# Calendly vs Cal.com: online booking compared

Calendly wins on familiarity: most clients have booked through it before, so nobody asks how the link works. Cal.com wins on control, because its code is open source and you can host it on your own servers, which matters if you care where booking data lives. Both have free plans with routing forms, payments and round-robin across a team. Choose Calendly for the least friction with clients and Cal.com if you want to customise or keep data in Europe.

- **[Calendly](https://suiteintent.com/t/calendly?m=GB)**: Booking links that clients already recognise. · Best for: Taking bookings with the least friction · Free plan · 14 days

- **[Cal.com](https://suiteintent.com/t/cal-com?m=GB)**: Open-source scheduling you can self-host. · Best for: Booking pages you can host and customise · Free plan · 25%

## Calendly

You book lots of sales or service calls, want a link clients recognise at a glance, and connect it to HubSpot, Pipedrive or Stripe without any technical work.

## Cal.com

You have a developer on hand or care about data location, and want booking pages you can self-host, restyle and extend through open-source code.

## Questions

### Are Calendly and Cal.com free?

A personal booking link and basic scheduling cost nothing on either. Cal.com's free plan is generous for a solo user. Team features such as round-robin sit on paid tiers at both, and we only quote prices we have checked. Start free and upgrade once a second person needs to take bookings.

### Can I self-host Calendly?

No, Calendly runs only as a hosted service. Cal.com publishes its code as open source, so you can run it on your own server. Self-hosting gives you control over where data sits, but you take on updates and uptime. Most small businesses use Cal.com's hosted version and keep self-hosting as an option.

### Which is better for GDPR?

Both can be used under GDPR with a data processing agreement. Cal.com adds the option to self-host in an EU data centre, which some clinics and public bodies prefer. With Calendly you rely on the vendor's hosting and transfer terms. Check each vendor's DPA if you handle health or other sensitive data.

### Do both take payments at booking?

Yes, both connect to Stripe so a client pays when they book. That helps cut no-shows for paid consultations or sessions. Set the price on the event type and the booking confirms once payment goes through. Refund rules stay in your Stripe account.

### Can I switch from Calendly to Cal.com?

Yes, and it takes an afternoon for a small setup. Recreate your event types, connect Google Calendar and copy your availability rules. Update the booking link on your website and email signature. Keep the old link live for a few weeks so existing bookings and bookmarks still work.