7 Scheduling Assistants That Will Help You Save Time in 2024

Picture this: it’s Monday morning, and your inbox is already flooded with meeting requests. 

You’ve got a demo at 10, a team sync at noon, and somewhere in between, you need to carve out time to actually get some work done—and don’t forget that important client call you need to prepare for, too! Sound familiar? 

Scheduling assistants were made for days like this, helping you offload the time-consuming admin work of scheduling appointments, freeing you up to be more productive and less stressed.

From the super-customizable scheduling assistant, YouCanBookMe to the smart, AI-driven Clara, there’s something for everyone. Let’s take a look at seven scheduling assistant apps that can help you finally get a grip on your busy calendar.

Online scheduling assistants—The best of the best

Best overall	Best for incorporating focus time	Best AI scheduling assistant
YouCanBookMe	Clockwise	Clara
YouCanBookMe creates an easy-to-use and customizable booking flow.	Clockwise blocks off time for focused work by analyzing your calendar.	Clara uses AI to coordinate meetings directly through your email.

Our ratings and buying guide

Every small business is different, so choosing the best meeting scheduler for your team will depend on what you need. To help make the decision a bit easier, we’ve rated our seven contenders based on the following:

• Ease of use—We’ve all been there: staring at a new tool like it’s written in a foreign language. Ease of use is all about how quickly you can figure things out and get moving. Whether you’re flying solo or managing a team, the easier the scheduling assistant app is to learn, the faster you can dive in and get things done.
• Integrations—Think of your tech setup as a puzzle—everything needs to fit together just right. Our integration examination makes sure each tool plays nicely with what you’re already using. From syncing calendars to keeping your communication tools in harmony, it’s all about making sure everything works seamlessly.
• Value for money—We get it; budgets are a big deal. That’s why we needed to check whether what you're paying for actually delivers the goods. It’s not just about finding the cheapest option but making sure you’re getting the most for your money.
• Customization—Your brand is unique, and your meeting scheduler app should be able reflect that. We look at how easily each app lets you customize it to fit your style, from changing colors and adding logos to setting up appointment types and durations. It’s about ensuring the tool feels like an extension of your brand.

Ultimately, you should pick the best tool for your needs. We’re just here to help narrow down your options! 

1. YouCanBookMe—Best Overall

If you’re looking for a highly customizable scheduling assistant that your clients will love, YouCanBookMe is the right tool for you! With YCBM, customers, clients, and team members can schedule a meeting with you in seconds, all via an intuitive and easy-to-use booking page.

All you have to do is create a booking page and set your availability, and you’re ready to take meetings. YouCanBookMe syncs with your favorite calendars to make sure you’re never double-booked. Plus, all notifications, including confirmations, reminders, and follow-ups, are automated, reducing no-shows and keeping your bookers fully in the loop.  

YouCanBookMe top features

• One-on-one, group, and round-robin scheduling
• Customizable confirmation, reminder, and follow-up messages
• Set prices, take payments, and generate promo codes for bookings
• Add branding to your booking page, such as colors, logos, and photos
• Set different appointment types and lengths
• Option to embed your booking page on your website

Let’s take a deeper look at a few more of the features that make YouCanBookMe the best scheduling software for small businesses. 👇

Sync your favorite calendars

YouCanBookMe seamlessly integrates with Google, Microsoft, Apple, and Fastmail calendars to automatically update your free and busy times. The sync works two ways:

• All the meetings, public holidays, and vacations on your calendar will instantly be blocked off on your booking page.
• All new meetings made via your booking page will automatically be added to your calendar.

The result? No more checking your calendars for conflicts, accidentally double-booking meetings, or manually adding bookings to your calendars.

All you have to do is connect your work, personal, and any other calendars you use, and presto—you’re all set! You can even edit your bookings and meetings directly on your linked calendar, without having to log into YouCanBookMe.

Take full control over your schedule

Tired of back-to-back meetings with no time to breathe? YouCanBookMe’s scheduling assistant puts you in control, ensuring your calendar fits seamlessly with your workflow and lifestyle:

• Set minimum notice periods to prevent people from booking last-minute
• Add automatic padding between bookings to allow time for prep, travel, or a quick break
• Set a maximum number of bookings per day to avoid burnout and meeting fatigue

• Set different blocks or days for various meetings, such as Monday mornings for client consultations, Tuesday afternoons for product demos, and Thursdays for internal chats

Let bookers overlay their calendars

It’s important that your meeting scheduling tool is not only simple for you, but also smooth and user-friendly for those booking with you. 

With YCBM, instead of having your booker switch back and forth between your booking page and their calendar, they can simply click the “Overlay your availability” button.   

This feature quickly displays the times both you and the booker are available to meet, making it much simpler to find a meeting slot that works for everyone. After all, calendar invite etiquette matters, and you don’t want to add to your booker’s plate by making them juggle multiple screens.

YouCanBookMe pricing and plans

YouCanBookMe offers a free scheduling assistant as well as three paid tiers. Your choice will depend on the number of calendars and booking pages you need. All paid plans come with a free, two-week trial (no credit card required). 

2. Outlook’s Scheduling Assistant—Best for Outlook users

If your team already lives in the Microsoft ecosystem, Outlook’s Scheduling Assistant is a handy built-in tool that makes booking meetings easy. It automatically checks everyone’s availability and suggests the best time for meetings.

No need for separate apps or complicated setups—it’s already part of Outlook! 

The Microsoft Scheduling Assistant is especially useful for large organizations, where finding a common time across different teams and time zones can be a challenge. Plus, it integrates perfectly with other Microsoft tools like Teams, so you can jump right into virtual meetings.

With that being said, keep in mind it’s only for Outlook users, and doesn’t work with any other calendars or tools outside of Microsoft.

Outlook Scheduling Assistant top features

• Integrated with the entire Microsoft Office Suite
• Automatic availability checking for attendees
• Multi-time zone support for global teams
• Recurring meeting scheduling
• Meeting reminders and calendar updates 

Outlook Scheduling Assistant pricing and plans

Outlook’s Scheduling Assistant comes included in all Microsoft 365 plans. You can test out each plan with a free, one-month trial.

3. Calendly—Best for enterprises

Calendly is a popular meeting scheduling tool that simplifies booking appointments. It's especially well-known for its user-friendly interface and vast range of native integrations—more than 100 in total.

With powerful integrations, workflow automation, and flexibility, Calendly is a top choice for large businesses looking to simplify scheduling across various teams and industries.

Calendly works similarly to YouCanBookMe—you sync your calendar, create a booking page, and share the link with clients. 

Calendly top features

• Schedule one-on-one, group, and round-robin meetings
• Meeting polls (so bookers can vote on the best time to meet)
• Routing logic that helps clients book with the right team member
• Automated meeting notifications via emails and SMS 
• Built-in booking analytics

Calendly pricing and plans

Calendly offers four pricing tiers, largely dependent on how big your team/company is. You can test out the Teams plan with a free, 14-day trial.

4. Cal.com—Best for data privacy

Cal.com, previously known as Calendso, is an open-source scheduling tool that stands out for offering greater transparency and privacy compared to other options on the market. Even though it’s a newer player (launched in 2021), it’s quickly gained popularity, especially among developers who can dig into the code and set up Cal.com to their specific needs.

Since Cal.com is community-driven, users can add or create their own features, leading to faster updates and more tools than you’d typically find on closed platforms, like Calendly (for more details, see Cal.com vs. Calendly).

As for basic function, Cal.com works similarly to other online scheduling assistants: you connect your calendar, set your availability, and share your booking link.