SimplyBook.me vs Zoho Bookings
We give SimplyBook.me a 3.4 GPA and Zoho Bookings a 3.6, out of 4.0. Zoho Bookings grades higher on value for money. They get the same grade on the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
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
Zoho Bookings
Appointment scheduling with workspaces, workflows and Zoho CRM sync
How we grade them
| 3.4GPASimplyBook.meVery good | 3.6GPAZoho BookingsExcellent | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | BBasic is €11.9 a month billed annually, €13.9 monthly, for up to 5 providers. Good for a team, since it isn't per user. But it covers 100 bookings a month, and 500 means Standard at €24.9. Extra bookings are $4 per 100 and SMS credits $8 per 100. | ABasic is $6 a user a month billed annually, $8 monthly, and it already has round robin, collective bookings, email workflows, reports and Zoho CRM sync. Premium at $9 adds payments, routing forms and a custom domain. That's cheap for what you get. |
| Free plan and trial | BFree with no time limit, though it has to be renewed monthly: 50 bookings a month, 1 provider and 1 premium custom feature, with a booking website and the admin app. Taking payments needs Basic. Fine for a quiet solo practice, tight for anyone busier. | BThe Forever Free plan covers one user, with online meetings, notification emails and reminders, and two-way sync with Zoho, Google and Microsoft calendars. Decent for a soloist. One user is the hard limit, and the listing can't say what else is capped. |
| Features | AA booking website and widget, intake forms, memberships, gift cards, classes, waiting lists, online payments, deposits, tips and point of sale, plus reminders by email, SMS or WhatsApp. HIPAA features from Standard. That's the whole job, in depth. | AOne-on-one, collective, group and resource bookings, workspaces for branches or departments, round robin with four methods, routing forms, and workflows you can script yourself. Zia, Zoho's AI, can build a booking page from your web address. That's the job, in depth. |
| Ease of use | BAsk Simply, the built-in AI chat, sets up services and manages bookings for you, which helps, because there are a lot of switches here. We have no App Store rating on record to go by, so it stops at a B. | BZia can set the account up for you, which takes the edge off a product with this many options. We have no App Store rating on record to show how people get on with it, so it stops at a B. |
| Platforms and integrations | AWeb, plus admin and client apps for iPhone and Android. 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. | AWeb, iPhone and Android apps and a browser extension. It syncs with Google and Microsoft 365 calendars, works with Zoom, Teams, Stripe, PayPal, Zoho CRM and Zapier, and has an MCP server so outside AI assistants can manage appointments. |
| Best for | service businesses that want one flat booking fee | team booking on a small budget, more so with Zoho CRM |
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 Zoho Bookings. How we grade
Where they differ
- SimplyBook.me starts at €11.9 per month, billed annually (€13.9 billed monthly). Zoho Bookings starts at $6 per user / month, billed annually ($8 billed monthly).
- Only Zoho Bookings lists a browser extension.
- Zoho Bookings also covers workflow automation.
At a glance
| SimplyBook.me | Zoho Bookings | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | €11.9 per month, billed annually (€13.9 billed monthly) | $6 per user / month, billed annually ($8 billed monthly) |
| 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. | Forever Free plan: one user, online meetings, notification emails and reminders, and two-way calendar sync with Zoho, Google and Microsoft 365 or Outlook.com. |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial of most custom features with 50 bookings, no credit card needed | 15-day free trial of the Premium plan, no credit card required |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | SimplyBook.me Ltd | Zoho Corporation |
| Price read from | simplybook.me | zoho.com |
| Checked | Oct 5, 2026 | Oct 5, 2026 |
Who each one suits
SimplyBook.me
- Service businesses with several staff that prefer a flat fee over per-user pricing
- Combining booking with memberships, packages, gift cards or product sales
- Healthcare providers that need HIPAA features and intake forms
Zoho Bookings
- Teams already using Zoho CRM, Bigin or Zoho One
- Solo users who need a free booking page with two-way calendar sync
- Businesses with several branches or departments taking bookings
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.
Zoho Bookings
- The free plan is limited to one user.
- Online payments, group and recurring bookings, SMS and WhatsApp notifications, white labeling and a custom domain all need Premium.
- Basic is limited to one workspace. Extra workspaces beyond Premium's three, and bookable resources, are paid add-ons.
- Revenue reports, the customer portal, appointment limits and the audit log are Premium-only.
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.
Zoho Bookings
- Event types and booking pages
- Four event types: one-on-one, collective, group and resource-based. Share a booking link or embed a widget. Group, recurring and resource bookings need Premium.
- Workspaces
- Workspaces group event types by location or department. Basic is limited to one; Premium includes three, with more sold as add-ons.
- Round robin and routing forms
- Both paid plans distribute appointments across users with a choice of four methods. Premium adds routing forms that send a customer to the right booking page.
- Workflows
- Email notification workflows come with Basic. SMS workflows and custom workflows built with a script builder are part of Premium.
- Payments
- Premium can charge for appointments at booking through providers that include Stripe, PayPal and Razorpay.
- Zia setup and MCP server
- Zia, Zoho's AI, configures an account and can build a booking page from a company's web address. An MCP server lets outside AI assistants manage appointments.
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.
Zoho Bookings
Free$0
One user, online meetings, notification emails and reminders, and two-way sync with Zoho, Google and Microsoft calendars.
Basic$6
per user / month, billed annually ($8 billed monthly)
One workspace, one-on-one and collective bookings, round robin, email workflows, appointment reports, and Zapier and Zoho CRM integrations.
Premium$9
per user / month, billed annually ($12 billed monthly)
3 workspaces, group, recurring and resource bookings, online payments, SMS and WhatsApp notifications, routing forms, white labeling and a custom domain.
FlexCustom
A tailored plan for organizations with custom requirements, quoted by Zoho's sales team.
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.
Zoho Bookings
- Annual discount
Save 25% with yearly billing
Zoho's pricing FAQ says an annual plan saves 25%: Basic is $6 instead of $8 per user / month and Premium is $9 instead of $12.
- Nonprofit
Special pricing for nonprofits and education
The pricing FAQ says nonprofits and educational institutions get special pricing on request by email. No rate is published.
