services or locations.
Considerations
- Legacy product—development has slowed since Squarespace acquisition.
- Custom domain not supported.
- Limited team features compared to modern alternatives.
Pricing: 7-day trial | Emerging $16/mo | Growing $27/mo | Powerhouse $49/mo
Cal.com
Cal.com (formerly Calendso) is an open-source scheduling platform that gives you full control over your scheduling infrastructure. It's ideal for developers and companies that want to self-host or deeply customize their booking experience.
What makes Cal.com unique?
As an open-source solution, Cal.com offers transparency and flexibility that proprietary tools can't match. You can self-host it, modify the code, and integrate it deeply into your existing systems.
Top Features
- Open source – Self-host for free or use their cloud offering.
- Code-level customization – Modify the source code if you self-host.
- Basic team scheduling – Round-robin and collective scheduling.
- API-first – Build custom integrations and workflows.
Considerations
- Self-hosting requires significant technical expertise and ongoing maintenance.
- Cloud version lacks enterprise features—you'll outgrow it quickly.
- Expect to invest developer time; this isn't a plug-and-play solution.
Pricing: Free (self-hosted) | Cloud: Free tier | Team $15/user/mo | Enterprise: custom
How to Choose the Right Scheduling Software
With so many options available, here's how to narrow down your choice:
1. Consider Your Team Size
If you're a solopreneur, most tools will work. But if you're managing a growing team, you need software built for scale. Sprintful is the clear leader for teams that need enterprise features like custom branding, advanced routing, and admin controls.
2. Match Your Industry
Some tools are built for specific industries. Mindbody dominates fitness, Fresha owns beauty, and Acuity excels at services. For general business use, Sprintful or Calendly are most versatile.
3. Evaluate Customization Needs
If brand consistency matters (custom domain, colors, CSS), your options narrow significantly. Only Sprintful and Cal.com offer full customization at reasonable prices.
4. Check Integration Requirements
Make sure the tool integrates with your calendar (Google/Outlook), video platform (Zoom/Teams), and any CRM or automation tools (Zapier, HubSpot) you rely on.
5. Plan for Growth
Choose a tool that can grow with you. Migrating scheduling systems later is painful. If you anticipate growth, start with a scalable solution like Sprintful.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best appointment scheduling software for growing teams?
Sprintful is the best choice for teams that need to scale. Trusted by technology startups, banks, universities, and hospitality leaders, it offers advanced team management features like multiple round-robin strategies, custom routing rules, role-based access controls, and audit logs.
What is the best free appointment scheduling software?
For individuals, Calendly offers a solid free tier. Fresha is free for beauty businesses (but lists you alongside competitors). For teams, most tools require paid plans—Sprintful offers a 7-day trial to test all features.
What scheduling software do healthcare providers use?
Healthcare providers need secure, reliable solutions. Sprintful is popular for telehealth and multi-provider practices, with features like custom intake forms, file uploads, and patient reminders. Acuity Scheduling is also used, though it's considered a legacy product with slowing development.
Can scheduling software handle multiple locations?
Yes. Sprintful handles multiple locations with separate booking pages and staff assignments. Mindbody is also used for multi-location fitness businesses, though pricing is not publicly listed.
What's the difference between scheduling and booking software?
The terms are often used interchangeably. "Scheduling software" typically refers to internal meeting coordination, while "booking software" often implies client-facing appointment booking. Modern tools like Sprintful handle both use cases effectively.
Find Your Perfect Scheduling Solution
The right appointment scheduling software depends on your specific needs. For growing teams across industries—from startups to banks to universities—Sprintful offers the most comprehensive feature set. For individuals, Calendly remains a solid choice. For fitness businesses, Mindbody is the industry standard (if you can afford it). And for beauty salons, Fresha is popular—just be aware your competitors are listed right next to you.
Take advantage of free trials to test the tools that interest you. The best way to know if a scheduling tool fits your workflow is to try it with your actual use cases.