6 Best Microsoft Bookings Alternatives (Free and Paid)

If you're considering learning more about the best Microsoft Bookings alternatives, this guide is for you. 

We'll provide a list of Microsoft Booking alternative tools, discuss the scheduling features they offer that Microsoft Bookings lacks, compare their pricing plans, and give key takeaways for each tool vs. Microsoft Bookings. 

5 Reasons Why Switch for Microsoft Bookings Alternatives

Microsoft Bookings is a scheduling tool included in the Microsoft 365 suite, used by small to medium-sized service-oriented businesses to manage appointments and bookings efficiently.

Although Microsoft Bookings is useful for simple scheduling tasks, its basic features may lead some users to seek more advanced alternatives. Here are some reasons to consider other options:

Basic scheduling features compare to other apps. Microsoft Bookings provides basic scheduling functionalities, which might seem limited when compared to third-party booking apps. It may not meet the needs of businesses that require more advanced scheduling options or customization to handle complex booking scenarios.

User experience and setup constraints. Although Microsoft Bookings is easily integrated within the Microsoft 365 ecosystem, the user interface is relatively clunky compared to alternatives. It can lead to inefficiencies, especially for teams needing a more streamlined and intuitive scheduling experience.

Dependency on Microsoft 365 Suite for access. Access to Microsoft Bookings requires a subscription to the Microsoft 365 suite, which can be expensive for small businesses or those that do not need the full suite of Microsoft tools. 

Limited customization options. The customization feature of the platform is minimal compared to third-party apps that offer extensive customization options. This allows businesses to better align the booking experience with their brand identity and customer engagement strategies. (We are going to discuss that later on the features.)

Limited integration. Since Microsoft Bookings is part of the Office 365 suite, it only integrates with other Microsoft tools, like Outlook Calendar and Microsoft Teams. This works well for teams who exclusively use Microsoft apps. On the other hand, third-party apps offer more options like Zoom integration, Paypal, Salesforce, and many more.

Here are the best Microsoft Bookings Alternatives to consider:

1. OneCal

OneCal is a powerful and intuitive booking app compatible with both Outlook and Google calendars. It's designed to simplify the process of organizing meetings, events, and appointments in real-time, making it an excellent tool for personal and professional use.

OneCal provides a 14-day free trial, giving you full access to explore all its features without any financial commitment. The sign-up process is quick and easy, requiring no credit card, allowing you to start optimizing your scheduling processes immediately.

Plans start at just $5 per month for individuals and scale up to meet the needs of larger teams and enterprises. There's a plan for everyone.

Let's dive into why OneCal is the best alternative and explore some of its key features:

Unified Calendar View. OneCal merges all your calendars into one view, letting you see all your meetings at a glance and join them quickly.

Individual and team booking links. With OneCal, you can generate unique booking links based on your availability to make scheduling meetings easy. Also, you can create team booking links for group meetings, simplifying collective scheduling for presentations or sales calls.

Flexible synchronization options. You can select from one-way or multi-way synchronization across two or more calendars to suit your specific needs.

Customized booking links. With OneCal, you can customize booking forms to gather specific information from bookers before they schedule a meeting. For example, you can collect details like text, phone numbers, and dropdown selections.

Personalized social media previews. The app lets you improve your branding with cover images on your booking page. These images will also be displayed when you share your booking link on social media.

Calendar time blocking. This feature lets you automatically block time across all your calendars to ensure privacy and prevent scheduling conflicts. Adjust time blocks to suit your preferences.

Easier team management. The app allows you to invite, organize, and pay for your team. They can use Calendar Sync and Collective Booking links and work together easily with collaborative features.

Zoom Integration. OneCal regularly adds new features with monthly updates. For example, the recent Zoom integration lets users start video meetings instantly when a lead submits a form.

OneCal Pricing

OneCal has four different plans that work for everyone. Whether you are a freelancer, manager, or part of a big team, there is a plan for you.

• Starter Plan: $5/user/month and includes access to up to 2 calendars for each team member.

• Essential Plan: This plan costs $10 per user/month and allows up to 5 calendars per user.

• Premium Plan: $30/user/month, team members can manage up to 50 calendars each, ideal for extensive scheduling needs.

• Enterprise Plan: Contact for pricing.

OneCal also offers a custom Per-User plan. You can invite team members to your plan, and you will be charged according to your selected plan for each additional user. Starting from $4/user/month.

Here’s what's included in the per-user plan starting from $4/user/month.

• ​​Collective Scheduling

• Pay for your team members

• Intuitive team management

• Self-sign up

Why Consider OneCal to Microsoft Bookings?

When compared to Microsoft Bookings, OneCal offers more features and is easier to use. OneCal merges all your calendars into one view and provides booking links that are easy to customize, making scheduling simple. 

Unlike Microsoft Bookings, OneCal allows you to gather specific information and maintain consistent branding across social media.

OneCal also supports team collaboration and better manages time with features like Calendar Sync, team booking links, and automatic time blocking to avoid conflicts. It works with platforms like Zoom, making it a versatile and affordable solution. 

These benefits make OneCal the best choice for businesses looking for a powerful and easy-to-use scheduling tool.

2. YouCanBookMe

YouCanBookMe is an appointment scheduler that helps individuals and businesses organize their customer appointments using just one calendar. 

Customizable booking pages. YouCanBookMe allows you to tailor your booking page extensively. You can change the logo, colors, footer, fonts, size, and layout. There’s also a "live page" preview feature so you can see your changes as you make them.

Auto translation to 44 languages. The app can automatically translate your booking page into 44 different languages, including complex scripts like Arabic and symbol-based languages like Japanese, based on your customer's location.

Email and SMS notifications. The platform also provides notifications such as reminders, confirmations, and follow-ups. These notifications can be customized to suit how you interact with your customers, enhancing communication and efficiency.

Pricing

YouCanBookMe offers only two plans, including a forever-free plan.

• Free Plan

• Paid Plan: $12/calendar/month

YouCanBookMe vs. Microsoft Bookings Takeaway

Unlike Microsoft Bookings, YouCanBookMe can automatically translate booking pages into 44 different languages, depending on where the user is located. 

YouCanBookMe also provides deeper customization of booking pages and email alerts, which Microsoft Bookings does not, limiting users to basic changes like color themes and logo updates. 

Furthermore, YouCanBookMe has a free plan that provides essential features, making it a more accessible option compared to Microsoft Bookings.

3. Calendly

With Calendly, you can connect multiple Outlook and Google Calendars, set your appointment preferences, and choose whether it's an individual or group meeting. 

Reminders. Calendly helps prevent no-shows by sending customizable email or text reminders before and after meetings. The notifications also apply when someone cancels or reschedules the meeting.

Team member management. The app supports different types of team scheduling. Options include Round Robin for sales demos, coordinating multiple members for a panel interview, or setting up group appointments like webinars.

Reporting. Calendly provides insights with live dashboards that include data on top performers and in-demand meeting types.

App integrations. While Microsoft Bookings integrates only with Microsoft tools, Calendly offers broader integration options across various tech tools, like Salesforce, HubSpot, Typeform, and payment providers like PayPal and Stripe.

Pricing

Calendly offers four plans suitable to everyone, including a forever-free plan. 

• Free Plan

• Standard: $10/seat/month

• Teams: $16/seat/month

• Enterprise: Contact for pricing

Calendly vs. Microsoft Bookings Takeaway

Calendly is considered more multipurpose than Microsoft Bookings. The app is especially useful for individuals and teams seeking advanced scheduling capabilities, like automated workflows and integration with non-Microsoft tools (e.g., Zoom, Google Calendar). It’s ideal for those who need flexibility in managing diverse scheduling needs and integrating with various tech platforms. 

On the other hand, Microsoft Bookings is suitable for teams already using Microsoft 365 and looking for basic appointment scheduling within the Microsoft ecosystem. Yet, it lacks the broader automation and customization features found in Calendly.

4. Clockwise

Clockwise is an AI calendar tool that helps improve productivity by organizing schedules for individuals and teams. It acts like a personal scheduling assistant, understanding your needs to rearrange flexible events and create large blocks of uninterrupted time referred to as "Focus Time." 

Flexible meeting scheduling. Clockwise allows you to set how meetings can be rescheduled, offering flexibility to adjust between fixed and movable meetings according to your needs.

Proactive alerts. The app notifies you and your team if you’re running low on focused work time, helping to manage your workload.

Customizable visualizations. The tool offers options to customize the look of the interface, including color changes. According to your preferences, you can make it visually appealing and easy to use.

Weekly email summaries. Every Friday, Clockwise sends an email summary of your week, providing insights and suggestions to help improve your productivity.

Pricing

• Free Plan

• Teams: $6.75/user/month (billed annually)

• Business: $11.50/user/month (billed annually)

• Enterprise: Contact for pricing

Clockwise vs. Microsoft Bookings Takeaway

Clockwise leverages AI to improve productivity, outperforming Microsoft Bookings by offering a suite of features designed to optimize your schedule. It helps you find large blocks of time for focused work, allows meetings to be set as fixed or flexible, and alerts you when focus time is low, ensuring efficient schedule management.

Microsoft Bookings is useful but doesn't have the smart features of Clockwise. Clockwise allows you to customize the interface's look and sends weekly email summaries with tips to improve your productivity. These features make Clockwise a more efficient and user-friendly choice.

5. Koalendar

Koalendar is an intuitive scheduling platform that simplifies the process of setting appointments by syncing with Google, Outlook, and iCloud calendars.

Branding options. Koalendar provides options to customize booking links with your branding, including choosing colors and a cover image. This feature allows businesses to maintain brand consistency across their booking tools.

Support for nonprofits. The app offers discounts for nonprofit organizations, which makes it an economically viable option for such entities.

Customizable QR codes. The platform allows you to generate QR codes for appointments, which is convenient for business cards and flyers.

Pricing

Koalendar has a free plan that offers the basic features and doesn’t limit the number of book pages or meetings. Instead, it limits the features you can use.

• Free Plan

• Pro Plan: $9.99/month (billed monthly)

Koalendar vs. Microsoft Bookings Takeaway

Unlike Microsoft Bookings, Koalendar offers a free plan and is more affordable, with paid plans starting at $9.99/month compared to $12.50/month. While Microsoft Bookings integrates with Microsoft Office 360 tools, setting it up can be complex and time-consuming.

Koalendar provides a cleaner, modern interface that is easy to use and free of basic features. It enhances the booking experience with customizable questionnaires and offers direct support from the developers, making it a valuable alternative to Microsoft Bookings.

6. Acuity Scheduling

Acuity Scheduling is a powerful tool for setting up meetings, which is useful for businesses in different ways, such as better managing appointments, satisfying clients more, and using time more efficiently. 

1:1 Scheduling. With Acuity Scheduling, you can utilize multipurpose scheduling links for one-on-one meetings.

Group scheduling. Acuity Scheduling facilitates scheduling for group events by gathering availability from multiple individuals and providing a single booking link.

Payment processing. It integrates with Stripe and PayPal, allowing clients to conveniently pay for services upon booking.

Time zone management. This feature helps avoid meeting conflicts and confusion by detecting the user's time zone and adjusting accordingly.

Customizable booking pages. Acuity’s users have the ability to customize their booking pages to match their brand's aesthetic and style.

Pricing

Acuity Scheduling doesn't offer a free plan, so you'll need to buy one of their plans to start scheduling.

• Emerging: $20/month

• Growing: $34/month

• Powerhouse: $61/month

Acuity vs. Microsoft Bookings Takeaway

Unlike Microsoft Bookings, Acuity supports payment collection like Paypal and Stripe and can integrate with accounting platforms, offering broader integration options. 

Acuity's pricing starts at $20/month, providing unlimited appointments, payment functionality, and extensive customization. 

Moreover, Acuity Scheduling might be a right fit if you run a service business, work across multiple time zones, or need to charge for appointments, making it more versatile for diverse business needs.

Which Calendar Tool is the Best Alternative to Microsoft Bookings?

OneCal. For a budget-friendly and intuitive calendar interface, OneCal is an excellent choice. It offers plans for individuals and teams of any size, with seamless synchronization with both Google and Outlook calendars, starting at just $5 per month. Start today for free.

Clockwise. For those seeking an AI-powered tool, Clockwise stands out as a top option, optimizing your schedule with intelligent automation.

Acuity Scheduling. Ideal for medium-sized businesses or enterprises, Acuity Scheduling provides robust scheduling features tailored to larger teams.

However, we recommend trying the free trials offered by most tools. These trials give you time to test the features and decide which tool works best for you.

Sync and Manage Your Outlook Calendars with OneCal Features

Unlike Microsoft Bookings, which can be expensive and doesn't offer as many features, OneCal lets you easily view and sync calendars and share booking links with your team at $5/month.

Try OneCal for free with our 14-day trial and see how it can help you.