Bookwhen vs Setmore (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Setmore grades higher than Bookwhen: 2.8 against 2.0 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 5, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Setmore grades higher on the free plan, ease of use and platforms. They get the same grade on value for money and features.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Bookwhen
Online booking system for classes, courses, workshops and events
Setmore
Appointment booking app with a free plan for up to four staff
Which one is for you
Pick Bookwhen if
- Fits if you run classes or workshops with fixed places
- Works for a solo teacher with fewer than 50 bookings a month
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you are staying free, as that is 50 bookings a month and free events only
- Pricey if you want payments, which start at Lite at $16 a month, plus Stripe or PayPal fees
- Watch out: bookings are capped at 300 on Lite and 800 on Standard
- Skip it if you want a phone or desktop app, as it is browser only
- Watch out: memberships, passes and waiting lists are on Standard at $29 a month
Pick Setmore if
- Fits if you run a salon, clinic or studio with up to 4 staff and email reminders are enough
- Works for taking payment at booking through Square, Stripe or PayPal, which is on both plans
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if your diary is in Google Calendar and you won't pay, as two-way sync is Pro only
- Tight if you stay on Free: 4 users, one email reminder, and no texts, recurring or video appointments, deposits or API
- Pricey if you pay monthly: $12 for every staff calendar, even ones with no login, against $5 on yearly billing
- Watch out: there's no Pro trial, only a 30-day refund, and Live Receptionist is $99 a month extra, US only
- Not for you if you need a waitlist, intake forms or cards on file, which aren't on its features page
How we grade them
| 2.0GPABookwhenFair | 2.8GPASetmoreGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C$16 a month on Lite, or $160 a year, which is around the dearer end of calendar tools; the middle one is $8. | CPro is $5 a person a month on yearly billing, just under the $6 middle for calendar tools, and $12 if you pay monthly. It's per staff calendar, so a six-chair salon is $30 a month on yearly billing. |
| Free plan and trial | CFree plan: 50 bookings a month, 1 team member and free events only. A 14-day trial needs no card. | BFour staff, unlimited appointments, a booking page, card payments, group classes and one email reminder, with no time limit. The caps you'd meet: 4 users, no text reminders and no two-way sync. |
| Features | CBooking pages, payments, memberships, waiting lists and attendance. Payments, memberships and waiting lists all sit above the free plan. | CA booking page, payments, classes, team calendars, reminders and Book Now buttons for Instagram, Facebook and Google. The listing's own gaps show: no waitlist or intake forms, and recurring and video appointments, deposits and the API all need Pro. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. You build your events and booking page yourself. | B4.67 from about 9,200 App Store ratings, a shade under our bar for an A. Setmore says help runs around the clock by chat, email and phone. One reviewer says the app shows less than the website. |
| Platforms and integrations | CBrowser only, with Zoom, Stripe and PayPal. No desktop or phone apps are listed. | AWeb, Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android, which few others in this category cover. More than 40 integrations plus Zapier, and an API on Pro only. Two-way sync with Google or Office 365 is Pro only too. |
| Best for | booking classes and events online | small teams that want free online booking |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Bookwhen and Setmore. How we grade
Price against what you get
Bookwhen starts at $16 a month and scores 2.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Setmore starts at $5 a month for each person and scores 3.0.
Setmore scores higher and starts $11 a month lower. Of the other calendar and scheduling apps on the chart, 68 score higher than Bookwhen for less, and 3 score higher than Setmore for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Bookwhen also covers appointment booking, class booking and ticketing.
- Setmore also covers reports.
At a glance
| Bookwhen | Setmore | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $16 per month, billed monthly ($160 billed yearly) | $5 per user / month, billed annually ($12 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | 50 bookings a month, 1 team member, 1 booking page, free events only. | Up to 4 users, unlimited appointments, a Booking Page, online and in-person payments, email confirmations and one email reminder, plus the mobile and desktop apps. |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial of premium features, no credit card required | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Bookwhen Ltd | Setmore |
| Price read from | bookwhen.com | setmore.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Oct 5, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Bookwhen
- Plans cap bookings per month: 50 on Free, 300 on Lite, 800 on Standard and 1,800 on Plus.
- The Free plan allows free events only, so taking payments needs a paid plan.
- Payment processing fees are charged separately by Stripe or PayPal on top of the plan price.
- It runs in a browser only; no desktop or mobile apps are listed.
Setmore
- The Free plan stops at 4 users and leaves out two-way calendar sync, SMS reminders, recurring appointments, video appointments, deposits and API access.
- Pro is charged per user, and every staff calendar counts as a user even if that person has no login.
- Paying monthly costs $12 per user, more than twice the $5 annual rate. There is no free trial of Pro, only a 30-day refund window.
- Live Receptionist call answering is a separate $99 per month add-on and is offered in the US only.
Key features
Bookwhen
- Hosted booking pages
- Customers book from a Bookwhen page or from one embedded in your own website with an iframe or the API.
- Online payments
- Take payment through Bookwhen Payments (powered by Stripe), your own Stripe account or PayPal. The processor charges a separate fee.
- Memberships, passes and vouchers
- Sell recurring memberships, multi-session passes and vouchers. These start on the Standard plan.
- Waiting lists and reminders
- Full sessions can keep a waiting list, and reminder emails go to attendees. Both start on the Standard plan.
- Online sessions
- Paid plans connect to Zoom for online classes, and Standard and Plus add YouTube and Vimeo links.
- Attendance tracking and post-event emails
- Mark who attended a session and send follow-up emails afterward, from the Standard plan up.
Setmore
- Booking Page
- A public page with a custom URL that lists services, staff and live availability so customers can book at any hour. Removing Setmore's branding from it needs Pro.
- Payments
- Take card payments at booking or in person through Square, Stripe, PayPal or LawPay, including Tap to Pay, on both plans. Deposits are a Pro feature.
- Confirmations and reminders
- Email confirmations and one email reminder are free. Pro adds a second reminder and SMS reminders, with 500 SMS credits per Pro team member each month.
- Team calendars
- Each staff member gets a login, working hours, time off and a calendar, with a combined team view, permission levels and built-in team messaging on both plans.
- Classes and recurring appointments
- Group classes with seat reservations are on both plans. Recurring appointments and video appointments by Zoom or Google Meet are listed under Pro.
- Booking from social and search
- Add Book Now buttons to Facebook, Instagram and websites built on WordPress, Wix or Weebly, take bookings through Reserve with Google, and share a QR code.
Plans
Bookwhen
Free$0
50 bookings a month, 1 team member, 1 booking page and free events only.
Lite$16
per month, billed monthly ($160 billed yearly)
300 bookings a month, 2 team members, 1 booking page, online payments and Zoom integration.
Standard$29
per month, billed monthly ($290 billed yearly)
800 bookings a month, 5 team members, 3 booking pages, memberships, vouchers, passes and waiting lists.
Plus$59
per month, billed monthly ($590 billed yearly)
1,800 bookings a month, 10 team members, 6 booking pages and phone support.
EnterpriseCustom
Bespoke plans with a franchisor system, reseller accounts and class search portals.
Setmore
Free$0
Up to 4 users, unlimited appointments, a custom Booking Page, group classes, payments through Square, Stripe or PayPal, and email reminders.
Pro$5
per user / month, billed annually ($12 billed monthly)
Unlimited users, two-way calendar sync, SMS reminders, recurring and video appointments, deposits, API access and no Setmore branding.
EnterpriseCustom
A tailored setup for larger organizations, arranged by contacting Setmore's sales team.
Ways to pay less
Bookwhen
- Annual discount
2 months free with yearly billing
Bookwhen's pricing page marks its yearly prices as 2 months free compared with paying monthly.
- Nonprofit
20% off for charities and non-profits
The pricing FAQ offers 20% off to charities and non-profits; contact support before subscribing.
Setmore
- Annual discount
Pro at $5 instead of $12 with annual billing
Setmore's pricing page shows Pro at $12 per user / month on monthly billing and $5 per user / month on annual billing, about 58% less.
- Nonprofit
Nonprofit discounts on request
Setmore's mission page invites nonprofit organizations to contact the team about discounts. No rate is published.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Bookwhen or Setmore?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Bookwhen starts at $16 per month, billed monthly ($160 billed yearly), and Setmore starts at $5 per user / month, billed annually ($12 billed monthly). One is priced for each person and the other is not, so which costs less depends on how many of you use it.
Which has a free plan, Bookwhen or Setmore?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Bookwhen and Setmore have a free plan.
Which platforms do Bookwhen and Setmore run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Setmore lists macOS, Windows, iOS and Android apps. Both list a web app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.