Scheduling meetings and appointments is often a time-consuming and stressful process. With so many platforms available, choosing the best tool for your needs can feel overwhelming. Two popular options for scheduling are Google Calendar and Calendly. But which among them is better? It depends on what you need for your calendar. Google Appointment Scheduling and Calendly both have their pros and cons.
What is Google Calendar?
Google Calendar is a widely-used calendar application, part of Google Workspace (formerly G Suite). It allows users to organize and schedule personal or work-related events and meetings. Whether you’re managing internal team schedules or tracking personal appointments, Google Calendar has been a trusted tool for more than a decade.
It integrates seamlessly with other Google services like Gmail, Google Meet, and Google Drive, making it easy to schedule meetings and share calendars across different Google apps. This integration is particularly beneficial for teams already embedded in the Google ecosystem.
What is Calendly?
Calendly, on the other hand, is a scheduling tool designed specifically to streamline the process of booking appointments. Unlike Google Calendar, Calendly doesn’t require you to use a specific platform. It connects with your existing calendar app and automates the appointment scheduling process, allowing clients or colleagues to book meetings based on your availability.
Calendly offers a user-friendly interface, and it’s especially favored by freelancers, consultants, and businesses that need to schedule client meetings. One of its biggest advantages is its ability to allow others to schedule meetings with you on your terms.
Calendly vs Google Calendar: Key Features
Google Calendar’s Strengths
Google Calendar is designed to integrate smoothly with other Google apps. Its most significant strength is the ability to work within the Google Workspace suite, which includes tools like Gmail, Google Meet, and Google Drive. Scheduling and organizing your day becomes much easier with features like event color-coding, task tracking, and automatic reminders. Google Calendar also offers the ability to manage your availability and share calendars with others.
However, Google Calendar doesn’t have advanced appointment booking features. For example, if you want to schedule appointments with others, you’ll need to manually send invites and ask for confirmations. This could lead to back-and-forth communication, which can be frustrating if you have a lot of appointments to manage.
Calendly’s Strengths
Calendly stands out because it is built specifically for scheduling meetings. It connects with your calendar and allows others to book time with you based on the availability you set. You can define your availability by creating time slots and meeting types, ensuring your meetings are scheduled on your terms.
For example, if you only want to allow meetings on certain days or during specific hours, Calendly lets you set those parameters. It even allows for customized booking rules, such as requiring clients to select from a range of times or limiting meeting duration.
Calendly’s integrations are another major strength. It supports third-party apps like Slack, Mailchimp, and Zoom, making it ideal for professionals who use various tools in their workflow. Moreover, it offers a sleek user interface, and its customizable booking page makes scheduling even more efficient for client-facing businesses.
Comparing the Weaknesses
When comparing Google Calendar vs Calendly, both have their strengths, but each also has its weaknesses. Understanding these can help you choose the right tool for your needs.
Google Calendar is a great option for managing personal and internal schedules. However, it doesn’t make client appointment scheduling as easy as Calendly. For instance, clients can’t directly book time on your Google Calendar, which means you’ll often find yourself going back and forth to finalize appointments. It also lacks advanced features like customizing how people can book time with you or setting specific meeting rules, which Calendly does well. Google Calendar also relies heavily on the Google ecosystem, so if you’re not using Gmail or other Google apps, it might not be the smoothest experience for you. Additionally, while Google Calendar integrates well with its tools, it doesn’t play as well with other platforms, which could be a hassle if you’re using non-Google tools for your business.
On the other hand, Calendly is designed specifically for scheduling, making it great for businesses and client-facing appointments. However, it comes with a few challenges too. For one, the free version of Calendly offers only basic features, and to get the most out of the tool, you’ll have to pay for one of the higher-tier plans. These plans can get pricey, especially as your business grows. Additionally, Calendly is a standalone tool, which means it doesn’t come with a complete suite of integrated tools like Google Calendar does with Google Workspace. It also doesn’t have a built-in video conferencing solution, so you’ll need to connect it with Zoom or Google Meet, adding an extra step to your process.
Which One Fits Your Needs?
Internal Scheduling vs Client-Facing Scheduling
If you mainly need a tool to manage your internal team schedules, Google Calendar could be your best bet. It allows for easy collaboration, event sharing, and integrates well within Google Workspace. Teams can share availability, and internal meetings are easy to manage.
On the other hand, if you frequently schedule meetings with clients, Calendly might be a better choice. Calendly excels in client-facing scheduling, allowing clients to pick a time slot without the need for back-and-forth communication. It is tailored for people who need to book meetings based on specific parameters like availability, meeting types, or meeting duration.
Integrations
Google Calendar integrates flawlessly with other Google apps, so if you’re already using Gmail, Google Drive, or Google Meet, you’ll find that Google Calendar works seamlessly within that ecosystem. Calendly also offers robust integrations, including Slack, Salesforce, and Zapier, making it an excellent choice for businesses that rely on third-party tools.
Customization
Calendly stands out for its customization options. You can personalize your booking page with your branding, logos, and meeting types, which is a huge advantage for businesses wanting to present a professional image to their clients. Google Calendar, while customizable in terms of color coding and views, doesn’t offer the same level of branding and customization for client-facing features.
Final Verdict: Calendly Offers More Specialized Tools
Choosing between Calendly vs Google Calendar depends on your specific needs. If you’re part of the Google ecosystem and just need basic scheduling, Google Calendar is a good choice. It’s a simple tool for managing personal and team appointments.
However, if you often need to schedule client meetings and want a more efficient, automated process, Calendly is the better option. It simplifies appointment booking, offers more customization, and integrates well with a wide range of third-party tools.
Both platforms offer great features, but Calendly stands out as the more specialized tool for appointment scheduling, making it a top choice for businesses and professionals seeking a streamlined way to manage client meetings.