Quick answer
Cal.com - Cal.com wins for most builders who need a serious scheduling tool, because its free tier is broader for integrations and automations, while cally.com is the simpler choice only if you mainly want basic group event planning.
How the free tiers compare
The two free tiers solve different problems. Cal.com is a booking and scheduling platform first: publish booking links, sync calendars, set availability, automate notifications, and connect to a large integration surface. Its free tier is narrower than the paid team features, but it is still built around recurring scheduling workflows and external integrations. cally.com is more of a lightweight group event planner: propose dates and locations, collect responses, and keep track of current and future events. It gives you mobile apps and an address book, but the free tier is capped at 100 imported contacts and has fewer ecosystem hooks. If you expect to grow into team scheduling, branding, routing, or integrations, Cal.com scales more naturally. If you just need simple event coordination with a small contact list, cally.com stays easier and cheaper.
Cal.com vs cally.com free tier, side by side
| Cal.comFTV 44 | cally.comFTV 40 | |
|---|---|---|
| Free usersCal.com states one user on the free individual plan. cally.com does not specify a free user cap in the provided input. | 1 user | Not stated |
| Event typesCal.com explicitly includes unlimited event types and calendars on the free tier. | Unlimited event types | Not stated |
| CalendarsCal.com explicitly includes unlimited calendars on the free tier. | Unlimited calendars | Not stated |
| Contacts importcally.com caps free imports at 100 contacts. | Not stated | Up to 100 contacts |
| Mobile appsBoth include mobile access, but cally.com states both platforms explicitly. | Mobile app access | Free Android and iOS app |
| Credit card requiredThe ftv_no_cc_required field is present and false for both, so a card is required. | False | False |
After you outgrow the free tier
Both products use per-seat pricing for their first paid step, but they diverge quickly after that. Cal.com starts at Teams for $12 per month/user, then moves to Organizations at $28 per month/user, with Enterprise custom. cally.com starts at Plus for €29/year or €3/month for 1 user, then jumps to Enterprise at €1999/year per subdomain. For a solo user, cally.com is much cheaper. For small teams needing collaborative scheduling features, Cal.com becomes the more obvious upgrade path, but it costs more per user.
Cost at real usage
| Usage | Cal.com | cally.com |
|---|---|---|
| 1 userComparing the first paid tier only, since both are per-seat. | $12/mo | $3/mo |
| 2 userscally.com Plus is priced per user in the provided plan. | $24/mo | $6/mo |
| 5 usersMonthly equivalent for cally.com based on the stated €3/month per user, ignoring VAT and FX conversion. | $60/mo | $15/mo |
Estimates, not quotes. Usage-based rates change - verify with the vendor's pricing page before committing.
When to pick each one
Pick Cal.com when…
- You want booking links, calendar sync, availability rules, and meeting-type management.
- You need lots of integrations or automation around scheduling, including webhooks and payments.
- You are okay with a single-user free setup and expect to move into team scheduling later.
- You need a free tier that already includes browser and mobile access plus CRM sync options.
Pick cally.com when…
- You are organizing group events rather than running a booking workflow.
- You mainly need to suggest dates and locations, then collect responses from participants.
- You want a simple event overview with mobile apps and an address book without much setup.
- You have a small contact list and the 100-contact import cap is enough for now.
Bottom line
For the most common builder use case, Cal.com is the better pick because it is the more complete scheduling base and its free tier already supports the workflows people usually grow into, like integrations, notifications, and calendar-linked booking. cally.com is the better bargain if you only need lightweight group event planning and want the cheapest path into paid usage. If you expect to coordinate meetings, not just events, Cal.com is the safer default.
Read the full listings: Cal.com and cally.com. Scores use the FTV methodology at /ftv. Browse more head-to-heads on /compare, or see the top-ranked free tiers on /top.