Today we're going to explore scheduling and appointment booking solutions for families. Calendly is great, but it isn't for everyone since it was built first and foremost with businesses in mind. So we're going to focus on assessing calendar scheduling products, which were either built with everyone in mind or with families in mind.
Growing up in a big family, I had a bird's eye view of how calendar scheduling and appointment booking could make or break a day. After all, if just one cousin forgets to RSVP but then shows up with a plus one, it can unbalance the most carefully planned canoeing trips.
This is why I've chosen calendar scheduling and appointment booking products that can be used together or separately, depending on your family's needs. Additionally, all of the products reviewed offer plans that are either free or highly affordable. So without any further ado, let's explore free Calendly alternatives for families.
Option One: Cal.com
Our first Calendly alternative for families is cal.com. Cal.com was built with everyone in mind, literally. The team behind cal.com wanted to create a product that any individual or organization could use. Second, they're open source. This means that if you have any family members that are technically inclined, they can access Cal.com's code on Github to create a customized scheduling product just for you and your family. Cal.com is ideal for families who want to be able to book appointments with each other so that things like family time don't get lost in the rush of everyday life.
Cost: Individuals Plan $0 per month, Teams Plan $15 per user per month.
Pros: Integrates with calendars like Apple, Outlook, and Google.
Cons: The default text and button sizes are on the small side
Option Two: Cozi Calendar
Cozi calendar is a calendar app explicitly built with families in mind. It has an easy-to-use interface, and you only need to create one account for the whole family. Adding an event to your Cozi calendar is easy; if you've created events before using Google or Apple calendar, you'll find the process is very similar. One of the benefits of using cozy is that if you have a family account, you don't have to share the calendar link via email for everyone to access it; you just have to share the family login info. In addition to working as a public calendar for your family, you can also use cozy to store recipes and create both to-do lists and shopping lists.
Cost: Free Plan $0 per month, Gold Plan $29.99 per year.
Pros: One easy-to-use account for the whole family.
Cons: The free plan comes with advertisements.
Option Three: Google Calendar
Our final Calendly alternative for families is good old Google Calendar. Google Calendar is easy to use, free, and has useful features like multiple reminders that help to ensure critical dates and times don't get lost in the mix. Each family member can share the Google Calendar associated with their email so that everyone can keep track of what's going on. Alternatively, families can create one family-only email address and use its associated calendar to manage all family events and dates. Google Calendar has multiple features for creating bookable appointments, though these are only available to Google workspace subscribers.
Cost: Free Plan $0 per month, Workspace $6 per user per month.
Pros: There are lots of options for adding bookable appointments.
Cons: Google's built-in option for adding bookable appointments isn't free.
Families can use many Calendly alternatives to take the stress out of day-to-day scheduling and special event wrangling. If you want to make scheduling and appointment booking easier for your family, a Calendly alternative is the way to go.
