Vagaro

As of August 2026, if you want tools that are both good and actually widely used, I’d shortlist these:

Best overall picks

1. Calendly — best default for business meetings
   Use it for sales calls, recruiting screens, customer success calls, interviews, demos, and simple external scheduling. It’s the “everyone knows it” option, with strong calendar/video integrations, team routing, workflow automation, and admin controls on higher plans. Calendly is consistently named among the most popular appointment-scheduling products in G2/Capterra-style directories, and one web-tech tracker put Calendly far ahead of competitors in appointment-scheduling market share as of July 2026. (calendly.com)

2. Acuity Scheduling / Squarespace Scheduling — best for service businesses
   Better than Calendly when appointments are tied to services, payments/deposits, intake forms, packages, classes, or multiple staff/calendars. Good fit for coaches, consultants, therapists, studios, wellness providers, photographers, and appointment-based local businesses. Acuity’s official plan page highlights classes/workshops, video links, payments, calendar management, and client communication; Capterra lists thousands of Acuity reviews. (acuityscheduling.com)

3. Square Appointments — best if you also need payments/POS
   Best for salons, barbers, beauty, wellness, retail-service hybrids, and local businesses already using Square. The advantage is not just scheduling—it’s Square’s ecosystem: payments, deposits, text/email sharing, staff calendars, payroll/POS add-ons, and customer management. (squareup.com)

4. Microsoft Bookings — best for Microsoft 365 organizations
   Choose this if your company, school, clinic, or department already lives in Outlook, Teams, and Microsoft 365. It’s not as slick as Calendly for every use case, but it’s often “good enough” and already included in many Microsoft 365 environments. Microsoft describes Bookings as a Microsoft 365 app with a web booking calendar that integrates with Outlook and Teams to avoid double-booking and generate online meeting links. (learn.microsoft.com)

5. Google Calendar Appointment Schedules — best lightweight option for Google users
   Great if you just need a simple booking page tied directly to Google Calendar. It supports booking pages, calendar conflict checking, website embedding, reminders/payment features on eligible paid plans, and is especially convenient for Google Workspace users. It’s less of a full business-management platform than Acuity/Square/SimplyBook.me. (support.google.com)

Other strong, commonly used options

6. HubSpot Meetings — best for sales teams using HubSpot CRM
   If your scheduling is mainly for leads, demos, or sales calls, HubSpot’s scheduler is attractive because it connects directly with HubSpot CRM, sales tools, email marketing, and lead workflows. (hubspot.com)

7. SimplyBook.me — best customizable booking system for multi-service businesses
   Strong if you want a full booking website, many add-on features, social booking via Facebook/Instagram, multi-location or multi-staff service booking, and more customization than Calendly. SimplyBook.me advertises 60+ custom features and integrations with Google Calendar, Outlook, Zapier, and thousands of apps. (simplybook.me)

8. Setmore — best budget/free small-business scheduler
   Good for small teams that want a simple booking page, staff calendars, QR codes, website/social booking, calendar sync, and mobile apps without getting into a complex platform. Setmore’s free plan supports multiple staff profiles, and its feature pages emphasize booking pages, website plugins, social booking, virtual meetings, and calendar sync. (setmore.com)

9. Cal.com — best open-source / developer-friendly Calendly alternative
   Worth considering if you care about self-hosting, data control, customization, APIs, or open-source software. Cal.com describes itself as an open-source scheduling platform; its docs emphasize connecting calendars/video tools and sharing booking links. (cal.com)

10. Vagaro, Booksy, Fresha — best industry-specific picks for salons, beauty, wellness, fitness
    If you run a salon, spa, barber shop, medspa, fitness studio, massage practice, or beauty/wellness business, these may beat generic tools because they combine scheduling with marketplace discovery, staff calendars, POS/payments, deposits, client records, reminders, and industry workflows. Vagaro targets beauty/wellness/fitness, Booksy targets appointment-based service providers with a consumer booking app/marketplace, and Fresha targets salons, spas, barbershops, and wellness businesses. (vagaro.com)

My quick recommendation

• Most people doing business meetings: Calendly
• Solo/service business with payments/forms: Acuity
• Local business using in-person payments/POS: Square Appointments
• Microsoft 365 company: Microsoft Bookings
• Google Workspace solo professional: Google Calendar Appointment Schedules
• Sales team on HubSpot: HubSpot Meetings
• Salon/beauty/wellness: Vagaro, Booksy, Fresha, or Square Appointments
• Open-source/self-hosted: Cal.com
• Free/simple small-team booking: Setmore or Google Calendar Appointment Schedules

Calendly, Acuity Scheduling (by Squarespace), Setmore, Square Appointments, and Cal.com stand out as the top appointment scheduling tools that people and businesses actually use most widely, based on user volume, review sites (G2, Capterra), expert roundups (Zapier, Forbes Advisor, etc.), and real-world mentions.

These tools handle online booking pages, calendar syncing (Google, Outlook, etc.), reminders, payments, team scheduling, and integrations. Choice depends on needs: simple 1:1 meetings vs. service-based businesses (salons, coaching, healthcare) with payments/packages, free/budget options, or advanced customization.

1. Calendly (Most Popular Overall)

Calendly is the clear market leader with 20+ million users across 230+ countries and adoption by 86% of Fortune 500 companies. It dominates for professionals, sales teams, consultants, recruiters, and freelancers.

• Best for: Easy meeting scheduling, round-robin/team routing, sales demos, and virtual appointments.
• Key strengths: Extremely simple setup and interface; strong calendar sync and timezone handling; automated workflows, reminders (email/SMS), and follow-ups; excellent integrations (Zoom, Google Meet, CRMs like Salesforce/HubSpot, Stripe/PayPal for payments); embeddable booking pages and browser extensions.
• Limitations: Less specialized for complex multi-service businesses with packages, memberships, or heavy in-person client management compared to Acuity.
• Pricing: Free plan (limited event types/calendars); Standard ~$10/user/month (annual); Teams ~$16/user/month (annual); Enterprise custom (starts ~$15k/year).
• Why people use it: Reliability, ubiquity (everyone knows the Calendly link), and time-saving automation. It frequently tops “best of” lists for small businesses and teams.

2. Acuity Scheduling (by Squarespace)

Highly popular for service businesses, with over 15 million appointments booked monthly and strong market share (~100k+ companies tracked in some analyses).

• Best for: Coaches, therapists, salons/spas, photographers, consultants, and any business needing payments, packages, gift cards, memberships, intake forms, and client management.
• Key strengths: Robust appointment features (add-ons, recurring, “look busy” to hide slots); built-in payments (Stripe/Square/PayPal); strong customization and branding; SMS/email reminders; good mobile apps; Squarespace integration; HIPAA options on higher plans.
• Limitations: No permanent free plan (7-day trial); can feel more complex than Calendly for pure meeting use; pricing scales with calendars/staff.
• Pricing: Starts around $16–20/month (Starter/Emerging for 1 calendar, annual billing cheaper); Standard ~$27–34/month (more calendars, SMS, packages); Premium ~$49–61/month (more staff, advanced features, branding removal).
• Why people use it: It goes beyond basic booking into full business tools for appointment-based services. Frequently recommended in Zapier and other expert reviews for ease + power.

3. Setmore

A go-to affordable/free option with strong user love, solid app ratings (e.g., ~4.7 on Apple with thousands of reviews), and frequent praise for small businesses.

• Best for: Small teams, solopreneurs, and budget-conscious businesses wanting solid free features.
• Key strengths: Generous free plan; customizable branded booking pages; payments; email/SMS reminders; mobile apps (iOS/Android) with POS-like features; integrations (Google Calendar, Zoom, Stripe/Square, social media); easy website/Facebook/Instagram embedding.
• Limitations: Some advanced features (full calendar sync, unlimited) require paid; fewer enterprise-level tools.
• Pricing: Free (up to 4 users, ~200 appointments, payments, basic features); Pro plans from ~$5/user/month (unlimited, more branding/SMS, etc.).
• Why people use it: Excellent value and quick setup. Often called out as a top free or low-cost pick.

4. Square Appointments

Popular among local/service businesses already in (or wanting) the Square ecosystem for payments and POS.

• Best for: Retail, salons, fitness, home services, or anyone needing seamless payments + in-person tools.
• Key strengths: Free tier for solos; excellent mobile app; built-in POS and payments; staff management; online booking site; real-time sync.
• Pricing: Free for single location/basic; paid plans start higher for multi-location/advanced (~$29–49+/month range in reviews).
• Why people use it: Tight integration with Square’s payment/hardware tools reduces friction. Appears regularly in top lists.

5. Cal.com (Strong Rising Alternative)

Open-source platform with over a million users; growing fast as a modern, flexible Calendly alternative, especially among tech-savvy users.

• Best for: Developers, privacy-focused teams, self-hosting needs, or advanced customization/workflows.
• Key strengths: Highly customizable (open-source option); generous free plan; strong team/round-robin features; payments, workflows, and integrations; modern UI.
• Limitations: Support can vary; self-hosting requires technical know-how.
• Pricing: Free tier available; paid from ~$12–15/user/month.
• Why people use it: More flexible/powerful than Calendly for complex needs without as many restrictions; good for those avoiding proprietary lock-in.

Other Notable Options People Use

• SimplyBook.me: Feature-rich (customization, many payment gateways, 30+ languages); good free tier (limited bookings); strong for international or complex setups. Often in top 5 lists.
• YouCanBook.me: Solid free option with templates; simple and effective for basic needs.
• Zoho Bookings: Excellent if you’re in the Zoho ecosystem; affordable and integrated.
• Built-in free/cheap: Google Calendar appointment scheduling (simple, great if you live in Google Workspace) and Microsoft Bookings (included with many Microsoft 365 plans).
• Niche leaders: Fresha or Vagaro/GlossGenius (beauty/wellness); SimplePractice or specialized tools (therapy/healthcare, often HIPAA-focused).

Quick Comparison & Recommendations

How to choose:

• Just need simple booking links for meetings? → Start with Calendly (or free Google/Microsoft).
• Service business taking payments/packages? → Acuity or Setmore/Square.
• Tight budget or testing? → Setmore free or Cal.com/YouCanBook.me.
• Team/enterprise features or self-host? → Calendly Teams or Cal.com.
• Test 2–3 with free trials/plans—focus on ease for your clients, calendar sync reliability, payment needs, and integrations with your existing tools (CRM, video, email).

Most of these offer website embeds, social booking buttons, and mobile access. Check current pricing/features directly, as they evolve, and look at recent G2/Capterra reviews for your industry. Real users prioritize reducing no-shows via reminders and making booking frictionless.