DoubleScale | Self-Hosted CRM – Sales, Marketing, Booking, Helpdesk, Automation, MCP & More vs Simply Schedule Appointments

DoubleScale is a self-hosted CRM for WordPress covering sales, marketing, booking, helpdesk, and task & project management — in one plugin, on your own database. A built-in MCP server lets AI clients (Claude, Cursor, and compatible tools) operate DoubleScale with API keys, using the same module and permission gates as the rest of the product. You get one contact record, one activity timeline, and one automation engine instead of stitching together a CRM, email tool, calendar, helpdesk, and task app. Enable or disable optional modules under Settings → Modules so the admin stays lean. Live demo: try.doublescale.io · Website: doublescale.io · Documentation: doublescale.io/docs Modular architecture — enable or disable any module DoubleScale is built as a modular plugin. Optional features (Sales, Campaigns, Booking, Tasks, Projects, SMTP, Helpdesk, Forms, Automations, and more) can be turned on or off under Settings → Modules. Disable what you do not need to keep the admin UI lean; enable modules later without reinstalling. Core CRM capabilities stay available. Disabling a module suspends its menus, REST routes, scheduled tasks, and role capabilities — assignments are preserved when you turn the module back on. What’s inside one plugin DoubleScale is a single install with first-class modules, each designed to feel like a dedicated product — and each toggleable when you do not need it: 1. CRM — contacts, lists, segmentation, activity timeline A complete contact database. Unlimited records, unlimited custom fields. Tag-based and rule-based segmentation, bulk operations, and CSV / WordPress user / WooCommerce imports. Every contact has a full activity timeline that stitches together emails, SMS and WhatsApp messages, deal stage changes, bookings, support threads, page visits, form submissions, link clicks, and automation runs — one chronological view per contact, no tab-switching. 2. Sales — pipelines, documents, and recurring revenue Run your full revenue workflow from one Sales workspace in wp-admin — from first lead to signed contract, paid invoice, and recurring subscription. Pipelines — drag-and-drop kanban deal boards with multiple stages, weighted forecasting, win/loss reasons, and per-deal custom fields. Stage changes fire automations (move to “Closed Won” → send an invoice, assign a task, tag in CRM). Proposals — branded quotes with line items, customer acceptance, and one-click convert to invoice. Invoices — send, track, and collect payment online (Stripe and manual payments). Contracts — templated agreements with signatures and lifecycle automations. Credit notes — issue refunds and adjustments tied to invoices. Taxes — configure tax rates and apply them to proposal, contract, and invoice line items. Subscriptions — recurring billing and subscription management (Pro). Client portal — embeddable logged-in customer hub ([doublescale_client_portal]) where buyers view proposals and invoices, see outstanding balance, follow document lifecycle on a unified timeline, open contracts and credit notes (Pro), and manage subscriptions (Pro). Customers jump to secure public pages to accept proposals, pay invoices, or sign contracts; the portal aggregates sales documents alongside support tickets and bookings in one dashboard. Every deal, document, and payment links to the same contact record, activity timeline, and automation engine. 3. Campaigns — email, SMS, and WhatsApp broadcasts and sequences A drag-and-drop email builder with responsive blocks, reusable templates, A/B testing, and merge tags for any custom field. Broadcast to lists, tags, or rule-based segments. * Email sequences (drip campaigns) — multi-step nurture flows with time delays, conditional branches based on opens/clicks/replies, and goal-based exit conditions. * SMS campaigns — broadcast and triggered SMS via Twilio. Shares the same composer, audience, and merge-tag system as email. * WhatsApp campaigns — send Meta-approved WhatsApp templates and trigger conversations from the same builder. Inbound replies route to the unified inbox. * Per-link tracking with automation triggers, bounce handling with soft/hard classification, and full delivery logs. 4. Booking — self-service appointment scheduling A full scheduling system inside WordPress — no Calendly needed. Create single events for one-on-one meetings (consultations, demos, coaching sessions) or team events where multiple staff members share availability and bookings are assigned via round-robin or manual selection. Configure slot durations, buffer times between appointments, and per-day availability windows. Guests pick a time from an embeddable booking page, fill out a customizable intake form, and receive automated email/SMS confirmations and reminders. Supports Stripe payment collection for paid bookings, waiting lists when slots fill up, rescheduling and cancellation flows, and automatic time-zone detection. Every booking lands on the contact record and can trigger automations (e.g., tag the contact, create a deal, send a follow-up sequence). 5. Tasks — team task management Create, assign, schedule, and track tasks. Link them to contacts and deals. Due dates, reminders, status workflows. Stop running a separate ClickUp or Asana when 80% of your tasks are about customers anyway. 6. Projects — project boards linked to CRM and sales (Pro) Manage delivery work next to your contacts and invoices. Kanban boards with customizable statuses, progress tracking, project discussions/comments, custom fields, tags, due dates, and ownership. Link projects to contacts and sales documents so the activity timeline stays unified. Scoped Project Manager and Project Member roles keep delivery teams focused without granting full CRM admin access. 7. SMTP — multi-provider email routing A complete wp_mail() replacement built into the CRM — no separate SMTP plugin required. Connect one or more of 20+ providers: SendGrid, Amazon SES, Mailgun, Postmark, SparkPost, SMTP.com, SMTP2GO, Gmail (OAuth), Outlook (OAuth), Zoho (OAuth), MailerSend, Mailjet, Mandrill, Brevo (Sendinblue), Elastic Email, SendLayer, SocketLabs, Loops, and generic SMTP relay. Set up multiple connections with routing rules so transactional mail goes through one provider while marketing campaigns use another. OAuth authentication for Gmail, Outlook, and Zoho — no app passwords needed. Includes full email delivery logs, bounce handling with soft/hard classification, provider health checks, email test sending, and automatic failover when a provider is down. 8. Support — ticket-based helpdesk with mailbox channels and customer portal A complete helpdesk built into your CRM. Customers open tickets via a self-service portal or by emailing a connected mailbox; agents reply, assign, tag, and resolve — all without leaving WordPress. Features include: multiple mailbox channels (web and IMAP), configurable email notifications with threading and subject tagging, file attachments with signed secure downloads, ticket priority and status workflows, CC management, bulk actions (assign, close, merge, tag), per-ticket activity logging, custom fields, saved replies, and a built-in reports dashboard. IMAP polling brings inbound emails straight into the agent inbox. Every ticket links to the contact record and can trigger automations — auto-tag, route to an agent, create a deal, or start a follow-up sequence. 9. Analytics — dashboards & reports A built-in reporting layer covering revenue, pipeline forecasts, campaign performance (opens, clicks, conversions per send), contact growth, automation execution, and email deliverability. Visual charts, KPI cards, custom date ranges, CSV exports. The numbers your founder, marketer, and ops lead all need — without exporting to a BI tool. 10. MCP — AI clients that can operate your CRM DoubleScale ships a built-in Model Context Protocol (MCP) server. Enable it under MCP settings, issue API keys for eligible users, and connect Claude, Cursor, or other MCP-compatible clients. Tools cover contacts, documents, marketing, booking, forms, and more — gated by modules and roles, with validation on writes. Setup includes Application Password auth, Windows connection notes, and emailable instructions so teammates can connect without guessing. 11. User roles — scoped access for sales, support, booking, and project teams DoubleScale ships dedicated roles (plus site administrators). Assign them under Settings → Team. Users can hold multiple roles — capabilities merge across roles. Sales (Pro) CRM Manager — Full CRM admin: all contacts, deals, pipelines, settings, team, reports, import/export, and all proposals/invoices. Full Support inbox access without a separate support role. Sales Manager — All deals and contacts; import/export; all proposals and invoices. Support access requires an additional support role. Sales Rep — Own deals and contacts only; own proposals and invoices; create deals and log activities. Projects (Pro) Project Manager — Create and manage all projects, statuses, and assignments across the team. Project Member — Work on projects assigned to them; update progress and join discussions. Support Support Manager — View and manage every support ticket; assign agents; reply on any thread. Support Agent — View the Support module; reply on tickets assigned to them. Booking Booking Manager — Read and manage all calendars, bookings, and availability schedules across the team. Booking Agent — Manage only own calendars, bookings, and availability. Administrators WordPress Administrator — Every DoubleScale capability automatically. Notes CRM Manager, Sales Manager, Sales Rep, Project Manager, and Project Member require DoubleScale Pro. Support, Booking, and Projects roles are available when those modules are enabled. Disabling a module suspends its role capabilities; assignments are preserved when you turn the module back on. Plus: a visual automation engine that connects every module Underneath every module is one workflow builder. 100+ triggers across contacts, deals, forms, booking, support, messaging, e-commerce, LMS, and membership plugins — flow into multi-step automations with conditional branches, time delays, goal conditions, and webhook calls. Actions include: send email, send SMS, send WhatsApp, start or pause an email sequence, tag, score, move a deal to a new stage, create a deal, assign a task, post to Slack, hit a webhook. Automation integrations: E-commerce — WooCommerce (orders, subscriptions, memberships, cart abandonment, reviews, wishlists), Easy Digital Downloads, SureCart Forms — Contact Form 7, WPForms, Fluent Forms, Quill Forms (free); Elementor Forms, Gravity Forms, Ninja Forms, Formidable, Forminator, MetForm, WS Form, Bit Form, SureForms, eForm, JetFormBuilder (Pro) LMS — LearnDash, Tutor LMS, LifterLMS, LearnPress Membership — MemberPress, Paid Memberships Pro Media — Presto Player Messaging — Email received, SMS received, WhatsApp received CRM — Contact subscribed/unsubscribed, tags applied/removed, lists applied/removed, deal stage/status/owner/value changed, link trigger clicked, user login/register/role update, webhook received Booking — Booking created, confirmed, completed, rescheduled, cancelled Support — Ticket created, closed, reply added, note added, status changed, priority changed, agent assigned Key capabilities MCP for AI clients — Built-in MCP server so Claude, Cursor, and compatible tools can list, create, and update CRM data via API keys, with the same module and role gates as wp-admin. AI-powered writing and assistance — Connect your own API key from OpenAI, Google Gemini, Groq, OpenRouter, or any OpenAI-compatible provider. AI-assisted email composition, smart template generation, subject line suggestions, and content rewriting are built right into the campaign builder and email editor. Bring your own key, pick your provider, and keep full control over cost and data. Modular architecture — enable or disable optional modules (Sales, Campaigns, Booking, Tasks, Projects, SMTP, Helpdesk, Forms, Automations, and more) from Settings → Modules. One contact record shared across every module — campaigns, bookings, tasks, projects, helpdesk threads, and deals all attach to the same contact. Unlimited contacts and custom fields with no per-contact or per-seat fees. Self-hosted: all records live in your own WordPress database; no third-party cloud, no vendor lock-in. GDPR-friendly: per-contact exports, hard-delete workflows, consent tracking per channel, retention rules, and unsubscribe handling. Benchmarked at 100,000+ contacts on a single-server install. Background processing keeps the frontend fast. Deep WordPress integrations: WooCommerce, Easy Digital Downloads, SureCart, and LMS plugins (LearnDash, LifterLMS, LearnPress, Tutor LMS) feed the CRM natively. 15 form-builder integrations — Contact Form 7, WPForms, Fluent Forms, Quill Forms (free); Elementor Forms, Gravity Forms, Ninja Forms, Formidable, Forminator, MetForm, WS Form, Bit Form, SureForms, eForm, and JetFormBuilder (Pro). Who DoubleScale is for Founders, agencies, marketers, course creators, e-commerce operators, and revenue teams who want a self-hosted WordPress CRM for sales, marketing, booking, helpdesk, and delivery — plus MCP so AI tools can work inside that same stack — instead of stitching together eight SaaS subscriptions. From solo operators to organizations running 100k+ contacts — DoubleScale is built to scale with your business, not punish it with row-count surcharges. Learn more at doublescale.io. See how DoubleScale stacks up against popular CRM and marketing automation tools: DoubleScale vs FluentCRM: doublescale.io/compare/vs-fluentcrm DoubleScale vs HubSpot: doublescale.io/compare/vs-hubspot DoubleScale vs ActiveCampaign: doublescale.io/compare/vs-activecampaign DoubleScale vs Pipedrive: doublescale.io/compare/vs-pipedrive DoubleScale vs GoHighLevel: doublescale.io/compare/vs-gohighlevel DoubleScale vs FunnelKit: doublescale.io/compare/vs-funnelkit DoubleScale vs Brevo: doublescale.io/compare/vs-brevo DoubleScale vs MailerLite: doublescale.io/compare/vs-mailerlite DoubleScale vs Omnisend: doublescale.io/compare/vs-omnisend Source Code This plugin includes compiled JavaScript and CSS in the build/ directory. Human-readable source lives in src/. Public repository: DoubleScale on GitHub Build from source 1. Install Node.js (LTS recommended) 2. From the plugin directory: npm install 3. Production assets: npm run build 4. Development/watch: npm run dev Outputs include client bundles under build/. Third-party libraries are listed in package.json. Lint / code standards The PHP code follows the WordPress Coding Standards (WPCS 3.x) with WordPress-Extra (security sniffs) and PHPCompatibilityWP enabled. composer install — installs PHPCS, WPCS, and the rest of the dev tools. composer lint — runs phpcs --standard=phpcs.xml.dist against doublescale.php, includes/, bin/, and phpunit/. composer format — runs phpcbf to auto-fix what it can (whitespace, indentation, brace style). For plugin-structure / readme / asset-organization checks, install the official Plugin Check plugin into a local WordPress install and run it via Tools → Plugin Check. Plugin Check is the same tool the WordPress.org review team runs. Privacy Policy DoubleScale stores CRM, campaign, booking, task, support, and analytics data in your WordPress database. The plugin does not transmit that core repository to DoubleScale servers by default. Where you enable optional third-party integrations (SMTP providers, Twilio, Stripe, WhatsApp, Slack, ActiveCampaign, HubSpot, etc.), data flows are governed by those providers’ terms — and only carry the fields you explicitly map. You can disable any connector by removing credentials or turning off related automations. Privacy-minded operators have access to: per-contact GDPR exports, hard-delete workflows, consent tracking per channel, retention rules for tracking data, and unsubscribe handling for every send. External Services DoubleScale connects to external services only when you configure those integrations. No data is transmitted without your API keys, OAuth grants, or explicit provider setup. Each provider listed below is independent of DoubleScale; using one means you also agree to that provider’s terms and privacy policy. For every service below: Endpoint — API base URL used after you save credentials (not a public marketing or documentation page; it may not load in a browser). Terms / Privacy — Public legal pages for that provider. These are the URLs WordPress reviewers and site owners should open to read each service’s policies. AI services OpenAI (optional) * Purpose: AI-assisted email composition and template generation. * Data sent: The prompt text and any campaign content you submit through the AI builder. Sent only when you click an AI generate action. * Endpoint: https://api.openai.com * Terms: https://openai.com/policies/terms-of-use * Privacy: https://openai.com/policies/privacy-policy Google Gemini (optional) * Purpose: Alternative AI provider for email composition. * Data sent: Prompt text and campaign content, only when you click an AI generate action. * Endpoint: https://generativelanguage.googleapis.com * Terms: https://policies.google.com/terms * Privacy: https://policies.google.com/privacy SMTP / email providers …

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