Introduction: Calendly vs. Doodle

Managing meetings and appointments efficiently is crucial for productivity. Two popular online scheduling tools, Calendly vs Doodle, offer solutions to streamline this process. In this article, we will delve into the key features of both tools and provide insights to help you make an informed choice.

Key Features of Calendly:

Calendly is a versatile scheduling platform that automates the process of finding suitable meeting times. It offers several plans, including a free Basic plan, Essentials, Professional, and Teams. Let’s explore some of its key features:

1. Free Plan:

• Calendly’s free plan allows you to create and manage schedules, integrate with your calendar, and send meeting polls at no cost.
• However, it is limited to one-on-one events and lacks advanced features like analytics and team collaboration.

2. Cross-Platform Integration:

• Calendly seamlessly integrates with various platforms. You can sync your calendar to update your availability automatically.
• Integration with email platforms such as Gmail and Outlook enables automated emails, follow-ups, and reminders.
• Calendly can be integrated into your website for easy appointment booking.
• It supports integration with payment platforms for secure transactions and with video conferencing software for virtual meetings.

3. Automation:

• Calendly simplifies task automation, allowing you to set up recurring meetings and collect feedback, surveys, or reminders.
• These automation features are available in paid plans, enhancing your efficiency.

4. Collaboration Tools:

• Calendly excels in team scheduling with features like automatic task assignment and Round Robin booking.
• Participants can schedule meetings with team members of their choice, with events synced to individual calendars.
• An analytics dashboard provides valuable insights into account activity and scheduling trends.

5. Meeting Polls:

• Calendly’s meeting polls help coordinate meeting times among multiple participants efficiently.
• Proposed meeting times can be temporarily reserved on your calendar.

Key Features of Doodle:

Doodle is another scheduling platform with a focus on poll-based scheduling. It offers a Free plan, Pro, Team, and Enterprise plans. Here are some of Doodle’s features:

1. Free Plan:

• Doodle’s Free plan offers limited functionality, making it suitable for testing the platform.
• It includes a booking page and unlimited group polls but displays ads.

2. Synchronization:

• Doodle allows synchronization with popular calendars like Google Calendar, Outlook, and iCloud, keeping your availability up to date.

3. Group Polls:

• Doodle’s group polls simplify scheduling by letting participants choose suitable meeting times.
• You can set deadlines, add locations, or limit participants with the Pro plan.

4. Individual Meetings:

• Individual meetings can be scheduled on Doodle, including descriptions, locations, and availability times.
• The Pro plan enhances this with deadline setting and reminders.

5. Integrations and Automations:

• Doodle offers integrations with various platforms, including video conferencing, email, and calendars.
• Email integrations streamline communication and reminder sending.

Feature	Calendly	Doodle
Free Plan	Yes (Basic)	Yes (Limited functionality with ads)
Paid Plans	Essentials, Professional, Teams, Enterprise	Pro, Team, Enterprise
Pricing	$10, $15, $20 (billed monthly)	$14.95, $19.95 (billed monthly), Custom (Enterprise)
Integration with Calendar	Yes	Yes
Integration with Email	Yes (Gmail, Outlook, etc.)	Yes (Email platforms)
Integration with Website	Yes	Limited (Primarily focused on video conferencing, calendars, and email)
Payment Integration	Yes	Limited (Primarily for virtual meetings)
Automation Features	Yes (Available in paid plans)	Limited (Available in Pro plan)
Team Scheduling	Yes (Round Robin booking, team collaboration)	Limited (Team plan available)
Meeting Polls	Yes	Yes
Analytics Dashboard	Yes	No
Clean Interface	Yes (No ads, even in the free plan)	No (Free plan displays ads)
Extensive Integrations	Yes (Over 100 platforms)	Limited (Focused on basic integrations)

This table provides a quick overview of the features and differences between Calendly and Doodle, helping you make an informed choice based on your specific scheduling needs.

Calendly vs. Doodle: Our Verdict:

Both Calendly and Doodle are excellent scheduling tools, each with its strengths. Calendly offers a cleaner interface, even in its free plan, without ads. It excels in integrations, automation, and analytics. The platform’s pricing is slightly higher, with plans ranging from $10 to $20 per month.

Doodle, while slightly cheaper, has a less intuitive interface and displays ads on the free plan. It is more limited in terms of integrations, mainly focusing on video conferencing, calendars, and email. Doodle’s pricing ranges from $14.95 to $19.95 per month.

Calendly stands out as the better scheduling tool, offering robust features, extensive integrations, and a clean, ad-free interface. It is ideal for large-scale scheduling, making it suitable for teams and organizations.

Finding the Right Scheduling Tool:

To choose between Calendly and Doodle, consider your unique workflow and prioritize the features that matter most to you. Both tools can enhance your scheduling process, whether for personal or professional use. Explore additional ways to improve your online meetings for increased productivity.