SimplyBook.me vs Waitwhile (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, SimplyBook.me grades higher than Waitwhile: 2.4 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
SimplyBook.me grades higher on features and platforms. They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
SimplyBook.me
Online booking system for service businesses, priced by volume
Waitwhile
Virtual waitlist and appointment booking for walk-in businesses
Which one is for you
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
Pick Waitwhile if
- Fits if you run a walk-in business such as a clinic or a salon
- Works for a single location staying under 50 visits a month
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you are staying free, as 1 location and 50 visits a month is the cap
- Pricey if you grow, as the price rises with locations and visits and SMS credit is only $2
- Watch out: the API, webhooks and SMS team notifications need Business at $55
- Watch out: SAML, SSO and the report builder are Enterprise only, through sales
- Watch out: the page does not say if listed prices are monthly or annual billing
How we grade them
| 2.4GPASimplyBook.meFair | 2.0GPAWaitwhileFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | 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. | C$31 a month for 1 location and 250 visits, in the dearer half of calendar tools; the middle one is $8. |
| Free plan and trial | 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. | CFree plan: 1 location and 50 visits a month, which a busy shop passes fast. |
| Features | 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. | CWaitlist, booking, messaging, kiosk and analytics. The synchronized waitlist and bookings need Business. |
| Ease of use | 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. | CNo store rating on record. You configure services, locations and the kiosk. |
| Platforms and integrations | 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. | CWeb only, and no integrations are named in the listing. |
| Best for | service businesses that want one flat booking fee | waitlists and walk-in queues |
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: SimplyBook.me and Waitwhile. How we grade
Price against what you get
SimplyBook.me starts at about $13.29 a month and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Waitwhile starts at $31 a month and scores 2.0.
SimplyBook.me scores higher and starts $17.71 a month lower. Of the other calendar and scheduling apps on the chart, 17 score higher than SimplyBook.me for less, and 75 score higher than Waitwhile 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
- SimplyBook.me also covers reports.
- Waitwhile also covers appointment booking and dashboards.
At a glance
| SimplyBook.me | Waitwhile | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | €11.9 per month, billed annually (€13.9 billed monthly) | $31 per month for 1 location and 250 visits; billing basis not shown |
| Free plan | 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. | 1 location, 50 visits a month, 2-way customer messages, single-location statistics and basic branding. |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial of most custom features with 50 bookings, no credit card needed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | SimplyBook.me Ltd | Waitwhile |
| Price read from | simplybook.me | waitwhile.com |
| Checked | Oct 5, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
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.
Waitwhile
- The free plan stops at 1 location and 50 visits a month, and the plans include only a $2 SMS credit.
- API and webhooks, SMS team notifications and the synchronized waitlist need Business.
- SAML and SSO and the report builder are Enterprise only, sold through sales.
- The page does not say whether the listed prices are for monthly or annual billing; it offers 20% off for annual billing.
Key features
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.
Waitwhile
- Virtual waitlist
- Customers join a line from their phone, and a TV display can show the live waitlist on any screen.
- Appointment booking
- A bookings module lets customers schedule slots, with services, staff and resources set up per location.
- Customer messaging
- Two-way SMS, email and web chat with customers. SMS runs on credits; the plans include a $2 credit to try it.
- Check-in kiosk
- A self sign-up and check-in kiosk lets customers register their arrival on a device at the location.
- Waitlist and booking sync
- The Business plan merges appointments and waitlisted customers into one queue with its LineSync feature.
- Multi-location analytics
- Single-location statistics are on every plan; basic multi-location analytics start on Starter and advanced ones on Business.
Plans
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.
Waitwhile
Free$0
1 location, 50 visits a month, 2-way customer messages and team notifications by email and push.
Starter$31
per month, 1 location and 250 visits; billing basis not shown
Up to 10 locations and 2,500 visits a month. Price rises with locations and visits.
Business$55
per month; entry tier, billing basis not shown
Up to 10 locations and 5,000 visits a month, custom user roles, API and webhooks, and a synchronized waitlist and bookings.
EnterpriseCustom
Custom locations and visits, report builder, SAML and SSO, SLA and invoicing, and white-label branding.
Ways to pay less
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.
Waitwhile
- Annual discount
Save 20% on annual billing
Waitwhile's pricing page says annual billing saves 20% compared with monthly billing.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, SimplyBook.me or Waitwhile?
As of Nov 13, 2026, SimplyBook.me is cheaper to start with: about $13.29 a month, against $31 a month for Waitwhile. SimplyBook.me starts at €11.9 per month, billed annually (€13.9 billed monthly), and Waitwhile starts at $31 per month for 1 location and 250 visits; billing basis not shown.
Which has a free plan, SimplyBook.me or Waitwhile?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both SimplyBook.me and Waitwhile have a free plan.
Which platforms do SimplyBook.me and Waitwhile run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only SimplyBook.me lists 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.