This article was written in 2009 and remains one of our most popular posts. If you’re keen to learn more about scheduling and planning, you may find this recent article on tracking your hours in real time of great interest.
Last week, I wrote a post about online scheduling systems and how they can help you streamline your process for scheduling meetings with clients and colleagues. I provided an overview of 7 of the tools available, most of which involve a monthly fee.
I received some comments and e-mails asking for free options, so in this post, I will discuss a few free options, both online and downloadable software, and some of the features you can expect from each.
Acuity Scheduling- Online booking
- Website integration
- Customization
- Unlimited clients
- Unlimited appointments
Acuity Scheduling offers a free single user version, but it does not include a personalized booking site or the ability to accept credit cards.
AppointmentPlugIn- Online booking
- Customization options available
- E-mail confirmations
- Website integration
This tool provides a limited free version that has a limit of 20 appointments per day and advertising in the e-mail confirmations.
CreateAppointments- Online booking
- E-mail confirmations
- Create customer accounts
The free basic version of CreateAppointments has an ad on the bottom of the online scheduler and does not include customization.
4. 
Genbook
- Online booking
- Book Now website button
- Personalized website
- Unlimited staff members
- Unlimited services
Genbook Free limits future scheduling to four weeks. Their paid versions were mentioned in my previous post.
MEMOTXT Scheduler- Free downloadable software
- Search functionality
- Retains client contact information
- Sends out SMS text message appointment reminders
MEMOTXT currently works with all Microsoft platforms, but a Linux and Mac version are in the works.
Pimero Free Edition- Free downloadable software
- Includes appointments, task list planner and contact manager
- Synchronizes multiple PCs
- Secure and automatically encrypts stored data
- Outlook import
The Pimero Free Edition is a feature-heavy downloadable option for standardizing your scheduling process.
7. 
SuperSaaS
- Online booking
- Customization options available
- E-mail integration
- Website integration
- Customer management
The free SuperSaaS plan includes a maximum of 50 registered users and has advertisements.
There are certainly a few solid free scheduling systems available, although the features are somewhat limited. The right solution really depends on your individual needs.
Two of the options listed above are free software you can download and use locally. These are great primarily for in-house scheduling, since they don’t include online booking capability.
Have you used any of these free scheduling systems? Do you have a recommendation?
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Image credit: Nathan Sudds
Alyssa GregoryAlyssa Gregory is a digital and content marketer, small business consultant, and the founder of the Small Business Bonfire — a social, educational and collaborative community for entrepreneurs.
