Doodle vs. Calendly: Which scheduling software streamlines your appointments better?

Are you free? How about half an hour on Monday? Can we get the team together for an update? The list goes on and on. Now more than ever demands for our time at work and home feel greater than ever. 

It’s the reason why effective appointment scheduling and management are crucial for busy professionals, entrepreneurs and freelancers.

But with numerous scheduling software solutions available, it can be challenging to determine which one best suits your needs. Today, we’ll explore and compare two popular platforms - Calendly and Doodle - to help you make an informed decision and optimize your appointment booking process.

Understanding Calendly

Calendly is a comprehensive scheduling software designed to simplify the appointment booking process. With it, users can easily set their availability preferences, share their unique scheduling link and allow invitees to select suitable time slots. 

Calendly is one of the choices for professionals seeking streamlined appointment scheduling.

Unveiling Doodle

Doodle, on the other hand, offers a unique approach to appointment scheduling through its simple, yet effective scheduling system. Users can create meetings in three innovative ways. 

Group Polls are one of the world’s favorite ways to get people together. Simply, choose the dates and times you want to meet and share it with the people you need. They pick what works and you have time to meet in minutes. 

Booking Page makes it easy to set your availability and send it with just a link. People can then book time with you, but only when you choose to be free. No more double-booking or meeting when you don’t want to It will automate your calendar leaving you time for more important things. 

Doodle 1:1 lets you meet with one other person quickly. Like Group Polls, pick the dates and times you’re free. Send it to the person you want to meet and they pick a slot that suits. Once they do this, the event will appear on both your calendars. 

Doodle also integrates with various digital calendars including Google Calendar and some of the world’s favorite video conference tools like Zoom and Microsoft Teams. 

Appointment booking and management

When comparing the appointment booking features of Calendly and Doodle, both platforms offer customizable options to suit individual preferences. 

Calendly allows users to set specific availability windows, define meeting durations and personalize the booking process with automated email notifications and reminders. However, the process can be a little difficult to get a grasp of straight away. 

Doodle's Group Polls simplifies scheduling with lots of people. It enables participants to vote on their preferred meeting times and find something that works for everyone in minutes. 

Booking Page is great for someone who has people book time with them - the likes of a freelance hairdresser or consultant. Create one or multiple pages, so that when people click on they can book one of your free slots that suits them. 

User experience and ease of use

The user experience is a critical factor when selecting scheduling software. 

Calendly boasts an intuitive interface. However, it takes a while to figure out what meeting type is the right one to use. Adding info is relatively straightforward after that though finding the results is a little confusing.

Doodle's dashboard by contrast is very simple to use giving a great user experience. This means that users of all technical skill levels can book meetings easily. 

Customer support and reliability

Reliable customer support is essential when utilizing any software platform. 

Calendly provides extensive resources, including guides and documentation, to assist users in navigating their features effectively. 

Doodle also offers comprehensive support in multiple languages, ensuring users have access to the information and assistance they need for a smooth experience.

Pricing 

How do the tools compare when it comes to cost? 

Both Calendly and Doodle offer annual and monthly plans, so depending on your circumstances you can have either tool for as little or as much as you need. 

Calendly starts at $8 a month when paid for annually. However to get access to many of the professional features you need to look at the Professional plan which starts at $12 if paid for annually or $15 if paid for monthly. 

Doodle, by contrast, comes in at $6.95 a month when paid for annually or $14.95 on a monthly subscription. With comparable features to Calendly’s Professional plan, you can save around $60 a year using Doodle over Calendly, if paid for annually. 

Unique selling points

While both Calendly and Doodle offer valuable features, they have unique selling points that set them apart. 

Calendly's strength lies in being something that is fairly well known worldwide and its comprehensive set of features tailored to individual appointment scheduling. 

On the other hand, Doodle excels in all areas of meeting planning including, group coordination, interviews, one-to-ones and so much more. This makes it the ideal choice for collaborative scheduling and polling.

Choosing the right scheduling software is essential for optimizing time management and improving productivity. Whether you opt for Calendly or Doodle depends on your specific needs and preferences. 

Calendly's individual appointment booking features make it a popular choice for professionals. 

However, Doodle's collaborative polling system, ease of use and intuitive group coordination capabilities make it the preferred solution for those working in teams, planning lots of meetings or arranging group events. 

With greater value for money, comparable features to Calendly and a dedicated support team - Doodle could just be what you need to automate your calendar and revolutionize your scheduling.