Most "best free booking software" lists are written once and never checked again, while the free plans they describe keep changing. So we did the boring thing: on 14 November 2026 we read each vendor's own pricing page and wrote down only what it says. Where a page doesn't say something, the table says "not stated", instead of a guess.
We make Aiva Chat, whose booking pages are free right now, so we've included it, held to the same rule: only what it does today.
The short answer
- Taking payments, several staff: Square's free plan.
- A small team, unlimited appointments: Setmore's free plan (up to 4 users).
- One person, one kind of meeting: Calendly or Zoho Bookings.
- One person, a full booking website: SimplyBook.me, up to 50 bookings a month.
- Already living in Google Calendar: Google's appointment schedule, one booking page.
- Staff and rooms, email reminders, Google Calendar, and an AI that can also answer your phone later: Aiva Chat, with no online payments.
How the free plans compare
What each vendor's own page said on 14 November 2026.
| Free plan | Users or staff | Bookings a month | Email reminders | Text reminders | Calendar sync | Online payments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Square Free | No employee limit | Not stated | Yes | Yes | Not stated | Yes |
| Setmore Free | Up to 4 users | Unlimited | Yes (1 reminder) | No | No | Yes |
| Zoho Bookings Forever Free | 1 user | Not stated | Yes | No | Yes, 1 calendar | No |
| Calendly Free | Not stated | Not stated | No | Not stated | Yes, 1 calendar | No |
| SimplyBook.me Free | 1 provider | 50 | Yes (basic) | No (paid add-on) | Not stated | No |
| Google Calendar appointment schedules | Not stated | Not stated | No (premium) | Not stated | Google Calendar | No (premium) |
| Aiva Chat booking pages | No plan limit on staff, rooms or equipment | No monthly cap | Yes | No (texting paused) | Google Calendar | No |
Prices and limits change. Check the vendor's page before you choose; each name in the table links to it.
Square Appointments
Square's free tier is "Square Free", at $0 a month per location. Its own description is "for solo professionals taking payments and managing schedules", but the list under it includes unlimited staff calendars and says there is no employee limit. It includes an online booking site, appointment reminders by text and email, and taking payments, since Square is a payments company first.
Good for: businesses that want to take deposits or payments when customers book. Watch for: text message marketing and managing several locations aren't on the free tier, and Square prices its plans per location.
Setmore
Setmore's Free plan covers up to 4 users at $0 per user a month, with unlimited appointments, a branded booking page, online payments through Square, Stripe or PayPal, and Reserve with Google. Free accounts send one email reminder per appointment.
Good for: small teams who want unlimited bookings without paying. Watch for: text reminders, two-way calendar sync, deposits and removing Setmore's branding are on Pro.
Zoho Bookings
Zoho Bookings' "Forever Free Plan" is free for one user, with one event type, customizable booking links, email notifications and reminders, and calendar sync with Zoho, Google or Microsoft 365 and Outlook. Zoho says it won't ask for a credit card.
Good for: one person offering one kind of appointment, especially if you already use Zoho. Watch for: text reminders, payments, white labelling and booking page languages are on paid plans.
Calendly
Calendly's Free plan says "Always free" and gives one event type, one calendar connection (Google, Outlook or Office 365) and a customizable booking page for one-on-one meetings.
Good for: meetings and calls, such as consultations, where you only need one kind of slot. Watch for: reminders, payments and removing Calendly's branding are on paid plans. It's built for meetings rather than services with staff and rooms.
SimplyBook.me
SimplyBook.me's free plan includes 50 bookings a month for one provider, a booking website and widget, and basic email reminders. Its booking pages come in many languages on every plan.
Good for: a single provider who wants a full booking site and doesn't exceed 50 bookings a month. Watch for: the free plan must be renewed monthly, text reminders are paid credits, and payments start on the Basic plan.
Google Calendar appointment schedules
With a personal Google account, you get a single booking page right inside Google Calendar. Automatic email reminders, several booking pages, checking more than one calendar and taking payments need a paid Google subscription such as Google One Premium or Workspace.
Good for: one person who already runs their day in Google Calendar and wants a free link to share. Watch for: no reminders on the free version.
Aiva Chat
Aiva Chat's booking pages, booking on an Aiva Chat website, the store and an Aiva Find listing are free right now, as of November 2026, with no plan and no card. A booking page has its own link and QR code. It offers your services with their own lengths and prices, books staff, rooms and equipment without double-booking, asks your own questions, and comes in English, Spanish, Hindi, Gujarati, Polish or German, chosen by the customer. Customers who give an email get reminders with a link to move or cancel. Connect Google Calendar and its busy times are checked before a time is offered.
Good for: service businesses with staff or rooms, businesses in India who want Hindi or Gujarati booking pages, and anyone who may later want an AI receptionist that answers the phone and books into the same calendar. Watch for: Aiva Chat takes no payments, reminders are by email only while texting is paused, and Outlook calendars aren't supported. The AI that answers calls and chat needs a plan after a 14-day trial.
Which one should you choose?
Start from the one thing you can't do without:
- You need to take payment when people book. Square or Setmore. The others above don't take payments on their free plans.
- You have more than one person or room to book. Square, Setmore or Aiva Chat.
- You need text reminders, free. Square is the only free plan above that lists them.
- You're one person with one kind of appointment. Calendly, Zoho Bookings or Google Calendar.
- You want the same calendar to take phone and chat bookings later. Aiva Chat, whose AI receptionist books into the same calendar as your booking page.
Then try your top two with a real booking from your phone. A free plan that confuses your customers costs more than a paid one that doesn't.
See how it works: free appointment booking with Aiva Chat
Written by
Manoj Ghediya
Product and Engineering Manager
Manoj manages product and engineering at Woyce AI, the team that builds Aiva Chat. Manoj decides what gets built and makes sure it is built well: product discovery, roadmaps, and an engineering team that ships with AI-assisted workflows.
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