OpenSlot vs Calendly
A Calendly alternative built for paid appointments.
Calendly is excellent for scheduling meetings. If you sell your time, such as sessions, treatments or lessons, here is how OpenSlot compares and when Calendly is still the better choice.
Free plan, no card required. Paid plans from £12 a month.
Different jobs
Calendly started as a meeting scheduler: a link that finds a slot both people are free and drops a video call into the calendar. It is very good at that, especially for sales teams and anyone whose diary already lives in Google or Outlook.
OpenSlot is a booking page for a service business. You list services with a duration and a price, open the hours you work, and customers book and, if you choose, pay a deposit or the full price at the same time. It is built for therapists, salons, tutors, trainers and other businesses that sell appointments.
Taking payment
This is the biggest practical difference for a small business. On Calendly's free plan you cannot collect payments; Stripe and PayPal connections start on its paid Standard plan.
On OpenSlot, deposits and full payment are on Solo at £12 a month. Payments go straight to your own Stripe account and OpenSlot takes no commission.
OpenSlot and Calendly side by side
Prices as published on each company's pricing page on 20 October 2026. Check their site for current figures.
| OpenSlot | Calendly | |
|---|---|---|
| Built for | Service businesses selling appointments | Meetings and scheduling across teams |
| Free plan | One service, 20 bookings a month | One event type |
| Payments at booking | Solo plan and above, into your own Stripe | Standard plan and above (Stripe or PayPal) |
| Entry paid plan | £12 a month (Solo) | From $10 per seat a month (Standard) |
| Small team | £29 a month for up to five staff | Priced per seat |
| Commission on bookings | None | None |
| Two-way sync with Google or Outlook calendars | No | Yes |
| Currency | GBP | USD |
Calendly is a trademark of its owner. OpenSlot is not affiliated with Calendly.
Where Calendly is stronger
We would rather you choose the right tool than the wrong one. Calendly is the better choice if:
- Your bookings must check your Google or Outlook calendar for conflicts automatically
- You need round-robin routing across a sales team
- You rely on a large integration marketplace, such as CRMs and video conferencing apps
- Most of your meetings are unpaid calls rather than services with a price
Where OpenSlot fits better
- You sell services with different lengths and prices
- You want deposits or full payment at booking on a low-cost plan
- You want buffers, minimum notice and a cancellation window per business
- You want simple GBP pricing and a flat Team price for up to five staff
- Your customers book from Instagram, Google or WhatsApp rather than a sales email
Is there a free Calendly alternative that takes payments?
OpenSlot's Free plan does not take payments either. Payments start on Solo at £12 a month, paid into your own Stripe account with no commission.
Is OpenSlot cheaper than Calendly?
For one person, Solo is £12 a month and Calendly Standard is listed from $10 per seat a month. For a team, OpenSlot Team is a flat £29 a month for up to five staff, whereas Calendly is priced per seat.
Can I move from Calendly to OpenSlot?
Yes. Create your services and hours in OpenSlot, then replace your Calendly link on your website and social profiles with your OpenSlot booking link.
Does OpenSlot sync with Google Calendar?
No. OpenSlot keeps its own calendar of your bookings and availability. If your bookings must check an external Google or Outlook calendar automatically, Calendly is the better fit.
Your time, open for business
Try OpenSlot free alongside your current tool.
Create an account, add a service and share your link. Most businesses are ready in about ten minutes.