Doodle vs zcal
We give Doodle and zcal the same GPA: 3.2 out of 4.0. Doodle grades higher on features. zcal grades higher on the free plan. They get the same grade on value for money, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Doodle
Group polls, booking pages and sign-up sheets for scheduling
zcal
Free booking links with heavily customizable scheduling pages
How we grade them
| 3.2GPADoodleVery good | 3.2GPAzcalVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | BPro is $11 per seat a month billed annually, $15 monthly. That's about the going rate for booking tools, and it buys unlimited polls and pages with no ads. Custom branding and Stripe payments need Team at $16 a seat, with at least 2 seats. | BPro is $7 a user a month billed annually, $10.50 monthly, for teams, round robin, SMS reminders, no zcal branding and no commission on payments. About typical for booking tools. A custom domain needs Business at $12. |
| Free plan and trial | BFree with no card, but it's one Group Poll, one Booking Page and one 1:1, plus basic Sign-up Sheets. Ads show to organisers and participants alike. Fine for the odd poll, tight for anything regular. | AFree Forever has unlimited invite links, meeting polls and calendar connections, custom questions, email reminders and Stripe payments. Most individuals could stay on it. Watch the 3% zcal commission on those payments, on top of Stripe's own fees. |
| Features | AGroup polls where each person sees times in their own zone, booking pages with buffers and daily limits, 1:1 invites that pull a slot when your calendar fills, and sign-up sheets with capped sessions. Guests don't need an account. | BPages you style with templates, colors and a welcome video, plus polls, group invites, paid bookings and email reminders. Pro adds round robin, collective events and follow-up emails. Solid. But the listing shows no API and no reporting, just webhooks on Pro. |
| Ease of use | BWe have no App Store rating on record, and there's no app to rate any more. The format is familiar: propose times, share a link, people vote without signing up. | BIt's all in the browser: start from a design template, connect your calendar and share the link. There's no rating on record to show how people get on with it, so it stops at a B. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb only now. Doodle withdrew its iOS and Android apps from the stores, so on a phone it runs in the browser. It connects Google Calendar, iCloud Calendar, Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, Webex, Stripe and Zapier. | BA web app, and the site describes no mobile or desktop apps. It checks Google, Outlook and Apple calendars and works with Google Meet, Teams, Zoom, Stripe and Zapier. A web app with integrations is a B. |
| Best for | polling a group for a meeting time | good-looking booking pages on a free plan |
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: Doodle and zcal. How we grade
Where they differ
- Doodle starts at $11 per seat / month, billed annually ($15 billed monthly). zcal starts at $7 per user / month, billed annually ($10.50 billed monthly).
- Doodle also covers reports.
- zcal also covers templates.
At a glance
| Doodle | zcal | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $11 per seat / month, billed annually ($15 billed monthly) | $7 per user / month, billed annually ($10.50 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | One Group Poll, one Booking Page, one 1:1 and basic Sign-up Sheets, with ads. No card needed. | Free Forever plan: unlimited invite links and meeting polls, calendar sync, video conferencing links, custom questions, email reminders, and Zapier and Stripe integrations. |
| Free trial | None listed | 14-day free trial of Pro or Business, cancel anytime |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Doodle AG | zcal, Inc. |
| Price read from | doodle.com | zcal.co |
| Checked | Oct 5, 2026 | Oct 5, 2026 |
Who each one suits
Doodle
- Finding a meeting time across people who do not share a calendar system
- Event organizers who need sign-up sheets with capped sessions
- Occasional schedulers who can work within one free poll and booking page
zcal
- Individuals who want unlimited booking links without paying
- Coaches and consultants who want a booking page that matches their brand
- Small teams that need round robin or collective scheduling
Worth knowing
Doodle
- The Free plan is limited to one Group Poll, one Booking Page and one 1:1, and shows ads to organizers and participants.
- Doodle no longer offers a standalone mobile app; the iOS and Android apps were withdrawn from the app stores and it now runs in desktop and mobile browsers.
- Custom branding, Stripe payments and the admin console start on Team, which requires at least 2 seats.
- Single sign-on is limited to Enterprise, which starts at $15k billed annually.
zcal
- Teams, round robin and collective events, SMS reminders and removing zcal branding all need Pro.
- On the free plan zcal takes a 3% commission on Stripe payments, on top of Stripe's own fees.
- Custom domains and sending notifications from your own email domain need Business.
- The site describes no mobile or desktop apps, and zcal's pricing FAQ says it does not offer refunds.
Key features
Doodle
- Group Polls
- Propose several times and let invitees vote. People inside or outside your organization can take part without shared calendar access, and each sees the options in their own time zone.
- Booking Pages
- Set the hours for each page, limit bookings per day, add buffer times and share the link. People who book receive reminders. Free allows one page; paid plans allow unlimited.
- 1:1 invitations
- Offer one person a list of times to pick from, without them needing a Doodle account. A slot is withdrawn automatically if your connected calendar fills up first.
- Sign-up Sheets
- Registration pages for workshops, webinars and other events, with a cap on attendees per session and automatic reminders. Participants do not need a Doodle account.
- Calendar and video conferencing links
- A connected calendar prevents double bookings and sends calendar invites to participants. Pro adds Zoom, Microsoft Teams and Webex links to meetings.
- Team administration and payments
- The Team plan adds an admin console with roles and permissions, co-hosted events, booking on behalf of colleagues, activity reports, custom branding and Stripe payments.
zcal
- Styled scheduling pages
- Start from a design template and adjust layout, colors and media, add a welcome video, and ask custom questions. Custom fonts and unlimited videos are Pro features.
- Unlimited links and calendars
- The free plan puts no cap on booking links or connected calendars, and checks Google, Outlook and Apple calendars to avoid double bookings.
- Team scheduling
- Pro adds teams with a shared team page, collective events that need every selected host to be free, and round robin events with priority for chosen members.
- Meeting polls and group invites
- Polls let guests vote on proposed times before the host sets the final slot, and are unlimited on the free plan. Group invites let several people book one slot.
- Paid bookings through Stripe
- Charge invitees at booking through a connected Stripe account. The free plan adds a 3% zcal commission; Pro removes it and adds coupon codes.
- Reminders and follow-ups
- Email reminders are free. Pro adds SMS reminders, multiple and customized reminder messages, and automatic follow-up emails after a meeting.
Plans
Doodle
Free$0
One Group Poll, one Booking Page, one 1:1 and basic Sign-up Sheets, with ads shown.
Pro$11
per seat / month, billed annually ($15 billed monthly)
Unlimited Group Polls, Booking Pages, 1:1s and Sign-up Sheets, deadlines and reminders, Zoom, Microsoft Teams and Webex links, and no ads.
Team$16
per seat / month, billed annually ($21 billed monthly)
For 2 or more seats: admin console, roles and permissions, co-hosted events, booking on behalf, custom branding and Stripe payments.
EnterpriseFrom $15k
custom pricing, billed annually
For organizations with 50+ employees: SSO (SAML/OIDC), MFA, org-wide time protection, focus policies, branded emails and URLs, and a 99.9% SLA.
zcal
Free Forever$0
For individuals: unlimited invite links, meeting polls and calendar connections, custom questions, email reminders and Stripe payments.
Pro$7
per user / month, billed annually ($10.50 billed monthly)
Teams, round robin and collective events, branding removal, custom fonts, SMS reminders, follow-up emails, webhooks and no zcal commission on payments.
Business$12
per user / month, billed annually ($18 billed monthly)
Everything in Pro, plus custom domains, notification emails sent from your own domain, unlimited teams and twice the SMS credits.
Ways to pay less
Doodle
- Annual discount
Save 24% to 26% with yearly billing
Doodle's pricing page lists a yearly discount of 26% on Pro ($132 a year instead of $15 a month) and 24% on Team ($16 instead of $21 per seat / month).
- Other savings
Lower Team rates for larger teams
Doodle's help center lists per-user Team rates that fall with size: $14 on yearly billing or $19 monthly for 6 to 20 seats, and $13 or $17 for 21 or more seats.
zcal
- Annual discount
About a third off with annual billing
zcal's pricing page shows Pro at $7 per user / month on annual billing against $10.50 monthly, and Business at $12 against $18, about 33% less.
- Education
Discounts for students, teachers and nonprofits
The pricing FAQ says students, teachers and nonprofits can get a discount by emailing zcal support. No rate is published.
