Online Scheduling and Appointment Booking System – Bookly vs Simply Schedule Appointments

Bookly is a free scheduling plugin for WordPress that allows accepting online bookings on your website and automating your reservation system. Manage your booking calendar, services, client base, save time and money – all in one place. Join more than 70,000 businesses all around the world that have already automated their online booking system! Bookly is designed to grow your online sales and make easy appointments. This is a one-stop shop for any businesses from hair salons or photography to wealth management and transportation. You can start easily with the free version of Bookly and once your business scales you can operate ultimate scheduling software with the paid version available with the Bookly Pro add-on, and various add-ons. PLEASE NOTE that online payments, unlimited number of staff members and services, and ability to install add-ons are NOT AVAILABLE in the free version. If you would like to find out more about features available with the Bookly PRO add-on, please check our demo. Bookly Homepage | Pro Features (Bookly Pro add-on required) | Add-ons (Bookly Pro add-on required) | Bookly Help Center | Demo 1. Benefits for the customers Online Scheduling with Bookly couldn’t be any easier for your customers. The booking form is perfectly responsive on any device, and all that customers need to do is pick their desired service and time, provide you with a few personal details, and voilà – it’s done! Your customers will receive an email or SMS notification before the appointment, and it will be automatically added to your Appointment Booking Calendar. 1.1 When you install Bookly on your website, your customers will be able to: – quickly schedule and book appointment without having to directly contact you or your employee; – make a booking on any device, since Bookly design is fully responsive; – select the category, the service, and employee to perform the service; – define the dates and time that work best for them and the booking system will offer only available time slots; – fill in the minimum amount of contact details; – get an email and SMS notification confirming their online reservations; – get SMS reminder about an upcoming appointment. 1.2 Bookly Key Benefits Saves time – no action necessary after booking is confirmed Friendly booking interface – easy navigation Minimal data input required Responsive booking form – works on any device Never forget a booked appointment with SMS and email notifications 2. Benefits for the business owner No coding experience required to set up Bookly. We did our best to make it as easy and quick as possible to install and start using Bookly free scheduling software on your WordPress website. And with our Bookly Pro add-on and other add-ons, you will bring online scheduling experience for you and your customers to the next level. You will be able to navigate the Booking Admin Panel like a pro, approve and adjust your appointments, and automate your online scheduling to concentrate on the most important part of your business – serving your customers and grow sales. You can change the layout and modify the appearance of the booking form to match your business, website, and branding, manage your services and the customers’ list and send email and SMS notifications – all in one place. You can use a wide range of Bookly features to configure your Appointment Scheduler and manage your bookings effectively: – easily and effectively manage your Customer list and Appointment Calendar online from the Admin panel; – add an unlimited number of clients to your searchable and sortable Customer list; – add new customer directly from the calendar; – setup and customize SMS settings right from Bookly backend; – notify customers and a service provider about approved, pending and canceled appointments via SMS and Email notifications; – view calendar in monthly/weekly/daily format; – filter, search and sort booking list; – automatically approve or cancel appointments. Configure the booking form to suit your needs: – customize every step of your booking form, including editable headings, texts, and buttons; – translate all user interface and notifications into 40+ languages via WPML plugin; – add as many booking forms on your website as you want; – show or hide specific fields if you don’t want them to be visible to your customers; – use pre-defined default values for Category, Service and Employee fields in your booking form; – choose the way your customers will see your booking form on the front-end (e.g., show or hide the calendar, show each day in one column, display blocked time slots); – display available time slots in the client’s time zone; – set duration for each service separately; – choose an individual color for each service in order to color code appointments internally in your Appointment Booking Calendar; – organize services into categories (you can add up to five services with the free version of Bookly); 2.1 Key Features Fast online booking with intuitively manageable forms The fully customizable appearance of the booking form with no coding involved Unlimited number of booking forms on your site Comprehensive admin area with an intuitive interface Monthly/weekly/daily calendar view for the service provider Manageable list of your customers Filterable, sortable and searchable booking list of your customers Variable duration for each service (5 min – 7 days) Services grouped into categories Customizable SMS and email notifications settings right from the Bookly backend WPML integration for multi-language support Automated SMS Mailing Campaigns for various marketing purposes Blocks for Elementor and Gutenberg 3. Bookly Pro add-on features: Bookly Pro add-on allows you to use more features and settings, install other add-ons for Bookly, includes six months of customer support, and provides you with advanced capabilities for automating your online scheduling system. Some of them include: Unlimited number of staff members with an individual working schedule and ability to manage their profiles and online booking calendar Unlimited number of services with additional settings (padding time, visibility, limitations, etc.) Ability to receive secure and flexible online payments on your website Online payment processing with PayPal, Stripe, 2Checkout, Authorize.Net, Mollie, Payson, PayUbiz, PayU Latam Additional templates for Email notifications (e.g., reminders about upcoming appointments, follow-up messages, birthday greetings, next day agenda, etc.) Advanced features for customizing your online booking form (show address fields, birthday fields, Facebook login, timezone switcher) Google Calendar integration WooCommerce compatibility Importable and exportable customer list which includes info about appointments and payments Built-in analytics so you will be able to see a comprehensive report about the number of bookings, customers and payments received Integration with Zoom, Google Meet and Jitsi Mailchimp integration (via add-on) Ability to export appointments via ICalendar feed Ability to purchase and use dozens of paid add-ons for deeper customization of your booking system (group bookings, custom fields, service extra items, recurring appointments, deposits, coupons, personal staff cabinet and user account for your clients, automatic invoicing, waiting list, and much more!) 4. Who can benefit from using Bookly: Bookly for WordPress is designed to be used by local businesses or individual providers who offer different services to customers. Since the booking form can be fully customized and personalized, it is successfully used in many business segments such as Healthcare, Beauty, Education, Medicine, Consulting etc., as well as by individual professionals. Also, Bookly is an excellent solution for web studios and developers, who are looking for ways to improve the appointment process for their customers. Online scheduling for: Salon & Beauty (hair salons, nail salons, cosmetology centers, tanning studios, barbershops) Health and wellness (wellness, spa & massage, aromatherapy, baths) Medicine (clinics, doctors, dentists, medical centers) Education (education centers, tutors, language schools, private lessons) Fitness & Gyms (yoga classes, personal trainers, health clubs, fitness centers, dance instructors) Professional services (coaches, consultants, lawyers, photographers, consulting psychologist, cleaning services) or any other services which can be scheduled and reserved online using the booking system. FURTHER READING Bookly Online Scheduling plugin official page Help center Bookly demo Bookly Pro add-on demo Add-ons for Bookly Pro Youtube channel AFTER ACTIVATION Add at least one service (Bookly menu > Services). Add a staff member linked to your service (Bookly menu > Staff members). Customize the appearance of your online booking form (Bookly menu > Appearance). Publish the booking form on your website (WordPress sidebar menu > Pages/Posts).

Simply Schedule Appointments® is an easy-to-use WordPress appointment booking plugin. It’s an automated appointment booking system loved by 70,000+ businesses, with a 5-star review average. The Simply Schedule Appointments booking calendars are easy and fast to set up. And enjoyable for your customers and clients to book and schedule appointments. You can set up the appointment scheduling calendars to take your first booking in less than 5 minutes! And, the best part is that our 5-star support team is here to help you each step of the way, either through our comprehensive and organized Help Center, here on the WordPress Forums, or directly from the Simply Schedule Appointments Support Tab within the plugin. Booking System Features to Help You Schedule Business Meeting Appointments Features included with the Simply Schedule Appointments Free Basic Edition for booking appointments: Unlimited Booking Calendars and Customizable Notifications Use Advanced Scheduling Options and Blackout Dates to highly tailor your schedule Embed the appointment booking calendars using the Block Editor, Elementor widgets, Beaver Builder modules, and Divi modules Style and Customize the Booking Calendars to match your brand and website Translation-ready – including Spanish, German, French, and more! Deeply connected with WordPress, including integrations for the The Events Calendar plugin, WP Fusion Automations, and more! Features included with the Simply Schedule Appointments Paid Premium Editions for booking appointments: Group or class event booking – Book time slots up to a certain capacity Booking Flows – Choose from a selection of booking steps and layouts Google Calendar Sync – Allow your site’s booking system to check your personal calendar for conflicts and customize those calendar events Team booking – Allow your staff to receive bookings and customize their own schedules Resource booking – Schedule meeting rooms, rental items and things such as bikes or tables, or set max occupancies Mailchimp – Automatically add users as new contacts to your audience from the booking form Stripe and PayPal for Payments – Instantly get paid for your time and expertise Twilio for SMS notifications and reminders Gravity Forms and Formidable Forms Integration – Create complex booking forms Zoom and Google Meet for virtual meetings Google Analytics and Tag Manager tracking enabled to count booking form conversions Trigger Webhooks for appointment actions and connect to Zapier ICS Subscription Feeds – Sync your personal calendar applications to all incoming bookings. Simply Schedule Appointments is perfect if you want to let your customers schedule phone calls, in-person or virtual video meetings, or coaching appointments. The perfect tool for business consultations, interviews, or scheduling services. You can tame and automate your schedule and easily manage when you’re available for appointments. And block off dates when you don’t want to be disturbed for bookings — no more phone calls or back-and-forth emails to find a meeting time that works. Simply let your WordPress booking system take care of it! Easily limit how many daily appointments you schedule and set the minimum time between bookings. Automate your schedule while still maintaining control of your availability — manage your booking calendars, time slots, and appointments all in one place. Offer different types of appointment calendars for your services. For example, you could allow new clients to schedule on an introduction call calendar or let established customers schedule a longer time slot with a separate calendar. And, forget about double-bookings, Simply Schedule Appointments is capable of preventing unexpected scheduling problems! Are you looking to offer tutoring or remote teaching classes? Let your students quickly book times with you for lessons, reviews, or simple consultations. Localized time zones make meetings for distance learning and remote office hours a breeze to schedule. Simply Schedule Appointments contains all the data from your appointments and customers within your WordPress site. Own your data and be fully GDPR-compliant and make it easier for your booking system to achieve HIPAA compliance. Complete documentation to start booking appointments today is available on our website. Getting Started with the WordPress Booking Calendars is Easy Use the built-in Setup Wizard to create your first Appointment Type in under 5 minutes. Next, just embed the booking calendar on your site using our general booking shortcode [ssa_booking] or our native WordPress editor block: Who This Booking System is For Simply Schedule Appointments is ideal for anyone who needs to automate and book appointments with clients and customers, including booking for: Client Meeting Booking — Entrepreneurs, Web developers, Consultants, Personal and Business Coaches, Lawyers, Car Dealers, Real Estate, Agencies Event Booking — Wedding coordinators, Dress Shops, Boutiques, Workshop Teachers, Food Truck Lots Class Lessons or Tutor Scheduling — Personal trainers, Yoga studios, Exercise Studios, Language / ESL Tutors, Dance Studios, Fitness Professionals, Music Teacher, Instructors, Professors Service Booking — Handyman Services, Contractors, Hair Salons, Barbershops, Photographers, Tattoo Shops, Notaries, Tax Preparations, Home Inspections Visitor Booking — Bakeries, Restaurants, Museums, Retirement Homes, Curbside Pickup Patient Booking — Nutritionists, Vaccination Appointments, Chiropractors, Physical Therapists, Pharmacy Prescription Pickups Simple Reservations — Equipment Rentals, Room Reservations, Table Reservations for Restaurants, Office Reservations Simply Schedule Appointments offers an excellent experience for your customers who need to book appointments. Our WordPress booking plugin has just the features you need without all the extra bloat and needless settings found in other appointment booking plugins. And our UI is snappy, highly responsive, and a joy to use. Flexible, Fast, and Powerful Booking Calendars Other appointment scheduling plugins are either too simple or too complicated. They lack the basic features you need to start automating your schedule and booking appointments, or, if they do have those features, as you grow and add services, staff, and locations, they become complex and confusing to use for booking. Simply Schedule Appointments is ready to grow with your business’ booking needs — without all the confusion and clutter of settings that don’t apply to you. It’s also highly compatible with WordPress and can be added to any theme and page layout on your site. Simply Schedule Appointments offers fully responsive booking calendars and works efficiently on any device – even touch screens. Our WordPress booking plugin will work dependably and reliably, whether you’re managing your appointment availability from your tablet or your customer is booking an appointment from their smartphone. User-Friendly and Accessible Booking System Our WordPress booking calendar system was designed with people in mind, first and foremost. So we’re always thinking about how people will be using our appointment scheduling plugin, what they’ll expect, and what booking features they’ll want and need. This WordPress booking calendar system is built with you and your customer in mind and is accessible for everyone. We believe appointment scheduling should be as clear and straightforward as possible while maintaining the flexibility and booking features our customers need. We’ve made sure that everyone can use our appointment scheduling plugin, including people with auditory, visual, and physical disabilities. Everyone deserves access to everything the web offers, so we built our WordPress booking calendar plugin with accessibility in mind. As a result, you’ll never have to worry that a customer will find themselves unable to schedule an appointment because of their abilities or the device they’re using. Deep Integrations With All the Tools and WordPress Plugins You Love Integrations included with the Simply Schedule Appointments Free Basic Edition for booking appointments: Logged in WordPress users can see their appointments and benefit from auto-filling Name and Email fields. Elementor widgets Beaver Builder modules Divi modules WP Fusion Automation The Events Calendar Integrations included with the Simply Schedule Appointments Paid Premium Editions for booking appointments: Google Calendar Mailchimp Stripe and PayPal for Payments Webhooks for Zapier and Make Twilio for SMS notifications Gravity Forms Gravity Wiz Perks Formidable Forms Google Analytics and Google Tag Manager Zoom and Google Meet for virtual meetings The Events Calendar Project Panorama LifterLMS Webex Facebook pixel Useful Links to Help You Start Booking Appointments Today Help Center for Troubleshooting and Setup Guides Free Basic Edition Setup Guide Booking Demos to Try Before Installation How to Display the Booking Calendars on a WordPress Page or Post Admin Dashboard Walkthrough Guide Full Appointment Type Settings Guide