Calendly
Booking pages that let a client or contact choose a slot without exchanging emails.
A booking page for a single person is quick to make. The trap is everything around it: the connection to Google Calendar or Outlook, time zones, reminders, cancellations, and the day a slot disappears because a sync failed. Allow a weekend, including a good hour just to set up Google access.
What you lose
- A Google/Outlook connection maintained by someone else.
- Distributing appointments between several staff members.
- SMS reminders.
- The directory of integrations (video, CRM, payment).
Existing alternatives to Calendly
- Cal.comFree
Free plan with event types, calendars and unlimited bookings for individual use; team routing is paid.
A simple appointment page in the calendar you already use; reminders and payments are not included.
- KoalendarFree
Unlimited booking pages and two connected calendars; payments, forms and reminders are paid.
The prompt to build it yourself
Build me a personal appointment booking page, Calendly-style. Stack: Node, a single process, SQLite, no framework. To do: - A public page /rdv that shows my free slots over the next 14 days. The visitor picks one, leaves their name, email and a message, then sees a confirmation page. - My availability comes from weekly rules in a config file (e.g. Monday-Friday 10am-5pm, 30-minute slots, 15-minute buffer, my time zone), minus appointments already booked. Times are shown in the visitor's time zone. - Google Calendar sync through OAuth (credentials in .env): my busy events block slots, and each confirmed appointment is created in my calendar with the visitor invited and a Google Meet link. - Confirmation emails to both parties (SMTP in .env), with a cancel or reschedule link protected by a signed token. - No accounts. Warn in the README: creating the OAuth app in the Google Cloud console is the painful part, allow an hour.
Frequently asked questions
- Can Calendly be replaced by a custom-built tool?
- casevibecode verdict: Partly replaceable. A booking page for a single person is quick to make. The trap is everything around it: the connection to Google Calendar or Outlook, time zones, reminders, cancellations, and the day a slot disappears because a sync failed. Allow a weekend, including a good hour just to set up Google access.
- What is Calendly used for?
- Booking pages that let a client or contact choose a slot without exchanging emails.
- What alternatives to Calendly already exist?
- Cal.com (free), Google Agenda (plages de rendez-vous) (free), Koalendar (free). Options to compare before committing to a custom build.
Community feedback
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