Picktime vs SimplyBook.me (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Picktime grades higher than SimplyBook.me: 2.8 against 2.4 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 5, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Picktime grades higher on value for money and the free plan. SimplyBook.me grades higher on features. They get the same grade on ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Picktime
Appointment and class booking software with a free plan
SimplyBook.me
Online booking system for service businesses, priced by volume
Which one is for you
Pick Picktime if
- Fits if you are a small studio or salon that wants a free booking page
- Works for teams of up to 10 that run classes
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you stay free: 3 users, 3 resources, 2 locations and 2 classes
- Skip it if you have more than 10 users and resources, as Pro stops there
- Watch out: SSO, vouchers and class packs on Pro are not available yet
- Watch out: Starter and Pro prices are billed annually, and SMS reminders start on Starter
Pick SimplyBook.me if
- Fits if you have several staff and would rather pay a flat fee than per user
- Works for businesses that sell memberships, packages, gift cards or products alongside appointments
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you stay free: 50 bookings a month, 1 provider, no online payments, and the plan must be renewed monthly
- Tight if you take lots of bookings, since Basic stops at 100 a month and extra packs are $4 per 100
- Pricey if you rely on text reminders or want your own domain: SMS and WhatsApp are $8 per 100, a domain $119
- Not for you if you need HIPAA or SAML SSO on a budget, as both start on Standard at €24.9 a month
- Watch out: plans are priced in euros but add-ons in US dollars, so the real total takes some working out
How we grade them
| 2.8GPAPicktimeGood | 2.4GPASimplyBook.meFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AFree is substantial, and Pro is $2.25 per user a month billed annually, under 60% of the category's $4.99 cheapest quarter. | CBasic is €11.9 a month billed annually, €13.9 monthly, for 5 providers and 100 bookings. Set against its own rivals, Setmore and Acuity and Square Appointments, that's middling: a flat fee suits a team, but 500 bookings means Standard at €24.9, extra bookings are $4 per 100 and SMS credits $8 per 100. |
| Free plan and trial | BFree covers 3 users, 3 resources, 2 locations, 2 classes and unlimited appointments, which one person could run a business on. | CFree with no time limit, though you renew it monthly: 50 bookings a month, 1 provider and 1 premium custom feature. Taking payments needs Basic. Fifty bookings is about two a day, so you'll hit that cap in a real week. |
| Features | CBooking page, classes, payments, calendar sync and reminders. Pro lists SSO, vouchers and class packs as coming soon. | BA booking website and widget, intake forms, memberships, gift cards, classes, waiting lists, online payments, deposits, tips, point of sale, reminders by email, SMS or WhatsApp, and HIPAA features from Standard. That covers the whole job, though your plan limits how many premium extras you may switch on. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. Services, staff and the booking page are yours to set up. | CNo store rating on record, and this is a lot of switches: services, providers and a list of custom features toggled on one by one, with premium ones counted against your plan. Ask Simply, the built-in AI chat, is there to set things up for you. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb plus iOS and Android, with Google Calendar, Outlook, Zoom, Meet, Stripe, Square, Mailchimp and HubSpot. No desktop app. | BWeb, plus admin and client apps for iPhone and Android, with no desktop app listed. It works with Google and Outlook calendars, Stripe, PayPal, Square, Zapier, QuickBooks and Teams, and there's an API and an MCP connection for outside assistants. |
| Best for | appointment and class booking for small teams | service businesses that want one flat booking fee |
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: Picktime and SimplyBook.me. How we grade
Price against what you get
Picktime starts at $3 a month for each person and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. SimplyBook.me starts at about $13.29 a month and scores 2.7.
SimplyBook.me scores higher, and starts $10.29 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other calendar and scheduling apps on the chart, 11 score higher than Picktime for less, and 17 score higher than SimplyBook.me 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
- Picktime also covers calendar, invoicing, appointment booking and class booking.
- SimplyBook.me also covers reports.
At a glance
| Picktime | SimplyBook.me | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $3 per user / month, billed annually ($4 billed monthly) | €11.9 per month, billed annually (€13.9 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | Free: 3 users, 3 resources, 2 locations, 2 classes, unlimited appointments, email notifications and PayPal payments. | 50 bookings a month, 1 provider and 1 premium custom feature, with a booking website, booking widget and the admin app. It has no time limit but must be renewed monthly. |
| Free trial | None listed | 14-day free trial of most custom features with 50 bookings, no credit card needed |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Picktime | SimplyBook.me Ltd |
| Price read from | picktime.com | simplybook.me |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Oct 5, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Picktime
- Free caps the account at 3 users, 3 resources, 2 locations and 2 classes.
- Pro is capped at 10 users and resources; larger teams are told to contact support.
- Pro lists SSO, vouchers and class packs as coming soon, not yet available.
- Saving shown for yearly billing is up to 25 percent versus monthly.
SimplyBook.me
- Plan prices are listed in euros. Add-ons such as SMS credits and extra bookings are listed in US dollars.
- Every plan caps monthly bookings: 50 on Free, 100 on Basic, 500 on Standard and 2,000 on Premium. Extra bookings are sold in packs of 100 for $4.
- SMS and WhatsApp credits ($8 per 100) and a custom domain ($119 with 3 years of SSL) are paid separately from the subscription.
- HIPAA and SAML SSO need Standard or above; accounting integrations and the white-label footer need Premium.
Key features
Picktime
- Online booking page
- Customers book from a hosted page or a widget for WordPress, Wix, Squarespace and other site builders, with unlimited appointments on every plan.
- Classes, resources and locations
- Manage group classes, rooms or equipment and several locations; the free plan allows 2 classes and 2 locations.
- Payments
- Free accepts PayPal only; Starter and Pro add Stripe and Square.
- Calendar sync
- Syncs with Google, Outlook, iCloud and Exchange calendars: one way on Free, two way from Starter.
- Reminders and notifications
- Email notifications are on every plan; email reminders and SMS notifications start at Starter, subject to the vendor's SMS policy.
- Round robin and waitlist
- Pro adds round-robin assignment, a waitlist, booking approval, discount coupons and a custom booking flow.
SimplyBook.me
- Booking website and widget
- Every plan includes a mobile-responsive booking website, a widget for an existing site, and bookings through a Facebook page. Instagram and Google Business buttons are also offered.
- Custom features
- Extras such as intake forms, memberships, gift cards, classes, waiting lists and SOAP notes are toggled on per account. Premium ones count against the plan's limit of 1, 3 or 8.
- Payments and point of sale
- From Basic, take online payments, deposits and tips through gateways such as Stripe, PayPal and Square, or sell in person with the POS. SimplyBook.me adds no transaction fee.
- Reminders by email, SMS and WhatsApp
- Automatic confirmation, reminder and cancellation emails are on every plan. SMS and WhatsApp messages use credits that are bought separately.
- Ask Simply and AI Voice Booking
- Ask Simply is a built-in AI chat for setting up services and managing bookings, and an MCP connection lets outside assistants run the account. AI Voice Booking uses paid credits.
- Admin and client apps
- The admin app for iOS and Android manages the calendar and bookings. Clients can book and reschedule in a client app, which can carry the business's own branding from Standard.
Plans
Picktime
Free$0
3 users, 3 resources, 2 locations, 2 classes, unlimited appointments and one-way calendar sync.
Starter$3
per user / month, billed annually ($4 billed monthly)
3 users, 5 classes, SMS reminders, recurring bookings, two-way calendar sync, Stripe and Square.
Pro$2.25
per user / month, billed annually ($3 billed monthly)
10 users and resources, unlimited locations and classes, round robin, waitlist and discount coupons.
SimplyBook.me
Free€0
50 bookings a month, 1 provider and 1 premium custom feature, with a booking website, widget and the admin app.
Basic€11.9
per month, billed annually (€13.9 billed monthly)
100 bookings, 5 providers and 3 premium custom features; adds the client app, payments, deposits, tips and point of sale.
Standard€24.9
per month, billed annually (€29.9 billed monthly)
500 bookings, 15 providers and 8 premium custom features; adds a branded client app, HIPAA features and SAML SSO.
Premium€49.9
per month, billed annually (€59.9 billed monthly)
2,000 bookings, 30 providers and unlimited custom features; adds Payments PRO, QuickBooks, FreshBooks and Xero links, and a white-label footer.
EnterpriseCustom
Custom booking volume and providers, multi-location cluster interface, account manager, high-load API and a choice of data location; billed annually.
Ways to pay less
Picktime
- Annual discount
Save up to 25% with yearly billing
The pricing page shows Starter at $3 and Pro at $2.25 per user a month billed annually, against $4 and $3 billed monthly.
SimplyBook.me
- Annual discount
Save up to 17% with annual billing
SimplyBook.me's pricing page puts the annual-billing saving at up to 17%, which it describes as two months free compared with paying monthly.
- Nonprofit
Nonprofit and charity discounts on request
The pricing FAQ invites nonprofit and charity organizations to contact SimplyBook.me to discuss qualifying discounts. No rate is published.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Picktime or SimplyBook.me?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Picktime starts at $3 per user / month, billed annually ($4 billed monthly), and SimplyBook.me starts at €11.9 per month, billed annually (€13.9 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, Picktime or SimplyBook.me?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both Picktime and SimplyBook.me have a free plan.
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.