Appointment tools integrated into the Vitaldent website
- Sync with your calendar : Most appointment software integrates with virtual calendars like Google Calendar or Outlook . This synchronization allows any private events you block on your calendar—such as a meeting or trip—to be automatically reflected in your availability. If you use a paper planner or an unlinked calendar, you’ll need to manually update your availability in your appointment software. Therefore, to optimize the user experience , it’s a good idea to get used to using a compatible virtual calendar.
- Meeting planning : A significant portion of appointments booked through these systems are virtual: consulting sessions, product demonstrations, online classes, follow-up meetings, etc. Therefore, it’s important to offer a seamless user experience that makes it easy to access the video call from the booking process.
- Sending reminders : Appointment management platforms include automatic reminders via email, SMS , and/or push notifications to prevent clients from missing or forgetting appointments at the last minute. Many cloud-based appointment management systems also allow you to change or cancel appointments with a single click, streamlining your calendar’s real-time updates.
- Online Payments : Facilitating payment at the time of scheduling an appointment offers a smooth and more convenient experience for the client. Furthermore, if the appointment is virtual, payment must be made online. Many platforms include this option through integration with payment gateways such as PayPal or Stripe. This option is usually available in the software’s paid plans, although there are exceptions. Additionally, the fees specific to each gateway apply, so it’s a good idea to carefully review the terms and conditions before activating it.
Most appointment scheduling tools allow you to integrate video conferencing platforms like Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, or Zoom. There are also solutions that offer their own video conferencing technology to keep everything in one place.
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The new feature: scheduling appointments with artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence is beginning to be incorporated into booking systems to offer a more natural and seamless user experience , typically through CRMs or other integrated applications. Appointment management via a conversational chatbot is the most well-known example.
Sanitas conversational chatbot
From a company’s internal perspective, these tools act as productivity solutions . AI opens up possibilities for analyzing data from connected systems—such as CRM or ATS—to optimize schedules, anticipate conflicts, and increase operational efficiency.
Advantages of appointment management applications
An automated appointment booking system has both internal and client benefits. In addition to boosting productivity, it also improves the customer experience and helps capture more business opportunities.
- Time savings: These tools eliminate the time spent exchanging emails, texting, or calling to schedule appointments. For example, the public relations firm Muck Rack estimates it saved a total of 406 hours of work by automating interview scheduling for its recruitment campaign targeting 135 new employees.
- More leads and more customers : By allowing appointment bookings at any time, businesses are no longer limited by business hours and can capture more opportunities. A Forrester study of four large organizations (Atlassian, DocuSign, Semrush, and GardaWorld) found that using Calendly generated a 318% return on investment .
- Greater customer satisfaction: Offering autonomy and flexibility improves service perception. Your customers choose when to connect with you, without waiting or manual management.
Comparison: The 8 best online appointment booking programs
This section takes a detailed look at eight of the best appointment scheduling apps on the market. The selection criteria are based on the number of positive reviews on Capterra and the availability of free versions or plans priced appropriately for small businesses and freelancers.
The methodology for comparing tools is based on a list of fixed parameters :
- Capterra rating and number of reviews as of the article’s update date.
Free version and prices
- If it offers a free version and what it includes
- Pricing of initial payment plans, including which ones offer unlimited bookings and reminders
Integrations
- Synchronization with external calendars from Google, Outlook, or others.
- Integrations with external apps (native and via Zapier). If an integration with Brevo is available, it is mentioned.
Online payments and other features
- Tools or integrations for online payment management and which pricing plan they are available on
- Other notable features of the software
Brevo Meetings
- Capterra Rating : 4.6 (2,829 reviews, applicable to the entire Brevo platform)
Brevo Meetings is an appointment scheduling service integrated into the Brevo platform (including the free version), which is compared equally to the other programs in this comparison. Meetings allows you to create a booking page and sync it with your calendar and video conferencing software.
Free version and prices
- Brevo Meetings is an integrated service within all Brevo Marketing Platform plans, including the free one .
- Unlimited appointments are included . On the Free and Starter plans, automated actions (such as appointment reminders) are limited to 2,000 contacts.
- On the Business plan (starting at €15/month), reminders are unlimited.
- SMS reminders are charged separately with credits.
- All Meetings features are included without limits in the free version and all Brevo pricing plans. Email marketing pricing will be the primary determinant of Brevo’s marketing pricing.
Integrations
- Synchronization with Google and Outlook calendars.
- Brevo Meetings offers its own browser-based video calling platform . It can also be integrated with other video conferencing providers such as Zoom and Google Meet.
- Additionally, Brevo offers over 60 native integrations and hundreds more through Zapier.
Online payments and other features
- Brevo has its own payment gateway, Brevo Payments , with a 1% fee, although it is currently only available in France.
- It also offers native integration with PayPal.
- Access to Brevo’s complementary services such as VoIP telephony , email marketing and CRM platform.
Calendly
- Capterra rating : 4.7 (3949 reviews)
Calendly is a well-known appointment scheduling software that stands out for its numerous integrations . It can be integrated directly into your website or used as a pop-up widget.
Free version and prices
- Calendly offers a free version that includes basic features like connecting a single calendar, sending simple email reminders, and unlimited bookings .
- Standard Plan: €12 per user/month, with multiple reminder streams and SMS notifications.
- Team Plan: €20 per user/month, with form integration and other features.
Integrations
- Integration with Google and Outlook calendars , one free and unlimited on all paid plans.
- Native integrations with 141 third-party apps , including Zoom and Microsoft Teams (video conferencing), as well as Salesforce and HubSpot CRMs. Zapier allows you to connect with other third-party platforms like Brevo.
Online payments and other features
- Calendly doesn’t have its own online payment system, but it does integrate with external payment gateways like PayPal and Stripe (except for the free version). You’ll be charged any fees for the external gateway you use.
- Custom meeting pages.
- Group teams with administrators.
SimplyBook.me
- Capterra Rating : 4.6 (1258 reviews)
SimplyBook.me is an appointment management software ideal for businesses with multiple locations or vendors . Bookings are limited on all plans, but it offers effective management and marketing tools.
Free version and prices
- SimplyBook.me offers a limited free version , which allows you to manage up to 50 bookings per month, as well as reminder and cancellation emails.
- Basic Plan, at $9.90 per month, which includes 100 monthly bookings with 5 different providers (e.g., 5 company employees).
- Standard Plan, $29.90 per month, with 500 bookings per month from 8 providers.
- SMS reminders are paid for separately with credits.
Integrations
- Synchronizing Google and Outlook calendars using the Calendar Sync feature .
- More than 20 native integrations: with Google Meet, social media (Facebook and Instagram), WordPress (to integrate the booking page into your website). Other integrations available through Zapier, such as Brevo.
Online payments and other features
- Online payment management for paid plans through integrations with payment gateways such as Stripe and PayPal, with their respective fees.
- Reservations via Facebook and Instagram.
- Customizable pages, coupon and gift card integration.
Acuity Scheduling
- Capterra Rating : 4.8 (5719 reviews)
Acuity Scheduling is an appointment scheduling tool that doesn’t offer a free version. It stands out for its high level of customization and integration with websites, especially Squarespace.
Free version and prices
- There’s no free version. There’s a 7-day free trial.
- Emerging Plan, $20 per month: Unlimited booking management, email reminders and follow-ups.
- Growing Plan, $34/month: SMS reminders.
Integrations
- Acuity Scheduling syncs with Google Calendar, Outlook Calendar, and iCloud Calendar.
- Over 25 native integrations, including CRMs like Pipedrive and Zoho; Facebook and Instagram; Zoom, Google Meet, and more. Its integrations with ActiveCampaign and Squarespace are notable .
- Over 500 integrations with Zapier, including a pre-configured integration with Brevo .
- Automated appointment booking . Appointment software provides users with easy and intuitive access to a calendar where they can directly choose from available dates and times, without the need to contact the company in advance. This calendar is typically included on a dedicated page or in a widget integrated into your website. The appointment is automatically confirmed, and the system automatically notifies the client. This automation reduces manual management, avoids overlaps, and eliminates the need to coordinate appointments by phone, email, or instant messaging.