Schedule Smarter: 7 Doodle Alternatives to Consider in 2024

So you’re on the hunt for a scheduling tool and eyeing Doodle? 

It’s no wonder, as Doodle simplifies finding the best time for group meetings. Users can create polls and invite participants to vote on their availability through the tool, making meeting coordination easy. However, despite its popularity, Doodle can be a bit limiting compared to other solutions on the market.

That's why we've curated the seven ultimate Doodle alternatives, each offering customizable features, seamless integration, and enhanced user experience to streamline your planning process and boost productivity.  

Which one is the right tool for you? Let’s find out 👇

7 Best Doodle alternatives: A quick overview

Want the TL;DR? Here’s the basic rundown:

You’ll be able to customize the entire booking process with YouCanBookMe.

You’ll find the most integrations for established enterprises using Calendly.

You’ll capture more inbound leads if you switch to Chili Piper.

Best for small businesses	Best for large enterprises	Best for sales teams
YouCanBookMe	Calendly	Chili Piper

How did we rate the tools?

Every scheduling tool is created with a specific team or target audience in mind. To help you find the one that’s tailor-made for you, we've examined and rated all the Doodle alternatives in four crucial categories. 

Ease of use: We've all been there—grappling with a new tool that feels like deciphering hieroglyphics. Our ease of use score measures how quickly you can grasp the ins and outs of each tool. Whether you're a team of one or a bustling group, efficiency matters. The smoother the learning curve, the faster your team can hit the ground running.

Integrations: Your tech stack is like a puzzle—every piece needs to fit snugly together. Our integration assessment evaluates how seamlessly each tool slots into your existing workflow. From syncing calendars to streamlining communications, compatibility is key.

Value for money: Budgets are the guardrails of decision-making. Our value-for-money metric examines whether the features offered justify the price tag. It's not just about the bottom line— it's about getting the most bang for your buck.

Customization: Your brand is your fingerprint—unique and unmistakable. Our customization score measures each tool's flexibility in tailoring your booking page to reflect your brand identity. From color schemes and logos to meeting lengths and appointment types, we examine whether you can truly make it your own.

Remember, a low score doesn't necessarily mean a no-go. Each booking tool has its strengths, whether it caters to enterprise-level complexities or serves the needs of small businesses. Ultimately, the right choice depends on finding the features that align with your requirements.

1. YouCanBookMe—Best Doodle alternative for small teams and entrepreneurs

Are you searching for the best scheduling software for small businesses? Look no further than YouCanBookMe’s booking tool! YouCanBookMe puts customization and customer experience at the forefront, allowing you to tailor every aspect of the booking process to your specific needs. 

With features including branding options, automated scheduling, reminders, follow-ups, and custom booking forms, YouCanBookMe ensures seamless integration between your booking page and the rest of your business operations. It’s no wonder that our scheduling tool handles over 1 million bookings for our customers.

Core features:

• One-on-one, group, and round-robin scheduling
• Unlimited bookings
• Available in 44 languages
• Different appointment types and lengths
• Automated reminders via SMS or email
• Customizable appointment email confirmations and follow-ups
• Configurable booking form to collect info before you meet
• Set prices and take payment for appointments
• Minimum/maximum booking notice (to prevent people from booking last minute or too far in advance)
• Add branding to your booking page (such as logos and images)
• Generate unique promo and discount codes for paid services

“It's so easy to use and makes managing my calendar a breeze. I was able to condense my workday, without having to agree to after-hour calls. People pick what works for them based on the times I provide.

I love that I can set the parameters to what my needs are. I meet with individuals on a weekly basis, and it's always a hassle to figure out a time that works for both parties. YouCanBookMe makes it so easy - I send them a link to my available times, they select one and it puts it directly on my Google Calendar. It eliminates the back and forth of ‘are you available this day.’”

- Sarah P., Co-ordinator at an NGO (and user for 2+ years!)

YouCanBookMe vs. Doodle: Pricing

With YouCanBookMe, you get all features for a lower price, whereas Doodle charges for access to only a portion of its features.

YouCanBookMe vs. Doodle

While Doodle will help you find convenient times for groups to meet, YouCanBookMe goes above and beyond by letting you customize and personalize the entire scheduling process. Let’s compare YouCanBookMe and Doodle by examining some standard booking features.

Sharing your booking page:

• Doodle—you can share your booking page via a link or email. 
• YouCanBookMe—you can share your booking page however you wish, including embedding it on your website, pasting specific meeting times into an email, and generating a handy QR code for printed materials (such as business cards or brochures).

Notifications:

• Doodle—you can send one reminder 24 hours before via email, but can’t customize it. You can also send a standard, automated confirmation email. 
• YouCanBookMe—you can send multiple email or SMS reminders and add personalized follow-ups, confirmations, and other messages. Each one is customizable; it’s up to you when to send it and what info to include. 

Taking payments for meetings: 

• Doodle—no such capability.
• YouCanBookMe—Stripe integration lets you take payments right when booking, letting customers pay through Google and Apple Pay. You can also generate invoices and unique promo and discount codes with expiration dates, redemption limits, and minimum order values.

Customization: 

• Doodle—you can set different meeting durations and availability on your booking page, add buffer times before and after meetings, and connect multiple calendars.
• YouCanBookMe does everything listed above but also lets you…
  • Reject or accept meetings before they land on your calendar 
  • Create password-protected pages
  • Add logos, photos, and brand colors to your page
  • Set up round-robin scheduling
  • Set your booking page to 44 different languages

Use YouCanBookMe if:

• You run a small or medium-sized business (or are a solopreneur) and need an easy-to-use scheduling tool.
• You want highly personalized booking pages tailored to your niche and customer preferences.
• You’re looking for powerful yet affordable booking software.

2. Calendly—Best Doodle alternative for large teams and enterprises

Calendly, founded in 2013, is a seasoned player in the scheduling game. Known for its adaptability and user-friendly approach, Calendly simplifies booking meetings, freeing up precious time for more meaningful tasks. 

Boasting over 100 integrations, Calendly is particularly favored by large businesses aiming to streamline scheduling across various teams and industries.

Core features:

• Option to connect with multiple calendars
• Scheduling one-on-one, group, and round-robin meetings
• Meeting polls (so participants can vote on the best time to meet)
• Automated notifications and reminders via email or SMS
• Unlimited bookings
• Different meeting types and durations
• Customizable branding and templates
• Routing logic

“Calendly has been very convenient and efficient for scheduling interviews, meetings, and in-house discussions. It has easy integration with various calendar applications, simplifies the process of setting up meetings and appointments, and helps streamline scheduling workflows. Although the user-friendly interface has limited room for exploration, the automated reminders keep me alert and I never missed a meeting. This has made Calendly my go-to app for team and client meeting scheduling.”

- AMB Chidiebere Moses O.

Calendly’s pricing and plans:

• Free plan: includes basic scheduling features and integrations, and one calendar connection
• Standard plan ($12/month/user): offers multiple calendar connections, unlimited meeting types, and automated reminders
• Teams plan ($20/month/user): features admin tools, lead routing, and round-robin scheduling
• Enterprise plan (starting at $15K/year): tailored for teams of 30 or more with advanced security, control, and support

Calendly additionally offers a 14-day free trial of their Teams plan for all new users.

Calendly vs. Doodle

Calendly offers more features than Doodle does, including:

• Taking payments for bookings
• Round-robin scheduling
• Robust analytics
• Option to embed your booking page on your website

One of Doodle’s best-known features is its Doodle polls, which invitees use to vote on the best time to meet. If this is a must for you, you’ll be glad to hear that Calendly also has this feature!

In general, Calendly is better suited to business meetings and large enterprises than Doodle. For example, Calendly offers 100+ native integrations to ensure you can quickly implement the tool across all departments, including sales, HR, customer support, and legal. 

Whether you choose Doodle or Calendly, monthly pricing is the same, as both online scheduling tools have a Teams plan that costs roughly $20/month. 

However, if you’re looking for a long-term solution, Doodle is more cost-effective than Calendly when billed yearly.

Use Calendly if:

• You need a scheduling tool that will integrate well with different departments and tech stacks.
• You have a large business and are looking for an easily scalable solution. 
• Meeting polls are a must-have for you, but you need more features than Doodle can offer.

3. Chili Piper—Best Doodle alternative for capturing leads

If you're in sales management or a sales development role, Chili Piper's scheduling tool could be your golden ticket! 

Unlike Doodle, Chili Piper is laser-focused on streamlining the booking process for sales and marketing teams, prioritizing swift scheduling for both inbound and outbound leads.

Chili Piper enhances speed to lead for teams and boosts conversion rates through specialized tools tailored to sales professionals, such as automatic lead routing and qualification.

Core features:

• Automatic lead routing 
• Real-time lead qualification
• One-on-one, group, and round-robin scheduling
• Automated reminders and meeting notifications 
• Offers over 60 integrations, most sales-related
• Real-time connections with prospects via video or phone call
• One-click scheduling over email
• Unlimited meeting types

“One of the first tools we bought building out eqtble's sales team. We didn't have time to chase prospects down, so now scheduling is completely automated and our conversion has increased because of the easy user experience.

It's built for revenue teams and features speak to that - inbound, outbound, and routing are much more advanced than basic scheduling tools”

- Nate B., Head of Sales

Chili Piper’s pricing and plans:

Compared to the other Doodle alternatives listed here, Chili Piper’s pricing is a bit complicated, but we’ll do our best to explain quickly! 

• Instant Booker ($22.50/month/user): with basic scheduling features
• Handoff Plan ($37.50/month/user): includes CRM-based or customizable routing rules
• Form Concierge ($45/month/user + tiered platform fee*): offers advanced routing capabilities from web forms
  • Form Concierge with Live Concierge ($90/user/month + tiered platform fee*): enables real-time connection with prospects via phone or video call
• Distro Plan ($45/month/user): instantly routes and assigns leads. It’s only available as an add-on plan and cannot be purchased separately

*The tiered platform fee depends on how many inbound leads you submit monthly. Up to 100 is $225. Up to 1,000 is $600. More than 1,000 is $1,500.

Chili Piper vs. Doodle

If you’re a sales professional, Chili Piper beats out Doodle in terms of sales-related integrations and features. In particular, Chili Piper shines with its lead qualification features, which you certainly won’t find in Doodle. 

Take Chili Piper’s Form Concierge feature as an example. This handy tool will qualify leads from your website, route the prospects to the correct sales rep, and book the sales meeting.

Remember that Chili Piper’s features come with a hefty price tag compared to Doodle. 

Overall, Doodle caters to a broader clientele than Chili Piper and is a more affordable solution, but it lacks the vast sales-specific features that Chili Piper offers.

Use Chili Piper if:

• You’re a sales professional looking to engage and capture leads more efficiently and effectively.
• You have a decent budget to spend on your new scheduling tool.
• You heavily depend on CRMs and require a booking tool that seamlessly integrates with them.

4. Acuity Scheduling—Best  Doodle alternative for client management

Acuity Scheduling is an appointment booking app designed specifically for service and appointment-based businesses. Acuity's array of client management tools makes it shine—it helps you keep track of client details, create invoices, and fine-tune your services to perfection.

Acuity's scheduling solution provides unique advantages for businesses that offer paid appointments. This includes setting up flexible payment plans and seamlessly incorporating upsell add-ons into the checkout process.

Core features:

• Book unlimited one-on-one, group, recurring, and round-robin scheduling
• Customizable branding and templates 
• Automated confirmation and follow-up emails, as well as email and SMS reminders
• Custom in-take forms
• Offer recurring subscriptions, packages, and gift cards and receive tips
• Payment processing for bookings
• Generate and accept invoices

“Acuity Scheduling has helped us optimize our business. Offering appointment windows by tracking when I am available and letting my clients schedule then is magical. I also get notified through my email when a booking is made. And also the wait-list calendar has ensured we don't have colliding appointments which has proven to be paramount in embracing a hospitality driven approach to hair care.”

- Jerra L M., Stylist

Pros	Cons
Cost-effective for teams Built-in client management tools Works well with Squarespace Expansive features for appointment and service-based businesses	Doesn’t have publicly shareable scheduling links. Bookers must have access to the system to make an appointment Lacks flexibility as it's designed primarily for service-based businesses

Acuity’s pricing and plans:

• Emerging Plan ($20/month): for one staff member or location with essential scheduling features
• Growing Plan ($34/month): for up to six staff members or locations, offering advanced features such as appointment packages and subscription options
• Powerhouse Plan ($61/month): for up to 36 staff members or locations, providing additional functionalities and options catering to in-house developers

Unlike Doodle, Acuity Scheduling doesn’t have a free plan, but it does offer a 7-day free trial.

Acuity vs. Doodle

Acuity is a scheduling tool that Squarespace acquired in 2019. Because of this, it works particularly well with Squarespace websites. 

On the whole, Acuity is a more complex scheduling tool than Doodle and is focused primarily on service-based businesses. If you’re looking for simple and versatile booking software, Doodle will be your best bet. 

Acuity will be better for you if you need a more intricate solution that ties in client management tools. Here are some features Acuity offers that Doodle lacks:

• Native billing capabilities such as billing, invoicing, and online payment processing
• The option to book or pay for packages, group classes, and memberships
• Receive tips, sell gift certificates, and offer coupons

It’s also worth mentioning that Acuity beats out Doodle in terms of native integrations, especially for email marketing, CRM, and accounting tools.    

Use Acuity Scheduling if:

• You use Squarespace and want a booking tool designed to fit seamlessly into your website.
• You’re looking for a robust set of client management tools alongside your scheduling solution.

5. SurveyMonkey—Best Doodle alternative for online surveys

Ease of use	Integrations	Value for money	Customization
⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐

 

Unlike the majority of tools on this list, SurveyMonkey is first and foremost survey software. Through a user-friendly app, customizable templates, and AI tools, it helps users collect, interpret, and analyze data from online surveys.

Similarly to Doodle, you can create a scheduling poll with SurveyMonkey to determine the best meeting time and date.

Core features:

• 250+ survey templates
• A wide range of survey questions
• Custom branding and colors
• Data analysis tools
• Branching and skip logic
• Survey scoring
• Include surveys in web links, email, or embed them on your website or forms
• AI-powered SurveyMonkey Genius helps you build surveys

“What I appreciate the most about SurveyMonkey is that it helps me to collect the opinions of many clients at a time, and based on their responses, I am able to make good and rapid decisions in order to always provide the best services.

What I like the least is that the free version is limited. In order to use advanced functionalities of SurveyMonkey, I must pay a subscription.”

— Ornella T., E-Learning

 

Pros	Cons
Advanced customization for questions and survey design Real-time analysis Android and iOS app	Does not have online scheduling capabilities Can get pricey if you need access to more advanced features

SurveyMonkey’s pricing and plans:

Team Plans (starting at 3 users)

• Advantage plan ($25/user/month): unlimited surveys with 50,000 responses/year

• Premier plan ($75/user/month): unlimited surveys with 100,000 responses/year, plus access to all features such as survey logic and white labeling

Individual Plans

• Free Basic plan: unlimited surveys capped at 10 questions and 25 responses each

• Standard plan* ($99/month): unlimited surveys with 10,000 responses/month and some advanced features

• Advantage plan ($39/month): unlimited surveys with 15,000 responses/year and more advanced features such as custom themes and accepting payment

• Premier plan ($119/month): unlimited surveys with 40,000 responses/year and access to all features, such as survey logic and white labeling

*All plans are billed annually aside from the Standard plan.

SurveyMonkey does not offer a free trial.

SurveyMonkey vs. Doodle

SurveyMonkey and Doodle have only one thing in common: the ability to poll users on the best time to meet. After that, the two tools head in completely separate directions.

While Doodle helps users book and manage meetings, SurveyMonkey is solely dedicated to running and analyzing a wide range of online surveys. This is actually the only tool on this Doodle alternatives list that doesn’t have scheduling capabilities! 

Use SurveyMonkey if:

• You’re looking for software that can generate and analyze online surveys.
• You need a tool to conduct market research rather than book meetings.

6. SimplyBook.me—Best Doodle alternative for medical offices

Ease of use	Integrations	Value for money	Customization
⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐

SimplyBook.me is a scheduling tool created with service-based businesses, and particularly medical offices, in mind. It offers many customizable add-ons that help streamline the booking process and reduce the back-and-forth between patients and providers.

The tool offers a broad range of features, including booking appointments via social media, ready-to-use booking website templates, and a built-in CRM system to manage customer information and track booking history.

Core features:

• Bookings via Facebook, Instagram, and Google
• Automated notifications via SMS or email
• Accept online payments
• Customizable intake forms
• Personalized, branded booking pages 
• Ticket generation for medical testing
• Built-in CRM 
• Offer packages, coupons, and gift cards and receive tips
• Custom booking website hosted by SimplyBook.me

 

“The management of patient appointments, which enabled effective scheduling and decreased administrative costs, was greatly aided by SimplyBook.me. Both employees and patients found it simple to operate the software's user-friendly online appointment booking system. The adaptable booking forms from SimplyBook.me allowed for different appointment types and particular needs. Automated appointment-reminder systems and alerts improved patient compliance with planned consultations and improved medical care overall by reducing missed appointments.” 

- Angelica B., University Intern Pharmaceuticals

 

Pros	Cons
Mobile apps available HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) compliant  Can book meetings via social media apps	Doesn’t offer unlimited bookings in any plan Need to opt for premium plan to access all features

SimplyBook.me’s pricing and plans:

• Free plan: includes 50 bookings per month, one custom feature, and one provider
• Basic plan ($9.90/month): includes 100 bookings per month, three custom features, and five providers
• Standard plan ($29.90/month): includes 500 bookings per month, eight custom features, and 15 providers
• Premium plan ($59.90/month): includes 2000 bookings per month, unlimited custom features, and 30 providers

SimplyBook.me offers a 14-day free trial with 50 bookings and access to most of the features.

SimplyBook.me vs. Doodle

SimplyBook.me is better tailored to service-based businesses and medical offices than its scheduling competitor, Doodle. With features such as customizable intake forms, a built-in CRM system, HIPAA compliance, and ticket generation for medical testing, it addresses many of the common challenges faced by healthcare providers, simplifying their daily tasks.

SimplyBook.me additionally offers custom booking websites and allows clients to book via social media apps, both of which set the scheduling tool apart.

On the other hand, Doodle is a more affordable scheduling solution with one important feature that distinguishes it from SimplyBook.me: unlimited bookings. Even SimplyBook.me’s most expensive plan only allows for 2,000 bookings per month. 

Use SimplyBook.me if:

• You want clients to be able to schedule meetings directly via social media.
• You run a medical office and require a HIPAA-compliant booking app.

7. Groove—Best Doodle alternative for sales flow management

Ease of use	Integrations	Value for money	Customization
⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐

 

Groove is yet another tool on this list that isn’t scheduling software! Instead, it’s a sales engagement platform that eliminates friction in the sales process, letting revenue teams sell more. 

Although Groove’s primary goal is to help you streamline your sales pipeline, it does feature a Scheduler that enables you to book meetings. It includes a customizable booking page, booking form, and different meeting types. 

Core features:

• Customizable booking page and form
• Different meeting types and lengths
• One-on-one, round-robin, and group scheduling
• Advanced native Salesforce integration
• Email, calendar, meeting, and LinkedIn activity tracking
• Multi-step, multi-channel campaign automation
• AI-driven sales intelligence
• Pipeline management and analytics

 

“We set up Groove to receive and send emails, integrate with Salesforce, schedule meetings and more from our sales team, CS and AM. We needed Groove to keep our trusted CRM in line with being the best team we could put together, eliminating admin time and being as accurate as possible with all our reps. Groove allowed us to save a lot of time with simple tasks and administrative tasks.”

- Laureano G., Digital Marketing

 

Pros	Cons
Easily build and customize sales flows Works particularly well with Salesforce iOS and Android apps available	Lacks transparent pricing Can get complex for non-tech users

Groove’s pricing and plans:

In contrast to the other Doodle alternatives listed in this article, Groove doesn’t have a transparent pricing policy readily available. You’ll need to contact the Groove team to get a personalized quote. In our experience, gated pricing is typically indicative of pricey software (relative to freemium products).

Groove vs. Doodle

Unlike Doodle, Groove is primarily a sales management platform. If you’re mainly after a booking tool, this won’t be the solution for you. 

However, if you need software to improve communication with prospects, prioritize leads, manage sales reps, and close deals faster, Groove is a good choice. 

Keep in mind that Groove can also be used as scheduling software, but we wouldn’t recommend using it solely for scheduling, as it’s a secondary feature and not the tool’s main focus.

Use Groove if:

• You’re looking for sales management software first and a booking tool second.
• You need to effectively manage a large pipeline of leads and an enterprise-level sales team.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there a free Doodle alternative?

If you’re looking for free scheduling software, many booking tools offer a free plan. If you run a small business, consider YouCanBookMe as a free Doodle alternative. It provides unlimited bookings, a personalized booking link, the ability to take payment for appointments, and customizable email notifications. If you run a large enterprise, consider Calendly’s free scheduling software. It features meeting polls, a personalized booking page, unlimited bookings, and email confirmations. 

Does Microsoft have an alternative to Doodle?

Yes, Microsoft offers a Doodle alternative called Microsoft Bookings. It’s a scheduling tool that deeply connects to the Microsoft suite and lets you create events, set reminders, and invite attendees. It’s best suited for users who already work within the MS ecosystem, as it’s part of a Microsoft 365 subscription. For a more in-depth analysis of the tool, explore our Calendly vs. MS Bookings comparison.

What’s the best Doodle alternative?

Choosing the best Doodle alternative for your team will depend on many factors, including your industry, size, and client needs. While some scheduling tools are best suited for sales teams, such as Chili Piper, others are better for service-based businesses, such as Acuity Scheduling or SimplyBook.me. If you’re looking for a versatile, affordable, and highly customizable scheduling tool, we recommend exploring YouCanBookMe. Our scheduling software lets you put customer experience at the forefront, guaranteeing hassle-free scheduling and satisfied customers.