Cal.com’s free plan lets you collect a session fee at the moment of booking, through Stripe or PayPal. Charging at booking is the most common reason coaches pay for a scheduler, so this matters. Calendly still needs a paid plan (Standard, $10 a seat per month billed yearly) to collect payments.
Why it matters
If you only need booking plus payment, the price of entry is $0. Cal.com’s free plan also includes unlimited event types, which Calendly’s free plan does not. TidyCal’s free plan takes paid bookings too, with TidyCal branding.
What to do: If your Calendly renewal is coming up and you only use it for booking and payment, try Cal.com free for a week first.
Guides we updated
- Best scheduling software for coaches
- Cal.com vs Calendly
- Calendly alternatives
Checked 3 Nov 2026. If you outgrow the free plan, Cal.com Teams is $12 per user a month, billed yearly.
