The best free scheduling app for small business, and its limits
Five apps with a real $0 plan, what each free plan includes, where it stops, and when paying a little beats working around the limits. Including our own, which is not free.
14-day free trial · no credit card · from $30/mo · your techs are free
We make FieldStacker, so weigh our pick accordingly. FieldStacker does not have a free scheduling plan, and we say so in its entry. Every free plan below was read from that company's own site on October 26, 2026.
"Free" usually means a limit somewhere: one event type, one calendar, one user, the app's logo on your page, no text reminders, or higher card fees. None of that is a problem if it does not touch how you work. The table after the list puts the limits side by side.
Free scheduling software for small business, one by one
Who each is for, what the free plan does well, the price to upgrade, and one honest limitation.
Square Appointments
For: appointment businesses that also take card payments in person. Free plan does well: online booking, appointment reminders and staff calendars with no employee limit, plus Square's card payments. Price: Free $0/mo per location; Plus $49/mo and Premium $149/mo per location. Limitation: online card payments cost 3.3% + 30¢ on the free plan, versus 2.9% + 30¢ on paid plans.
Setmore
For: small teams of up to 4 who book appointments. Free plan does well: up to 4 users, a branded booking page with a custom URL, a "Book Now" button for your website, email confirmations, and payments through Square, Stripe or PayPal. Price: Free $0; Pro: check their site (the page showed more than one figure when we checked). Limitation: one email reminder, no text reminders, no two-way calendar sync and no recurring appointments on the free plan.
Calendly
For: one person booking calls and meetings. Free plan does well: a customizable booking page for one-on-one scheduling, connected to one calendar. Price: Free; Standard $10/seat/mo; Teams $16/seat/mo. Limitation: one event type, one calendar connection, no automated reminders and Calendly branding on the free plan.
Zoho Bookings
For: a solo owner who wants reminders and calendar sync free. Free plan does well: one user, notification emails and reminders, and two-way sync with Zoho, Google and Microsoft calendars. Price: Free; Basic listed at $6 to $8 per user/mo and Premium at $9 to $12 depending on billing. Limitation: the free plan is for one user only.
Google Calendar booking page
For: someone who already lives in Google Calendar. Free plan does well: one shareable booking page from a personal Google account, with bookings straight onto your calendar. Price: no cost for one page; more needs a Google Workspace Business Standard plan or higher (check Google's pricing page). Limitation: email reminders, multiple booking pages, multi-calendar conflict checks and Stripe payments are paid features.
FieldStacker (not free)
For: home and field service businesses that send people to customers' houses. Does well: online booking of your real open times, a Requests inbox, a schedule board by tech, service plans with autopay, day routes, and quotes and invoices in the same app. Techs are free. Price: 14-day free trial, no card; Website & Hosting $15/mo includes online booking into your Google Calendar; Pro $30/mo. The Digital Business Card is free forever. Limitation: no free scheduling plan.
Field service tools such as Jobber and Housecall Pro did not list a free plan on their pricing pages when we checked; both offer a 14-day free trial with no card. See Jobber pricing and Housecall Pro pricing.
Free booking apps for small business: the limits side by side
Free plans only, from each company's own site, checked October 26, 2026. "Check site" means the page did not say.
| Free plan | Square Appointments | Setmore | Calendly | Zoho Bookings | Google Calendar | FieldStacker |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | $0/mo per location | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 (one page) | No free plan; 14-day trial |
| People who can be booked | No employee limit | Up to 4 users | 1 | 1 user | 1 | Techs free on paid plans |
| Reminders | Yes | 1 email reminder | No | Paid Workspace | Calendar invites that follow the job | |
| Take payment | Yes (3.3% + 30¢ online) | Yes (Square, Stripe, PayPal) | Check site | Check site | Paid Workspace | Your own Stripe, no added fee |
| Quotes, invoices, recurring visits | Check site | No recurring appointments | Check site | Check site | Check site | Yes, on Pro |
Outgrown the free plan? Try FieldStacker free for 14 days
Bring your customer list from any app. We import it for free.
- No credit card to start
- From $30/mo after the trial
- Your techs and cleaners are free
- Cancel any time from the app
When a free scheduling app is enough, and when it is not
A quick test before you set one up.
Do customers come to you?
Salons, studios, tutors and consultants book a slot at a set place. A free booking app fits well.
Or do you go to them?
Then the address, drive time and a price that depends on the house matter as much as the time slot.
Is it more than you?
Several free plans allow one person. A second tech can mean a paid plan anyway.
What happens after?
If every booking turns into a quote, an invoice or a repeat visit, count the time spent re-typing it elsewhere.
FieldStacker's free part: your digital card
What FieldStacker gives away is a Digital Business Card: a trackable card with a QR code and review capture, free forever with no credit card. It does not include a website. When you want customers to book your open times, the Website & Hosting plan at $15/mo adds your website with online booking into your Google Calendar, and Pro at $30/mo adds the schedule board for your techs, quotes, invoices and card payments.
- Digital Business Card: free, QR code, review capture
- Website & Hosting: $15/mo, with online booking
- Pro: $30/mo, with scheduling, invoices and techs free
Repeat customers who schedule themselves
For a service business, the valuable bookings are the repeat ones. In FieldStacker you put a customer on a plan, send them their scheduling link, and they add a card, schedule visits and manage the plan themselves. You mark each visit done, skip one, or pause the plan. Compare that with the texts you send now to book each repeat visit by hand.
Free scheduling app questions
What is the best free scheduling app for a small business?
For booking appointment slots, Square Appointments' free plan is the most complete we found: online booking, reminders and no employee limit, at $0 a month. For one person booking calls, Calendly, Zoho Bookings and Google Calendar's free booking page all work. For field service jobs at customers' houses, free plans run out quickly, and a low-cost paid tool is often cheaper than the time lost.
Is there free scheduling software for small business with more than one staff member?
Yes. As checked October 26, 2026, Square Appointments' free plan lists no employee limit, and Setmore's free plan allows up to 4 users. Calendly's and Zoho Bookings' free plans are for one person.
What are the best free booking apps for small business?
Square Appointments, Setmore, Calendly, Zoho Bookings and Google Calendar's booking page all have a free option. They differ on reminders, payments, branding and how many people can be booked, so check the limits table above against how you work.
Does the free plan send appointment reminders?
It depends. Square Appointments' free plan lists appointment reminders, Setmore's sends email confirmations and one email reminder, and Zoho Bookings' free plan includes reminder emails. Calendly's free plan does not include automated reminders, and Google's are part of paid Workspace plans.
Is FieldStacker free?
No. FieldStacker has a 14-day free trial with no card, and a Digital Business Card that is free forever (no website). Website & Hosting is $15/mo and includes online booking into your Google Calendar; Pro is $30/mo and adds quotes, invoices, service plans and day routes, with techs free.
What is the catch with free scheduling apps?
Usually limits: one booking page or event type, one calendar, the app's branding on your page, no text reminders, or higher card fees. Square's free plan, for example, charges 3.3% + 30¢ for online card payments versus 2.9% + 30¢ on its paid plans.
Related: best scheduling software for service businesses · scheduling for small business · online booking for home services · free field service software · FieldStacker pricing
Free is fine until the jobs pile up
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