Microsoft Bookings: Features, Pricing, and the Best Alternatives

As a small business owner or solopreneur, keeping your calendar under control can sometimes feel like a never-ending job. Between client calls, consultations, and trying to carve out some personal time, finding the right scheduling tool can save your sanity.

If you’ve been on the hunt for a booking app, you’ve probably come across Microsoft Bookings. It’s part of Microsoft 365 and promises to make scheduling a breeze. 

But does it really deliver? 

And more importantly, is it the right choice for you?

Let’s dive into what Microsoft Bookings is all about, how it works, and whether it’s the solution you’ve been looking for. And hey, if it’s not, don’t worry—we’ve got a better alternative lined up!

In simple terms, Microsoft Bookings helps you manage appointments! Instead of the back-and-forth emails ("Does 3 PM work? No? How about 4?"), it lets people book time with you directly through a customizable online page.

Here’s a quick look at what it offers:

• Online booking page—Your clients can see your availability and book appointments themselves. 
• Syncs with Microsoft 365 tools—Bookings is part of Microsoft 365, so it syncs well with other MS tools like Teams and Outlook.
• Team scheduling—You can manage schedules for a team of people, assigning appointments to specific staff members.
• Automated reminders—MS Bookings will send email and SMS reminders to reduce no-shows.

Microsoft Bookings’ pricing starts at $6/month.

Rather than being a standalone tool, MS Bookings is included in all Microsoft 365 business subscriptions.

Is Bookings free with 365?

Yes and no. While Microsoft Bookings itself is not a free scheduling tool, it does come included in all paid Microsoft 365 business plans.

If you’ve already got Outlook Calendar, you might be wondering: Do I even need MS Bookings? The answer is… it depends! 

Here’s the difference between the two: 

• Outlook Calendar: Outlook is essentially a run-of-the-mill online calendar. You can create meetings, invite others, and view the availability of people inside your organization.
• Microsoft Bookings: MS Bookings is a scheduling app. It lets you create a public booking page where clients can self-schedule meetings without needing access to your entire calendar. Bookings also offers features Outlook doesn’t, such as a configurable booking form and SMS reminders. 

Microsoft Bookings and Outlook are designed to work together—all appointments scheduled through Bookings will automatically sync to your Outlook Calendar.

As with any tool, Microsoft Bookings has both its strengths and weaknesses. Here are a few to consider:

Pros ✅

• It integrates seamlessly with Microsoft 365: If you’re already using Outlook, Teams, and the rest of the Microsoft suite, MS Bookings fits right in.
• Basic booking tools included: If all you need is simple scheduling tools, like a booking page and email reminders, Bookings gets the job done.
• Team-friendly features: It’s useful if you’re managing a small team and need to coordinate multiple Outlook Calendars.

Cons ❌

• No built-in payment processing: Want clients to pay when they book? You’ll have to use a workaround, which can be a hassle.

• It’s tied to Microsoft 365: If you’re not already deep into Microsoft’s ecosystem, it can feel like overkill to subscribe just for Bookings.

• Limited integrations: Microsoft Bookings’ only native integrations are the apps available in the Microsoft suite.
• Learning curve: It’s not as intuitive as other meeting schedulers, and the setup can take some getting used to.

• Lacks customization options: Your booking page can feel generic, which isn’t ideal if you want to showcase your brand.

If Bookings isn’t quite what you’re looking for, don’t worry. There are plenty of other Microsoft Booking alternatives that might fit your needs better.

YouCanBookMe (YCBM) is a flexible and user-friendly scheduling tool designed for small businesses and solopreneurs. Like Microsoft Bookings, it offers a shareable booking page that lets clients schedule appointments without the hassle of back-and-forth emails.

Where YouCanBookMe truly shines is in its advanced customization and added functionality. You can personalize booking pages to reflect your brand, offer multiple appointment types, and even accept payments directly when booking. It also integrates with a wide range of tools, such as Zoom, Stripe, and Google Meet, giving you more flexibility in managing your business.

For those looking for a simple, customizable, and tailored tool for small business needs, YouCanBookMe is a powerful alternative to Microsoft Bookings calendar. 

Calendly is a popular appointment scheduling app built to tackle the complex scheduling needs of running an enterprise. Like Microsoft Bookings, Calendly lets you create a shareable online booking page where clients can self-schedule meetings. 

However, Calendly sets itself apart with advanced team-focused features, such as routing logic and meeting analytics. It also offers an impressive range of over 100 native integrations, making it a highly versatile tool for businesses in many different industries.

Curious about how these two tools stack up? Check out our in-depth guide on Microsoft Bookings vs. Calendly.

Google Calendar has a handy feature called Google Appointment Scheduler that lets you create a booking link to share with your clients. It works great with other Google tools like Gmail, Google Meet, and Google Drive, so if you’re already using those, it’s a smooth fit. However, it doesn’t play as nicely with tools outside the Google ecosystem.

This scheduler is built for simple needs—it doesn’t have extras like custom branding or in-depth analytics, which are features Microsoft Bookings also skips out on.

The upside? Google offers a free version of its appointment scheduler, which is perfect if you’re on a budget. Just keep in mind that the free version is pretty basic compared to the paid option, so you might outgrow it quickly.

If you’re looking for a scheduling tool that offers more flexibility and features than Microsoft Bookings, YouCanBookMe is definitely worth considering. It’s powerful, easy to use, and fully customizable—perfectly designed for small businesses.

With YCBM, you can save time, attract more clients, and streamline your scheduling process to help you make more money and grow your business. 

Here are just a few of its standout features:

• Sync multiple calendars effortlessly: Whether it’s work, personal, or team schedules, YouCanBookMe has you covered. Connect your Apple, Microsoft, Google, or Fastmail calendars and manage everything in one place—no fuss, no stress.
• Accept payments upfront: With Stripe, YouCanBookMe lets clients pay right when they book, so you can skip the hassle of invoicing. Plus, you can offer custom discounts and promo codes, setting redemption limits and expiration dates to make everything even smoother.
• Flexible appointment types: Offer different services, durations, appointment prices, locations, or even team member-specific availability, all in one system. 
• Branded booking pages: Make your booking page truly yours with custom colors, backgrounds, logos, URLs, and notifications—all showing off your brand’s style and tone of voice.
• More integrations: YCBM works with tools like Zoom, MS Teams, Google Meet, Slack, Mailchimp, Shopify, and Zapier, making it easy to connect your entire workflow.

Ready to choose the right scheduling app for you?

At the end of the day, managing your time is about finding the right tools that fit your needs. Microsoft Bookings works fine if you’re looking for something basic, but for small business owners and solopreneurs who need a scheduler that can keep up, YouCanBookMe is the way to go.

It’s easy to use, packed with helpful features, and designed to save you time so you can focus on what matters most—growing your business. Best of all, you can sign up for free today and experience just how easy scheduling can be!