Best Online Appointment Scheduling Software
Online appointment scheduling software provides customers with a portal to book an appointment online and enables businesses to track and manage those appointments. This software enables businesses to schedule appointments, view calendars, print forms, integrate payment options, customize schedules, and enforce scheduling rules. Additional features may include automated emails (reminders, follow-ups, cancellations, rescheduling, etc.) and notifications, online payment for services, custom profiles, and calendar integrations. A feature that is becoming more popular within this software is the use of AI scheduling, where typical schedules are analyzed and times are suggested based on all parties' time zones, best work hours, and consistent availability.
This software can integrate with enterprise content management systems, email software, meeting management software, video conferencing software, and calendar software, among other useful office software. Online appointment scheduling tools are used by various appointment-based business segments, such as health and wellness professionals, salon and beauty professionals, professional service providers, and medical professionals. Having access to online appointment scheduling software allows for service and appointment-based businesses to boost revenue and clientele bases.
There are some categories similar to online appointment scheduling, but offer features for different use cases or business types. For instance, patient scheduling software caters specifically to healthcare and medical professionals. Business scheduling software is meant for internal business meetings as well as teams who work with outside vendors or customers. Sales, revenue operations, recruitment, and customer success teams use business scheduling software to schedule one-on-one meetings or groups to accomplish specific goals. The biggest difference between business scheduling and online appointment scheduling tools is that the latter enables scheduling and receiving payments. Business scheduling users do not need to collect payment as that is not beneficial to the meetings scheduled via this software.
To qualify for inclusion in the Online Appointment Scheduling category, a product must:
Best Online Appointment Scheduling Software At A Glance
G2 takes pride in showing unbiased reviews on user satisfaction in our ratings and reports. We do not allow paid placements in any of our ratings, rankings, or reports. Learn about our scoring methodologies.
Launch and grow your business with Microsoft 365. Do more, faster, with intelligent tools to create, send, share, and store professional, branded documents with your customers and team - securely in t
Microsoft 365 is a productivity suite that integrates tools like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Teams for work and collaboration. Reviewers appreciate the seamless integration across the suite, the accessibility from any device, and the automatic saving and syncing feature that enhances reliability. Users experienced issues with the high subscription cost, heavy reliance on internet connectivity, and frequent updates that sometimes make the interface confusing.
13,088,482 Twitter followers
Calendly helps individuals, teams, and organizations automate the meeting lifecycle by removing the back and forth with scheduling. Calendly’s cloud-based platform offers a new layer of the modern dig
Calendly is a scheduling tool that allows users to manage their meetings and appointments by providing available slots for clients to book. Reviewers like the ease of use, the ability to pre-plan their day, the automatic calendar sync that avoids double bookings, and the reminders and follow-ups that run quietly in the background. Reviewers experienced limitations in customization in the free version, inability to edit time slots, and some useful features being locked behind higher-tier plans.
21,878 Twitter followers
Qualified is the Agentic Marketing platform for B2B companies around the world. Headquartered in San Francisco, Qualified is built to modernize and maximize inbound pipeline generation with Piper the
Qualified is a tool that helps connect with website visitors, understand their activity, and generate better leads. Reviewers appreciate the excellent level of customer success offered by the Qualified team, the AI chatbot functionality, and the ability to streamline processes with automatic appointment setting. Reviewers experienced issues with incorrect account tagging, a need for interface improvement, and difficulties in refining the list of industries offered.
712 Twitter followers
GReminders is the ONLY AI-powered end-to-end meeting management platform BUILT for Financial and Professional Services. Online scheduling built exclusively for Google, Microsoft Outlook / Office 36
GReminders is a scheduling and reminder tool that integrates with various CRM systems and offers features such as automated reminders, scheduling links, and an AI notetaker. Reviewers frequently mention the ease of use, the visibility of the checkmark once someone has responded, the ability to create multiple reminders, and the convenience of the AI notetaker. Reviewers noted some issues with integrating the tool with certain CRM systems, a somewhat outdated user interface, and a steep learning curve for setting up the system.
Trusted by more than 35 million users worldwide, Jotform is a powerful online form builder designed to help individuals and organizations create, customize, and publish forms in minutes, from any devi
Jotform is a tool for creating forms, collecting data, and integrating apps and services, which can be used for various purposes such as customer surveys, booking systems, and data management. Reviewers like the user-friendly interface, the ease of setup, the ability to customize forms, the AI-generated assistant, and the seamless integration with other platforms like Google Sheets. Reviewers mentioned issues with understanding some features, limitations on the free plan, difficulties with certain integrations, and challenges with form routing and setting up rules.
39,420 Twitter followers
The better way to schedule meetings Cal.com is a modern, fully customizable scheduling platform that gives businesses complete control over how meetings are booked, routed, and managed. Designed
83 Twitter followers
Waitwhile is a user-friendly queue management and appointment scheduling solution designed to help businesses optimize their operations and enhance customer experiences. By offering virtual waitlists
Waitwhile is a software tool that assists in managing customer information, order numbers, and wait times, and also facilitates communication with customers. Users like Waitwhile's intuitive user interface, its ability to monitor tasks, manage waitlines, send notifications, and provide analytics reporting, and its ease of setup and use. Reviewers experienced issues with the notification system for staff when orders are edited, the lack of automated transition from 'waiting' to 'serving', difficulties in adjusting store and seat hours, and occasional app crashes.
183 Twitter followers
WellnessLiving is the fastest-growing, all-in-one business management software for the fitness and wellness industry. Trusted by over 5,000 business owners and more than 15 million users worldwide, We
WellnessLiving is a business management software that helps in organizing administrative tasks, setting up classes, and managing client profiles. Reviewers like the intuitive nature of the software, its seamless integration of various features, and the responsive customer support that is always available to assist. Reviewers experienced challenges in setting up classes, found the onboarding process overwhelming, and had issues with the software's location accuracy and currency conversion.
281 Twitter followers
Thryv is an AI-powered marketing and sales platform built specifically for small businesses, helping you market smarter, sell more, and grow faster—all from one centralized solution. Designed to repla
Thryv is a business management tool that handles customers, appointments, payments, and marketing. Users like the time-saving aspect of Thryv, its ability to keep everything organized in one place, and its features for lead capture, lead scoring, email marketing, and social media marketing. Users mentioned that some features are complex at first, the learning curve is steep, the price can be high for small teams, and there are occasional glitches with calendar sync.
8,460 Twitter followers
Square Point of Sale is a powerful, flexible POS system built for every kind of business—from restaurants and retailers to salons and professional services. With Square POS, you can manage your ent
Square Point of Sale is a point of sale system that allows businesses to accept multiple forms of payment, manage inventory, and track sales. Users frequently mention the ease of use, flexibility, and convenience of Square Point of Sale, highlighting its user-friendly interface, quick setup, and ability to accept various payment methods. Users experienced issues with high transaction fees, limited customization options, and poor customer support, with some also expressing dissatisfaction with the system's integration with other platforms.
308,474 Twitter followers
Wix is a website builder that lets any business or individual build their own professional website. By combining design tools and business solutions in one AI-powered platform, Wix makes it easy for a
Wix is a website building platform that allows users to create interactive websites using a drag-and-drop interface and a variety of templates. Users like the platform's intuitive design, the variety of templates available, the ease of use, and the quality of customer service provided by Wix. Users experienced issues with the mobile and tablet versions not syncing well, occasional lagging during website customization, and some found the platform to be expensive.
389,311 Twitter followers
Doodle is the easiest way to bring people together — without the endless email threads. Whether you're planning a 1:1, hosting a team sync, or coordinating a larger group, Doodle helps you find the ri
10,357 Twitter followers
Housecall Pro is a comprehensive business solution for home service professionals. Trusted by over 45,000 businesses, it offers a range of innovative tools and features via an easy-to-use platform.
Acuity Scheduling is flexible scheduling software designed to support anyone in the business of time. Whether you offer appointments, classes, consultations, or excursions, Acuity can help you create
138,572 Twitter followers
Client communication is a time-consuming process: Aren't you sick of emailing back and forth to set up online meetings using third-party services? Don't you have enough of the slowdowns and inefficien
Meetergo is a scheduling and meeting management tool that provides features such as smart forms, routing logic, built-in video conferencing, and compliance control. Reviewers frequently mention the tool's reliability, security, ease of use, and its ability to efficiently manage bookings, with features like AI email scheduling, automated reminders, and mobile sync being particularly appreciated. Reviewers mentioned some initial complexity in understanding the logic builder and dashboard, a desire for more color options and detailed analytics, and occasional issues with AI language understanding and notification emails landing in the 'Promotions' tab.
Learn More About Online Appointment Scheduling Software
What is Online Appointment Scheduling Software?
Online appointment scheduling software solutions are designed to keep your events and meetings organized. These software solutions are especially valuable to businesses who offer appointment-based services to their customers. Businesses can manage their upcoming appointments and take reservations for future meetings. These solutions tend to offer a customer portal so they can book the appointment themselves right on the platform. Online appointment scheduling software tends to integrate with solutions such as content management systems and website builders so that businesses can integrate these solutions right in their business’ website.
This software eliminates the need for customers to call businesses and for those businesses to keep paper calendars and planners. Online appointment scheduling software automates the business appointment scheduling process on both sides of the equation. These solutions also let users print schedules and forms, customize schedules, and enforce various scheduling rules.
This software can also facilitate cancellations, help users reschedule their appointments, and assist with online payment options. This software is able to send reminders to all parties involved in an upcoming appointment and capture customer information so businesses can run effective and targeted marketing campaigns.
Online appointment scheduling software is leveraged by businesses to help book a number of different kinds of appointments, including but not limited to classes, workshops, tours, and more. Businesses in many different fields can use these solutions to their advantage as well. For example, fitness organizations can use this software to book workout classes and personal training sessions. Those in the food service industry can use online appointment scheduling software for restaurant reservations and catering appointments.
Key Benefits of Online Appointment Scheduling Software
- Reduce no-shows to your appointments
- Improve the overall productivity of your staff
- Attract new clients and retain existing clients
Why Use Online Appointment Scheduling Software?
Bringing an online appointment scheduling solution into your business’ software stack boasts many benefits. The following are just a few reasons why a business should use these software solutions.
Reduce no-shows for your professional appointments — With traditional paper calendars and planners, it could be easy to forget about an upcoming appointment, whether you are the customer or business in question. These solutions can keep track of your appointments and send calls, emails or texts to notify your customers of your upcoming meeting. This will reduce your no-shows and ensure your staff’s time is well spent.
Attract new customers and retain current customers — If your business has an online appointment scheduling software solution on its website, it will be far easier for customers to schedule time with you, as opposed to going through email or the phone. These solutions allow customers to schedule at their own convenience, as they won’t be tied to business hours. This easy appointment scheduling option will prove to be a valuable asset to convince current customers to stay loyal to your businesses.
Improve staff’s productivity — It can be tricky for representatives from your business to manage various customer appointments during peak business hours. With online appointment scheduling software solutions, employees from your business can keep track of all upcoming appointments. If either party needs to reschedule, this software can easily allow for that option so that potential and current customers are not lost.
Drive business revenue — Without these software solutions, scheduling appointments could be time-consuming. But as online appointment scheduling software allows users to automate the appointment scheduling process, your business can focus on tasks that will drive revenue for the organization.
Who Uses Online Appointment Scheduling Software?
Online appointment scheduling software is used by businesses in customer-facing roles. Users in these industries regularly meet with their customers to maintain professional relationships and gain new business. These organizations regularly juggle multiple meetings at once, so online appointment scheduling software keeps them organized and on top of all their meetings.
Health and beauty organizations — Online appointment scheduling software is heavily utilized in this field. This includes hair salons, medical offices, spas, and more. Clients can directly schedule appointments with the person they’d like to see through this software. If clients do not have a particular person in mind, they can submit their availability and be matched to a health or beauty professional at the time that works for them.
Fitness and recreation centers — Clients sign up for various classes and personal training sessions at fitness and recreation centers. Online appointment scheduling software solutions integrate right into a fitness and recreation center’s website and let customers sign up for classes at their convenience. Some solutions should be able to inform clients if the class they want to sign up for is full.
Field service careers — People in field service careers tend to make house calls to perform particular services for their customers. This includes but is not limited to cleaning services, pest control, and more. Customers can use online appointment scheduling software to sign up for the time that they would like these business representatives to stop at their house to perform that service for them.
Kinds of Online Appointment Scheduling Software
All online appointment scheduling software solutions have the same end game, which is to help users book and manage appointments with clients. For that reason, there is not much variation in the different types of online appointment scheduling software. Some solutions vary in their focus though, whether it is on a certain feature or business size.
Online Appointment Scheduling Software Features
The following features are commonly found within online appointment scheduling software solutions:
Online booking — This particular feature can let your customers book, reschedule, or even follow up with appointments. Some online appointment scheduling software solutions will even automatically sync your appointments across multiple devices, such as desktops, tablets, and mobile devices.
Automated scheduling — This feature can confirm or deny an appointment when a party makes a booking request based on the business representative’s availability. This functionality also gives businesses the ability to manage a waitlist so that a customer may be added if an existing appointment is cancelled or rescheduled.
Online payments — Online appointment scheduling software typically integrates with payment gateway software. This enables businesses to collect payments as appointments are scheduled through the platform.
Calendar management — This allows users to share their calendars with customers so those customers can take a look at different availabilities. That way, they can request an appointment at a time that works for both parties.
Employee scheduling — Online appointment scheduling software solutions also help employees schedule appointments with one another. This software lets users view multiple calendars at once so that employees can see how their schedules line up.
Additional Online Appointment Scheduling Features
Automatic reminders — These solutions send automatic reminders to all parties involved in an upcoming appointment. These reminders can be sent through email notifications or SMS text messaging.
Promotions management — This feature is particularly useful for those businesses that charge clients for booking appointments. If these businesses offer discounts for a certain timespan, that promotion will show up on employees’ calendars for the given days.
Potential Issues with Online Appointment Scheduling Software
Despite the many benefits it offers to businesses, online appointment scheduling software has its own set of disadvantages, just like any piece of technology. The following are a few problems that users of online appointment scheduling software may run into.
The right tool will potentially be expensive — Before you settle on the right online appointment scheduling solution for your business, you will need to take a lot of features into consideration. Does it integrate easily with your business’s website? Does it integrate with your calendar software? Do you need to have the ability for customers to be able to submit payments directly through the platform? There’s a great chance that all these features in one tool could come at a hefty price.
Technology can lead to miscommunication — Arranging meetings in person or over the phone can be incredibly time-consuming. But direct contact typically ensures that all parties involved in an appointment are on the same page. When communication only happens through technology, there’s a chance that it can lead to some type of miscommunication.
Using this software could potentially cause your business to lose a personal touch with customers — When you chat with potential and current customers face to face, you build a certain rapport with them. This is part of what attracts new customers and keeps current customers returning for more. Limiting conversations to only online appointment scheduling software solutions could cause you to lose that personal touch with your clients, since it will be hard to develop a professional relationship with them.
