Online businesses and all businesses, in general, have become more and more aware of the importance of having good software to provide flawless services for their customers. One of the more important services that a business can offer to clients online is an Online Appointment Scheduling System. These allow customers to make appointments and bookings on the go, whether it be through mobile or desktop, or on another device.

Of all the software that provides such services, Calendly and Doodle take the two top spots. In this article created by our team at Amelia, we will take a look at the overall capabilities of Calendly and Doodle and figure out which one is better for everyday use and better for online businesses.Keep reading for our in-depth comparison.

About Calendly and Doodle

Calendly is a very simple and intuitive system that allows you to schedule meetings and book appointments on the go. Say goodbye to making appointments over the phone; let Calendly do it for you. Simply tell Calendly your appointment preferences and when you are available, and within a minute, you will have your appointment ready. What is more, if you are a business owner, Calendly is perfect for allowing your customers to make a schedule or appointments themselves anywhere and anytime, very quickly.

Doodle is another popular appointment scheduling software. Doodle is used by 20 million people every month to create appointments and set up meetings with their colleagues all over the world. With Doodle, you can set up business meetings, or simply arrange a meeting date with your friends or colleagues. The intuitive interface allows everyone to coordinate very easily, making finding the right date and time incredibly easy. Planning meetings and appointments has never been easier than it is with Doodle.

Both of these tools work in a similar way, although there are some differences between the two. They are both regarded as Meeting Scheduling tools, but they each have their own pros and cons.

What are the Features of the Two?

Doodle’s best features include:

• Allowing for groups to get together more easily, as you are able to see who is missing and who is appointed
• Making it easy to avoid conflicting bookings, as the system automatically makes sure you don’t double-book
• Allowing for easy sync with your personal calendar, as you can incorporate the appointments from Doodle to your calendar

Calendly, on the other hand, is more business-orientated, but it has some very useful features, such as:

• Saving you plenty of time, as Calendly makes bookings in a matter of minutes
• Allowing for more client interactions, which results in higher profits
• Making you more easily reachable for your clients, which allows for better relationships

Who are They Made For?

Calendly is for people who like to dive deep into the latest technology and want to incorporate it into their businesses. The best way to use Calendly is to simply share your Calendly schedule with your clients.Then, your clients can see what times you are available and when they can meet you. That is the very reason why Calendly is perfect for people who have tight and busy schedules, and for people who don’t have much time to book their meetings, as it can save plenty of time.

It is also perfect if you are meeting a lot of clients on a regular basis, as you can easily control your schedule with Calendly, and see when you have appointments. It allows for better control over your own schedule and the schedules of your clients, while also saving you time and the effort of remembering all your appointments.

Doodle can also help with business meetings, but it is a bit more casual and orientated towards people who are looking to schedule group meetings and to make work schedules. Doodle conducts polls which allow everyone in the group to say what times they are free. If you have ever tried to plan a get-together with a large group of people, then you understand how helpful Doodle’s polls can be.

Doodle is also very useful for scheduling staff meetings and things like that. It has some very good capabilities, but it doesn’t have much purpose if you and your colleagues already have a shared calendar, as Doodle is technically a shared calendar software.

Of course, Doodle is not only for group meetings. If you have some individual clients, Doodle can help you set up meetings with them very easily. So, you can see that Doodle is bifunctional.

How do They Work?

Let’s compare Calendly vs Doodle in terms of the flow of appointments.

With Calendly, making appointments is quite easy. You click on the appointment link,then select the type of appointment you want to make, select the date, then enter your contact information. Lastly, the system will notify your client or appointee using an e-mail.

Doodle works similarly, but there are some specifics that we should get into.With Doodle, you can send invites to meetings by proposing the date and time of the meeting, as well as giving other meeting details such as duration, location, etc.If you don‘t have a specific date chosen yet, you can select multiple dates and let the client pick the date that best works for them out of the ones you chose. You can easily create group meetings as well as individual appointments with Doodle.

What About the Prices?

Now, we will compare Calendly vs Doodle in terms of pricing.

Calendly

Calendly is free for individual users to access its basic version. If you are a business or even a corporation, then Calendly offers you options in terms of pricing as well, which opens the door for more helpful features. There are three versions: Basic, Premium, and Pro.

Basic – Free

Key Features of the basic version:

• Integrations into your calendar with Google Calendar, Office 365, Outlook, and iCloud
• Unlimited event schedules
• 1 event type
• Personalized Calendly link
• Event notifications that are automated
• E-mail support
• Knowledgebase access

Premium – $10/user per month ($8 per user per month if you choose annual billing)

• Everything that the Basic version has
• Unlimited event types
• Removable Calendly branding
• Pooled availability options
• Group events
• Customizable email notifications
• Metrics and reporting
• You can add links to event confirmation pages
• Email support

Pro – $15/user per month ($12 per user per month if you choose annual billing)

• All features from the Premium version
• Integrations with Salesforce, Stripe, and PayPal

Doodle

Doodle is free as a basic version for individual usage, but it also has private and business versions.

Free version – one user

• Easy scheduling
• Connection with your calendar

Private version – €29 ($32.15)/year (one basic and one premium user)

• Easy scheduling
• Connection with your calendar
• Automatic reminders
• See who is missing
• Additional information request
• SSL encryption
• Free of ads

Business version – €49 ($54.31)/year

• All private features
• Custom design
• Custom subdomain
• User management

What are the Benefits of Both?

Let’s compare the benefits of Calendly vs Doodle.

The best benefit of Calendly is that it offers great integration options, good usability, mobile support, and more. When it comes to integrations, Calendly is great as it allows for integrations with Office 365, Google, and Outlook. It automatically adds new events to your calendar, and it prevents events from overlapping or doubling.

It is also simple to use, and offers a smooth experience with its modern interface. Calendly offers different versions, so there is something for everyone, based on your needs. Also, Calendly works great on all devices. You can use it anywhere and anytime.

Doodle, on the other hand, has some very good benefits as well. It allows for easy use, and it can save you a lot of time. You can customize the design of the polls and gather information from all your clients or group members super easily. You can completely brand your design, and create a custom subdomain. It is very secure, as it integrates SSL encryption. It is also very versatile, as it can be used for both private and business affairs.

Drawbacks of Both

Calendly vs Doodle in terms of drawbacks.

Calendly:

• It’s not available on Android or IOS, which limits its usability
• Doesn’t store customer history
• No analytics included
• The free version offers only one calendar connection

Doodle:

• If there are many details to keep track of, it can be hard to manage
• You can’t store frequently-used emails
• Basic user interface
• No customer records are kept

Ending thoughts on Calendly vs Doodle

So what is the final verdict in the comparison between Calendly vs Doodle? We can all agree that having a good scheduling platform is essential for saving time with appointments and making the most out of them.

FAQs about Calendly vs Doodle

1. What is the difference between Calendly and Doodle?

Popular scheduling applications like Calendly and Doodle are made to make it easier for users to plan meetings and appointments. Although they both have a similar function, the two platforms are different in terms of their features, cost, and overall user experience.

2. Which platform is better for scheduling meetings, Calendly or Doodle?

Both Calendly and Doodle are effective meeting scheduling tools, but each has advantages. While Doodle is renowned for its simplicity and usability, Calendly is known for having more powerful features like automated reminders and interfaces with well-liked calendar apps.

3. Can Calendly and Doodle integrate with popular calendar apps?

Popular calendar programs like Google Calendar and Outlook can also be integrated with Calendly and Doodle.

Users may synchronize their schedules across several platforms thanks to this, which makes managing their appointments and meetings simpler.

4. Is Calendly more expensive than Doodle?

Calendly offers a variety of pricing plans, ranging from a free basic plan to more sophisticated ones with extra features. On the other hand, Doodle provides both a free plan and a subscription plan with more sophisticated capabilities.

5. How user-friendly is Calendly compared to Doodle?

Both Calendly and Doodle have user-friendly interfaces with simple navigation that make it simple for users to arrange meetings. However, some users might find Doodle’s more uncomplicated approach to be easier to use than Calendly’s more sophisticated features and customization possibilities.

6. Does Calendly or Doodle offer more customization options for meeting scheduling?

A variety of customization possibilities are available with Calendly, including the ability to design unique appointment kinds, include unique questions on appointment forms, and brand the scheduling page.

Even though Doodle has fewer customization possibilities, customers can still add unique branding and messaging to their scheduling page.

7. Which platform has better security features, Calendly or Doodle?

Both Calendly and Doodle take user data protection seriously and include a variety of safeguards. Calendly protects user information with encryption and industry-standard security mechanisms. Along with these security measures, Doodle also uses two-factor authentication and SSL encryption.

8. Can Calendly and Doodle be used for both personal and business scheduling?

Doodle and Calendly can both be used for personal and professional scheduling. Doodle’s simplicity and usability may appeal to personal users more than Calendly’s more complex features, which may be more suited for business use.

9. Does Calendly or Doodle offer more advanced scheduling features?

Compared to Doodle, Calendly has more sophisticated scheduling options, such as the ability to create unique availability periods, buffer times between meetings, and automate reminders and follow-ups.

Even though Doodle has fewer functionality, it nevertheless allows users to organize meetings across time zones and send automated reminders.

10. How do Calendly and Doodle handle time zone differences when scheduling meetings?

When scheduling meetings, Calendly and Doodle both account for time zone differences. While Doodle allows users to specify the time zone for each participant and automatically adjusts the meeting time accordingly, Calendly offers automatic time zone detection and conversion.

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