Calendly is a freemium scheduling software designed for professionals and organizations. It streamlines the entire process of setting an appointment through automation. This lessens back-and-forth messaging and simplifies all processes involved in scheduling. It has a free plan for simple scheduling needs and subscription plans for more complex scheduling requirements. Nevertheless, the benefits of this software are more pronounced in professionals and organizations with large and complex scheduling requirements. This article reviews the advantages and disadvantages of Calendly.
Pros: Advantages of Calendly and Notable Features
The most common alternatives to Calendly are free calendar apps and services such as Google Calendar and the Calendar app from Apple. However, in terms of use cases, the scheduling software is built for organizations that need to coordinate between multiple teams or manage complex meeting schedules or appointments with a large fool of recurring contacts. Google Calendar and the Calendar app are aimed at individuals who need a basic scheduling solution. Take note of the following specific advantages of Calendly and its key features:
1. Simplifies Complex Scheduling and Designed For Different Processes
Remember that the biggest differentiation and advantage of Calendly over free calendar apps or services is that it is designed for teams or organizations with complex scheduling requirements. It simplifies the process of finding a schedule that works for involved participants.
The automation capabilities of this software enable people to set a schedule via a third-party platform such as a website, allow a user to screen people before approving a schedule, send our reconfirmation reminders, and automatically move a schedule with options.
It is also designed with different processes or different teams in mind. These include relevant processes of a sales team, activities and deliverables of a marketing team, tasks and projects of an IT team, and the appointments of a recruitment team, among others.
2. Straightforward Interface and Expansive Cross-Platform Integrations
Another selling point of Calendly is its intuitive look and feel that translates to a good user interface and user experience. Navigating through its interface, selecting or using its features, or setting up scheduling requirements is a straightforward process.
It is also available as a web app for back-end purposes that can be accessed through web and mobile browsers. The appointment-setting features for front-end purposes can be sent as a link via email or social media or integrated into a website or other platforms.
There is also an expansive option for integrations with third-party apps and services. These include Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, Salesforce, Notion, WebEx, HubSpot, Slack, PayPal, Stripe, Gong Engage, Google Analytics, and Zapier.
3. Powerful Features and Capabilities For Levelling Up Beyond Scheduling
The features of Calendly set it apart from basic calendar apps. A user can set up multiple user accounts. Users can set their availability from their profile. There are also event types for creating limited-time events or blocking off time for holidays.
Integrations expand further the capabilities of this software. It can be used for collecting payments via payment processors such as PayPal and Stripe. Schedules can be synchronized with native calendar apps or built-in calendars of apps such as Zoom.
Another interesting feature available in paid plans is the integrated metrics. It allows users to get a comprehensive overview of how they have been using the software, and what changes they could make to improve their scheduling requirements and processes.
Cons: Disadvantages of Calendly and Limitations
It is important to reiterate the fact that Calendly is built for teams or organizations with complex scheduling requirements. The free plan is ideal for individuals or professionals. However, because of the pervasiveness of native calendar apps such as Google Calendar and the Calendar app from Apple, or the built-in scheduling features of platforms such as Zoom, there is less rationale for using a sophisticated scheduling app for simple scheduling requirements. The following are the specific disadvantages and limitations of Calendly:
1. High Cost of Subscription Plans and Limitations of the Free Version
There are three paid or subscription-based plans available for users. The cheapest one is the Standard plan and the most expensive ones are the Team and Enterprise plans. The Standard plan is ideal for individuals and small teams but the free version might suffice.
However, despite the appeal of the free version, it has certain limitations. The branding cannot be removed because branding customization is only available to paid plans. This might be unsuitable for users with personal brands or the branding of a small team.
The free version also does not come with email reminders. It is also limited to one type of meeting. Subscribing to a plan might be a better option but it can be expensive for a small team because the pricing is based on a price-per-user scheme.
2. Most Features May Be Considered Unnecessary for Some Users
The software offers a lot of features and expansive integrations that may be useful for some businesses. Remember that these capabilities set this software apart from basic calendar apps or free scheduling services. This might not be true for individual users.
A solo entrepreneur or professional who requires a simple way to schedule appointments does not need features such as team pages, round-robin scheduling, custom notifications, or integrations with Outlook, Google Meet, HubSpot, or Stripe.
Even other businesses might not find the software useful. This is true if they are using other apps or services for managing projects and specific deliverables. These tools often come with built-in calendars and better features for organizing and monitoring tasks.
Verdict: Advantages and Disadvantages of Calendly
The biggest strength of Calendly is it does not pretend to be another app or service other than a tool for handling x scheduling requirements. Its expansive integration options expand its capabilities and make it a flexible tool for accomplishing various organizational processes. It is still important to underscore the fact that this software is built for teams or organizations with large and complex scheduling requirements. The cost of using this tool increases with the number of its users. The free version would suffice most individuals and smaller teams but alternative calendar apps offer a simpler user experience.
