Calendly Review: The Easiest Way to Schedule Meetings
IkoConnect Team
Calendly eliminates the back-and-forth of scheduling meetings. Learn how to use it for client calls, interviews, sales demos, and more—with pro tips to optimize your workflow.
Affiliate disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you click and sign up, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
What is Calendly?
Calendly is a simple yet powerful scheduling tool that lets you book meetings without the long back-and-forth emails. Just set your availability, share your link, and let others pick a time that works for both of you.
From freelancers and coaches to recruiters and remote teams, Calendly is trusted by over 20 million users globally, including companies like Dropbox, Zendesk, and eBay.
Who Is It For?
- 🧑💻 Freelancers scheduling client calls
- 💼 Sales reps booking demos
- 👥 HR and recruiters coordinating interviews
- 📚 Coaches and consultants managing 1:1 sessions
- 🧑🏫 Online teachers and course creators
Key Features of Calendly
🗓️ Smart Scheduling Links
- Create links for 15-min, 30-min, 60-min meetings
- Customize your time blocks and buffer times
- Automatically detect time zones for all participants
- Embed your booking page on your website
⏱️ Automated Availability
- Syncs with Google Calendar, Outlook, iCloud, Office365
- Avoids double bookings by checking your calendar availability
- Block out holidays and focus time with ease
🔁 Recurring Meetings
- Set up recurring bookings (weekly, monthly, etc.)
- Perfect for coaching packages or recurring client check-ins
📩 Email and SMS Reminders
- Automatic email confirmations
- SMS reminders (Pro Plan)
- Reduces no-shows by up to 41%
👥 Team Scheduling
- Round-robin, collective, and group scheduling
- Perfect for sales teams, customer support, and onboarding
- Assign leads to available team members
🧩 Integrations
- Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams
- HubSpot, Salesforce, Slack, Zapier
- Stripe & PayPal (for paid appointments)
Real-World Use Case: Coach Jane Saves 6 Hours/Week
Jane, a career coach from Berlin, used to spend hours coordinating sessions with her clients via email.
With Calendly:
- She embedded her booking page on her website
- Clients now self-book slots based on her live calendar
- Integrated Zoom automatically sends meeting links
- Email/SMS reminders reduce no-shows
⏱️ She now saves over 6 hours/week and gets paid faster via Stripe integration.
Calendly vs Acuity vs Doodle
| Feature | Calendly | Acuity Scheduling | Doodle |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ease of Use | ✅ Extremely simple | ❌ Cluttered | ✅ Simple |
| Timezone Handling | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ❌ Basic |
| Payment Collection | ✅ Stripe/PayPal | ✅ Yes | ❌ No |
| Free Plan | ✅ Yes | ✅ Limited | ✅ Yes |
| Integration with Zoom/Teams | ✅ Native | ✅ Yes | ❌ No |
Plans & Pricing (2025)
| Plan | Price | Key Features |
|---|---|---|
| Free | €0/mo | 1 calendar, basic scheduling, Zoom/Google Meet |
| Standard | €10/mo | SMS reminders, integrations, custom branding |
| Teams | €16/mo | Round robin, routing forms, team analytics |
| Enterprise | Custom | SCIM provisioning, advanced roles, audit logs |
14-day free trial available for all paid plans.
Pros & Cons
Pros:
- ✅ Incredibly easy to use
- ✅ Clean, mobile-friendly interface
- ✅ Tons of integrations
- ✅ Saves time + reduces no-shows
- ✅ Free plan is very usable
Cons:
- ❌ Limited customization on free plan
- ❌ SMS reminders only on paid tiers
- ❌ Branding options require upgrade
How to Get Started
Create Your Free Account
Go to Calendly.com and sign up with Google or email.Sync Your Calendar
Connect Google, Outlook, or Apple calendars for real-time availability.Set Your Time Slots
Define meeting lengths, availability windows, and buffer times.Share Your Link
Embed on your site or share the URL in emails, DMs, or your email signature.Automate
Add Zoom/Meet links, send reminders, and integrate Stripe to collect payments (Pro Plan).
Final Thoughts
If you're tired of emailing “what time works for you?”—Calendly is a lifesaver. It's sleek, reliable, and handles all the boring stuff like timezone detection and reminders.
For freelancers, remote teams, or anyone selling time-based services, Calendly is one of the best automation investments you can make.
Affiliate CTA
📆 Ready to stop wasting time on scheduling?
👉 Try Calendly for Free ← Affiliate link
No credit card. Cancel anytime. Automate your calendar today.
🛠️ Want more tools like this? Check out our Resources and Blog for tutorials, tips, and comparisons.
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