5 Best Free Online Appointment Scheduling Tools You Need to Know About
Key Features of an Online Scheduling App
An online scheduling system is helpful in keeping track of your availability and managing appointments. The appointment scheduling app allows you to manage your appointments from your mobile devices or laptop or personal computer. The online appointment scheduling system is also beneficial as it can be accessed anytime, anywhere. There is no wait time for appointment scheduling as you can access your scheduling app anywhere.
Using scheduling apps can also prove beneficial to manage your daily workflow. As per studies on time management, a manager spends 20% of his time preparing employee schedules on a spreadsheet. Opting for an online appointment scheduling software will streamline the daily operations and boost productivity. A scheduling app also helps better work efficiency and reduce costs. A scheduling software to manage staff schedules will help manage labor costs and improve workforce satisfaction.
While looking for an appointment scheduling software, here are the key features your booking software must have
- Easy to use booking page- The booking page is the key to converting browsing customers to active ones. A booking page that is easy to use is a must to get new customers. If a customer is on a booking page, they have the intention of doing business with your organization. But if the booking page is difficult to navigate, most will move on. Choose a scheduling app pr software which has a professional look, streamlined booking system and can be used on mobile devices.
- Reporting system- The appointment scheduling app should be able to keep track of- booking period and frequency, client statistics and customer satisfaction ratings. This will help you forecast customer trends. Hence any online appointment booking system needs a good reporting tool. It is better to opt for appointment management software which has customer management tool to generate insightful customer reports.
- Smart functions- A scheduling tool should help a business reduce time-consuming tasks and help with more appointment scheduling. A booking system should also have features to deal with not only online booking but also canceling and rebooking appointments which will increase the overall revenue. The scheduling ap should have tools for real time confirmation, automated requests for review and email reminders for rebooking.
- Calendar- An appointment scheduling software should have features for calendar sync as this enables the scheduling software to track your routines to create a clear timetable for services being offered. There are scheduling apps that will also notify clients when you are available, so that they can start appointment scheduling. You can also opt for an appointment scheduling app which can also sync with external calendars like google calendar.
- Customizable options- Choose an appointment scheduling software which can be adapted to your organization's unique need. The most common scheduling needs are to- reduce scheduling time, reduce expenses on the process of scheduling, and simply the payment processing. If the scheduling app has the following additional features, it is a bonus- the capability to manage time zone, sharing calendars and apps for contact details, and/or conference call app
What are the advantages of appointment scheduling?

After looking at the key features needed in a scheduling app, let us now look at the advantages an organization gets when it opts for using an online scheduling tool. Here are the benefits of using an appointment scheduling app-
- Easy to use- Online appointment scheduling system automates the routine processes of appointment scheduling like talking to customers, entering the appointment details, and entering the data in the system which are time-consuming and prone to errors. Hence it is easy to use and integrate into your daily workflow without affecting other activities. The scheduling app has easy to use scheduling tools for online booking of appointments.
- No time constraints- The drawback of manual appointment scheduling was that you could make appointments only during office hours. But now as organizations increasingly opt for a scheduling app, it has taken off the time restraints. A client or customer can access the website and the booking page anytime, anywhere for appointment scheduling. A scheduling app is a 24-hour online booking system. But it is also customized to accept appointments for office hours and depending on staff availability, which is automated by the online scheduling software.
- Reduces no show- An online appointment scheduling app sends reminders to clients and customers about the appointment scheduling. If the customer is not able to make it, they revert in advance which helps to rebook appointments and use the time for other tasks. This also reduces no-shows and saves time and resources.
- Improves Google ranking- Studies have shown that searches for businesses near me' have seen an increase. Hence more and more companies have now started opting for an appointment scheduling software as it can be integrated with Google's service which allows the business to be detected when the search is run. This can also result in conversions for appointment scheduling.
- Reduced admin work- The online appointment scheduling system automates manual tasks like client call bookings and data entry which saves time spent on these tasks. It also ensures that staff doing the admin work can be reallocated for other tasks. The reduced human input also decreases errors in appointment scheduling.
- Offers insights- The online scheduling system offers important insights about your business that can improve the daily workflow. The scheduling app has tools to sync the calendar and customize it as per your office hours and workdays. It also offers analytics about email reach and intuitive scheduling.
- Better planning- An appointment scheduling software helps with time management as it allows you to schedule appointments and meetings at available time slots as per the customized calendar. This also helps in organizing daily tasks for the day and leads to better business and time management.
Scheduling appointments can be a real pain.
With these free online tools as suggested by Zipschedules, you’ll never need to worry about scheduling again.
5 Best Free Appointment Scheduling Apps for Small Businesses

As we have discussed, a scheduling app has two basic functions scheduling appointments with clients and organizing team meetings. The best scheduling apps in the market work on iOS and Android platforms. The basic cost of scheduling apps for personal use ranges from $0-$50 and paid plans for business scheduling apps range from $50-90 per month. There are many free appointment scheduling systems in the market but they don't have a lot of features which we have discussed above and benefits like customer support, live chat, or unlimited appointments.
If you are a Small Business and not sure about the scheduling or software you want to opt for, you can try the free plan or free online trial offered by the scheduling apps so you can decide which is the best free online scheduling system for you.
As a small business, it is better to opt for a free trial of an Employee Scheduling app like Zip Schedules before investing. You have to check if the free appointment scheduling software can integrate well with your other software like the point of sale system.
If you have to also set employee schedules along with appointment scheduling then opt for a scheduling app like ZipSchedules which has templates for the creation of employee schedules. The scheduling software also has reminders about labor laws, multi-location support and management tools for time offs and shift swaps, and 24x7 customer support. It offers a free online mobile scheduling app.
Let us now look at five options which offer free appointment booking and also have paid plans.
1. SimplyBook.me

SimplyBook.me is an online appointment scheduling system that is suitable for small businesses to enterprises. The scheduling app offers services in 23 languages and can integrate with more than 20 payment processing apps. The appointment booking system has default templates and tools for customization. The online booking solution also has scheduling tools that send alerts to staff and clients for appointment booking and confirmations. It also has push notifications for the mobile app. The scheduling app offers a free version and paid plans which start at $59 per month.
2. Zoho Bookings

Zoho Bookings is an online appointment scheduling system that offers functions like calendar sync, allowing customers to do their own appointment booking and payment processing. The interface is easy to use and can be customized as per the industry. The app also has scheduling tools that remind customers about the appointments with email and text messages. The scheduling app also offers customization for the booking page and embeds it on your website. Zoho Bookings can also be integrated with other software like Google and O365. The scheduling app also automatically adds buffer times to appointment bookings tha allow your staff time to prepare before and after each appointment. The online booking system also sets allowed time limits for cancellation and rescheduling.
Scheduling appointments can be a hassle. You have to juggle your calendar and your clients’, trying to find a time that works for everyone.
With one of these free online appointment scheduling tools suggested by Zipschedules, you can save time and keep in touch with your clients with ease.
3. Picktime

The online scheduling system can be used for any type of business. The scheduling app has an easy to use interface which can be used on any mobile device or laptop. The appointment scheduling app lets you link your booking page with the customers which helps increase the customer base and create a better experience for your clients. The app also helps you keep track of monthly revenue and sales. You can also send email and text reminders via the scheduling app. The free appointment scheduling software can also store all your customer data and add notes. The scheduling app also allows you to customize your booking page.
4. Calendly

The free scheduling system is perfect for teams that want to collaborate on projects. The appointment scheduling app helps you book meetings faster by integrating everything into one platform. The app lets customers and prospects schedule appointments without the need to create an appointment scheduling solution. The appointment scheduling app has solutions to mix and match meeting types to offer a variety. The online scheduling software also minimizes no-shows and cancellations as it issues alerts and reminders via email or SMS to improve attendance. The appointment scheduling app provides actionable meeting data. You can add payment options to your appointment scheduling.
5. Appointy

It is scheduling software that helps you grow and manage your business. You can send automated reminders, accept appointments online, integrate with social media and Google Calendar, accept online prepayments, and create deals & discounts through the appointment scheduling software. The scheduling app lets you set your working hours for staff and service. The free online scheduling software provides flexible time slot intervals so you can customize your appointment scheduling. When customers select multiple services, the online scheduling software will show the time slots when all the services are available together. The online appointment scheduling software also sends reminders and notifications to confirm, reschedule or cancel appointments that reduce no-shows and increase productivity. It also provides online payment links that can also be embedded in the message.
Scheduling appointments can be a time-consuming and frustrating task.
Zipschedules suggests online appointment scheduling tools can help. These tools automate the process, saving you time and frustration.