TidyCal vs zcal

TidyCal

• Solo coaches, consultants and tutors who would rather pay once than monthly
• Selling paid sessions, packages and subscriptions from a booking page
• Small teams that want round robin on a flat-priced plan

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

TidyCal

• The Free plan connects 1 calendar and cannot auto-create Zoom, Google Meet or Teams links; those need a paid plan.
• Free and lifetime plans pay TidyCal a 1% platform fee on Stripe payments, on top of Stripe's own fees. Only Pro has none.
• Lifetime plans are bought through AppSumo, and Agency Lifetime licenses bought from September 1, 2026 are capped at 4 team seats.
• There is no iOS or Android app; TidyCal runs in a browser. The Pro subscription has no free trial.

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.

TidyCal

Booking page and booking types

Every plan includes a shareable booking page with unlimited booking types and unlimited bookings, one-click translation, guest invites and a listing in TidyCal's public directory.

Paid bookings

Charge for a booking through Stripe or PayPal and create discount codes, on every plan. TidyCal takes a 1% platform fee on Stripe payments except on Pro.

Recurring bookings, packages and subscriptions

Let clients book recurring appointments, pre-pay for a bundle of sessions, or subscribe to a package with recurring billing through Stripe.

Calendar sync

Connects to Google Calendar, Microsoft 365 and Apple Calendar to avoid double bookings: 1 calendar on Free, 10 on the lifetime plans and unlimited on Pro.

Team scheduling

Agency Lifetime and Pro add round robin distribution, collective meetings with several hosts, and a team page where attendees choose a team member.

Automations, API and AI

Paid plans connect to Zapier, the TidyCal API and AI assistants through MCP, and include an AI booking assistant, Google Analytics and Tag Manager tracking.

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.

TidyCal

• Free$0

  Unlimited bookings and booking types, paid bookings through Stripe and PayPal, your own booking page and 1 calendar connection.

• Individual Lifetime$29

  one-time payment, sold on AppSumo

  Adds automatic Zoom, Google Meet and Teams links, group bookings, custom emails, booking limits, AI features, API access and 10 calendar connections.

• Agency Lifetime$79

  one-time payment, sold on AppSumo

  Adds round robin and collective meetings, a team booking page with 4 seats, and 10 SMS reminders a month for US and Canadian numbers.

• Pro$8.25

  per month, billed annually at $99 ($12 billed monthly)

  Everything in Agency, plus a custom domain, no TidyCal branding, no platform fee, priority support and unlimited calendar connections and SMS reminders.

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.

TidyCal

• Lifetime license

  Lifetime plans from $29

  Individual Lifetime ($29) and Agency Lifetime ($79) are single payments with no renewal, bought through AppSumo and activated on a TidyCal account.

• Annual discount

  Save 31% on Pro with yearly billing

  Pro costs $99 a year, or $8.25 a month, instead of $12 a month. The pricing page labels the yearly option -31%.

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.