SimplyBook.me vs Calendly: where each free plan stops
Calendly's free plan gives one event type and one calendar. SimplyBook.me's free plan gives 50 bookings and one provider. Prices, payments and staff limits from each vendor's pricing page.
About this guide
Published by StackOnSale. Publisher: Emmanuel Grenier. Guide updated: 2026-09-23.
Research based on official vendor pages, not a hands-on review.
StackOnSale may earn a commission through disclosed affiliate links on the site. This does not decide which tool fits your needs.
Paid plans side by side
Published prices before tax. SimplyBook.me prices the account; Calendly prices each seat.
Sources reviewed 2026-09-22. These are dated plan details, not a live checkout quote. Confirm current pricing and eligibility on the official pages.
Some vendor links on offer pages are disclosed affiliate links; this is not a paid ranking.
| Plan | Recorded price | Billing and limits | Before choosing |
|---|---|---|---|
| SimplyBook.me Standard | $24.90/month | Billed annually; $29.90 billed monthly | 500 bookings and 15 providers. Which plan takes payments is not stated on the pricing page. |
| Calendly Standard | $10 per seat/month | Billed annually | PayPal and Stripe payments start on this plan. StackOnSale has no Calendly offer page. |
The short answer
These are two different kinds of tool. SimplyBook.me books clients into services with staff. Calendly books meetings into people's calendars.
Calendly's free plan cannot take payment. PayPal and Stripe start on Standard. SimplyBook.me's free plan caps you at 50 bookings and 1 provider. Calendly's free plan caps you at one event type and one calendar, with unlimited meetings.
If you have staff and take deposits, start with SimplyBook.me. If you are one person taking calls, start with Calendly.
Prices were read on the vendors' own pages on September 22, 2026. StackOnSale has not tested either product. This page compares published prices, limits and gates only, not ease of use, reliability or support.
Where each free plan stops
SimplyBook.me Free: $0, 50 bookings, 1 provider, 1 custom feature.
Calendly Free: "Create one event type and schedule unlimited meetings" and "Connect one calendar and use basic integrations".
They limit different things. SimplyBook.me limits volume and staff. Calendly limits what you offer and what you connect.
Payments
Calendly's PayPal and Stripe integrations start on the Standard plan. On the free plan you cannot collect a deposit at booking.
On SimplyBook.me, which plan enables payments is not stated on the pricing page, which counts custom features without naming them. We could not verify it.
Staff and rotas
SimplyBook.me publishes a provider count per plan: 1 on Free, 5 on Basic, 15 on Standard, 30 on Premium. Calendly prices each seat, and puts round robin, lead routing and centrally managed event types on Teams.
The pricing models are not the same shape. SimplyBook.me prices the account, with a booking cap and a provider cap. Calendly prices each person, with no published booking cap. A side-by-side monthly price is misleading unless you count your staff and your monthly bookings first.
The add-on list
SimplyBook.me publishes these paid add-ons: extra 100 bookings $4, 100 SMS credits $8, 100 WhatsApp credits $8, 100 AI Voice Booking credits $8, Social Media and Ads $11 a month, custom domain with 3-year SSL $119, own SMS gateway $149, account manager $100 an hour, Full Setup $499.
Calendly lists Notetaker and Callie as add-ons to Standard or Teams, with no price shown on the pricing page.
Side by side
The table compares what each vendor publishes. Percentages on SimplyBook.me are StackOnSale arithmetic on SimplyBook.me's own figures.
| Item | SimplyBook.me | Calendly |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | $0, 50 bookings, 1 provider, 1 custom feature | $0, one event type, one calendar, unlimited meetings |
| Free trial of paid plans | "14-day free trial", no credit card | Not verified |
| Entry plan, billed annually | Basic, $11.9 a month, 100 bookings, 5 providers, 3 custom features | Standard, $10 per seat per month, "Save 17%" |
| Entry plan, billed monthly | Basic, $13.9 a month | Not verified |
| Mid plan, billed annually | Standard, $24.9 a month, 500 bookings, 15 providers, 8 custom features | Teams, $16 per seat per month, "Save 20%" |
| Mid plan, billed monthly | Standard, $29.9 a month | Not verified |
| Upper plan, billed annually | Premium, $49.9 a month, 2,000 bookings, 30 providers, unlimited custom features | Enterprise, "Starts at $15k/yr", from 50 seats |
| Upper plan, billed monthly | Premium, $59.9 a month | Not verified |
| Take payment from clients | Not stated on the pricing page | Standard and above, PayPal and Stripe |
| Round robin, lead routing | Not verified | Teams and above |
| Volume seat discount | None published | Teams, annual, per seat per month: 1 to 30 $16.00, 31 to 50 $14.50, 51 to 100 $14.00, 101 to 200 $13.50, 201 to 300 $13.00, 301 or more $12.00 |
| Over the booking cap | 100 extra bookings for $4 | No published booking cap |
| Annual discount claim | "Save 17%": 16.7% on Standard and Premium, 14.4% on Basic | "Save 17%" on Standard, "Save 20%" on Teams |
Read on simplybook.me/en/pricing, calendly.com/pricing and Calendly's plan help page, September 22, 2026.
When Calendly wins
You take meetings, not paid bookings, and you are alone. Calendly free has no meeting cap. SimplyBook.me free stops at 50 bookings.
You only offer one kind of meeting. One event type is not a limit you will feel.
You have more than 30 staff. SimplyBook.me Premium stops at 30 providers. Calendly publishes seat pricing down to $12.00 per seat per month at 301 seats or more on Teams.
You need meetings spread across a team. Round robin and lead routing are published Calendly Teams features. We could not verify an equivalent on SimplyBook.me.
The limit on the other side: Calendly free cannot take payment. For a salon, a clinic or a tutor who needs a deposit at booking, Calendly free is not an option.
What we could not verify
Calendly monthly-billed per seat prices for Standard and Teams. Calendly Notetaker and Callie prices. Whether Calendly's Standard and Teams prices are in USD, since the currency is stated for Enterprise only. Which SimplyBook.me plan enables payments, and the names of its custom features. What happens on SimplyBook.me when the free plan reaches 50 bookings. Whether SimplyBook.me has a round robin equivalent. Local currency display outside the United States on either site.
StackOnSale lists a SimplyBook.me offer. There is no Calendly offer page on StackOnSale; the official Calendly pricing page is in the sources below.
Questions
Can I take payments on Calendly's free plan?
No. PayPal and Stripe integrations start on Standard. Read September 22, 2026.
How many bookings does SimplyBook.me's free plan allow?
50, with 1 provider and 1 custom feature. 100 extra bookings cost $4. Read September 22, 2026.
What does Calendly's free plan limit?
One event type and one calendar connection. Meetings are unlimited. Read September 22, 2026.
How many staff can share one SimplyBook.me account?
1 on Free, 5 on Basic, 15 on Standard, 30 on Premium. Enterprise is custom. Read September 22, 2026.
Is SimplyBook.me's "Save 17%" accurate?
On Standard and Premium, yes (16.7%). On Basic, $11.9 against $13.9 is 14.4%. All figures are SimplyBook.me's own, read September 22, 2026.
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Sources
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